Yu Myeong also pulled out an empty notebook and a pen.

These days, it had become part of his nightly routine before bed.

Working on the script.

Or rather, working on Peter Pan.

As he spun the pen between his fingers and sank into thought, Miho's fluffy form materialized on top of the desk.

{Working on the script, meow?}

"Mm. More the character than the script."

{What part of Peter Pan do you emotionally relate to, meow?}

"Hmm... his immaturity, maybe?"

A bitter smile touched Yu Myeong's lips.

{You? You seem pretty mature for your age.}

"I'm forty-two this year, technically. And it's already been four years since I came back."

{Which means you're still a baby. At forty-two, you wouldn't even have one proper tail yet.}

"Hahaha. That's by your standards."

To Miho, who claimed to have lived for over a thousand years, forty-two years might indeed be nothing.

But from a human perspective, it was an age when one should already be mature, long past the point of distinguishing dreams from reality.

Yet he had spent his entire life obsessed with nothing but acting.

Ignoring reality.

Like Peter Pan, unable to leave Neverland.

{That's why you chose Peter Pan.}

"Yeah. Everything worked out because I met you, and now I'm happy, doing what I love. But sometimes I wonder... if I hadn't met you, wouldn't I have ended up like Peter Pan? Someone who only thought about himself. That's what made me want to explore the role."

So that was what he had been thinking.

A curious expression crossed Miho's face.

Humans really were complicated creatures.

Wasn't the purpose of life supposed to be devoting oneself to whatever one's heart desired?

And yet, even within lives destined to vanish in the blink of an eye, they worried about the future, about family, about what others thought of them.

It was something Miho had never fully understood.

"But..."

Lately, however, after spending so much time with this human, there were parts of it she was beginning to grasp.

Mrs. Park, who always kept beer stocked in the refrigerator because she mistakenly assumed her son was the one drinking it.

Ji Yeon, whose presence beside her, sprawled lazily across the floor, somehow created a feeling of fullness and comfort.

Su Yeon, who carried enough grief to fill an entire lifetime within her small existence, and who had finally managed to release it with Miho's help.

Unlike spirits, human lives were built from relationships.

Within those relationships, they proved their value and found meaning.

And the more precious other people became, the more painful the gap between what they wanted and what others expected of them became.

Did there come a moment when they simply gave up trying to bridge that gap?

"If I'd spent ten years trying and still couldn't make it, I probably should've quit. But I couldn't. Sometimes I wonder if that meant I was just another Peter Pan, wanting to stay in Neverland and avoid reality. So I'm trying to separate out that selfish part of myself as much as possible and use it to build Peter Pan."

{It's fine to empathize with parts of a character, but don't use that as an excuse to mock your own life. Peter Pan wanted to avoid the responsibilities that came with becoming an adult. You couldn't help yourself because you loved acting too much.}

"..."

{And the fifteen years you spent struggling gave you everything you have now.}

"Yeah..."

{Give your past self some credit. You worked incredibly hard. You're a pretty amazing guy, meow.}

Warmth spread softly through Yu Myeong's chest.

He often forgot because of her adorable appearance and blunt way of speaking, but Miho was a spiritual being who had lived for over a thousand years.

Every now and then, she revealed wisdom that took him completely by surprise.

The wisdom and warmth that had already saved him countless times once again illuminated his own foolishness as naturally as breathing.

"Thank you."

{Express your gratitude with beer.}

"Sure. Cass? Hite?"

As Miho drank her beer, she found herself thinking.

The longer they spent together, the more she understood.

The more affection accumulated.

The path she wanted.

And the path that was best for Yu Myeong.

Would she eventually do something so thoroughly human as abandoning what she wanted for the sake of another person?

For some reason, the aftertaste of the beer seemed bitter.

 The documentary had grown far beyond its original scope.

What had initially been intended as a documentary built around interviews with Yu Myeong and excerpts from his previous works had expanded into a full chronicle of the play's creation, fueled by Producer Ban Sun Ho's enthusiasm.

"Please take care of us."

