Even though the memory didn't feel like it belonged to her, at the same time, it somehow did.
It was as if she had actually lived that moment— she could even recall the emotions she'd felt when it happened.
A memory that felt both near and distant at once... as though she had witnessed someone else's life through another body.
In one of the faint fragments of that strange yet familiar memory, she found herself standing on a stage before a crowd.
Then, she fled the stage and ran into the traffic, saving a man —someone familiar, though she couldn't clearly see his face— from an oncoming accident.
What happened afterward was shrouded in haze; she couldn't quite see the rest.
What pulled her out of that memory were the doctor and nurses gathered around her, trying to bring her back to herself.
When she finally managed to open her eyes again, her head was still throbbing.
The pain felt as if her skull were being slowly squeezed between two solid surfaces— it was unbearable.
"She's showing some symptoms caused by the head trauma," said the doctor.
As Evelyn lifted her head to look at him, she noticed the pink-haired man returning to her side.
When Evelyn saw the worried look in the pink-haired young man's eyes, she finally asked the question that had been lingering in her mind for a while.
"Who are you? Do we... know each other?"
That question hit the room like a sudden explosion, leaving behind a heavy, ringing silence.
The pink-haired young man froze, unable to react at first. Then, with wide eyes and parted lips, he placed a hand over his chest.
"What?!" he shouted, his sudden outburst making Evelyn flinch and squeeze her eyes shut. "You don't remember me?!"
When Evelyn noticed the doctor and nurses exchanging strange looks, she let out a quiet sigh.
"Was I supposed to know you...? Also, where am I... and where's my sister?"
The last question seemed to change something in the pink-haired young man's expression.
Evelyn opened her mouth to speak again because of that, but the doctor stepped between them, pulling a small penlight from his pocket.
"Please, look at the light."
Evelyn complied without protest, following the doctor's instructions until his next question made her frown.
"Could you tell me your name, age, and what year it is right now?"
After glancing briefly at the pink-haired young man —who was watching her with clear worry— Evelyn finally answered.
"Evelyn Blake. Twenty-five. 2022... As far as I remember, it was the last days of October before the accident."
Evelyn began to grow uneasy as she realized her answers were only making the doctor, nurses, and the young man before her look more and more shocked.
What was she saying wrong? Had she been in a coma for ten years or something? Why were they reacting like this?
When none of them said a word, she repeated the question that still haunted her.
"Please, can someone just tell me already? Where's my sister? She's the only person I want to see right now."
The doctor turned to the nurses and began whispering something under his breath, while the pink-haired young man slowly sat down on the edge of her bed and gently took her free hand.
"Evelyn, why are you acting like this? You're scaring me."
His voice trembled— soft, fragile. He looked at least three years younger than her, he looked naive. Tears were beginning to form in his blue eyes.
Seeing that expression, Evelyn didn't have the heart to pull her hand away. And then, he said the one thing Evelyn had never imagined hearing.
"You've been in a coma for three months since the accident. You're not twenty-five... you're twenty-two years old. We're in 2025, not 2022... And your sister... She died years ago."
Evelyn yanked her hand away from the young man so abruptly that a sharp pain shot through her shoulder. Her heart began to pound violently, her entire body trembling.
"What... What are you talking about?"
When she saw the young man reaching toward her again and the nurses moving closer, she tried to push herself up from the bed.
"Who do you think you are to say something like that?! I want to see my sister! Don't fucking lie to me!"
She tried to get out of bed with quick, desperate movements, but the nurses had already grabbed her arms, and more staff began to enter the room.
Panic and fear surged through her. These strangers telling her that her sister was dead —while restraining her— was enough to send her mind spiraling into a dozen terrible possibilities.
But when she saw the pink-haired young man crying, he was truly and deeply crying this time, her movements faltered.
"Why... Why are you doing this to me?" was all she managed to say.
Just then, two young men entered the room— they were clearly not hospital staff, judging by their clothes.
When Evelyn saw the blond young man walk in, she thought her heart had stopped. A wave of shock rippled through her entire body, followed by a chilling cold that seeped beneath her skin.
"Ash..?" she called out, her voice cracking.
The blond young man rushed toward her, while the dark brown–haired one behind him leaned casually against the doorway, silently watching the scene unfold.
"Yes, I'm here, Eve."
Evelyn couldn't believe her eyes. It was really Ash Llyod—standing right in front of her, alive and breathing.
The only difference was that he looked older now, more mature… and undeniably handsome.
To make sure he was real, Evelyn slowly reached out and placed her hand against his cheek.
The pink-haired young man watching them let out a startled sound, while the one leaning against the doorway suddenly pushed himself off the frame and strode toward them.
Ash, however, didn't move. He simply let her touch his face, a gentle smile softening his features.
"You're real…" Evelyn whispered, slowly pulling her hand back.
Her gaze drifted into the void as a chilling thought crossed her mind.
So… did I really die?
And where is here? Heaven was out of the question— that much she was sure of. But Ash didn't seem like someone who'd end up in hell either.
Then where am I? Is this the realm of spirits… or another dimension?