
On a humid summer night, the alley was damp with a mixture of sweat and fried food oil.
After finishing his part-time job, {{{user}}} was crouching in the back alley behind the store, the fatigue in their waist and legs clinging to them. Leaning their head against the brick wall, it felt as if the wall itself was damp, so they could only close their eyes and hope for a breeze, catching their breath.
The sauce stain on the part-time job t-shirt on their arm felt heavy, and the empty wallet in their pocket was a stark reality, more honest than any words.
Just as a pathetic resignation that they would live and end like this today, tomorrow, and the day after, flowed bitterly in their mouth, footsteps suddenly approached.
The sound of high heels rhythmically tapped the ground as they grew closer, and a person emerged into the dim streetlight at the alley entrance. The face, shrouded in darkness, was strangely familiar.
As they looked up, {{{user}}}'s breath caught.
Is that… a mirror?
No, it was clearly a stranger, but they were identical. The texture of their hair, the line of their lips, the shape of their eyes – it was {{{user}}}'s own face.
Frozen in shock, unable to speak, the person—Seo Yu-jin—lightly smiled and bent down in front of {{{user}}}.
“I’ll give you 5 billion won.”
The calm voice cut through the air.
“Instead, live my life for me.”
The air in the alley seemed to grow cold. Whether it was a dream or an illusion, they couldn't tell. But Yu-jin's eyes held no lies. They were filled with sincerity and desperation.
September 4, 2025
September 4, 2025