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“Who are you?”
Thee sighed and walked toward Wave, who had just woken up.
He forced a small smile, carefully hiding the sadness in his eyes. “I’m your friend, Wave.”
Wave looked hesitant. His eyes wandered around the room, noticing the walls covered with messages and pictures. Confused, he looked back at Thee, as if trying to remember something—anything.
Before Thee could utter another word, Wave stood up and began looking at the posters around the room. His eyes landed on a diary titled To Tomorrow’s Me, and he quietly whispered the words to himself.
He stared at it for too long before looking at the wall filled with pictures and unfamiliar faces he couldn’t recognize. Slowly, he began reading the messages one by one.
“We love you, Wave. Always remember that :)”
— Family
“You’re allergic to cats, by the way.”
— Brother
“You used to sing so much that I hated it… but now I barely hear you sing :)”
— Sister
“I love you, Wave.”
— Mom
“I still remember the first time I carried you.”
— Dad
“You still owe me 200 pesos, by the way.”
— North
“You really love vanilla.”
— Otto
“You don’t like it when it’s hot, but you love the summer season.”
— Thee
“You love sunrises more than sunsets because they mean new beginnings.”
— Thee
“You always pretend you’re okay even when you’re scared.”
— Thee
“You love listening to music.”
— Thee
“You collect CDs.”
— Thee
“You’re really lucky at the arcade.”
— Thee
“You love every color.”
— Thee
“Who’s Thee?”
Thee already knew Wave would ask that.
He smiled softly.
“I am… I am Thee.”
Wave looked at him for a moment. “Do we know each other that much?”
“We don’t just know each other, Wave,” Thee answered quietly. “We’re very close.”
“What does that even mean?”
He looked back at the guy behind him, who still hadn’t moved.
Wave slowly flipped through the pages, finding long messages written to himself. He tried to process everything, his mind struggling to understand what he was reading.
To my tomorrow self,
Hello, Wave #599!
You might be confused about what that means, but it’s the number of versions of us that have existed so far. I know everything feels confusing right now, but let me tell you what happened to Wave #598.
As usual, I woke up to someone standing near my bed. I honestly thought he was a thief at first—good thing he introduced himself.
His name is Thee.
It’s strange because his name feels so familiar, like I’ve heard it hundreds of times before, yet I still can’t remember him.
He told me that we’re very close. Very, very close.
We spent the whole day together. He took me to the sea, and we ate there while watching the waves. It was a really nice experience.
I noticed something today too.
Whenever I look at Thee, there’s this weird feeling in my chest. Like my heart remembers him even when my mind can’t.
I asked him if we’ve done this before.
He only smiled at me.
And somehow, that answer felt sad.
Before Wave could speak, the door suddenly opened, revealing a woman. It was Wave's mom.
“Hello, Wave. I brought your favorite food.” She smiled brightly.
“Are you my Sister?” Wave asked innocently, making the woman laugh.
“close,” she said between laughs before walking closer to him. “I’m your mom, Wave.”
Wave blinked in surprise. “Really?”
“Really.” She gently placed the food on the table before fixing his messy hair like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Wave lowered his eyes, embarrassed. “Sorry.”
Her expression softened immediately.
“Hey,” she whispered, cupping his face carefully. “You never have to apologize for forgetting.”
The room fell silent for a moment.
Wave looked at her, then at Thee standing quietly behind him, and finally at the walls filled with pieces of a life he couldn’t remember living.
It felt strange.
Sad.
Like everyone knew him except himself.
His mom noticed the look in his eyes and smiled again, gentler this time.
“Did Thee already introduce himself?” she asked.
“Uhh… yes,” Wave answered awkwardly before glancing at Thee with a small smile.
“Oh, okay. I'll leave you two.”
After Wave's mom left the room, silence slowly filled the space between them.
Thee sat at the edge of the bed while Wave stayed seated on the chair, still holding the diary tightly in his hands.
