The morning sun filtered through Minjae's blinds, casting fractured lines across the floor.
But nothing about this day felt normal.
The card was still in his hand.
The number—his number—hadn't changed.
And the memory of the woman in the mirror, the cryptic hallway, the choice… it all remained vivid.
Too vivid to be a dream.
He checked his phone.
No new messages.
But the previous one was still there:
📲💬
From Unknown
Now that you've opened the door… she remembers you too.
💬
⸻
He grabbed his bag and checked it.
The black envelope that once held the first quote was gone.
But something new had replaced it.
A small rectangular mirror.
Framed in matte silver.
As he lifted it, a word burned into the glass from the inside—
"Echo."
And then, underneath in tiny script:
💭 Don't trust your reflection. It's not always you looking back. 💭
⸻
Minjae sat in his philosophy lecture, eyes glazed over. The professor's voice was just static in his ears. Thoughts scattered.
He opened his notebook to try grounding himself—and gasped.
Every page was filled.
Not in his handwriting.
But hers.
Dozens of short, frantic lines. Scribbled as if in a rush, bleeding into each other.
One message repeated:
"She's waking up in you. Don't let her see herself."
Then, one line at the bottom of the last page:
"If she looks at you through the glass, RUN."
⸻
The glass.
The mirror.
He pulled it from his pocket.
This time, the reflection wasn't his.
It was his face—yes—but… wrong.
Dead eyes.
A smile too wide.
And lips moving silently.
He leaned closer.
The reflection blinked once.
And whispered something he couldn't hear.
Then smiled with teeth just a bit too sharp—and winked.
Minjae dropped the mirror.
It didn't shatter.
It didn't even hit the floor.
It disappeared.
Like it was never there.
⸻
He skipped the rest of the day's classes and went to the counseling wing.
He wasn't crazy. He knew he wasn't.
But something was very, very wrong.
And someone on this campus knew about it.
⸻
He sat outside the counseling room, waiting.
A soft chime signaled the previous appointment ending.
The door opened—
And out walked a girl.
Pale skin.
Long black hair.
A soft, serene smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
She glanced at Minjae for the briefest moment—
And froze.
Her hand went to her chest as if shocked to see him.
Then… she turned and walked away without a word.
⸻
He entered the room.
The counselor was young. Kind-eyed. Seemingly normal.
But as Minjae began to explain the dreams, the door, the notes, the mirror…
Something changed in the man's expression.
Not fear.
Recognition.
"Room 504," he muttered. "That room again."
"You know it?" Minjae leaned forward.
The counselor didn't answer directly. He stood and walked to a locked drawer.
Pulled out a file.
Inside—photos.
Old ones.
Of students.
One of them… looked just like Minjae.
But the name?
"Kang Minjae – 2017"
"That's… not possible," Minjae whispered. "That's me. But I wasn't here in 2017."
The counselor nodded. "Exactly."
⸻
Minjae ran back to his dorm.
Dug out his student registration card.
Issued: 2023.
But when he opened his university portal account…
His entry records?
First enrolled: 2017.
Class of: 2021 — Withdrawn.
A small note attached:
Memory Wipe Approved – Level 3 Protocol
Cause: Room 504 Contamination
⸻
His phone buzzed.
📲💬
From Unknown
Did you really think this was your first time?
💬
⸻
Minjae fell to his knees.
Memories flickered—out of reach, just beyond his grasp.
A mirror. A woman. Himself in a room with no light. A deal struck.
Then a choice: Forget her or lose himself.
He chose to forget.
But now she remembered him again.
And she wasn't done.
⸻
That night, as he slept restlessly, he found himself back in the hallway again.
Only this time, it wasn't endless.
It ended in a large round room.
With mirrors lining every wall.
Each showed a different Minjae.
Some sobbing.
Some bloodied.
Some whispering.
But only one stood still—his own reflection. Calm.
And in the reflection, beside him—
Her.
The woman with silver eyes. Her face finally visible.
Beautiful. Haunting.
"I found you again," she whispered.
"I wore your echo until you heard me."
She leaned in.
"And now… you must remember what you did to me."
⸻
Minjae screamed—
And woke up in his bed.
Mouth dry. Hands shaking.
But not alone.
His mirror, cracked.
And written on it, in red:
"Room 504 is opening again. The seal is thinning."
"And this time, you're the one she'll use."
⸻
📲💬
From Unknown
Sleep while you can, Minjae. The echo knows your name now.
💬
⸻
[End Of Chapter 14]
⸻
📒 A/N:
Chapter 14 takes the tension to the next level. What happens when the reflection isn't you? Or worse—when it remembers more than you do? As Minjae uncovers that he's been here before, the past and present start to fracture. And the "echo" he sees in the mirror… may not be just a memory.