The rain poured heavily over the quiet streets of City F, washing away the dust from the small town but never the cruelty in people's hearts.

Among thousands of people lived a boy who had never known what a family felt like.

His name was Kim Taehyung.

An orphan.

Twenty-two years old.

Dark brown skin.

Curly black hair that was always messy.

Round glasses that hid his tired eyes.

A chubby body weighing nearly 80 kilograms, making him an easy target for ridicule.

He wasn't the handsome prince people dreamed about.

He wasn't popular.

He wasn't rich.

He was simply... ordinary.

Or perhaps, to everyone around him, even less than ordinary.

Since childhood, people judged him before knowing him.

"Look at that fat guy."

"He's so dark."

"Who's going to like someone like him?"

"He doesn't even have parents."

"He's disgusting."

Those words became part of his everyday life.

At the orphanage...

At school...

At college...

No matter where he went, someone always found a reason to laugh at him.

Yet Taehyung never hated anyone.

He believed that if he was kind enough, worked hard enough, and loved sincerely enough, someone would eventually accept him.

That hope kept him going.

During college, he met Choi Minho.

Minho smiled warmly, talked to him kindly, and called him his best friend.

For the first time, Taehyung thought fate had finally shown him mercy.

Then came Lee Hyunwoo.

The most popular senior in college.

When Hyunwoo confessed to him, Taehyung couldn't believe it.

He knew people whispered behind his back.

He knew others laughed whenever they saw them together.

But he trusted Hyunwoo.

He trusted Minho.

They were his whole world.

He skipped meals to buy them birthday gifts.

He stayed awake all night helping them with assignments.

Whenever they needed money, he worked part-time jobs without complaint.

He gave everything he had...

Never expecting anything in return except their friendship.

Until one evening...

Taehyung returned early to the dormitory after finishing his part-time shift.

As he walked past an empty classroom, familiar voices reached his ears.

"...I can't believe the bet lasted this long."

Someone laughed.

"You deserve the prize, Hyunwoo."

Another voice joined in.

"I honestly thought he'd figure it out."

Taehyung stopped walking.

His heartbeat quickened.

The laughter continued.

Hyunwoo's voice sounded clearly through the half-open door.

> "Fall in love with Kim Taehyung for six months."

> "That was the challenge."

> "Who knew he'd actually believe I loved him?"

The room erupted in laughter.

Another voice spoke.

"What about Minho? Wasn't he supposed to be his best friend?"

Minho chuckled.

"Please."

"Being friends with someone like him is embarrassing."

"I only stayed close because of the bet."

"I couldn't stop laughing every time he thanked me for being his friend."

Someone asked,

"So... did either of you ever feel guilty?"

Hyunwoo scoffed.

"Guilty?"

"Have you seen him?"

"Fat."

"Dark."

"Poor."

"An orphan."

"Who would genuinely date someone like that?"

The laughter grew louder.

Each word pierced Taehyung's heart like a knife.

His legs trembled.

His breathing became uneven.

His vision blurred as tears filled his eyes.

The gifts he had bought for Minho and Hyunwoo slipped from his hands and crashed onto the floor.

The voices inside instantly fell silent.

Without waiting for them to come out...

Taehyung turned and ran.

He ran through the campus.

Through the rain.

Through streets filled with flashing headlights.

His chest hurt.

His heart felt as though it had shattered into thousands of pieces.

He had no family.

No home.

And now...

Not even the two people he loved the most had ever been real.

He cried harder.

"I... was that easy to fool...?"

"I was... just a joke..."

He stepped onto the road without noticing the speeding truck racing toward him.

A deafening horn echoed through the night.

Bright headlights blinded him.

For a brief moment...

Everything became silent.

BANG!

His body was thrown into the air before crashing onto the wet pavement.

Warm blood spread across the road as the rain continued to fall.

Taehyung's fading eyes stared at the dark sky.

A bitter smile appeared on his lips.

"So..."

"This..."

"is how my life ends."

"I never had a family."

"I never had a real friend."

"I never... experienced genuine love."

"If..."

"If I ever get another chance..."

"I won't waste my kindness on people who don't deserve it."

"I'll live... for myself."

His eyes slowly closed.

Darkness swallowed everything.

...

Then—

A warm light appeared.

A mysterious voice echoed in the endless darkness.