“We can talk later, Wave. You can ask me anything after you eat first,” Thee said, breaking the silence with a small smile.
“Oh… yeah.” Wave laughed awkwardly before turning toward the table and starting to eat, only to hear a quiet laugh from behind him.
“What?” Wave asked, looking back at Thee.
“Nothing,” Thee answered softly, still smiling. “You still eat the same way.”
Wave frowned slightly. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You always eat the vegetables first because you hate saving them for last.”
Wave immediately looked down at his plate.
“…Oh.”
Thee laughed again, quieter this time.
And somehow, despite barely knowing him, Wave found himself smiling too.
Thee’s POV
Here I was, watching Wave finish his food. A small smile formed on my lips without me noticing.
“Can you tell me about us?” Wave asked after taking the last bite, making me giggle softly.
“Mhmm.” It was a question I never got tired of answering.
I smiled gently before starting our story.
“The people in that polaroid… who are they?” Wave asked, holding the picture carefully.
“They’re our friends, Wave. We’ve been together since elementary school.” I smiled at the memory. “Most of them have their own families now.”
“What?” Wave laughed. “Are we really that old?”
I laughed quietly. “Not that old.”
“How about you?”
The smile on my face slowly faded.
That question.
I never really knew how to answer that one.
Because while everyone else kept moving forward—
I stayed.
Waiting for every new version of Wave to wake up.
“Sorry,” Wave said nervously after noticing my silence. He slowly walked closer to me. “Did I say something wrong?”
I quickly shook my head.
“No, no. You didn’t.” I said panicking
Sea’s POV
Thee and I decided to do the things he said I loved.
We walked by the sea, letting the waves touch our feet as we played around in the sand like little kids.
“Can you tell what I am?” I asked while crouching awkwardly and moving sideways like a crab, laughing at myself.
Thee looked at me with a wide smile before answering.
“Oh, Wave… I don’t know. Maybe a crab?” he teased.
I laughed loudly at his answer, almost losing my balance on the sand.
For a moment, everything felt normal.
Like I had known him for a long time.
Next, we went to the arcade. Thee told me I used to be really lucky there.
“Oh my god, I want that crab plushie,” I said excitedly while pointing at the claw machine.
Thee laughed softly before inserting a coin. He tried grabbing it first but failed miserably.
“That was embarrassing,” he muttered.
“My turn.”
Surprisingly, I got it in one try.
I stared at the plushie in disbelief before turning to him.
“You weren’t joking when you said I was good at this.”
“Of course not,” Thee answered with a smile, shaking his head softly.
Then he suddenly went quiet while looking at me.
The kind of quiet that felt heavy.
Now we were at the basketball arcade, shooting nonstop while laughing together. We even ended up competing with the kid beside us, trying to beat each other’s scores.
“Hey, that doesn’t count!” I laughed after Thee shamelessly stole one of my balls.
“It absolutely counts,” he argued while grinning.
“You’re cheating!”
“You’re just losing.”
I gasped dramatically before throwing another ball toward the hoop.
Swish.
“Ha!”
Thee stared at me in disbelief. “Okay, now that’s unfair.”
I laughed so hard my stomach started hurting.
For the first time since waking up that morning, I forgot about the diary.
About the notes.
About not remembering.
Everything felt… light.
Normal.
Like this was how things were supposed to be.
Then suddenly—
BANG!
A basketball hit my head directly.
“Ah—!”
I immediately let out a groan, stumbling backward slightly.
“Wave!”
The laughter around me faded into noise as my head suddenly started pounding.
I saw Thee rushing toward me, panic immediately filling his face as he held my shoulders carefully.
“Wave? Hey, look at me. Are you okay?”
I could see his lips moving.
But I couldn’t hear anything clearly anymore.
My mind was full of chaos.
Images flashed violently inside my head.
Thee laughing.
Someone crying.
A hospital room.
Warm hands holding mine.
“Please remember me.”
