Mina woke up with a strange heaviness in her chest.
It wasn't pain.
Not exactly.
More like… something was missing.
The ceiling above her was unfamiliar—plain white, with a small crack running across the corner. She stared at it for a long moment, waiting for recognition to come.
It didn't.
Her heart began to race.
"Okay… okay…" she whispered, sitting up slowly. "Think, Mina. Just think."
Her own name felt distant, like a word she had memorized rather than lived.
That's when she noticed the notebook on her bedside table.
Black cover. Worn edges. A sticky note on top.
Her hands trembled as she picked it up.
"If you're reading this, you forgot again."
Her breath caught.
"No… no, no…"
She flipped it open, panic rising in her throat.
The first page was filled with her own handwriting—messy, rushed, desperate.
---
Hi, Mina.
I'm you.
I know you're scared right now. That's normal.
Take a breath. You're safe.
You have a condition.
Every 7 days, you lose your memory.
Yes. Every week.
I'm sorry.
---
Mina shook her head, her vision blurring.
"This isn't real…"
But it felt real. Too real.
Her eyes scanned the page faster.
---
There's someone important.
You're going to meet him soon.
You won't remember him.
But please… don't push him away.
You love him.
I know it sounds crazy. I didn't believe it either the first time.
But it's true.
You forget him…
but you still love him.
---
A tear slipped down her cheek before she even realized she was crying.
"Someone… important?" she whispered.
Her chest tightened again—that same strange, aching emptiness.
As if her heart was reaching for something her mind couldn't find.
She turned the page.
Photos were taped inside.
Her.
And a man.
He was smiling softly, looking at her like she was something fragile… something precious. In the photo, she was laughing—genuinely laughing—like nothing in the world could hurt her.
Mina stared at the image.
"I… don't know you…"
Her fingers traced his face.
"But why does it feel like I should?"
A knock on the door made her flinch.
Her heart jumped into her throat.
Another knock. Gentle this time.
"Mina?"
The voice.
Low. Careful. Familiar in a way that didn't make sense.
Her breath hitched.
"Mina… it's me."
Her grip tightened on the notebook.
It's him.
Panic surged through her.
What was she supposed to do? What if she said the wrong thing? What if she hurt him?
Her eyes darted back to the page.
---
When he comes…
you'll be scared.
That's okay.
He won't be.
He never is.
---
"Mina?" the voice called again, softer now.
She swallowed hard.
"…Come in."
The door opened slowly.
And there he was.
The same man from the photo.
Same eyes. Same quiet warmth.
But now… there was something else.
Tiredness.
Like he had done this before.
Too many times.
They stared at each other in silence.
Mina's heart pounded violently against her ribs.
She didn't know his name.
Didn't know his voice.
Didn't know his touch.
And yet…
Tears welled up in her eyes again.
"I'm sorry…" she whispered, her voice breaking. "I think… I forgot you."
For a brief second, something flickered across his face.
Pain.
But he smiled anyway.
A small, practiced smile.
"I know," he said gently.
He stepped closer—but not too close.
Like he was afraid she might run.
"It's okay, Mina."
Her chest ached even more.
"Does it… hurt you?" she asked, barely able to get the words out.
He hesitated.
Just for a moment.
Then he shook his head.
"No."
But his eyes said otherwise.
Mina clutched the notebook tightly.
Her voice trembled.
"…Who are you?"
The question hung in the air between them.
Heavy.
Familiar.
Devastating.
He looked at her—not like a stranger would.
Not even like a friend.
But like someone who had already lost her…
again and again.
"I'm…" he paused, as if choosing his words carefully.
"…someone who loves you."
Mina's breath caught.
Her heart—
it reacted.
Not her mind.
Not her memory.
Her heart.
And somehow…
that scared her more than anything.
--
End of Chapter One