Chapter 1: Awakening

Eun-kyung, a young girl of around seventeen summers, who was lying on a bed slowly emerged from what appeared to be a pleasant dream. Abruptly, however, her sight became blurred and a sensation of alarm overtook her. This quickly turned into a measure of calmness as she regained her visual clarity. She scrutinized the room in which she found herself in and it became apparent from the aura that pervaded the air that she was in a medical facility. Her heartbeat grew rapidly, the pace of the beat seemed to accelerate.

"Eun woo, what kind of ruse is this?" She grinned in an attempt to evade her anxiousness.

She was used to her sibling playing harmless pranks on her, but she never expected him to take it this far. She wondered how much money he had spent on this elaborate setup. Her brother was a writer, but he was also burdened with a substantial budget. The remembrance of one of his novels, which he had penned with the aim of causing her irritation, flooded her mind. He had insisted that it was a romance novel but it clearly was not despite his assurances that the romance would be the centerpiece of the latter section of the novel; the novel was all about a protagonist that was furious and sought revenge on grounds that remained unclear.

As she tried to get out of bed, she noticed an Intravenous line attached to her hand. "He really went too far," she said in frustration.

However, before she could remove the intravenous line, her actions were halted when the sound of footsteps seemed to be drawing near. Two males entered into the room and one of them appeared to be older than the other. As the older one looked in her direction, his cold countenance lit up with delight; his face was ornate with a bright and beaming smile. She stared at the magnificent specimen of masculinity that was gradually approaching her, she thought, "Wow, this chap is just my type". She was determined that she would ask her sibling for his digit as soon as this shenanigan was put to bed. She looked at him from head to toe, marveling at his pitch-black curly hair, ocean-blue eyes, cute little nose, luscious lips, and chiseled jawline, her gaze lowered down to his build but before she could continue to take in the wonder in front of her, she was jolted back to reality when she heard his voice.

"Ji-woo, Are you feeling any pain? Do you have a headache? tell me what..." but the sound of his voice appeared garbled to her ears as she was fuming with ire. It seemed inconceivable to her that the actor would botch her name in the fib her brother had regaled him with.

Without waiting for a response, she yanked the IV line out of her hand and stood up. The two men stared at her in confusion on their faces then the younger one bolted out of the room.

Looking around for her belongings inorder to change and leave, Eun-kyung was determined to find her way out of this situation and make her brother pay for his prank.

"Ji-woo, I know you are very mad at me," the older male that was still in the room spoke up in pleasing tone leading her to ponder, 'How can one speak in such a manner and expect her not to give immediate forgiveness?' she thought, whilst asserting a level-headed demeanour before answering him.

"Yes, I'm very angry. Please relay to Eun-woo that he has won momentarily, yet I shall come out victorious in the next round." She spoke like a queen relaying a message to her subject. Placing a foot in front of the other, she passed him by, inadvertently neglecting to notice his befuddled look.

The door suddenly flung open, revealing a physician, a nurse, and a brightly adorned lady appeared with the young man who had hastily exited the scene moments prior. "See, she's at it again, she just can't get enough of herself." The young male bellowed whilst pointing towards her.

"The prank isn't over yet" Eun-kyung arched an eyebrow, unimpressed.

Amidst the commotion that ensued, the brightly adorned young lady accompanying the group broke out into a fit of inconsolable crying, wailing, "Haven't you attracted enough people already? What more could you possibly want?" Eun-kyung could contain herself no more. Infuriated beyond measure, all she yearned to accomplish was to bury her brother in peace.

Alas, as she attempted to make her way towards the door, unrelenting flashes of light caused her to lose sight of her surroundings momentarily. Men and women jostled for a chance to take photographs of her. In a fit of anger, she picked up a nearby chair and thtew it at the onlookers.

As the crowd backed off, she spied an opportune moment to make her escape, darting towards the closing elevator doors just in time. Finally catching her breath, she realised she was the subject of many gaze by her fellow passengers. With a hint of self-deprecating humour, she proffered a rueful smile and began fixing her appearance in the mirrored doors of the elevator. But as she glanced up at her reflection, panic set in. Her face was not one she recognised. Attempting to move her hand, she saw that the reflection mirrored her every move flawlessly. She was left, standing there, entirely dumbstruck.

In an instant, the gravity of her situation hit her, leaving her with unparalleled clarity. Now she understood precisely why the people before had spoken to her in such an odd manner. As soon as the elevator housing its occupants reached the ground floor, she ran as if the devil was chasing her.

However, her hurried escape was halted rather abruptly as she collided with an unyielding chest. Stumbling backwards, she landed on her behind. A warm and gentle hand outstretched before her, accompanied by kind words, "Are you alright, miss?" As she lifted her head, relief washed over her, seeing a mischievous and well-known face.