In the haze of unconsciousness, Duyen could barely feel herself breathing. Her blurred gaze drifted around her own room, yet everything was veiled in a mist, as if something was keeping her apart from it. She wanted to speak—she tried—but not a single sound left her throat.
She lifted her hand to touch her face. She saw it rise, yet in the next instant, it was gone. She tried again and again, but her arm always fell limp on the floor. She tried standing, moving around, but somehow she was always pulled back into a lying position.
"Ahh…"
Her voice echoed only inside her head. Duyen couldn't tell if anyone else could hear it. Panic set in. She struggled, but her body wouldn't move. She scratched at her own face with both hands, only to feel nothing—like the skin wasn't even hers. No pain, no sensation. And then her hands fell back into place as if nothing had happened.
Strange?
Yes. But Duyen was too dazed to truly process it. She still remembered being at the Yelsulin alumni reunion. And then, in the blink of an eye, she was here—back in her own attic room.
Something felt missing, like a memory slipping through her fingers. A voice rang in her head—urgent, pleading. A short-haired girl with a tiny mole under her lip was driving a car, shouting at her:
"Duyen! Can you hear me!? Stay awake! Don't fall asleep! I'm taking you to the hospital!"
Then the car screeched to a halt. The girl's face went pale, drained of all blood, like she had seen something utterly terrifying.
The world around Duyen flickered like a broken film reel, shifting in an instant.
Was the girl real, or just part of the dream?
A dream?
Then was the reunion just a dream too?
Was Mina kissing her… nothing but a dream?
Maybe it was. If everything was just a dream, then maybe that explained it all.
But then—what about Shana?
Who was she?
Why had she chosen Duyen?
Had they met before?
Or was she just another dream as well…?
The door to her room creaked open. Shana entered—with her father, Mr. Tuan.
Duyen couldn't clearly see Shana's face through the haze, but she felt that Shana looked even more beautiful than usual. She was draped in white silk adorned with golden embroidery of phoenixes and peacocks, kneeling with graceful formality unlike her usual self.
Her father looked anxious, better dressed than normal, clutching a sheet of paper in trembling hands. He sat kneeling across from Shana, with Duyen lying motionless between them. Neither seemed to notice that she was thrashing within her unmoving body.
She called for her father. She called for Shana. No reply.
Her father glanced at Shana, then back at the paper, frowning.
"I… I really have to read this? I don't know Japanese."
"I've already written it out phonetically. Just read it. It doesn't have to be perfect. I'll take care of the rest," Shana said calmly.
Then she folded her hands neatly in her lap and closed her eyes in solemn silence. The seriousness unsettled Duyen.
Her father hesitated, but followed Shana's instructions. He began chanting words Duyen couldn't understand. Yet somehow, wooden temple drums echoed in her skull—beating louder, faster, like torture.
She wanted to scream. Wanted to beg him to stop. But her body would not move.
And then—the sound pulled her back into sleep.
---
When she opened her eyes again, Duyen was standing inside a lavish, old-Japanese mansion. Panic rushed through her. A hallway stretched endlessly before her, lined with sliding doors and perfect tatami mats. It was flawless, surreal, with no end in sight. She felt utterly lost.
She looked down at herself—she was dressed in layers of plain kimono, so tight and heavy she could hardly move, hardly breathe. She stayed frozen, confused, wondering:
Was this another dream?
Dragging herself along, she wandered the endless corridor.
Hours?
Days?
Years?
Time slipped away?
She had been hanging around here for so long she had lost count.
Finally, she turned and saw it: a single lit door at the corridor's end. Relief filled her chest. She hurried forward—until a hand gripped her shoulder.
"Ah!" She almost screamed.
An old woman loomed, half her face swallowed in shadow. She too wore a simple dark kimono. Her voice was sharp, scolding, yet whispered like she feared someone overhearing.
"You're still here? I've been looking for you! Sneaking off to the lake again, weren't you!?"
"No… I—"
"Enough. I don't have time to scold you all day. Go inside. Lady Shigonami is waiting for you."
"Lady… Shigonami?" Duyen repeated. The name rang faintly familiar, though she couldn't place it.
The old woman frowned. "Of course. Don't tell me you don't even know where her room is. And watch your tone. Even if you two are close, you'll mind your manners before her."
Close? Duyen tilted her head, baffled.
"Hurry," the woman urged.
"The lady's wedding with the Lord is tomorrow. Remind her of her duties as a bride."
Wedding? Duties as a bride?
Duyen wanted to ask more, but the old woman vanished before her eyes—like smoke.