He explained appearance fees and production details to Ryu Shin, Seol Su Yeon, and Chu Se Mi as well, apologizing in advance for the lengthy filming schedule.

Surprisingly, all three reacted positively.

The idea that this valuable period of their lives would remain preserved as a record genuinely pleased them.

"After consulting with the agencies, we've agreed to hold a screening for involved parties before broadcast. If there are any sensitive sections or anything that spoils the play, we'll re-edit them."

"Thank you." "Sounds good!" "Same here."

Then Yu Myeong added,

"Producer. We'll set aside separate days whenever you need specific footage. I'd appreciate it if our regular rehearsals weren't disrupted by filming. We can't let the priorities get reversed."

"Of course. I'll be careful, but if anything makes you uncomfortable, let me know immediately."

Ban Sun Ho wasn't the type to drag around a huge crew.

He preferred working with a small team he trusted, investing time to investigate subjects deeply.

The cinematographer and assistant director expertly positioned the primary and secondary cameras throughout the rehearsal hall.

Even when the documentary crew wasn't present, two observation cameras would continue recording all day.

"What did you see that got you so excited?"

"You'll understand when you see it."

Park Yu Seon, the cinematographer who had worked with Ban Sun Ho for years, could barely contain her curiosity.

Only a week ago, he had been furious, ranting about executive pressure forcing him to make what was essentially a celebrity promotional documentary.

Then, three days earlier, he had suddenly appeared with a completely different look in his eyes.

"This is huge. I'm putting my next project on hold and filming this first."

He had practically been spraying spit as he talked.

Ban Sun Ho had always been the type to become obsessed with things.

But it had been a long time since she'd seen him this excited.

After adjusting the camera angle one last time, Yu Seon dropped into a nearby seat.

"Shall we run Act One, Scene One?"

Act One, Scene One.

Fairy Tale Peter Pan.

They were developing the script while simultaneously rehearsing the scenes already completed.

Today, they were rehearsing the earliest finished section.

The Fairy Tale Peter Pan scene.

"We'll begin."

Shin Yu Myeong dashed onto the stage.

He burst in with explosive energy, then launched into three consecutive tumbling passes.

Yu Seon's mouth fell open.

"Hello! I'm Peter Pan! As long as you think beautiful and wonderful thoughts, you won't fall from the sky!"

His physical balance was extraordinary.

Executing difficult movements as though they were effortless, Peter Pan bounded across the stage.

Not once did both feet touch the floor together.

He seemed so light that he might genuinely take flight at any moment.

"Wendy! Over here! This way!"

At his shout, Wendy staggered onto the stage.

"I can't fly as beautifully as you can!"

"I'll sprinkle a little more fairy dust."

Peter Pan mimed scattering something.

Immediately, Wendy's swaying body regained a measure of balance.

Meanwhile, Peter Pan circled around her, showing off all manner of tricks, clearly eager to demonstrate how magnificently he could fly.

"There! We've arrived! This is Neverland, the island of children who never grow up!"

"Wow! Then are there really mermaids here?"

"Of course there are. Ah! I think the pirates found us. Be quiet."

Wendy hurriedly clamped both hands over her mouth.

From the opposite side of the stage, Ryu Shin entered.

Hook swung his sword menacingly and roared,

"Peter Pan! I will have my revenge! That villain cut off my arm and fed it to a crocodile!"

His empty sleeve fluttered.

Where his left hand should have been, a terrifying hook protruded instead.

"Wendy, run!"

"Who is that terrifying man?!"

"Hahaha! That's foolish Captain Hook. I cut off his arm."

"Gasp..."

As Hook charged after them, Wendy's face turned pale.

Peter Pan easily danced out of reach, escaping far away.

Wendy wasn't so fortunate.

She flailed desperately, trying to flee in the opposite direction.

Just as Hook was about to seize her clothing—

Tick.

Tock.

A clock began to chime.

"Ah! This is bad! The crocodile's here!!"

Hook panicked and fled across the stage.

Terrified by the mention of the crocodile, Wendy spun around.

And there—

Ta-da!

Peter Pan appeared.

"Peter!"