"Kim Taehyung..."

"Open your eyes."

"Your story... has not ended yet."

The first thing Taehyung noticed was the smell.

Fresh paper.

Ink.

The faint scent of old wooden desks.

"..."

His eyelids fluttered open.

His head felt heavy, and his heart was pounding so hard that it almost hurt.

For a few moments, he simply stared at the white ceiling above him.

"...Where am I?"

His voice came out as a whisper.

He slowly sat up and looked around.

Rows of students filled a large classroom. Some were talking excitedly, while others were busy filling out forms.

A teacher stood near the podium, organizing stacks of documents.

Taehyung frowned.

"This place..."

His breathing became uneven.

He knew this classroom.

He had sat here before.

Years ago.

"No..."

His hands trembled as he looked down at himself.

The same old hoodie.

The same worn-out shoes.

The same round glasses resting on his nose.

His fingers instinctively touched his cheeks.

His body...

It wasn't lying broken on a cold road.

It wasn't covered in blood.

His heart skipped a beat.

"I..."

"I'm alive?"

Suddenly—

Images flashed through his mind.

Laughter.

Cruel voices.

"It was just a bet."

"Who could ever love someone like him?"

"He's fat."

"He's ugly."

"He's just an orphan."

The sound of screeching tires.

A blinding light.

The unbearable pain.

Then...

Darkness.

Taehyung clutched his head tightly.

His chest felt so heavy that he could barely breathe.

"...It wasn't a dream."

He remembered everything.

Every smile that had been fake.

Every kind word that had hidden mockery.

Every moment he had believed he was finally loved.

His eyes slowly filled with tears.

"...I really died."

A tear rolled down his cheek.

He wiped it away before anyone noticed.

Not again.

He would never cry because of them again.

---

"Students!"

The teacher's voice echoed through the classroom.

Everyone became quiet.

"As you all know, today is the final day to submit your applications for your master's entrance examinations."

"You've already discussed your choices with your advisors."

"Please check your forms carefully before submitting them."

Taehyung froze.

Master's entrance...

He looked down.

An application form lay neatly on his desk.

At the top was his name.

Kim Taehyung.

His eyes slowly moved to the university name.

City F National University.

His hands immediately tightened around the paper.

City F.

His previous life.

The place where every painful memory had begun.

In his last life...

He had stayed in City F because...

"They're here..."

He whispered to himself.

Minho.

Hyunwoo.

He had chosen the university because he wanted to stay close to the people he trusted most.

How foolish.

His lips curled into a bitter smile.

"I gave up my future..."

"...for people who never cared about me."

Slowly...

He picked up the application form.

Without hesitation—

Riiip!

The paper tore into two pieces.

Then four.

Then many more.

The classroom fell silent.

Several students turned to look at him.

"What is he doing?"

"Did he just tear his application?"

Taehyung ignored every stare.

His heartbeat, which had been racing with panic, slowly began to calm.

For the first time...

He felt strangely relieved.

The teacher hurried over.

"Kim Taehyung!"

"What happened?"

"If there's a mistake on your form, I can give you another one."

Taehyung stood up politely.

"I'm sorry, Professor."

"I'd like a new application."

The teacher blinked.

"...You changed your mind?"

"Yes."

The teacher nodded and handed him another blank form.

"Fill it out carefully."

Taehyung accepted it with both hands.

"...Thank you."

He sat down.

The blank page lay before him.

For a long moment...

He simply stared at it.

Then he remembered another memory.

A university in City C.

The most prestigious medical university in the country.

In his previous life...

He hadn't even tried.

He had convinced himself he wasn't smart enough.

He had been too afraid of failing.

Too afraid of leaving familiar people behind.

This time...

There were no familiar people worth staying for.

Only painful memories.

Taehyung took a deep breath.

His pen slowly moved across the paper.

First Choice: City C Medical University.

His handwriting was steady.

No hesitation.

No fear.

When he finished writing, he looked at the words for a long time.

A small smile appeared on his face.

"...This time..."

"I'll chase my dream."

"...Not people."

He folded the form carefully.

His eyes, once filled with sadness, now carried quiet determination.

"I don't need fake friends."

"I don't need fake love."

"I'll study."

"I'll become a doctor."

"I'll build a life where I can be proud of myself."

