Michaeng (Short Stories) Vol. 2

OMG 8 (Finale)

she's not dead

she's not dead

she's not dead...

These words kept on repeating on Chaeyoung's mind.

Flashback: 6 months ago...

Chaeyoung tightened her grip on Mina's hand, stealing a glance at her fiancée-to-be, who sat glowing in the passenger seat. Mina's laughter filled the car like sunlight breaking through a cloudy day.

"I can't wait to marry you, Darling," Chaeyoung said, pressing a kiss to Mina's hand without taking her eyes off the road for too long.

"Such a sweet talker," Mina teased, trying to hide the blush that was now painting her cheeks. She bit the inside of her lip to stop herself from smiling too wide.

The ring in Chaeyoung's pocket felt heavy with promise, its weight a quiet echo of the plans they had whispered late at night. They'd been together for a year now. They had dreams of a future—a house filled with dogs, lazy mornings tangled in each other's arms, and the sound of little feet running through the halls.

But dreams are fragile things...

The tires screeched before Chaeyoung had a chance to react, her hand instinctively tightening around Mina's. The world spun violently, glass shattering like rain as the car was hurled into chaos. The last thing Chaeyoung remembered was the sound of Mina screaming her name.

"Chaeyoung!"

***

When Chaeyoung woke up after the accident, her head was pounding, and her body felt like it had been shattered and pieced back together. But even more agonizing than the physical pain was the hollow ache in her chest, as if she had lost something important-something irreplaceable.

Doctors came in and out, murmuring words she couldn't follow. She heard phrases like "trauma-induced memory loss." and "recovery will take time."

"Do you know where you are?" a nurse asked gently.

Chaeyoung blinked, her vision clearing as she looked around the sterile white room. "The hospital?" she guessed, her voice raspy and unsure.

The nurse gave a small nod and continued, "And do you remember your name?"

"Chaeyoung," she said slowly, testing the words. "Son Chaeyoung."

Her memory wasn't entirely gone. She could recall pieces of her life—her friends, her art, her routines. But there was a gap, an unexplainable emptiness that she couldn't place.

When Dahyun and Tzuyu came to visit her, she lit up with recognition. "Dahyun! Tzuyu!" she exclaimed, relief washing over her at the sight of their familiar faces. For a moment, it felt like everything was normal.

But the illusion didn't last long. When they handed her a photograph of a woman with soft brown eyes and a warm smile, her expression faltered. "Do you know her?" Tzuyu asked cautiously, her tone careful.

Chaeyoung stared at the photo, a pang of something unnameable twisting in her chest. "No," she admitted after a long pause, shaking her head. "I don't know who she is."

Dahyun and Tzuyu exchanged a glance, their expressions heavy with an unspoken burden.

From that moment, they decided to keep the truth hidden from her—about Mina, about the accident, about Mina's coma, about the love she'd forgotten. They believed that shielding her from the pain might help her recover faster, and they held onto the fragile hope that her memories would resurface on their own.