My long-term relationship has finally paid off. At the wedding venue, my fiancee, Dakota Young, has just begun sliding the ring onto my finger when her first love, Kyle Robinson, calls her all the way from the country he's currently studying in.

All of my friends know of Dakota as the woman who loves me more than life itself. But this very same woman doesn't hesitate to bolt in the airport's direction with red-rimmed eyes after answering the phone call.

My hand is left frozen in mid-air. That's when I suddenly start seeing live comments before my eyes.

"Holy hell! I just took a glimpse at the profile picture of her first love! He looks exactly like the corpse who's delivered to my department!"

"Seriously? Don't go around scaring me right now! I believe in the power of science!"

"Either he has a twin, or you just got the wrong person! Stay calm!"

My jaw goes slack, yet I can't utter a word after a while.

I know who Kyle is. That man used to be her classmate back in college.

But I also remember very clearly that he's the only child in his family…

My name was Felix Moore. Kyle Robinson was a year younger than Dakota Young and me, but he ended up in the same class as us.

His family was well off, and he was an only child. As such, his parents spoiled him from the start, and he grew up proud and a little full of himself.

We had lived in the same building for years, so there was no way I could be mistaken.

The live on-screen comments kept pouring in. Someone from the medical school claimed they were heading to the specimen freezer to check.

"I only caught a glimpse of his profile picture. It went by too fast. It'd be best if we could see the person in real life."

"I'm getting chills… If this turns out to be true, then the man Dakota went to meet after ditching Felix would be…"

"Shit, shit, shit. Dear god, please protect me!"

I stood alone at the center of the wedding stage. The flashing lights stabbed at my eyes.

Mom and Dad looked awful. The whispers and those pitying looks brushed past my heart like fine needles, leaving behind a prickling ache.

I clenched my teeth and ran out, jumped into a cab, and headed straight for the airport. The driver kept shooting me strange looks through the mirror.

From behind the glass in the arrivals hall, I saw Dakota wrapped tightly in Kyle's arms. Her body was soft and slender, like that of an average woman, but her face was buried in his chest, hidden from view.

Her hand slipped under his coat and moved restlessly against him.

I didn't even know what I was thinking at first. Something pulled me here without reason. Then, I watched them get into a car together, clinging to each other like they couldn't bear to part.

I watched her take him to a restaurant she had always been too busy to visit with me. She cut his steak herself and fed him, looking more satisfied than if she were eating it.

I watched her book a room for him, smiling like a lover as she swiped the card and led him inside… That was when my heart went completely cold.

Dakota didn't care how I faced the guests back at the wedding. She didn't care whether I was embarrassed or not. The moment Kyle came back, he was the only one who mattered.

Still, was he really Kyle Robinson?

I stumbled back home in a daze and collapsed onto the bed. I lay there, hollow, until 2:00 am. Just as I was drifting off, I heard a soft click at the bedroom door.

I narrowed my eyes and looked. Dakota was back.

She froze for a moment when she saw me, then, when I didn't move, she seemed to relax. When she lay down beside me, the scent of jasmine Kyle loved drifted over, mixed with a faint trace of something metallic.

Suddenly, her phone vibrated on the nightstand. Through my half-closed eyes, I saw that Kyle was texting her.

"Kota, are you asleep?

"Kota, you must come to my studio tomorrow at noon. I've got a big surprise for you.

"Kota, I'm going to shower as well. Too bad you left in such a hurry. You're missing out. Hehe."

People saw Dakota as the prestigious CEO, but back in college, she was just an animation-obsessed teen living off cheap bread. Someone like Kyle, who was dazzling and untouchable, would never have given her a second glance.

She pursued him for three years and lost all her pride along the way. Only when she finally looked back did she realize I had been the only one by her side the whole time.

The night Kyle left the country, Dakota got drunk out of her mind just to keep herself from running after him. I was so worried that I couldn't stop crying for her.

What did she say to me back then?

"Felix, you know Kyle is a thorn in my heart. Pulling it out will hurt, but once the pain passes, it'll be gone. You're my future."

For the next five years, she kept that promise. Her life consisted of just work and me.

Everyone said Dakota was a workaholic, that nothing mattered more to her than her career, but that was only because they had never met Kyle. No matter how big the deal, it could never outweigh him.

Now, with just a phone call and some sweet words, she picked up that very thorn and drove it right back into her heart without hesitation.

Dakota didn't wake up until nearly noon the next day. It was obvious she hadn't taken it easy with Kyle the night before.