Shaking, she steadied herself with a breath. Then she slid the glowing door open.
Inside, a candlelit chamber perfumed with a sweet, familiar scent. A woman sat with her back to Duyen, brushing her long black hair before a bronze mirror. It was hard to see the woman's face clearly through the blurry mirror but she seemed very beautiful with her red lips standing out.
"You came," the woman said softly.
Her voice was strange—yet familiar. She wore a simple white night-robe.
Duyen couldn't speak. Something held her tongue.
The woman continued brushing her hair.
"Strange, isn't it? My hair—black now. The housekeeper said a bride shouldn't have fiery red-brown hair. It's bad luck for her husband's family. So I changed it…" Her voice trembled faintly.
"But don't pity me. This is my dream. To marry the man I love… I should be happy, shouldn't I?"
She turned—and Duyen froze.
It was Shana!
Shana smiled, her eyes tender.
"Because you know… I love him. I love him so much…"
Love?
The words stabbed at Duyen's chest. She wasn't sure if this Shana was the same one she knew—but her radiant smile twisted something inside her.
"Forgive me," Shana giggled softly, covering her mouth.
"A bride shouldn't act this way. I'm just too excited. Tomorrow, when I give him the most precious thing I have…"
The most precious thing? Duyen frowned. What did she mean?
"But tonight, I need to calm myself. Will you stay with me? Sleep beside me? Let me hold you—it will steady me."
Without thinking, Duyen nodded. Shana brightened. "The bedding is in the next room. Go fetch it, please."
Although she was a bit confused and puzzled, Duyen obediently followed Shana's instructions. The way the two of them talked just now was really weird, Duyen didn't have enough mental strength to dig deeper into it and it seemed like this dream lasted longer than she thought.
She walked to the opposite room that Shana pointed to.
To get what? She muttered and listed in her head.
Ah, the blanket and mattress...
She opened the sliding door and the scene inside shocked her so much that her face was pale.
It was her in a torn black high-collared vest lying in a pool of blood with a cutting her body off from shoulder—
She suddenly knelt down on the floor, holding her shoulder and vomiting.
I remember. That night when Cai Ying led her into that room—
Not a dream. Not a dream at all.
Blood. So much blood.
Hurt, hurt, hurt—
She screamed and blacked out.
---
Nayeon woke.
Not at home—but in a lavish, unfamiliar bedroom, decorated in pink with dolls and plush toys stacked high. Cute, almost her style, but definitely not her room.
Her whole body felt numb. An IV line dripped into her arm. She staggered upright, caught sight of herself in a mirror—and recoiled.
Her dimples were gone. Her face hollow, gaunt, starved. Skin stretched thin under the loose hospital gown.
Before she could scream, the door opened. A woman entered carrying another IV bag. She was stunning, with long white hair, but her face was cold. Oddly, she wore a ridiculous full-body bunny pajama set, hood and all, comically at odds with her towering height. Taller than Duyen, even.
Nayeon's voice rasped—hoarse from silence.
"Where… am I? Who are you?"
The woman paused, surprised she was awake, but set the tray down calmly.
"My name is Yu."
"Yu? That's it?"
Yu nodded.
"Then… did you bring me here? Where is this?"
Yu avoided her eyes. "We're on the outskirts of Starfall City. I bought this villa to hiding from my family here. Forgive me—I can't tell you the exact location."
Nayeon frowned, frustrated with her indifference. She swung her legs off the bed, but Yu stopped her.
"You just woke up. You're too weak."
"No," Nayeon growled, forcing herself up, IV stand shaking.
"I have to go. Duyen needs me. She can't face this alone without me…"
"Duyen?" Yu tilted her head, curiosity flickering in her otherwise blank expression.
"That name… you kept muttering it in your sleep."
"I did?" Nayeon flushed.
"Forget that. Just tell me—what day is it? I need to be at the reunion Thursday..."
Yu blinked. "Why so rushed? It's only Sunday. It's still a long way to Thursday and your health isn't fully back yet."
"Sunday?" Nayeon froze. "Wait… what date?"
"October 27th."
Her heart stopped. A week. She had been unconscious for an entire week.
No. Duyen… She had to find her, make sure she was safe.
"It's all Mina's fault…" Nayeon spat, trembling.
At the name, Yu raised an eyebrow. "Mina?" she echoed under her breath.
Gently, she replaced Nayeon's IV, her face unreadable.
"Then…" Yu finally spoke. "Can you tell me about them? About this Duyen… and this Mina?"