"Hahahaha! It's not a crocodile! It's me!"

He clicked his tongue.

The sound perfectly mimicked the ticking of a clock.

Peter Pan doubled over laughing.

Hook trembled in one corner.

And Wendy clasped her hands tightly together, gazing at Peter Pan with eyes full of admiration.

Then—

Thud.

A sound effect rang out.

The assistant director had triggered it.

The instant the sound played, all three actors froze.

"Hahahaha! What's this game supposed to be? Let me out. Let me out!"

Peter Pan stared toward the front of the stage and began pounding at empty air as though striking an invisible wall.

Yu Seon swallowed hard.

'A wall...?

They're trapped?'

The precision of the mime made the meaning unmistakable.

An invisible barrier now stood before the characters.

"Mom... Mom!"

Wendy took a few tentative steps inside the confined space before collapsing into a crouch and bursting into tears.

"What is this? Who dares obstruct the path of Captain Hook, ruler of the seas?!"

After screaming in panic, Hook abruptly straightened himself and began shouting in exaggerated arrogance.

Laughter.

Crying.

Shouting.

The three sounds gradually merged together until they became meaningless noise.

And Act One, Scene One ended.

 Park Yu Seon sat there stunned.

Without realizing it, she had become completely immersed in Peter Pan's story.

The sudden imprisonment had left her unable to process what she had just witnessed.

"Producer Ban... what the hell was that?"

"Crazy, right? The pull is insane from Scene One."

"I thought this was Peter Pan."

"It is. It's a reinterpretation of Peter Pan. Right now, those characters are locked inside a psychiatric ward's CR."

"What?"

This was Yu Seon's first time watching stage acting in person.

She had never realized it could unleash such overwhelming energy so instantly.

"Damn, that's chilling. They're all so young. Why do they act like they're burning away pieces of their souls? At least it'll look fantastic on camera."

Yu Seon nodded in agreement.

This was only Act One, Scene One.

Even she, the person holding the camera, couldn't help anticipating what came next.

At last, she understood why Ban Sun Ho had become so obsessed.

 "Hook and Peter Pan need to be separated."

One day, Ryu Shin voiced an idea.

"But they need to be in the same hospital for incidents to happen."

"Aren't there hospitals with multiple wards...?"

"Ah! There are. Some hospitals divide patients into two or three wards and prohibit movement between them."

"Then we can make them separate wards. No matter how dramatic the circumstances, I can't imagine they'd house Peter Pan in the same unit as the person whose arm he cut off."

Chu Se Mi raised a question.

"That makes sense... but how do we create incidents?"

Obviously, incidents required the main characters to meet.

"What if Peter Pan secretly sneaks into Hook's ward?" Ryu Shin suggested. "The hospital would have to be somewhat negligent, of course. Or perhaps we could use Wendy. Wendy might be free to move between the wards and let Peter Pan through after he asks her."

"Ah..."

"What if Peter Pan wants to show off how amazing he is, so he sneaks into Hook's ward with Wendy and imitates the sound of a clock? That could become the incident that causes Hook, who was gradually improving, to relapse."

"Oh... I really like that."

Yu Myeong admired the idea.

Lately, Ryu Shin had become thinner.

Perhaps because he was sinking deeper into Hook, he seemed more depressed than usual.

Yet his acting and his creative contributions had become sharper and more refined, like a blade honed to a razor's edge.

At times, Yu Myeong worried he might be damaging his health.

"If Act One introduces the patients and establishes the relationships between the characters, then Act Two can show Peter Pan's intrusion and how everyone's symptoms become tangled together and worsen because of it. What should the climax be?"

"Hmm... What about reinforcing the trauma?"

"...Repeating the same experience?"

At Seol Su Yeon's answer, Ryu Shin slowly nodded.

"Peter Pan cuts off Hook's arm again. If there isn't anything in the ward capable of doing that, he could break the arm instead."

Baek Yi Shin and Ban Sun Ho visibly flinched.

Yu Myeong's eyes lit up as he added another idea.

"And that gives us the twist."

"...?"

"Wendy takes the blame."