"We actually live in our fantasy…"
Their voices collided in stunned disbelief.
A heavy silence settled between them — the kind that only happens when reality breaks apart.
Ji-ah's breath caught in her throat. Her hands trembled. The nurse's voice echoed in her mind — Ji-soo. Not Ji-ah.
She turned to Da-eun, heart pounding. "Wait… the nurse called me Ji-soo. That's not my name. Why did she—? And you… what are you doing here? How are you in this world?"
Da-eun hesitated, then slowly sat on the couch, eyes dim. "I didn't know anything at first. Everything happened so fast. You fell into the river… and I—I couldn't just watch you go."
Ji-ah's lips parted, confused. "What do you mean?"
Da-eun met her eyes — and for the first time since arriving, her voice cracked.
"I jumped after you."
Ji-ah blinked. "What?"
"I dove in," Da-eun repeated, voice trembling. "I didn't even think. I just saw you go under, and I jumped in right behind you."
Ji-ah's heart dropped.
"The water was freezing," Da-eun whispered, her eyes glistening. "I couldn't breathe. I kept trying to reach for you, but it was like the river was swallowing me whole. I thought I was going to die, Ji-ah. But I couldn't just let you go like that."
Ji-ah stood frozen, tears forming.
"I don't remember what happened next," Da-eun said. "When I woke up, I was already in this hospital. Everything looked different, but they were calling me by another name. I was terrified. I thought I'd lost my mind. But then I found a phone, searched your name — and there you were."
She paused, her voice softening.
"Famous. Loved. The face of this world's version of you — Ji-soo."
Ji-ah stepped forward slowly, emotions catching in her throat. "You really jumped in… for me?"
"I would do it again," Da-eun said, eyes brimming.
Without another word, Ji-ah threw her arms around her. Da-eun clutched her just as tightly, the two of them holding on like anchors in a storm.
"I thought I lost you," Ji-ah sobbed.
"You almost did," Da-eun whispered, voice raw. "But if it means saving you... I'd lose myself a hundred times."
And in that sterile hospital room, far from the world they knew, the two girls held each other and cried like the world was ending — because for them, the one they knew already had.
---
Their moment was interrupted by the sudden rise of muffled voices from outside the room.
Ji-ah paused, slowly pulling back. "Who were those people who barged in earlier?"
Da-eun sniffled. "Staff members, maybe the director… or fans. You're a huge celebrity here, Ji-ah."
Ji-ah blinked. "Fans? I can barely afford groceries back home, and here they line up outside my hospital room?"
Before Da-eun could reply, the hallway went dead silent.
Too silent.
They exchanged a confused glance.
Then the door opened.
In stepped a tall, devastatingly handsome man with an intense gaze and a commanding aura. Every step he took echoed like a heartbeat. Ji-ah felt like the air had thickened around him.
Kang Hyun-min.
His gaze flicked to Ji-ah.
"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice steady, low — but edged with something protective.
Ji-ah and Da-eun stared, momentarily stunned by his presence.
Da-eun quickly shook Ji-ah's arm. "Get back to bed — now!"
Ji-ah scrambled into the sheets just as another man entered behind Hyun-min. Stylish, confident, with a teasing glint in his eye and a calm sharpness to his presence.
Seo Jun-ha.
Hyun-min's personal manager. And… in another world… Kim Tae-min.
The moment Da-eun saw him, her expression twisted into outrage.
"You—!" she stormed forward and grabbed his collar. "Kim Tae-min, you crazy bastard! How dare you ditch my sweet darling Ji-ah!"
Jun-ha staggered, eyes wide. "What the hell?!"
"Da-eun!" Ji-ah jumped up from the bed and pulled her back. She whispered quickly, "That's not him. It's someone else. Remember? This is a different world!"
Da-eun blinked, slowly releasing his shirt.
"Oh… right."
They both turned and bowed in sync. "We're sorry!"
Hyun-min blinked. Jun-ha looked like his brain short-circuited.
"Did Ji-soo just… apologize?" he muttered.
"She never apologizes," Hyun-min said under his breath.
Ji-ah awkwardly climbed back into bed.
She looked at Hyun-min again, this time with more confusion than awe. "Um… who are you exactly?"
Hyun-min's brows rose. "What?"
"I mean… I don't remember meeting you before," Ji-ah added.
Da-eun jumped in. "She's not well. I think the accident really messed her up."
Jun-ha crossed his arms. "Should we call a doctor? She's acting completely off."
"Do it," Hyun-min said.
A few minutes later, a middle-aged doctor walked in and checked Ji-ah's vitals, then ran a series of basic memory tests.
"What day is it?"
"Where are you right now?"
"Can you name your latest drama?"
Ji-ah hesitated at nearly every question.
After a pause, the doctor lowered his clipboard.
"She may be experiencing short-term memory loss due to the shock of the accident. It's not uncommon. It could resolve with time — or require observation."
Hyun-min stood silent. Jun-ha rubbed the back of his neck.
Da-eun gently sat beside Ji-ah and squeezed her hand beneath the blanket.
Ji-ah stared out the window, her heart still racing.
This wasn't just a dream anymore.
It was a life she had no choice but to live.
The hospital hallway was quieter than usual, yet Kang Hyun-min's thoughts were anything but.
He stepped out of Ji-soo's room and exhaled sharply, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
That wasn't Ji-soo.
At least... not the Ji-soo he knew.
The real Ji-soo was bold. Sharp-tongued. Unapologetically confident — sometimes to the point of arrogance.
But this version?
She flinched when he spoke. Apologized. Stared at him like he was a stranger.
"Who are you?"
The question repeated itself in his head like an echo.
Hyun-min rarely let people get under his skin. He had been trained — groomed — to keep his cool in front of cameras, crowds, and even scandals. But for some reason, Ji-soo's sudden change was unsettling. Disturbing, even.
And maybe, deep down… intriguing.
Jun-ha caught up beside him, hands stuffed in his pockets. "That was weird," he said casually. "She's either completely messed up from the accident, or she's putting on one hell of a show."
Hyun-min stayed silent.
"You've known her for years," Jun-ha added. "Has she ever looked at you like that before? Like she was seeing you for the first time?"
No. Never.
She used to roll her eyes, toss playful insults, call him "arrogant prince" during press meets.
But earlier, she looked at him with something else.
Unfamiliarity. Wonder. Even fear.
"She asked who I was," Hyun-min said finally, voice low.
Jun-ha whistled under his breath. "Maybe she really did hit her head too hard."
Hyun-min looked toward the door again, conflicted.
Something wasn't right. And it wasn't just memory loss.
The way she held that girl — Da-eun, her secretary — it felt like they were lost together. Like strangers trying to cling to one thing familiar.
Not actress and assistant.
But survivors.
"Should we really go through with the director's plan?" Jun-ha asked, growing serious. "Pretending they're a couple to boost drama ratings? If she's mentally shaken like this…"
Hyun-min's jaw tightened. "We wait. Let's see how she behaves tomorrow."
And with that, he turned and walked down the corridor, but his mind didn't follow.
It stayed behind — still caught in the mystery of the girl who wore Ji-soo's face… but no longer felt like her.
[End of chapter 3]