My breathing became uneven.
I grabbed my head tightly as another sharp pain shot through me.
"Wave!” Thee's voice sounded distant now. “Wave, stay with me!”
Then suddenly—
A memory.
Thee smiling at me while wearing a school uniform.
My chest tightened painfully.
“T-Thee…”
"I think I'm remembering something." I said as as tears fall down my fave.
His expression immediately changed.
The panic in his eyes became fear.
Real fear.
Because for the first time—
I remembered his name on my own.
3rd person point of view
Thee couldn’t stop worrying as he carefully guided Sea toward the car.
Wave's breathing was uneven, one hand tightly gripping his head while the other held onto Thee's sleeve like he was afraid to let go.
“Oh shocks, what is happening to sir Wave, sir?” their driver asked worriedly as soon as he saw Wave condition.
“Drive us to the hospital as fast as you could” Thee answered quickly before helping Wave sit in the backseat beside him.
The moment the car started moving, Thee immediately turned his attention back to Wave.
“Wave? Hey, look at me.”
Wave winced in pain, squeezing his eyes shut. His head felt like it was being torn apart by memories he couldn’t fully understand.
“I-It hurts…” he whispered weakly.
Thee's chest tightened.
Seeing Sea confused every morning already hurt enough.
But seeing him in pain like this?
It terrified him.
Thee carefully held the back of Wave's head, letting him lean against his shoulder.
“You’re okay,” he whispered softly despite the panic in his own voice. “You’re okay. We’re almost there.”
Wave suddenly grabbed Thee's hand tightly.
“Thee…”
Thee froze.
Wave rarely said his name first.
Not like this.
Not without hesitation.
“I remember…” Wave whispered shakily. “I remember your smile.”
Thee eyes widened.
For a second, the world around him completely stopped.
Then Wave suddenly cried out in pain again, gripping his head harder as more fragmented memories flashed through his mind.
“Wave!” Thee immediately pulled his hands away from Wave's head, afraid he might accidentally hurt him more. “Don’t force yourself, please.”
Outside the window, the rain slowly started pouring.
And none of them noticed the speeding headlights coming straight toward their lane.
It was too late but Thee did his best to cover up and protect Wave.
Wave's POV:
I opened my eyes expecting to forget everything again.
But the memories were still there.
The crash.
The sound of shattered glass.
Thee shielding me before everything went dark.
Thee.
My eyes quickly wandered around the room before landing on my mom, whose eyes immediately widened when she saw me awake.
“Wave… thank God you're awake.” Her voice trembled as tears filled her eyes.
Soon, Dad and my siblings gathered around me, relief visible on their faces.
But my eyes kept searching for someone else.
“Where’s Thee?”
The room suddenly fell silent.
I looked at them in confusion.
Why were they looking at each other like that?
“Wave,” My sister said softly, “you need to rest. You’ve been unconscious for a week.”
A week?
My chest tightened immediately.
“Where is he, Mom?” I asked again, panic slowly creeping into my voice. “Did the crash have something to do with him?”
“No, no, baby, he's okay” Mom quickly answered as she sat beside me. She gently held my hand, trying to calm me down. “He’s still resting too.”
I swallowed hard.
“Then why is everyone acting weird?”
Nobody answered.
That scared me more.
Mom sighed shakily before brushing my hair away from my forehead.
“Wave… your memories came back after the accident. The doctors said the impact somehow helped restore them.” Her eyes softened painfully. “You need to let your mind rest first.”
But I barely heard the rest of her words.
Because one thought kept repeating inside my head.
Thee remembered me every single day.
So why did it suddenly feel like everyone was afraid of me remembering him now?
3rd person POV
Wave opened the door to his room after two weeks of staying at the hospital. He still hadn’t been allowed to visit Thee, as the doctor had forbidden it—Thee was still resting due to the severity of the impact.
