The transfer student.

Han Jiho's POV

They say dreams are fragments of your subconscious—snippets of thoughts, memories, and desires your brain weaves together while you sleep. But what if your dreams are more than that? What if they're trying to tell you something?

I didn't believe in that kind of stuff until I started dreaming about her.

It's always the same. I'm standing on a bridge under a blood-red sunset, the air heavy with the scent of rain. She's there—her long black hair whipping in the wind, her eyes shimmering with emotions I can't name. She's smiling at me, but there's sadness in it, like she knows something I don't.

"Jiho," she says, her voice soft and familiar. Too familiar. "Promise me you'll remember."

"Remember what?" I always ask, but she never answers. The dream ends there, leaving me with an ache in my chest and a name I can't quite hold onto.

When I woke up this morning, I told myself it was just another dream. That was before I walked into my second-period homeroom and saw her.

The girl from my dreams.

---

The classroom buzzed with the usual morning chaos: students chatting, desks screeching against the floor, someone yelling about homework. I slouched into my seat near the window, pulling my hoodie over my head.

"Hey, Jiho!" Yoon Seulgi, my best friend, plopped into the desk beside me. "You look like you didn't sleep again. Still dreaming about your mystery girl?"

I shot her a glare. "Keep your voice down."

Seulgi grinned, unfazed. "Relax. No one cares about your weird dreams but me."

Before I could retort, the classroom door slid open, and our teacher walked in. Behind him was a girl I'd never seen before.

"Class, we have a new student joining us today," the teacher announced. "Please welcome Kang Mirae."

My heart stopped.

She stepped forward, her gaze sweeping across the room. Her uniform was immaculate, her posture perfect, and her expression unreadable. But it was her. The girl from my dreams.

"Nice to meet you," she said, her voice sending a shiver down my spine.

She didn't look at me, but I felt the weight of her presence like a tidal wave. My mind raced. This couldn't be a coincidence. It couldn't.

"Take the empty seat next to Han Jiho," the teacher said, gesturing toward me.

My throat went dry as she walked toward me, each step measured and deliberate. She sat down, her movements graceful, and for a moment, the world felt too quiet.

"Hi," I managed to say, my voice barely above a whisper.

She glanced at me, her eyes cold and distant. "Hi," she replied, her tone polite but detached.

No recognition. Nothing.

---

The rest of the day passed in a blur. I couldn't stop glancing at her, half-expecting her to suddenly say, "Oh, it's you!" But she never did. She acted like I was just another random classmate, and it was driving me insane.

By the time the final bell rang, I was ready to chalk it all up to my overactive imagination. Maybe she wasn't the girl from my dreams. Maybe my brain was playing tricks on me.

Then it happened.

As I walked out of the school gates, my phone buzzed. I pulled it out, frowning at the unfamiliar app icon glowing on my screen: Fate Rewrite.

"What the...?" I muttered, clicking on it.

The screen went black for a second before text appeared:

"Do you want to uncover the truth behind your dreams?"

I froze, my pulse pounding in my ears.

Before I could process what was happening, another message popped up:

"Kang Mirae is waiting for you. The choice is yours."

I stared at the screen, my fingers trembling. Whatever this was, it wasn't normal. But neither was dreaming about a girl I'd never met—or seeing her in real life.

Somehow, I knew this was just the beginning.

Having noticed me standing in the middle of the door, blocking people from getting out of the class, Seulgi kicked my butt and moved me so that the others could get out of the class.

"Ugh-- what was that for?" I said, getting back up wiping the dirt off my clothes.

With a weird grin on her face, she said, "You stood there as if you had seen a ghost, and you were troubling the people beside you."

"Uh- no.. it's just that I have really low iron and actually.. blanked out." I quickly thought up of a lie and as soon as I had completed what I had to say.. the new transfer student walked right beside me.

My head turned, with my eyes stealing little glances towards her and my friend, Seulgi.

"What are you looking at? Could that be the girl you see in your dreams?" She says, looking at me with a flirtatious smile.

I unconsciously nod in agreement as she let out a small scream.. which made Mirae turn back to check if anything was wrong.

"Nothing's wrong, my friend just pooped his pants!" Said Seulgi, covering my mouth with her hand as she dragged me along with her far away.

It was a good thing, the hallway was empty and she was the only one there.

But... Isn't it strange how she just came to this school yet everyone isn't swarming around her?

"Sorry Jiho, better luck next time.. your image infront of her is now pretty down to earth if you ask me now." She said, trying to hold back from laughing at me.

"What the- You just ruined everything for me! How the hell am I supposed to woo her now!?" I said, with legitimate confusion and annoyance visible in my face.

She suddenly transforms her normally fierce eyes into sweet puppy eyes and also transforms her voice and says, "Pwease forgive me, this won't happen again."

Aw man, it's this stupid act of her that ruins everything.

But it's been happening too often, I won't fall for this now!

"Ah, fine. I'm sorry alright? I will try and do something for you." She says, going back to her normal self.