"And no matter what happens..."

"I'll never let anyone decide my worth again."

Outside the classroom window, a gentle breeze rustled the trees.

It felt as though the world itself had turned a page.

Kim Taehyung had been given a second life.

And this time...

He had chosen a different path.

A path that would one day lead him to City C...

...and to a destiny he could never have imagined.

End of Chapter 1

The classroom slowly returned to its usual noise after Taehyung submitted his new application.

Some students whispered while glancing in his direction.

"Did you see that?"

"He actually changed his university choice."

"City C Medical University? Isn't that the hardest one to get into?"

"He's dreaming too big."

"He'll fail."

Taehyung heard every word.

In his previous life, those whispers would have made him doubt himself.

He would have smiled awkwardly.

He would have apologized for dreaming too high.

But not anymore.

He simply adjusted his glasses and quietly walked out of the classroom.

---

The spring breeze greeted him as he stepped outside.

Students were gathered in small groups, discussing entrance exams, future plans, and graduation.

Some looked excited.

Some looked nervous.

Taehyung stood alone under a large tree.

His eyes wandered across the campus.

"So..."

"I'm really back."

He still couldn't believe it.

Everything looked exactly the same.

The old library.

The basketball court.

The cafeteria.

The cherry blossom trees that lined the main road.

Even the small convenience store outside the gate.

Everything was familiar.

Yet...

He no longer felt like he belonged here.

This campus held too many painful memories.

He closed his eyes.

In his previous life, this was the place where he had first trusted people.

Where he had first believed someone could truly accept him.

Where he had slowly handed over his heart.

Only for it to be crushed.

A bitter smile crossed his lips.

"I was so naïve."

---

Instead of returning to his dormitory, Taehyung walked toward the library.

The scent of books always calmed him.

As he stepped inside, the familiar silence wrapped around him.

Only a few students were studying.

He found his usual seat near the window.

For several minutes, he simply sat there.

Then he took out a notebook.

On the first page, he wrote in neat handwriting:

Goals for My Second Life

He stared at the title for a while before continuing.

Pass the entrance examination for City C Medical University.

Keep my scholarship.

Become an excellent doctor.

His pen stopped.

There was one more thing.

After a long silence, he slowly wrote:

Never trust someone blindly again.

He looked at those words for a long time.

His chest tightened.

Trust.

Such a simple word.

Yet it had cost him everything.

---

Hours passed.

Taehyung buried himself in books.

Biology.

Chemistry.

Human Anatomy.

He carefully noted down important points.

Whenever he found a topic he didn't understand, he searched for another book instead of giving up.

The librarian smiled as she watched him carrying a stack of heavy textbooks.

"Studying already?"

Taehyung smiled politely.

"I have a lot to catch up on."

She laughed softly.

"You remind me of yourself from last year."

Taehyung paused.

"...Do I?"

"You've always been the last student to leave this library."

He smiled faintly.

"I guess some things don't change."

No.

Some things had changed.

His heart.

His priorities.

His future.

---

By evening, the sky outside had turned orange.

Taehyung packed his books and walked back toward the dormitory.

On the way, he passed several cafés filled with students laughing together.

For a brief second...

Loneliness crept into his heart.

He had never experienced genuine friendship.

He wondered...

Would he always be alone?

The thought disappeared as quickly as it came.

He shook his head.

"No."

"Being alone isn't the worst thing."

"Being betrayed by the people you trust..."

"That's far worse."

He would rather walk alone than walk beside people wearing fake smiles.

---

That night, inside his small dorm room, Taehyung opened his old wallet.

There wasn't much inside.

A few folded notes.

His student ID.

A small photo of himself taken for college records.

He stared at the photo.

The same round face.

The same dark skin.

The same chubby figure.

In his previous life...

He had hated this face.

He had wished to look like everyone else.

But now...

He gently placed the photo back into his wallet.

"This is me."

"I don't need to become handsome."

"I don't need everyone to like me."

"I only need to become someone I can respect."

For the first time in both his lives...

Those words felt true.

He switched off the light.

Tomorrow would be another day of studying.

Another day of moving toward City C.

Another day of choosing himself.

And far away in the bustling streets of City C, destiny was quietly preparing to bring two completely different lives onto the same path.

But neither of them knew it yet.

End of Chapter 2