In a large hall crowded with reporters, the room buzzed with voices until, suddenly, it turned into a storm of camera clicks and flashing lights.
Lucy appeared, dressed in black with dark sunglasses, walking up onto the stage. Beside her stood the four girls of the group, their faces heavy with sadness.
Without any introduction, Lucy began,
"Four months ago, our city of Silforia witnessed a tragedy — the accident that shook the entire nation. Since then, everyone has wondered why she disappeared. Why she didn't, like other artists, speak up or send condolences to the victims' families. I'm deeply sorry to say… she was one of the victims."
The crowd gasped in shock.
"Yuna suffered multiple fractures and severe injuries — one to her head that left her in a coma. We don't know when she'll wake up. We didn't want to announce this painful truth, but with all the rumors and accusations surrounding her disappearance, we had no choice. Please… pray for her recovery."
Lucy stepped down from the stage and exited the hall, ignoring the flood of reporters shouting questions.
Outside, in a private room, she removed her sunglasses and turned to the girls.
"Get ready," she said coldly. "We're releasing your new album."
Rin stared at her in disbelief. "You mean… you announced Yuna's condition just to promote our album?"
Lucy gave them a sharp, mocking look. "As you know, the search engines will be full of your group's name for the next few days. Why not use that to our advantage?"
The blonde girl protested, "Lucy, everyone's going to hate us if we release an album under these circumstances. They'll attack us." She pulled out her phone and searched their group's name, then turned the screen toward them. "See?"
Videos and articles about Yuna's condition filled the screen.
The girl with mid-length hair added, "Dina's right. Just minutes after the announcement, the internet's already exploding."
Lucy's temper snapped. "Who's the manager here, huh?! Do as I say and keep quiet!"
Just then, her phone rang. She grabbed it angrily. "What?!" she barked into the phone — then froze. Her expression shifted, her voice dropping to a whisper.
"What did you just say? …Yuna woke up?"
In another place — inside a hospital room — a woman sat by the bed of a girl lying motionless, holding her hand and crying softly.
"Celia, sweetheart, please wake up… please, my daughter, I haven't seen your eyes or heard your voice in four months," she sobbed, gently brushing the girl's pale face.
The girl on the bed began to stir. Her eyelids fluttered open slowly.
The mother's eyes widened. "Doctor! Doctor! My daughter's awake!" she screamed.
Doctors rushed in, pulling the mother aside. She stood in the hallway, trembling, covering her mouth as tears poured down her face. Her husband and two children came running to her. "I saw her—she opened her eyes, I swear she did!" she said between sobs. Her husband hugged her tightly.
Moments later, the doctor came out. "Congratulations. Your daughter's awake. She's stable — she only needs physical therapy since she hasn't moved in months."
Everyone broke down crying. "Can we see her?" the mother asked.
"Of course," the doctor smiled.
They entered together. The mother rushed to her daughter's side, hugging her tightly. "Celia, my love, you have no idea how much I missed you."
Her face was pale and weak. Her siblings and father stood nearby, smiling through tears. But the girl stared at them, confused.
In a hoarse, fragile voice, she asked, "Who are you? And who's Celia?"
The room fell silent. Her mother froze, then looked at the doctor in panic.
"I'm your mother," she said shakily. "This is your father, your sister, and your brother. You're Celia."
The girl's breathing quickened. She tried to scream but her voice broke. Her body wouldn't move. "I'm Yuna," she rasped. "Not who you think I am. I don't know you!"
The doctor motioned for the family to step outside. They left in shock.
A few minutes later, he explained gently, "This is completely normal and expected. She's suffering from memory loss — and delusional confusion from her head trauma."
The mother broke down, "What does that mean?"
"It means she doesn't remember you," he said softly. "Worse — she's created false memories in her mind."
The mother fell to her knees, sobbing. Her daughter hugged her, crying too. "Why, Celia, why did this happen to you?"
Days passed. Each time the family visited, the girl insisted she wasn't Celia — she was Yuna. As her body recovered, she became more aggressive, shouting and pushing them away, calling them kidnappers. She threw food, refused care, and demanded to be released.
Her family tried to stay patient. They showed her old photos, hoping to trigger her memory. But each time, she snapped, screaming that the pictures were fake, edited. She even tried to escape the hospital once she could walk, but they caught her and brought her back.
One afternoon, during a physical therapy session, she sat beside another patient scrolling on her phone. The girl smiled, "Hey, come look at this — Yuna's first live broadcast since waking up from her coma."
Celia froze. "Who… who did you say?"
The patient gave her a confused look and turned the screen toward her. "Yuna. From the group Nova."
Celia stared at the screen in shock.
There she was — Yuna — standing in front of the cameras, wearing elegant clothes and flawless makeup, her expression soft and graceful. But her face… it wasn't Yuna's. It looked different, more like the girl had seen that day at the bus station.
On-screen, Yuna said nervously, "I just want to thank everyone who prayed for me and wished me well…"
Her hands began to tremble. She stood abruptly, her steps unsteady.
She left the hospital, got into a taxi, whispering to herself, "How… how is this possible? No… no, this can't be happening."
When the taxi stopped in front of a tall apartment building, the driver asked for payment. She looked around anxiously, embarrassed, then removed a necklace from her neck and handed it to him. "Here, take this," she said and ran out.
She entered the building, typing in the code, and stepped into the apartment. Her eyes scanned every corner — familiar, yet not. Then she saw a framed photo on the wall. Her breath hitched. She approached it slowly, touching it with trembling hands. "No… this can't be. I remember taking this photo… how is this possible?"
A voice came from behind her.
"I've been waiting for you."
She turned sharply. Yuna stood there.
Without thinking, Celia rushed at her, grabbing her by the dress. "Who are you?! What's going on?!"
Yuna quickly pulled her hands away. "Sit down. We need to talk."
Celia's voice rose, trembling with anger. "Tell me what's happening! I'm going insane!"
Yuna motioned calmly for her to sit. "Please."
Celia glared but sat down anyway. "Talk!" she shouted.
Yuna's voice was low, calm. "I don't know either. I woke up from the coma and found myself surrounded by people calling me Yuna."
Celia's eyes widened. "So I'm not crazy. I really am not who they say I am."
Yuna nodded slowly. "The girl they're talking about… is me. Which means… you're living my life, and I'm living yours."
Celia exhaled in disbelief, then stood up. "Then let's end this now. We'll explain everything—file a report—fix it!"
Yuna grabbed her hand as she turned toward the door. Celia glared. "Don't tell me you don't want to give me my life back."
Yuna's tone stayed calm. "No one will believe us. Even our faces have changed. All your photos became mine — and mine yours . I think even the records were altered."
Celia's voice trembled. "There has to be a way. We can't live like this."
"When I woke up," Yuna said tiredly, "I told them everything. They threatened to send me to a mental hospital if I didn't stop. When I refused, they showed me photos of me with your family. And when I still didn't believe it, they ran a DNA test." She paused. "It matched. They said I was their daughter. There's no proof in this world that we ever switched. Only we know the truth."
Celia wiped her face, shaking with frustration. "So you're saying we're stuck like this… forever?"
Yuna sat down again, her voice weary. "We'll find a way. But not now. Your body's still weak — you need to rest. Your manager will come soon. You should go."
Celia nodded reluctantly. "Fine. But we'll meet again soon. We have to figure this out. don't ruin my image. Keep it as it is."