"Being so chubby as a child, yet growing up to be so beautiful." Mali looked at her reflection in the wall mirror in the living room, pinching her cheeks and muttering to herself with a half-smile. Truly the face of the most beautiful Miss Grand in history, not a single flaw.

In the darkness of the night, Mali looked in the mirror and wrote her name on her wrist. Then she went into the bedroom, gently walked over and sat beside the bed, watching the sleeping Yoko.

'Truly so cute. You are the only thing in this world that makes me jealous of her. Luckily, she loves you and treats you very well. Otherwise...' Mali quietly gazed at Yoko, her cold face and searching eyes as if trying to memorize every line of the other's face.

'This is clearly unfair competition. As long as you appear in Faye's and my life, anyone, no matter how hard they try, will lose.' Mali stroked Yoko's rosy cheek and thought to herself.

Then Mali leaned down and lightly kissed the corner of Yoko's lips, stood up, and took the hotel notepad and pencil, slipping them into her pocket. She glanced at Yoko one last time, sighed, and walked out.

The early morning air of the resort was fresh and gentle, the forest and sea air blending together. Mali strolled slowly, breathing in the fresh air, heading straight towards the beach. She had never truly seen the sunrise nor truly stepped on the sand. This time, she just wanted to see it one last time.

Reaching the beach, Mali took off her shoes and walked barefoot. When she approached a beach chair that had been set up, she sat down, comfortably watching the sun rising in the distance.

Although she told Faye she would disappear, in reality, the two of them were about to return to their original state. Faye would be sad but would quickly overcome it and accept it because it was the self-healing process of every individual's body. In fact, she was proof of a time when Faye was in pain. Her disappearance was the final healing. Faye's heart would truly no longer feel empty; Faye would become even stronger and more confident than before.

Mali took out the hotel notepad, pondered for a moment, then wrote a few sentences on it and slipped it back into her pocket. She leaned back in the chair and watched the sunrise.

I am truly not the main character of this story.

It's time to leave.

....

That morning, upon hearing Yoko's news, Nam immediately rushed to the beach. Seeing Faye crying like someone who had lost their soul, unable to even walk properly, Nam frowned with worry. She and Yoko helped Faye back to the villa. Fortunately, it happened early in the morning, so no one saw this scene.

Back at the villa, Faye still didn't say anything, but just sat in silence, tears silently falling, her arms wrapped around Yoko's waist, unwilling to let go. Yoko took Faye into the room and gave her headache medicine. Lying in Yoko's embrace, Faye cried silently for a long time until, exhausted and the medicine taking effect, she finally fell asleep.

Yoko sighed worriedly, stroking Faye's hair, then went out to the living room. Nam was still sitting there waiting.

"When is Faye and your flight?" Nam asked Yoko.

"This afternoon. But I think I'll inform the crew to go ahead first. Faye and I will postpone our flight until tomorrow. I don't think she's in a state to appear right now," Yoko thought to herself.

Nam nodded in agreement. "I'll postpone my flight and stay with you two, and Nhan too. Faye like this reminds me of a few times in the past when I saw her like this."

"What do you think is wrong with her?"

"We'll have to wait for Faye to say. But her state is very similar to the times when Faye... lost a loved one. Faye can never handle this."

Hearing this, Yoko's face also fell with worry, following Nam's expression. She had never seen Faye in such a state, while Nam, as Faye's best friend, had gone through their most difficult times together. Nam knew how Faye would react.

"How long did it take her to get better in the past, sis?"

Nam sighed, but still smiled to reassure Yoko. "Usually just a day or two. After that, Faye will bury those emotions and adjust. She's all grown up now, so even if something hurts her like this, it will probably pass quickly."

Yoko nodded, hoping it would be so.

Both of them decided not to talk about this too much, but to wait for Faye to calm down first. Nam would inform Nhan to arrange the rescheduling.

When Yoko returned to the room, Faye was still asleep, her eyebrows furrowed, which pained Yoko to see. She went to lie down beside her and hugged Faye's waist. Although asleep, when Faye felt Yoko lying next to her, she turned and embraced her.

When together, Faye and Yoko were always loving and straightforward with each other. Yoko always knew that Faye loved and doted on her very much. But sometimes there would be differences in their thinking; Faye would hide her sadness to avoid making Yoko sad as well. Faye tried to shoulder everything herself. Throughout Yoko's troubles, Faye had worried about her a lot. This time, with Faye in trouble, Yoko wondered if Faye would be willing to talk about it.

Lost in thought, Yoko also nestled into Faye's embrace and fell asleep without realizing it. While Yoko woke up a few times, Faye slept straight until late afternoon. Yoko and Nam were a little worried, so they informed the resort's medical staff to check on her, and they confirmed that Faye was just sleeping, so everyone was temporarily relieved. Upon receiving information that Faye was unwell and needed to adjust her flight schedule, Nhan and two other Ninestar staff members would stay with Faye and Yoko, while the rest of the Ninestar film crew would return first.

