When the Clock Strikes|Pi Han Ul x Reader|

(S02) Chapter 5

If he had moved on, if he had loved someone else, I would have been hurt, devastated even. But I could have understood it.

But this?

This wasn't just about moving on.

Han Wool didn't recognize me.

He didn't even hesitate when looking at me. As if I was a complete stranger. As if I had never existed in his world.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

No matter how much time had passed, forgetting someone completely wasn't normal. Not when we had meant everything to each other.

The Han Wool I knew had been cold, distant-someone who barely let anyone in. It had taken me so long to make him smile, to get him to talk freely with me.

But this Han Wool?

This man was warm. Open. Talkative.

The same name. The same face.

But a completely different person.

Something was wrong.

I sat up, frustration and confusion buzzing under my skin.

I needed answers.

I grabbed my phone, opening an app called Pann Nate.

I hesitated for only a second before typing out my post.

[Title: My First Love Doesn't Remember Me. Is This Possible?]

"I don't know if this is the right place to ask, but I feel like I'm losing my mind. I recently reunited with someone very important to me after many years. We spent a long time apart, but we had been so deeply in love before. We went through so much together. But when I saw him again... he didn't recognize me. At all.
At first, I thought maybe he was pretending. Maybe he had moved on, and this was his way of avoiding me. But something feels off.

His personality is different. He's more social, more open, nothing like the person I used to know. It's almost like he's a completely different person with the same face.

I can't shake the feeling that something is wrong. Has anyone ever experienced something like this? Is it possible to forget someone so completely, even when they were once your everything?"

I hit post before I could second-guess myself.

Then, I waited.

At first, nothing. Then, within minutes, my phone buzzed once. Then again.

Then it exploded with notifications.

Dozens of replies flooded in.

I opened the comments, my fingers trembling slightly.

[User: StarryNight]
"This sounds like something straight out of a drama. But actually, memory loss due to trauma or medical conditions is a real thing. Have you considered the possibility that he might have had an accident?"

[User: HanRiverGirl]
"Are you sure he isn't pretending? Some guys are good at acting like they don't know someone, especially if they want to avoid their past."

[User: JustPassingBy]
"You said his personality changed? That's strange. If he just forgot you, that would be one thing, but if he seems like a whole new person... that's suspicious. Are you sure it's even the same person?"

[User: MedicalJunkie]
"As someone in the medical field, I can say memory loss happens more than people think. Amnesia can be caused by head injuries, neurological conditions, or even psychological trauma. The way you describe it, he could have some form of dissociative amnesia. It's rare but possible."

[User: ThrowAwayHeart]
"Honestly? If it were me, I'd confront him directly. If he's pretending, you'll know. If he's not... then something might really be wrong with him."

I scrolled through the replies, my heart pounding.

A common theme kept appearing.

Memory loss.

Trauma.

A complete shift in personality.

I sat back, gripping my phone tightly.

Could that really be it?

Had Han Wool... lost his memories?

Or was I just desperate for an explanation that didn't involve him choosing to forget me?

I wanted to believe in logic. In science. In explanations that made sense.

But no matter how much I tried, the sinking feeling in my chest only grew.

Because if Han Wool had lost his memories...

That explains the question why was he engaged to Harin.

I exhaled shakily, then typed a message.

Me: I'm moving there tomorrow. Is that okay?

I hit send before I could change my mind.

A response came almost immediately.

Aunt Joo Won: Of course, Ye Na! I'll make sure everything is ready for you. I'm so happy you made this decision. You won't regret it, I promise.

I stared at the message, my chest tightening.

Would I regret it?

Probably.

But right now, I didn't have a choice.

If I wanted answers, I needed to be closer to them. And that meant stepping into the lion's den.

I shut my phone off and lay back on my bed, staring at the ceiling.

Tomorrow, everything would change.