Chapter 03 — The Idol in the Mirror
Was this… a dream?
To check, I did what people always do in comics — I pinched my thigh. Hard. Like, really hard.
But it barely moved. Maybe because of the car accident, even the smallest motion felt impossible.
Still, I succeeded — because the pain was real.
So this isn’t a dream…?
That meant that somehow, I, Jang Se-hee, had become Ahn Ji-hyun — or at least, looked exactly like her.
Could a doctor have “fixed up” my face during surgery? No, that didn’t make sense.
Changing Jang Se-hee into Ahn Ji-hyun wasn’t plastic surgery — that was reconstruction on a whole new level.
Then my eyes landed on the patient chart clipped at the foot of the bed.
[Patient: Ahn Ji-hyun]
See? Even the name tag says it.
The hospital wouldn’t just write the wrong name — not in a private room like this.
Something was off.
No matter how I looked at it, this wasn’t a mistake.
It was as if…
I really have become Ahn Ji-hyun.
Knock, knock.
Of course — right then, someone knocked on the door.
Seriously? Now?
And worse, it wasn’t the polite kind of knock that waits for permission.
The door handle turned immediately — click — making my heart drop.
I should run.
That was my first instinct. But how?
I could barely move a finger — where was I supposed to go?
Hey, mysterious person coming in — can you please wait, like, one minute?!
I screamed inside my head, but time didn’t wait for me.
The door swung open with a thud.
“Ugh!”
I flinched instinctively and peeked through half-closed eyes.
A man stood there, calm and expressionless, scanning me from head to toe.
He didn’t seem surprised — as if seeing me lying here was completely normal.
Wait… isn’t that her manager from TV?
When he took off his hat, I was sure.
It’s Choi Sung-han. Ahn Ji-hyun’s manager.
I’d seen him before on that reality show showing idol dorm life.
The same tired face. The same sharp eyes.
My mind went blank.
If he really was Ji-hyun’s manager, there’s no way he wouldn’t notice I wasn’t her.
He’s with her almost 24/7 — if I open my mouth, I’m done.
Would he call the police? Report me as an obsessed fan?
Would I get blacklisted from every K-pop event ever?
And worse — what would A-young think if she found out?
No, I can’t let that happen.
In my panic, I forgot to close my eyes — and suddenly, our gazes met.
Oh no. He saw me.
Sure enough, Sung-han’s eyes widened in shock.
“You… you’re…”
“…”
“Ms… Ms. Ahn!”
He stuttered, blinking rapidly — then bolted out of the room. Probably to get a doctor.
A few minutes later, he came back in, still pale but a little calmer.
“You’re… awake?”
Crap. I’m doomed.
Should I answer?
Okay, fine — maybe my face looks like hers, and maybe they mixed up our names.
But the voice? Ahn Ji-hyun’s voice is famous for being like honey — while mine sounds like a dying radio.
If I spoke, he’d know instantly.
But if I don’t say anything… that’s suspicious too.
“Are you feeling all right? The doctor’s on his way.”
“…”
“If you’re too tired to talk, just nod a little.”
Maybe it’s better to get caught now than later. Rip off the band-aid, right?
I took a deep breath.
“Yes.”
The moment I heard my own voice, I froze.
That wasn’t my voice.
It was soft, clear — almost melodic.
What the— I really sound like her?!
Sung-han sighed in relief.
“You sound stronger than I expected. Thank goodness. I was so worried. Do you… remember everything?”
“Huh? Remember what?”
“Ah — sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”
His tone turned awkward, his eyes darting nervously like he’d said something wrong.
What, did someone hurt me or something?
“It’s okay. Could you tell me what happened?”
“Huh?”
Wait, did that sound rude?
I quickly softened my tone, trying to copy the gentle, polite way Ji-hyun always spoke on variety shows.
“I’m sorry, my memory’s a little fuzzy. If you don’t mind… could you explain it to me?”
“S-sorry… thank you…?”
Now he just looked confused.
“Uh, right. You fell off the stage during your last performance. You’ve been unconscious for over two weeks.”
“What?”
What kind of twist was this?
Seeing my shocked face, Sung-han nodded as if he expected that reaction.
“Yeah, you probably don’t remember. Don’t push yourself. Rest a little more.”
“Oh… okay.”
Sure. Rest. Right. I definitely needed time to process all this.
I nodded weakly, silently begging him to leave.
Thankfully, he got the hint.
He checked my IV bag, muttered something about calling the doctor, and finally left the room.
When the door shut, I exhaled hard.
Now that I was alone, I tried to organize everything in my head.
There was only one explanation.
I’ve become Ahn Ji-hyun.
There was no other way to describe it.
Everyone’s reaction, the reflection in the mirror, even my own voice — all of it matched perfectly.
What on earth is happening to me?
I was alive, yes, but… why like this?
And what about my real body? Jang Se-hee’s body?
As those thoughts tangled in my mind, something sparkled in front of me.
A reflection from the mirror? No — it was too bright, too focused.
And then, letters appeared in the air — floating, glowing right in front of me.
***
[First Quest]
Quest?
The text looked straight out of a game interface, glowing faintly as new lines appeared below.
You have possessed the body of the idol you admired most.
Quickly adapt to Ahn Ji-hyun’s body and recover your condition. (0%)
⚠️ Warning: Do not reveal the existence of this quest to anyone.
What… the actual… heck?