In the late afternoon, when Yoko opened her eyes again, she saw Faye sitting on the small sofa in the bedroom. Looking at Faye from behind gave Yoko a very strange feeling, as if Faye's aura had changed, as if she had just experienced a shock.

Faye sat quietly, holding the hotel notepad in her hand. Rubbing her eyes to wake up, having slept too much, Yoko walked over and opened her arms to hug Faye. As soon as Faye saw her, she opened her arms wide for Yoko to snuggle into her embrace.

"Faye..."

"You're awake?" Faye's voice was deep, no longer showing the loss of composure from earlier that morning.

At this moment, Yoko noticed the notepad Faye was reading. It had someone's handwriting on it. At first glance, it looked like Faye's handwriting, but upon closer inspection, it wasn't. It was more slender and independent, not as gentle and flowing as Faye's.

'Willingly staying in the darkness, just so you can welcome the dawn.

Happy and joyful as you have always been.

Be strong, protect the most important things as I have done.

Goodbye, my little sister.'

Faye recognized her own handwriting, but also knew that she hadn't written this. It was Mali who had written it for her before disappearing. That person was truly as she said, always caring for and protecting her.

Yoko also realized that this wasn't Faye's handwriting, but she felt it was closely related to Faye.

"What's wrong?" Yoko caressed Faye's face, worried. "Whose handwriting is this?"

"Let's go outside, Yo. Nam is here; I'll tell both of you at once," Faye said with a deep gaze, wanting to stand up and go outside.

Yoko took Faye's hand; she knew Faye still had something very strange she hadn't told her.

"Don't worry, I'll tell you everything when I calm down. Okay?" Faye stroked Yoko's head.

Hearing this, Yoko nodded and went outside with Faye. Faye and she had never hidden anything from each other. If Faye said she would tell her, Faye would definitely do it.

Faye had slept for ten hours straight; it was now evening. Nam, after finishing the arrangements with Nhan and Ninestar, had returned to the villa to wait for the two of them. True to being Faye's best friend, Nam was always very worried about Faye.

As soon as she saw Faye's face, Nam glanced at Yoko. Just as she had said, this expression on Faye's face was truly the heartbroken look of losing a loved one. The kind of heartbreaking grief that felt like dying, yet resigned because there was nothing else to be done.

The three of them sat in the living room. Yoko held Faye's hand tightly, Faye patted Yoko's hand to comfort her, then she took her phone and called Thien. Faye put it on speakerphone so everyone could talk together. This matter needed immediate discussion because she was afraid she would forget it.

"The person behind all of this, yesterday he even came to this villa..." As soon as Faye began to speak, everyone gasped.

Too dangerous, daring to come all the way here?

"...The feeling at that time was very strange. Around 2 or 3 a.m in the morning, I had a headache and woke up startled. Then I went to this living room to get a drink of water, then there was a sound, and I fainted..."

Faye began to recount the situation from last night. But when she reached the part about talking to Mali, Faye omitted it, only saying that the guy wanted to dig into her memories but couldn't. Even so, such a plotline naturally didn't escape Yoko's notice; she keenly understood that Faye had something difficult to say. Yoko gently took Faye's hand to reassure her.

"...He couldn't find that memory of mine. So I fainted a second time. When I woke up, it was already early morning, and I was on the beach. After what happened, I think I was... hypnotized by him."

This was the last possible answer.

This was the real world, so there couldn't be any magic or spells here. There was no way Faye could have sleepwalked and gone to the beach like that. And everything that had happened, even Mali's appearance, could only be explained in one way. Faye was hypnotized, and Mali had come out of her hiding place to wake Faye up. The scene where Faye met him and Mali was her own mind.

At that time, Mali appeared, preventing him from continuing to control Faye, forcing him to leave. As for Mali, she protected this body, wrote the two words "Khanthong" on Faye's hand, wrote a farewell note, then walked to the beach to watch the sunrise. Then Mali Khanthong left.

Except for the content about Mali, Faye told everyone her theory and analysis. Even the strange behaviors of the previous suspects like Bella, Z, and XX gradually became connected.

"But who is that man? If we go to see an artist to draw him, will Faye be able to remember?" Thien's voice came from the phone.

"He covered his face, so I didn't see him clearly either," Faye shook her head.

Yoko was a little confused. "If he was hypnotizing you and wanted to enter your thoughts, then the things you saw might not have been real."

Faye nodded; last night, only Mali showed her the truth.

"So, in what he said, was any information real?" Nam rested her chin on her hand, puzzled. "By default, what he showed you was intentional and not necessarily true. So even whether he was male or female, we don't know."

Everyone agreed with this assessment.

"One thing can be confirmed: he has known you for a very long time. And the memory from when you were seven years old is the key memory to solving this problem. Questions like why he keeps clinging to you and his true identity all stem from that," Yoko said very intelligently, summarizing the whole issue.

Thien pondered. "Faye, do you really not remember anything about when you were seven?"

All three of them looked at Faye.

Faye sighed. Before, there was still a chance she could remember. But since Mali left, she was certain that she would never be able to recall that period again. Mali had made it very clear that she would take that memory with her. Thinking of Mali, a fleeting sadness appeared in Faye's eyes. Immediately noticing it, Yoko hugged Faye's arm and rested her chin on her shoulder.

