With a bright light shining on her pale, soft face, she struggled to open her eyes. For a moment, she stared at the ceiling, then let out a soft "ugh" and placed her hand on her head. Slowly, she lifted her head from the pillow and stretched, as if trying to shake off the remnants of sleep. She rubbed her eyes and looked around curiously.
Everything looked strange and magnificent; the room's decor was stunning, soft lights danced over modern furniture, and long curtains swayed gently. This place was completely unfamiliar to her, as she had never set foot in such a fancy room. She got out of bed and scanned her surroundings, trying to remember how she had ended up here. The last thing she recalled was that she had been trying to save someone from dying.
When her gaze fell on the large windows revealing the vast view of Seoul, all her thoughts vanished. She stepped forward, her mouth dropping open, and whispered under her breath:
"Wow… this is unreal…"
A few steps back, she touched her neck with both hands and suddenly shouted:
"My hair… why is it so short?!"
In shock, she covered her mouth with her hands and spoke in a voice that seemed to come from the depths of the ocean:
"My voice… why does it sound like this?!"
She laughed nervously, but hearing this strange, deep voice only startled her more. This wasn't her gentle, familiar voice at all!
She took a deep breath, placed her hand on her chest, and shouted again:
"What?! My chest… it's flat?!"
With fear, she reached lower, and when she realized the truth, she froze completely. Moments later, she collapsed in shock, unsure whether to laugh or scream. She wanted to sit and think, but every movement reminded her that everything had changed.
Hesitantly, she searched for a mirror to see herself. When she opened the bathroom door, she saw a handsome, strikingly attractive man in the mirror. She swallowed hard and whispered:
"Is this… a human… or an angel?!"
But as she spoke, she noticed the man's lips in the mirror moved in sync with hers. With trembling hands, she touched his face, and suddenly realized… that man was herself! Hana let out a stunned breath, her heart racing as if syncing with this new body.
She stepped out of the bathroom laughing in disbelief and said:
"What a ridiculous dream! Even my dreams are mocking me these days. Ugh… I just want to wake up!"
To be sure, she pinched her arm. Pain made her scream. Then she slapped her own face… and the pain intensified. Hana even laughed at herself, but a cold fear ran through her entire body.
Silence. Her breath caught.
And finally, with a deep, chilling fear, she realized…
This was not a dream.