He looked around the familiar space, his eyes landing on the messages stuck on the walls. A small, breathy laugh escaped him as he read through them, each note pulling at a different memory.
Carefully, he picked up the diary and began reading. It contained entries from Thee and his past versions of himself. Wave couldn’t help but laugh softly at some parts, though it was always followed by a quiet ache in his chest.
He was about to sit down when he noticed a box tucked beneath his bed.
He tilted his head slightly, finding it strange. He didn’t remember ever placing it there.
Curious, he pulled it out.
Inside were stacks of folded papers—carefully kept, slightly worn, as if they had been read countless times.
His expression softened as he started reading them one by one.
At first, they felt like simple letters.
Then familiar handwriting started to appear.
Thee's.
Wave breathing slowed.
To my Wave #1
Hello Wave, I am Thee :)
I really hope you get well soon. I know this is tough, but I’m still hoping for the best. I know you will heal soon, and I promise I’ll be there when that time happens.
You're still confused and processing I know that, but always remember I’m here for you.
It’s okay if you don’t remember me again. I will just be here to remind you that you have me.
To my Wave #56,
Hello Wave, it’s Thee again :)
This day is really memorable to me.
Thank you for trusting me every day, even when you don’t remember who I am. I know it must be difficult waking up confused every morning, yet you still choose to believe me whenever I introduce myself.
Today, you laughed so much while we were at the arcade that people started staring at us. You got embarrassed and blamed me for being too loud even though you were clearly louder.
But you smiled at me afterward, so I guess today wasn’t too bad. I hope tomorrow’s Sea smiles the same way too.
See you tomorrow
To my Wave #365,
Hello Wave, it’s Thee again :)
It’s been one year since the incident, and honestly… you’ve gotten a lot better.
You don’t panic as much anymore whenever you wake up confused. Sometimes, you even joke about it before I can explain everything. I think that means you’re getting stronger.
One year has passed, but leaving you never once crossed my mind. So please remember this, Wave
I’m always here.
Today, you asked me something that completely broke me. You asked why I still stay despite everything.
I wanted to answer you honestly.
But answering that question would mean telling you the truth I’ve been hiding from every version of you.
I’m sorry.
See you tomorrow, Wave.
Wave dropped to his knees as tears continued falling down his face.
“I’m sorry, Thee,” he cried softly. “I’m sorry.”
“For forgetting you… I’m so sorry.”
The papers scattered across the floor of his room as he tightly held the last message Thee had written for him.
Every letter.
Every “I’m still here.”
Thee stayed through all of it.
Wave's shoulders trembled violently as guilt and love crashed over him all at once.
He cried until his chest hurt.
And somewhere between the tears and exhaustion, Wave slowly fell asleep on the floor—surrounded by years of Thee's unwavering love.
He stared out the window as the car continued driving through the quiet streets.
He was finally going to visit him.
He was finally going to tell Thee that he remembered everything.
Every memory.
Wave tightened his grip on the box resting on his lap.
His chest felt unbearably heavy, yet warm at the same time.
Because after all this time
he finally had the chance to tell Thee how much he loved him.
The door slowly opened, revealing Thee.
Lying on the hospital bed.
Resting quietly.
Wave's grip on the box tightened slightly as he stepped inside the room.
Thee slowly became aware of his surroundings. He lifted his head slightly before his brows furrowed in confusion.
His eyes landed on Wave.
But there was no recognition in them.
Only unfamiliarity.
Wave felt his chest tighten instantly.
Thee stared at him for a few quiet seconds before finally speaking.
“Who are you?”
The question hit Wave harder than the crash ever did.
That was the one thing he had been trying to avoid.
That question.
The same question Thee had answered for him hundreds of times without ever complaining.
Wave felt his vision blur as tears immediately welled up in his eyes. He tried to stop them, but they kept falling anyway.
Wave let out a shaky breath before forcing a small smile through his tears.
“I am Wave,” he whispered.
His voice trembled painfully.
“Your friend, Thee.”