January 9, 2020

  Leon heard a click. He turned, spotting the dark silhouette of a man pointing a gun at him with a smile.

  Bang.

  Leon jolted awake, gasping for air. His heart pounded as he sat up, eyes darting around. He was in his bed—at home. He breathed a shaky sigh of relief before dragging himself to the bathroom. Leaning over the sink, he splashed cold water on his face, washing away the sweat.

  As he looked into the mirror, memories of being Detective Kang resurfaced. He couldn't stop thinking of what he experienced that day. He sighed thinking the nightmare was caused by thinking too much about him before sleeping.

  Stepping into the living room, his gaze landed on the script lying on the table. The strange, pulsing black ink in the corner was still there. Hesitantly, he picked up the script, staring at the ink.

  His fingers twitched as they neared the ink. His breathing grew shallow, anxiety creeping in. Closing his eyes, he took a deep long breath, forcing himself to calm down. Then, gathering his resolve, he touched the ink.

  In an instant, darkness swallowed him once more.

  He found himself back in the empty black room. The glowing white script floated ahead, just as before. But this time, there was something different.

  Behind the script stood a blurry figure of a man. His entire body was distorted, from his face to his clothes, as if obscured by static. Yet, the colors of his outfit seemed somewhat familiar. Leon recognized them—they were the same ones he had worn as Detective Kang.

  'Is that… Detective Kang?'

  Leon stepped closer, eyes locked on the figure. The man remained motionless, like a statue frozen in place. Slowly, Leon reached out, his fingers stretching toward the blur.

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  The moment he touched it, his hand passed right through. A sharp pain stabbed through his head.

  Leon clutched his temples, gritting his teeth as the searing headache overtook him. Seconds later, the pain faded, and when he opened his eyes. He wasn’t in the black room anymore.

  Panic set in as he glanced around at an unfamiliar space. His instincts kicked in, and his hand moved to his waist—reaching for something. A gun? A badge? Nothing was there.

  He looked around to see that he was in some sort of living room. His eyes landed on a script lying nearby. Unlike before, the pulsing ink was gone. He picked it up and started reading.

  Confusion overtook him.

  'Why is the last thing I remember written here? Where exactly am I?'

  Another wave of pain crashed over him, making him stumble. He dragged himself to the bathroom, gripping the sink for support as he stared at the mirror. His head throbbed as fragmented thoughts clashed.

  'I’m Leon… No, that’s not right… I’m Detective Kang.'

  The pain intensified as memories from Leon and Kang clashed together, then suddenly disappeared. Leon gasped, chest rising and falling rapidly. He blinked at his reflection, then looked down at his trembling hands.

  "I’m… Leon."

  He held his head, whispering the name over and over, grounding himself in reality. After a few moments, he returned to the living room. The black pulsing ink had reappeared on the script.

  This time, he smiled.

  He was himself again. He remembered everything. The feeling of being someone else—the memories, the actions, the personality—had been overwhelming as if he had truly become Detective Kang. But now, he felt in control.

  Unlike before, he wasn’t just a spectator watching and experiencing someone's life. He wasn’t just reliving a role. He felt as if he brought that character to life.

  When he became Detective Kang, his huge presence overwhelmed Leon making him believe he was Kang himself. Memories he had never experienced mixed in with his making the belief stronger. If he hadn't read the script he would have still thought he was Kang himself.

  Leon looked at the script as he sighed and flipped it over to stop seeing the pulsing ink. He sat on the sofa and looked at the ceiling, as he was mentally tired.

  He then heard a ring and he looked to see that his cousin was calling. He answered the phone as Hyun began speaking.

  "Hey, I'll be there in a few minutes."

  "Why?" Leon sat straight up as he tried to remember why he was coming.

  "Don't you remember? I told you yesterday that today we will see how good your acting skills are."

  "Ah... that's right." Leon rubbed his forehead as he finally remembered the conversation he had with him yesterday.

  "Are you okay? Did you just wake up, you sound tired?"

  "Yeah, I'm good. I'll see you in a little bit."

  As Leon hung up, he rubbed his forehead, still feeling traces of Detective Kang’s lingering presence. He felt like a part of him permenantly is stuck with him in some way.

  'I probably should never try doing that again.'

  He went to wash his face again. As the cold water hit him and he went and dried himself he stared at the mirror again. But he looked a bit lost and unsure as he whispered to himself.

  "I'm still me."