Chapter 37: The Truth of Everything

The person who died in the car accident wasn't Johnny, but his twin brother, Joey.

And "Joey" wasn't actually the grandfather's name at all. After accidentally killing Joey, Johnny's mother suffered a mental breakdown and began mistaking Johnny for Joey.

It was at that time that Johnny was given Beta-blockers.

Everything before now made sense.

Why Johnny always slept in double beds.

Why Johnny's mother called him Joey.

Even the comics Johnny liked to read and the pickled olives he ate—these were all things his older brother Joey had loved.

After the accident, overwhelmed by grief, Johnny's mother raised Johnny as if he were Joey.

But there were still unanswered questions—what about Liva?

Did the wish to go to the moon have any connection with Liva?

As the game progressed further, the timeline shifted back to the time before Joey's death.

As the older brother, Joey deeply cared for his younger brother Johnny.

Once, the two participated in a competition at the amusement park.

Brother Joey won a toy steam train, while younger brother Johnny only received a platypus toy.

Johnny expressed that he wanted the train too, but his mother stopped him.

Joey, however, said they could play with the train together.

From this, it was clear that their mother seemed to favor Joey more.

Feeling somewhat down, Johnny sulkily walked toward the back hills of the amusement park, still holding the platypus toy he had received.

At this moment, Dong Zhen suddenly became alert.

Yes, that platypus!

The platypus belonging to Little Sister—had actually been won by Johnny at the amusement park.

Could this mean…?

The next scene confirmed his suspicion.

On the hillside, Johnny gazed up at the starry sky. His previously depressed mood began to lift. He had found a wonderful spot—

a wooden stump shaped like a bench, perfectly positioned to view the distant twinkling stars.

And then, a little girl appeared on the screen.

It was young Liva!

Dong Zhen felt a chill run through his scalp. In that instant, everything seemed to click.

This was the real scene of Johnny and Liva's first meeting.

Not in high school, as previously believed!

Seeing Liva arrive, Johnny happily greeted her, but instinctively, Liva tried to leave.

Johnny called out to her.

After a brief exchange, he asked if she'd like to watch the stars with him.

Accompanied by soothing background audio of gentle piano and violin music,

under the vast Starry Sky, Johnny and Liva sat on the wooden stump, gazing into the distance.

The scene shifted to a close-up.

The green grass on the lush lawn swayed gently in the breeze.

'Look over there...'

'Did you know? There are countless lamps in the sky!'

Johnny initiated the conversation.

'Mm.'

Liva's response was just as quiet as she had been back in high school.

'Uh... yeah, me too,' Johnny stammered, awkwardly trying to keep talking.

'You said this place is your spot? Right?'

'I only come during the carnival period.'

'Do you not like crowded places?... Yeah, neither do I,' Johnny continued. 'Hey, you still haven't told me your name!'

'I won't tell you. The kids at school make fun of me because of it.'

'Why?'

'They say hearing my name makes them want to go to the bathroom.'

'Well... okay, but seriously, how bad could it be? It can't be worse than "Johnny," right? I mean, almost everywhere in the world, someone's named Johnny.'

'So what?'

'Huh?'

'Having a name everyone has—what's wrong with that? I think, just like the stars in the sky, they all look similar from here, but that doesn't make them any less beautiful.'

'Yeah, I think so too. So... what do you think the stars are?'

'My dad says stars are giant balls of fire burning inside themselves.'

Johnny and Liva chatted for a while, then Liva asked, 'Have you ever tried making an Easter Bunny out of stars?'

'Like finding constellations in the sky?'

'Mm-hmm.'

'I've looked for other shapes, but never a rabbit.'

'Wanna try?'

'Yeah! We'll definitely find the best bunny constellation! Let's race to see who finds it first!'

As the countdown of three, two, one finished, Liva beside him suddenly exclaimed, 'I found it!'

'Uh, where?' Johnny blinked in confusion.

The camera slowly panned upward, focusing on the full moon.

'In the sky!'

'But where in the sky?'

'Think big—everything's big!'

'I can't see it... Wait... Wait, I see it!'

'Tell me what you see!'

'There—those are two ears and a head!' Johnny pointed at the moon.

'And what else?'

'And there... those are two feet!'

'Exactly! And what else!'

'And... and the moon! The moon is its round, chubby belly!'

Simple lines in the scene traced the stars in the sky,

forming a—rabbit.

A rabbit with a yellow belly!

In that instant, all the previous content of the game flashed before Dong Zhen's eyes.

Why, after Johnny and Liva talked about their first meeting, did she start madly folding origami bunnies?

Why had Liva, throughout her life, repeatedly asked John what the yellow-bellied paper bunny meant?

Why had Johnny's answers never satisfied her?

Now, Dong Zhen finally understood!

Liva had been reminding Johnny—her whole life—in her own way.

Reminding him that under the moon and stars so many years ago, that was truly their first meeting!

As Johnny and Liva continued chatting, Liva revealed that she had always believed the stars in the sky were lighthouses.

She thought those lighthouses wanted to exchange with others but couldn't—so they could only keep lighting the way for others. That was the only thing they could do.

Everything finally made sense.

Why Liva cared so deeply about Anya!

Then came the scene that moved countless players to tears.

Hearing his mother calling, Johnny had to go home.

Before leaving, he left his platypus toy with Liva.

'This was my prize. I'm giving it to you!'

So this was how the platypus toy—the one that had always been by Liva's side—came to be!

'You... will you come back next year?' Liva asked, hugging the platypus.

'Of course! What about you?'

'I will.'

'Same time? Same place?'

'Mm-hmm!'

Satisfied with her answer, Johnny happily turned to leave. Then Liva asked,

'But what if you get lost... or forget?'

'Then we'll always meet again on the moon, silly.'

As Johnny said these words, countless players around the world felt an involuntary sting in their eyes.

Their vision blurred suddenly.

All the doubts.

Here, at last, found their answers.

<>