Two Years Ago
The bridge was cold beneath her feet.
The night wind howled like it was mourning something unseen, wrapping around Jaeahn's fragile figure as she stood at the edge. Below her, the river flowed endlessly—dark, deep, unforgiving. City lights reflected on the surface, trembling like broken stars.
Her fingers tightened around the railing.
She couldn't breathe.
Her chest felt crushed, as if the weight of the entire world had pressed down on her lungs. Tears streamed freely, blurring her vision, but she didn't bother wiping them away. What was the point?
Behind her, hurried footsteps echoed.
"Jaeahn—!"
The scream tore through the night.
She turned slightly—not enough to face him, not enough to stop herself.
Jongsuk saw it then.
That look.
The one that told him he was already too late.
"No—wait—!"
She climbed over the railing.
Time shattered.
For a fraction of a second, her body hovered in the air, suspended between life and death. Her eyes met his—wide, empty, apologetic.
Then she fell.
"Nooooooooo—!"
Jongsuk ran.
His foot slipped, his body slammed hard against the road, skin tearing, blood staining the concrete. Pain exploded through his knees, but he didn't feel it. He didn't care.
He scrambled to the edge, ready to jump.
Strong arms wrapped tightly around him.
"Let me go!" Jongsuk screamed, thrashing violently. "Please—leave me! I need to find her! I need to!"
Eunwoo clung to him desperately, sobbing.
"Hyung, stop! Please!" Eunwoo cried. "If you jump now, you'll die!"
"I don't care!" Jongsuk shouted, his voice breaking apart. "If she's in that river, then I'll go too! I won't leave her alone—never!"
Sirens wailed in the distance.
Red and blue lights flashed as emergency vehicles surrounded the bridge. Rescue teams rushed forward, divers leaping into the river without hesitation, their flashlights slicing through the dark water.
Jongsuk collapsed onto the cold road.
His hands shook uncontrollably.
Every second felt like a blade carving into his heart.
Minutes passed.
An hour.
Then another.
Finally, a rescue officer approached, exhaustion etched deeply into his face.
"We tried our best," he said carefully. "But… we couldn't find the body."
Something inside Jongsuk snapped.
He surged forward, grabbing the man's collar.
"Don't you dare call her a body!" he roared. "She's alive! Hear me? She's alive!"
His voice cracked into something raw and animal.
Eunwoo pulled him back, wrapping his arms around him like a lifeline.
"Please…" Eunwoo whispered through tears. "Let them do their job… please…"
Two hours later—
A shout rang out from the riverbank.
They found her.
Jaeahn lay on the stretcher, unmoving. Her skin was deathly pale, lips drained of color, eyes shut tightly as if refusing to wake. Water dripped from her hair, soaking the white sheets beneath her.
No breath.
No movement.
Jongsuk fell to his knees.
His heart stopped.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, gathering her cold body into his arms. "I'm so sorry… please wake up… please…"
Suddenly—
"Wait!"
A paramedic pressed his fingers against her neck.
"There's a pulse," he shouted. "It's weak—but it's there!"
Hope erupted into chaos.
They rushed her into the ambulance.
Machines beeped wildly. Doctors shouted instructions. Blood soaked through the bandages faster than they could stop it.
"She's losing too much blood," the doctor said grimly. "Multiple internal injuries.
Honestly… I don't know how she's still alive."
The ambulance raced through empty streets, sirens screaming.
At the hospital, Do-hwan arrived, breathless, his face drained of color.
Jaeahn was wheeled straight into surgery.
"Emergency operation," the doctor ordered.
As they moved her, Jongsuk and Eunwoo clutched her hands desperately.
"Please let go," a nurse said.
Just then—
Jaeahn's eyelids fluttered.
Barely open.
Her unfocused gaze drifted… and stopped on Eunwoo.
For a brief moment, something sparked.
Recognition.
Before Jongsuk could say her name, her eyes closed again.
The doors slammed shut.
Hours crawled by.
When the doctor returned, his expression was grave.
"There's a complication," he said. "Her blood type."
Jongsuk stood immediately. "What about it?"
"She has RHnull blood," the doctor explained. "Extremely rare. Only about ten or eleven people in the world have it."
Silence fell.
"Without it," the doctor continued, "she won't survive."
Panic spread.
They searched everywhere.
Then—miraculously—they found it.
RHnull blood.
"But who donated it?" Jongsuk asked, voice trembling.
The doctor shook his head. "We don't know."
The surgery succeeded.
But the nightmare didn't end there.
Later, the doctor spoke again, more cautiously.
"She survived," he said. "But the brain injury was severe."
Jongsuk's breath caught. "What does that mean?"
"She may lose her memories," the doctor replied. "You must not force her to remember. It could be dangerous. If her brain erased memories, it did so to protect her."
Twenty-four hours later—
Jaeahn woke up.
Jongsuk, Eunwoo, and Do-hwan stood frozen by her bed.
Her eyes landed on Eunwoo.
"Do I… know you?" she whispered.
Eunwoo's heart shattered.
"I feel like I do," she added. "But I can't remember…"
Then her gaze moved to Jongsuk.
"And you… do I know you too?"
Fear took over her face.
"Why can't I remember anything?" she whispered. "Why…?"
Jongsuk couldn't breathe.
His world went dark.
"Jongsuk!" Do-hwan shouted as he collapsed.
Present Day
Two years later—
Their eyes met.
The hallway felt suffocating.
Jongsuk stood frozen, tears silently filling his eyes.
She didn't recognize him.
Not his face.
Not his name.
Not the love they once shared.
"Hey," Jaeahn said gently. "Are you okay?"
Her voice was soft. Kind. Unfamiliar.
Inside Jongsuk's mind, only one question echoed—
Why?
Why did fate bring us together again?
Why now?
Why like this?
The woman he loved stood right in front of him—
And to her…
He was nothing more than a stranger.
Chapter End