My head is heavy, my limbs weak. I sit up, wincing as pain pulses through my head like my head is about to split open. I shut my eyes, and all I see is darkness.

When I open my eyes, I see worried eyes looking back at me.

"Are you okay, miss?" A man asks me. He looks like a janitor, with a mop in his hand.

"Where am I?" I ask him, my voice barely a whisper.

"Lincoln Medical Hospital, ma'am," he replies, confused.

Soon after, a nurse walks in and looks surprised to see me awake. She hastily pulls out a clipboard, flipping through the pages before settling her gaze on me.

"I'll get the doctor," she says, and quickly exits the room.

A bathroom door is slightly ajar to my right. My throat feels parched, so I slide off the bed. My legs tremble under my weight, but I steady myself. One step, then another, until I reach the sink.

The mirror stares at me and my stomach drops. I don't know why. The woman looking at me feels strange and unfamiliar.

Sharp cheekbones, full lips, and beautiful eyes stare back at me. She looks flawless with her long, rich hair. But that's not what unsettles me. It's her. Her face should be mine, but I don't recognize it.

As I stare, an image of another woman flashes through the mirror, or is it in my mind? The woman has the same eyes and lips but different hair. I stumble back, my heart hammering in my chest. I clutch my chest, panicking, my mind is a jumbled mess. I lean in, studying the reflection. She looks so perfect, yet, I feel nothing when I look at her.

The face in the mirror changes. I still don't know her. I don't know myself. I need answers, and I need them fast.

Suddenly, a sharp knock on the door startles me, breaking my thoughts.

"Miso?" A voice calls out from the hallway. The nurse from earlier steps inside, her eyes observing me. "Miso, are you okay?"

"Miso..." The name lands on me like a ton of bricks, but it doesn't feel like it belongs to me...is it mine?

I nod, my heart racing. "Yeah, I am... I'm fine."

"Mr. Han's outside. He's been worried sick. He'll be happy to hear you're awake."

Mr. Han? Who's Mr. Han?

"I...I don't know who that is." My voice trembles, but I try to keep it steady. "He's the one who found and brought you after the accident".

The accident. My mind flashes to images of a flash of light, the screeching of tires, and then... nothing.

"I... I don't remember anything," I whisper quietly.

The nurse's face softens with pity "Don't worry. It'll come back to you. Just take it slow." She gestures for me to sit back down on the bed.

I nod numbly and do as she says.

I rub my eyes and glance at the door. Maybe I'll find some answers with Mr. Han.

A voice broke through my confusion.

"You're awake," a man said, his voice calm. "Thank God."

I blinked several times, trying to focus on him. A kind, wrinkled face stared at me with... concern. But who was he?

"Where am I?" My voice came out hoarse, as though I hadn't spoken in ages.

"You're in the hospital," he replied, his tone soothing. "You were in a bad accident. I brought you here."

An accident? The word echoed in my mind, but everything surrounding it felt like a blank canvas, no memories to fill in the gaps.

"I don't....." I started, but my thoughts felt scrambled. "Who am I?"

His eyes softened with concern. "Your name is Miso Kang," he said.

Miso Kang. The name stirred something deep inside me, but it didn't feel... right.

"Is that... my name?" The question left my mouth before I could stop it.

"Yes," the man said, giving me a reassuring smile. You don't remember?"

I swallowed hard, trying to concentrate, trying to focus on that name, but it was no use. "No," I whispered. "I don't remember."

"Don't worry," he said, as if trying to comfort me. "It's normal after something traumatic. It'll come back."

After a while, Mr. Han leaves and I can hear him speaking with the nurse from earlier. I walk towards the door, tired of sitting. Mr. Han and the nurse turn to me.

"You've been discharged Miss Miso", Mr. Han says.

"We will be leaving soon, I just have to visit the funeral going on, I always attend funerals that take place in my hospital". I nod weakly, too confused to question his words.

The fresh air hits me the moment we step onto the sidewalk, but it does nothing to clear the fog in my mind. As Mr. Han walks slowly toward the funeral procession, my legs feel like they're moving without my permission.

We stop in front of a large, open garden, and I feel my body stiffen. I watch as Mr. Han greets some people I don't recognize.....well-dressed, sad-faced.

My eyes are locked on a portrait, one of a woman whose features mirror the unfamiliar woman I saw in the bathroom mirror.

My breath catches in my throat, my heart pounds so loudly I can hardly hear anything else.

I don't even know how my feet carry me toward the altar, but suddenly, I'm kneeling in front of the portrait. The tears come uncontrollably.

I don't know why I'm crying but my chest tighten as the image of the woman in the portrait blurs before my eyes. Yiso Kenoly, the name reads. Yiso..." I whisper to myself, the name foreign on my lips.

What's happening to me? Why was this picture of a dead woman making my whole body tremble with an ache I can't describe.

I notice a man and woman walk in together, side by side, their eyes filled with tears. As they approach the coffin and me, my breath hitches, and I freeze.

Everything inside me screams at me to run, but I can't. All I can do is watch them approach.

I feel a strangling grip of terror begin to suffocate me, the world around me starts to blur, and then darkness.

Chapter 6 A Stranger

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