"Good morning, Gray. You finally woke up."
The blond young man with emerald-green eyes sitting in the chair beside the bed spoke with clear relief, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
Fredo Wiener... according to this body's memories, he's Gray's close friend... a lawyer, and someone with the ability to control dreams.
Gray thought.
He tried to open his mouth to respond, but no sound came out. His lips and throat were completely dry. When he tried to sit up, his body was too weak to move.
Seeing this, Fredo stood up quickly and pressed the call bell for the nurse. A small signal light blinked, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps approaching.
Moments later, the door swung open. Two nurses in crisp white uniforms rushed in with medical equipment. One immediately glanced at the patient on the bed, noticing his eyelids blinking slowly.
"Go get the doctor!" one nurse ordered as she began checking his vital signs with swift, practiced motions.
The door opened again, and the attending physician entered with a serious expression. He quickly put on gloves and began assessing Gray's neurological responses and vitals while the machines beeped steadily.
"Mr. Walker, can you hear me? If you can, please blink twice." the doctor instructed.
Gray blinked twice.
"Try moving your fingers and toes."
He slowly wiggled his fingers and toes.
After the doctor found no abnormalities, a nurse adjusted the bed to a sitting position and gently wiped his cracked lips with a piece of clean, wet cotton. Gray swallowed the small droplets of water thirstily. Then the doctor and nurses removed the feeding tube and several other lines attached to him.
After a brief whirlwind of activity, the room finally grew quiet again. The doctor and nurses had left. Only Gray, still connected to an IV line, and Fredo, standing silently at his side, remained.
Fredo picked up a plastic water bottle left by the nurse and poured some into a clean glass.
"Water?" he asked, his voice curt but laced with concern.
Gray nodded slowly.
Fredo moved closer to where Gray was propped up.
Good lord. He looks even better up close! He's really coming closer!
Gray's heartbeat quickened slightly, though he kept his face completely composed.
One of Fredo's hands held the glass; the other carefully supported Gray's head. He brought the glass to Gray's lips with gentle precision. He tilted it slowly, patiently, afraid Gray might choke. He watched as Gray swallowed every drop before setting the glass back on the bedside table.
"Feeling better?" Fredo asked.
"Okay..." Gray replied hoarsely. A faint flush appeared on his ears, barely noticeable.
"Since you can talk a little now, let's get straight to the point… What happened?"
Hello, I'm Darin. I got hit by a truck, and when I woke up I was suddenly in this body... There's no way I can say that.
Gray thought wryly.
Too bad I only read one chapter of that novel. I only know Gray was dreaming at the beginning. After that, I have no idea what happened.
He looked at his noticeably thinner arms and legs, thinking.
A week...? No... judging from this condition, I must have been asleep for about a month.
The last day in Gray's memory... June 19... I left home as usual, delivered a report to a client.... yes... just like in the dream earlier, minus the accident part.
"That dream... that was your doing, wasn't it, Fredo?" Gray asked, lowering his voice and keeping his expression calm.
The blond man gave his familiar playful half-smile, his charming eyes lifting slightly.
"You just wouldn't wake up. According to the doctor, your body was perfectly fine. No external injuries at all. Yet you slept like a fairytale prince. I tried waking you up for a whole month."
And whatever you did in that elevator... I'm still traumatized. Smiling like that won't make me forgive you.
Gray grumbled inwardly, giving Fredo a slight side-eye before secretly sighing.
So it was a month, just as I thought...
"Do you remember who might've done this?" Fredo asked, expression turning serious.
"As far as I remember, I woke up, had breakfast with Lyra, left home as usual... went to the office, talked to you and others, handed in the report to our client... then planned the next case. At night I went home, ate, showered, and went to bed. Nothing unusual at all."
Fredo raised a hand.
"Wrong, Gray. No one saw you all day. Not since morning. A good Samaritan found you unconscious in a narrow alley beside our office in the evening and called an ambulance. That's how the hospital contacted us—using the number on your business card."
My memory is missing?
Gray's eyes trembled.
"What date is it today?" he asked.
"August 28, 2133," Fredo replied.
It felt like lightning struck his mind. Gray's body shivered.
"The last day I remember is June 19."
he said, voice unsteady.
"The day you were found unconscious was July 21, at 20:13"
Fredo said plainly.
So even though I slept only one month, my memories are missing from a full month before that! Is it because I ended up in this body?
Gray's thoughts spiraled chaotically.
********
Click...
Fredo gently closed the door behind him after stepping out of the patient room.
He paused, thinking.
One month... and memory missing from the month before that... Side-effect of prolonged unconsciousness? Or did someone do this? Who? And why?
While he stood still, he heard hurried footsteps approaching.
Fredo glanced over and saw a tall woman coming toward him. Her long black hair swayed with each step. She wore a simple white sunflower-patterned sleeveless dress with a knitted shawl over her shoulders.
"He's awake, isn't he!" Lyra asked, her voice trembling between shock and relief. Her large pale-gray eyes glistened with tears.
"Yes. We talked a little, but he's still very tired and confused. I let him rest. You should go in and see him first. I'll talk to the doctor and come back." Fredo said with a gentle smile before turning to walk toward the nurse station.
"Thank God." Lyra whispered, touching her forehead, chest, left shoulder, right shoulder in a quick cross gesture, smiling in sheer relief.
********
320 Old Street, London
Gray & Fredo Investigations and Legal Services
After speaking with the doctor and saying goodbye to Lyra and Gray, Fredo returned to his office. He sat quietly for a moment, then turned on his computer and began reviewing the cases Gray handled between June 19 and July 21.
Six cases total—matches what I recall. None seem connected... Three missing-pet cases, two infidelity surveillance jobs... and one missing-person case that turned out to be a runaway kid.
Meow~~
A short-haired black cat leapt onto his desk, rubbing its head against his hand.
"Hello, Madam Roddy," he said with a small smile, petting the cat with one hand while picking up his phone with the other.
He commanded the AI assistant to call someone.
"What's up, big bro?" a woman's voice answered.
"Eliza, I need your help. Check if anyone breached or deleted any data from our office system between June 19 and July 21. And check the CCTV around the office during that period. Look for anything suspicious."
"What happened?" Eliza asked.
Fredo told her everything—from Gray waking up to the strange gaps in his memory.
"Got it. I'll handle it. But that's a lot of data. Even with AI analysis, it'll take several days," she said.
They talked briefly before hanging up.
"Go get Eric for me." Fredo said to Madam Roddy.
The cat blinked at him, nodded once, then hopped off the table and ran out.
Moments later, a young man who resembled Fredo—shorter, with long blond hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a T-shirt and jeans—entered with Madam Roddy in tow.
Fredo repeated the story to his younger brother, then gave instructions.
"Ask your pets if they noticed anything unusual."
"They're not pets, they're my friends." Eric muttered, pouting, but nodded and left the office.
When everything was set, silence fell over the room.
All that remained was to wait.