"I will never be able to remember that memory again. But one thing is certain: the person who wants to harm me will not endanger my life, but he is very angry and will definitely retaliate soon."

Nam sighed; her best friend's life was truly full of ups and downs. "This time, Yoko probably won't be dragged in again. After the last collective slap in the face, surely no one will dare to speak ill of you. This major tribulation will probably be yours to bear alone."

"Faye, besides yourself, who else could know about what happened when you were seven?" Thien focused on the core issue to find a direction for investigation.

"My father and the grandparents who raised me from childhood are all gone. My foster mother didn't return to live in our hometown until I was older. I don't know if she knows anything," Faye frowned. There was truly no one left from that time.

Thien thought for a moment. "Let's finalize this. Faye, reach out to your family first. I'll go back to your hometown to inquire with everyone there and see if there's any other information."

Nam nodded in agreement. "Last time we suspected that person got information from within Ninestar. Thien, please investigate that direction further."

"Okay, that's settled then." With that final decision, Thien hung up, leaving the conversation.

As soon as Thien left, Nam turned to Faye and asked,

"Are you really okay?"

Faye smiled to reassure Nam. "Same as always, Nam."

"Okay, I'll fly on the same flight as you two, so if you need anything, just tell me."

The two only needed to say that much to understand each other. Nam gave Faye a knowing look and then said goodbye to both of them, returning to her hotel room.

As soon as only the two of them were left, Faye turned and hugged Yoko's waist, nuzzling into her embrace.

"It's late, let me order dinner for you. You haven't eaten anything all day," Yoko steered the conversation to another topic, not wanting Faye to dwell on sad things anymore. She was always like this; whenever she wanted to comfort Faye, she would make Faye laugh or switch to other topics to distract her.

"Yo, if one day everything ends, and I'm no longer here..."

"Don't say that!" Yoko immediately interrupted Faye. She didn't want to think about that scenario, never wanted to, even in a hypothetical situation.

"Yo..."

"Then what about me? What if I disappear?" Yoko countered. Faye and she shared the same weakness: they never wanted the other to say words like disappear, break up, or leave... From the very first day they knew each other, they had made a rule: no matter how hypothetical or how angry they were, they could never say such words of separation. Because it would cause so much pain.

"If you still can't say it, or don't want to say it, then just keep it in your heart and wait until you calm down. If you feel you need to do something to relieve this mood, just tell me, no need to explain the reason, just say what you want to do. I'll go with you. Whatever it is, I will accompany you. Just don't hypothesize... a world where we don't have each other."

Yoko's eyes reddened as she spoke a long string of words. Loving each other would always have challenges; they had come this far and had gone through quite a lot together.

Faye hugged her silently.

She was afraid that, just like Mali, she would disappear from Yoko's life. Faye felt as helpless as she did last night when she was hypnotized by that man, unable to move, unable to do anything else. Although it seemed so absurd and inexplicable, she was afraid that this mind would be interfered with by someone capable of it, making her go crazy, or making her... forget Yoko, for example?

A hand reached out and took Faye's hand. On Yoko's ring finger, she still wore the ring that Faye had given her. On Faye's hand was also their matching ring.

"Holding hands, hugging, kissing, we've done it all. Wearing wedding dresses together, exchanging rings, saying vows and 'I do,' we've experienced it all together. So haven't I already married you?" Yoko smiled.

She didn't fully know the reason for Faye's sadness. But whatever it was, it wouldn't affect their relationship.

Faye's eyes welled up; she was awakened by Yoko's words. Grown up and still needing Yoko to comfort her like this, but truly, Yoko's words were exactly what Faye needed most right now.

"I'm afraid I'll forget you, just like the way I forgot my memory from when I was seven."

"Then if that unlucky day comes, I will still appear in your life. I will take the initiative to greet you, 'Hello, I am Yoko Apasra Lertprasert. Nice to meet you.' Then I will ask for your phone number, text you casually every day, ask you out, go for coffee. I will repeat everything I did when I first got to know you. I will pursue you again, even if you hate me..."

Yoko Apasra, with her true feelings, was very confident when she said this. She had done it once; she would do it again. She would be by Faye's side, bothering and clinging to her every day, so that Faye would recognize who she was. Or even if Faye didn't recognize her, she would make Faye fall in love with her again.

Yoko's words moved Faye to the point of speechlessness. She just remained silent and hugged Yoko. The two of them were truly very lucky to have found each other.

After a long moment, Faye said,

"Promise you'll find me!"

Yoko smiled. "I promise."

Hearing this, Faye felt a little happier, then continued,

"And now I know what I want to do."

Yoko caressed Faye's face, raising her eyebrows, not knowing what Faye wanted to do.

"I want to get a tattoo."

She would tattoo the word "Khanthong" right on her wrist, in the exact spot where Mali had written it. It was her grandmother's name, the one who raised her, and also Mali's name, the one who had silently cared for her for so long.

And, she wanted to tattoo Yoko's name, Apasra.

The girl she never wanted to forget.