When she saw me sitting on the couch, lost in thought, she hurried over and wrapped her arms around me. She was clearly feeling guilty.

"Felix, honey, I'm so sorry. Kyle came back this time to recover. His heart isn't in good shape," she explained. "We were classmates, after all. He was desperate and needed help. I couldn't just ignore him, could I?"

Her chin rested lightly on top of my head, and her tone was careful. That angle exposed the hickeys along her collarbone.

At the same time, the comments started flooding in again before my eyes.

"Guys, I looked closely this time. That cadaver looks exactly like Kyle!"

"Too bad, the faculty keeps donor identities strictly confidential. Otherwise, we would've gotten his name."

"What Dakota just said is bone-chilling… That cadaver died from a failed heart transplant…"

The rest of the live comments spiraled into speculation. Reading them felt like falling into a rabbit hole. I couldn't even focus on responding to Dakota.

My silence seemed to unnerve her. She grabbed me, forcing me to look into her eyes.

"You're not mad, right, honey? We didn't go through with the ceremony, but we're technically already married. That's a fact. Trust me, I only love you."

For a moment, I suddenly found the woman I had loved for years a little repulsive. She was truly rotten to the core.

Just then, Dakota's phone in her pocket rang. She had just been waiting desperately for my forgiveness, only to lose focus in an instant. She glanced at the time, and whatever patience she had left vanished.

She let go of me, stood up, and went back into the room. It took a long while before she came out again.

That dress she used to wear when pursuing Kyle, the one she had folded away at the bottom of the closet after he left, had been taken out and ironed smooth again.

It didn't even match her current style at all, but she wore it with obvious excitement.

I didn't reach out to hug her like I used to whenever she left. She didn't seem to notice either. She checked herself in the mirror and applied some makeup. Then, she told me there was something urgent at work, and left in a hurry.

A self-deprecating smile tugged lightly at my lips. Whether that man was truly Kyle or not, I had decided to give them my blessing.

I quickly told my parents about my decision. To my surprise, they supported it without hesitation.

Fortunately, Dakota and I had only held the wedding and hadn't registered our marriage yet. It was all because we were waiting to do it on Valentine's Day. It almost felt like fate had chosen for us.

With Dakota, my heart was devoid of any affection, though a newfound curiosity bloomed.

I checked the time and figured it was about right, so I took a cab over to Kyle's studio. It was on the 14th floor, third unit to the left—still the same, old shared apartment he had before he went abroad.

The door was locked. The floor-to-ceiling curtains were drawn tight as well.

Through the window, faint candlelight leaked through the gap in the curtains. It was broad daylight outside, but inside, the room was dim. I shifted my angle before I could make it out clearly.

Kyle was lying flat on the couch, naked. The candlelight carved out uneven shadows across his body. He was smiling and staring straight at Dakota without blinking.

His gaze pulled her in, and she seemed momentarily dazed. The atmosphere between them was thick, almost sweet in a suffocating way.

In the meantime, the medical student who had raised the suspicion earlier broke down in the comments. "Shit, guys… Seeing him in this pose makes the resemblance even more striking."

Soon, uneven breathing echoed through the studio.

Maybe it was the flickering candlelight, or the way Kyle's movements rose and fell in a restless rhythm, but I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something strange in the way he looked at Dakota.

Naturally, Dakota was oblivious to it all. Her voice was hoarse. It broke between breaths and was laced with a kind of unspeakable pleasure.

"Oh, babe… I can't even imagine… that I'd one day be able to call you that. We can't be out in the open right now, but… I can give you more than before."

Kyle was clearly lost in it too. His face was flushed red. His voice turned soft. "Oh, Kota… It was my fault before. I didn't know how to cherish you, but now, I do."

He pulled her closer. "But you know I can't be with you forever. My heart—"

Dakota cut him off by kissing him hard. Her reply slipped out between their tangled bodies. "Don't talk nonsense. I have money. Whatever happens, I just want you to be okay."

I pressed myself against the corridor wall, trying to push away the dull ache building in my chest with scattered guesses.

Okay—Kyle wasn't rotting. He had a shadow, a body, and warmth. He breathed. If he was actually sick and seeking treatment, was his end goal Dakota's money?

If so, things were about to get messy…

My temples throbbed. A cold sensation crawled up my skin. I didn't even notice when the studio suddenly went quiet. Then, the live comments exploded with warnings.

"Felix, I think Kyle noticed you!"

"Dude, run! Who cares what he is? Just get the hell out of there!"

"Damn it, it's too late! Kyle's about to open the door! Turn back now, Felix!"