[Unknown Timeline | 7:03 AM]
The first thing Hae-won felt was the softness of silk beneath her fingertips.
The second thing she felt—was cold.
She sat up slowly, her head pounding like she'd drunk too much wine and cried herself to sleep. The room around her was dim, painted in soft grays and deep navy. It was unfamiliar, sleek, expensive. Not her apartment.
Or rather—not any version of it she remembered.
She stood, wobbling, the silk robe slipping off one shoulder.
On the mirrored wall, a faint message blinked in pale blue light:
> You chose neither. Therefore, you must rediscover what was taken.
She swallowed hard.
"Taken…?"
Then she heard the shower running.
Her breath caught. There was someone here.
She crept toward the sound, her bare feet silent on the marble floor.
The bathroom door was slightly ajar, steam curling out like a secret.
And inside—he stood with his back to her.
Tall. Broad shoulders. Black hair slicked back. A scar she knew. A voice she craved.
Do-yoon.
Her fingers trembled on the doorframe. "Do-yoon…"
He turned.
Startled. Curious.
And completely blank.
"Sorry," he said, reaching for a towel. "Do I know you?"
The words hit harder than any slap.
"I—You're… Do-yoon."
He smiled politely. "Baek Do-yoon, yeah. I didn't realize I had company. You must be from the publishing party last night?"
She shook her head. "No. I'm… I'm Shin Hae-won."
His brows knit, clearly searching his memory. Nothing.
"You're… gorgeous," he said, a little more softly. "But I'm sorry—I don't remember inviting anyone home."
Her throat closed.
He stepped closer, towel now wrapped around his waist, droplets of water clinging to his skin, his scent invading her senses.
She hated how her body remembered him—even if his mind had erased her.
"Are you okay?" he asked gently. "You look pale."
"I just… I had a bad dream," she whispered, backing away. "I need to go."
But before she could step out, he gently caught her wrist.
The moment their skin touched—a spark.
His eyes widened slightly.
Like a flicker of recognition tried to push through the fog.
"…Do you believe in déjà vu?" he asked, voice lower now.
She blinked. "Why?"
"Because I feel like I've… touched you before. Somewhere."
Her breath hitched.
In a different life, she would've kissed him right then.
Instead, she whispered, "I hope you remember one day."
And she walked out.
---
[Elsewhere – 7:15 AM]
Seo Min-jae woke up gasping.
His fingers were buried in sand. Salt stung his mouth. He was lying on a beach, waves gently licking his legs, as if the ocean had returned him from somewhere… not human.
His head throbbed with static.
But he remembered.
Everything.
"Hae-won…"
He sat up, the pendant around his neck glowing faintly.
In his palm, he found a note—burned at the edges.
> Only one remembers. The other must be reminded.
Time resets, but hearts remember. Go to her.
He stood shakily, eyes narrowing.
"Which timeline did you land in, Hae-won?"
---
[Back in the City – 9:45 AM]
Hae-won sat on a park bench, clutching a cup of coffee like it could ground her. She hadn't cried. Not yet.
She was too numb for that.
He didn't remember her.
And Min-jae… hadn't followed.
Maybe this was the cost of choosing herself.
She closed her eyes, letting the breeze pass over her skin. When she opened them—
A man sat next to her.
Min-jae.
His shirt was unbuttoned at the collar. His hair windblown. His eyes—
Still full of her.
"Hello, anomaly," he said softly.
Her coffee slipped from her hand, hitting the ground with a dull thud.
"You—how?"
"I remembered." He reached into his coat and pulled out the cracked snow globe. The same one from the memory in the mirror.
She gasped. "You—Min-jae, what is this?"
"It's yours," he said. "From before everything. From when you were taken into the system."
"The system…?"
He leaned closer, voice like velvet. "Hae-won, they didn't just reset your memories. They altered your choices. You've lived this loop over and over again—and always lose someone."
Her hand reached out, almost unconsciously, and touched his cheek.
He didn't move away.
"Then why do you remember now?"
"Because I'm not from this loop," he whispered. "I'm from the original."
And then—he kissed her.
But this time, it wasn't fire.
It was knowing.
It was familiarity.
It was two souls finding their center.
---
[Across the City – Same Moment]
Do-yoon stood in front of a mirror, shirt half-buttoned.
His hand went to his chest.
His heart—was racing. As if his body was screaming something he couldn't understand.
Then… a flash.
A memory.
Hae-won in a wedding dress.
Reaching for him.
His knees buckled.
"What the hell is happening to me?"