Chapter 2 – A New Beginning

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

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