Chapter 2 – Second Chance
The hospital ward was quiet. There was only the gentle light from the machinery. Dayo remained motionless on the bed.
Then a woman's voice broke the silence.
"What have you done, Philp? I told you to leave this to me. Why are you here?"
Philp leaned against the side of the bed with his arms crossed, a smirk on his lips. He appeared carefree, despite Dayo lying unconscious before him.
"You didn't seem like you could handle it," he replied carelessly, unbothered by Dayo's condition. "That's why I had to step in for our sake."
Vivian's face stayed calm, but her eyes were cold and sharp. They sent a silent warning: if looks could kill, Philp would be struck.
"Leave. Now. Reporters are already swarming this place. You being here doesn't help. I don't want you messing up the arrangements. I've got everything under control."
Philp hesitated for a moment. He didn't like her tone but knew she was right. His smugness faltered slightly. He swallowed and raised his hands in mock surrender, easing back toward the door.
"Alright, Viv. You win. I was just here to see if he remembers anything."
"fu**ing… hypocrite," Vivian muttered under her breath.
She leaned over Jason's bed, her voice soft but filled with ambition. "Oh, my poor Dayo. You'll just have to be my scapegoat to promote my new album."
A low, cruel chuckle slipped from her lips as she straightened up and glided out of the room, leaving the faint scent of her perfume lingering in the air.
***
"Ugh… what a weird dream…"
Dayo's voice broke as he strained himself into position; his muscles trembling and sore. He wiped his forehead to get the sweat off, then he stood up, trying to shake off everything.
He looked down at his hands and froze.
"…What's this?"
His palms were small; his skin was soft. The veins and calluses he was used to seeing were gone. His arms were thin, his frame light. Everything about his body felt weaker, fragile.
A wave of discomfort ran through him. He rushed off the bed, his bare feet straight to the window. When his face appeared in the glass, he started backward in confusion.
"What the f**k."
It wasn't his face.
He panicked, but before he could process everything, a rush of unfamiliar memories flooded into his head. Faces he had never met, but seemed oddly familiar; places he had never walked; moments that seemed strange, but they all rushed into his head at once. He gripped the window handle to steady himself to prevent himself from falling.
He had died. Now, he was in someone else's body.
The thought of his parents and his friends back in his old world made him feel down, and tears dropped from his eyes. He would never see them again and could never explain what happened. This world felt entirely different.
As the new memories settled, clarity started to come. History and science felt familiar, but the music, media, people, and art of this world were different. Even stranger, the owner of this body had his exact name—Jason Dayo—like fate had picked this bizarre continuation.
Dayo breathed slowly, shutting his eyes as he forced his heart to slow down.
Okay… I can do this. At least I can still chase my dream here.
A sharp chime rang in his head.
DING! Stardom System Initialization Complete. Welcome, Host.
"…Eh? A… system?"
A faint, wavering text hovered before his eyes, impossible and unreal.
Say "Status" to view profile.
He hesitated, his mouth dry, and then whispered, "…Status."
Another Ding! Followed, and a holographic panel unfolded in front of him, floating in the air like something out of a game.
[STATS]
Name: Jason Dayo
Age: 20 years
Status: A nobody
Singing Level: [Not Available] (Spasmodic Dysphonia)
Writing Level: B+
Acting Skill: C
-Visual: D+ (C+)
Instrument Mastery:
Guitar – SS+
Flute – A+
Piano – SS-
Violin – S
-Production Skill: SSS+
Video Editing: B+
Potential: SSS+
System Level: 1
Reward Available: Beginner Pack(Click YES or NO)
Note: System Ranking – F-, F, F+, E-, E, E+, D-, D, D+, C-, C, C+, B-, B, B+, A-, A, A+, S, SS, SSS.
Level up to unlock more features and functions.
Dayo stared in awe, his pulse racing. He had read about systems before, but seeing his stats like this made it real. Looking at his potential made him feel proud that he had the highest potential anyone could have.
Then his excitement faded almost immediately. Even in this new body, he still had spasmodic dysphonia, the same illness that had silenced him in his old life.
'Maybe… the system can fix this. If I can cross dimensions, healing my voice should be possible.'
His thought was interrupted by another DING
[System Mission Notice]
Mission: Gain your first 1,000 real fans within 30 days.
Reward: Skill Upgrade Card (random)
Penalty: Lose 1 Potential Rank.
Dayo froze. A penalty? He had read about systems in web novels, but those were just fiction in his old world. Here, this wasn't just a game; it had consequences.
"If I fail… I would lose a part of my potential?" he muttered, his voice low, a bit scared. Then, after a quick think, a small grin appeared on his lips despite the pressure.
"Interesting… bring it on."
Then he saw something that brought a smile on his face
ding!
"Beginner Pack"
"… open!" Dayo said
A warm bronze light filled the room as the rewards appeared.
[REWARD]
– Talent Insight: Allows the user to see a person's potential and current status.
– Healing potion: Grants full recovery and cures all illnesses.
He stared for what felt like an eternity, then laughter erupted from his chest.
"Haha!"
The laughter rang in the empty room. A passing nurse paused at the doorway, looked a him with pity in her eyes, before moving on. He quickly calmed his laughter.
For years, he had lived in silence, trapped in a body that never let him pursue his dream. But now, for the first time in forever, he could see a way forward.
He didn't drink the potion yet. He needed to be cautious. The hospital was not the place to risk unexpected side effects.
Lying back in the bed, he finally had time to let the new memories flow through his mind, and every piece came together.
The man whose life he now lived had been betrayed most cruelly. Vivian, his girlfriend, had risen as a star because of him. He had written her songs and crafted her path, all from the shadows, because he could not sing but couldn't bear to leave it, so he settled as her writer.
When he finally tried to reclaim what was his by asking for his share of the copyright, she refused to give him, and he decided to do something about it, but she struck first. She slipped something into his drink, waited for his world to spin, and staged the perfect illusion. Bruises, tears, photos, she painted him as a monster. And when everything was ready, she called the media.
He could still hear the chaos in his head: reporters swarming, cameras flashing, questions designed to destroy him.
*Why did you attack your girlfriend?*
All sorts of accusations towards him were the same, and betrayal crushed him, and he collapsed. That was the moment this old life ended, and he came about.
Dayo clenched his fist as his eyes turned cold and calculating.
With a sigh, he said in a low tone, "Looks like I'll have to go back to my old crafty ways and deal with this quickly. If I let it drag on, the evidence will disappear.'
'And here I thought I would have a peaceful life here.'
A dangerous smile spread across his lips. "Anyone against my peace shall see no peace either."