Chapter 5: The Kidnapping and the Switch.

POV: Kang Ji-ah (FL)

I never expected to wake up in an unfamiliar place, tied to a chair, my head pounding.

I never expected to look up and see my own face staring back at me.

But that's exactly what happened.

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A Familiar Stranger

Blinking through the haze of unconsciousness, I struggled to focus.

The woman standing in front of me had my face. My features. My eyes.

But there was something different.

Coldness.

A smirk played on her lips.

"Hello, sister," she said.

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The Twin I Never Knew

My breath caught.

A twin.

I had a twin sister?

Before I could react, another figure stepped forward—an older woman, her sharp gaze assessing me.

And then it hit me.

My mother.

Not the woman who had raised me, but my real mother.

The woman who had been hidden from me my entire life.

"You were never supposed to know the truth," she said coolly. "But fate had other plans."

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The Switch

I struggled against the ropes binding me. "What do you want?"

My twin tilted her head. "To borrow your life for a while."

Cold fear trickled down my spine.

"No one will know," she continued. "Not your husband, not your friends, not even your precious family."

I clenched my jaw. "Why?"

My real mother stepped forward, brushing a strand of hair from my face.

"Because, Ji-ah," she said softly, "this is just the beginning."

Then, darkness swallowed me whole.

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Stepping Into My Life

POV: Kang Seo-ah (SFL)

When I walked into Ahn Jae-hyun's penthouse that evening, no one suspected a thing.

Not even him.

I had studied Ji-ah for weeks. Her mannerisms. Her speech. The way she carried herself.

It was almost too easy.

Jae-hyun glanced up from his desk as I entered.

"You're late," he said, his voice holding the usual warmth he reserved only for her.

I smiled—her smile.

"Got held up."

He didn't question it.

And just like that, I had taken her place.

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Trapped in the Shadows

POV: Kang Ji-ah (FL)

When I woke up, I was alone.

The room was dark, the air thick with dust.

A prison.

My own twin sister had stolen my life, and I had no idea how to get it back.

But one thing was clear.

I wasn't going down without a fight.

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