After a long night and a difficult time, Lucas soaked in the bath, letting the warm water wash away his exhaustion.
He submerged his entire body, feeling the tension slowly melt away.
Lucas couldn't shake the feeling that he was vastly different from the original Lucas.
With the system's help, he was certain that life would become much easier for him.
Lucas's optimistic and confident nature made him believe he could live a far better life than the original Lucas ever had.
After spending a good amount of time in the bathroom, Lucas stepped out and headed to the fridge.
"Why is there no food in here?" he muttered.
Suddenly, someone appeared behind him. Startled, Lucas quickly turned around, his heart racing.
Lucas turned around and saw a man standing right behind him, dressed in sportswear.
"William?" Lucas greeted him.
William was just as surprised to see Lucas. "Lucas, why are you up so early?"
"I just got back," Lucas replied.
But William seemed indifferent, yawning as he headed toward the door. "I bought some chocolate bread last night. If you're hungry, you can grab it from the cupboard."
"Thanks, Will."
William Smith is a member of the idol group Stellarix. Like Lucas, he's 18 years old and attends the same school.
However, unlike Lucas, William rarely shows up to class due to his busy schedule.
His popularity far exceeds Lucas's, which is why William often gets job offers and invitations.
This contrast has stirred feelings of envy in Lucas.
While Lucas was grabbing some bread, William headed out for his morning workout.
He's incredibly consistent when it comes to exercising.
After feeling full, Lucas threw himself onto the soft mattress.
It was as if his body was being swallowed by the bed, and the comfort was overwhelming after such a long night.
"Finally, time to rest," he sighed.
Within seconds, he drifted off to sleep.
In his dreams, everything felt so real—it was as if he could hear his mother's voice.
"Lucas! Get up! You said today is your first day at work, but you're going to be late! Are you being lazy again?"
The familiar voice snapped him awake.
But when he opened his eyes, he was still lying in the same bed, in this strange new world. He wasn't back in his room, in his old life.
"This isn't a dream… I'm still here," he muttered to himself.
As Lucas glanced out the window, the sky looked bright and blazing. "How long have I been asleep?" he muttered.
He could hear an argument between his two dorm mates—William and the other member, David Wilson.
Stellarix had three members: Lucas, William, and David.
David was the most popular member of Stellarix, with William following closely behind.
Both came from wealthy families, and after their debut, their families invested heavily in promoting them.
Their strong family backing ensured they stayed at the top of search rankings every month.
Although they were part of the same group, the differences in their backgrounds were clear.
The marketing efforts kept their fanbases loyal, and Lucas benefited from this indirectly.
The difference was, Lucas gained attention due to his tragic backstory.
Fans supported Lucas not out of admiration, but out of sympathy.
However, as the years went by, instead of gaining more fans, his following slowly dwindled.
Lucas understood that being part of an idol group was a stroke of luck for him.
Without financial backing, everything would eventually fade away—at least, that's what the original Lucas believed.
"What an idiot. How could he live so desperately?" muttered the current Lucas to himself.
From inside his room, he could clearly hear the argument between William and David.
"I wasn't the one who asked to be in the Ultimate Sport Clash event, so why are you mad at me?!" David shouted. "If you have a problem, go ask Emma directly!"
David was a firm and stubborn person, and there were reasons behind that.
Growing up in a wealthy family had shaped him into someone selfish, brimming with confidence, and even a touch of narcissism.
He never hesitated to express his emotions publicly, making him a highly controversial figure.
In fact, his boldness was part of what made him so appealing as an idol.
Of course, it also earned him plenty of haters, but he seemed entirely unaffected by their opinions.
Yet, beneath his tough exterior, David was surprisingly considerate toward those close to him.
David was the oldest among Lucas and William. He was already in college.
In response to David's outburst, William retorted, "You really think Emma's going to be honest? And you expect me to trust that?!"
Ultimate Sport Clash was a popular sports-themed variety show, and it was the perfect fit for someone as athletic as William.
For the past two years, he had been the agency's go-to choice for the show. But this year, things had changed.
As Lucas stepped out of his room, the conversation suddenly fell silent.
Both William and David turned their attention to him.
Lucas looked confused but chose to ignore the tension, heading straight to the kitchen to grab a glass of water.
Like the original Lucas, he didn't say much, and his presence among them was minimal at best.
"There's no other reason that makes sense. I know I'm not in that show because of you! How could you do this to your own friend?" William's frustration boiled over.
"Listen. I'm not dragging this out any longer. I don't know anything about it, and you're better off asking Emma directly," David replied, clearly wanting to end the argument.
Angry, William stormed off to his room, slamming the door hard behind him.
"Childish!" David muttered under his breath, irritation still lingering in his voice.
Lucas took a sip of water and sat down at the dining table.
Glancing at the clock, he noticed it was already 2 p.m. He remembered he had an afternoon class today.
David, still standing nearby, glanced at Lucas and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Lucas, where were you last night? I didn't see you in the room."
But before Lucas could respond, David continued. "Wait, wasn't yesterday your birthday?" he asked, heading to his room to grab something.
He returned with a small box in his hand. "Here," David said, handing it to him, "this is for you."
Lucas furrowed his brow, surprised. He hadn't expected to receive a gift from a friend.
"So this is what it's like to live as an idol?" he thought to himself. "I guess they really are as close as they seem on the surface."
Lucas opened the box, and to his surprise, it was a brand-new phone!
He recalled from the original Lucas's memories that, behind David's rough and arrogant exterior, he could be quite thoughtful.
"I couldn't stand looking at your phone with that spiderweb-like cracked screen anymore. It's better if you just toss it and use this one instead," David said.
In his previous life, Lucas had never had a friend who was this considerate. This was a first for him.
"This is the perfect gift. Thanks, Dave," Lucas said, using the nickname for David.
David had always been the one who remembered Lucas's birthday, never failing to get him a gift.
What's more, the gifts were always exactly what Lucas needed. Of course, for David, money was never an issue.
"Where's your phone?" David asked.
"I dropped it when I got pushed into the river," Lucas replied.
"What? What did you just say? You fell into a river? So that's why you weren't in the room last night?" David asked, clearly shocked.
He pressed further, "But how did you even make it out, Lucas?"
"Of course, I swam to the shore," Lucas said instinctively.
Suddenly, he froze.
A flood of memories from the original Lucas hit him—he couldn't swim at all.
At the same time, David's eyes widened in surprise, knowing full well that Lucas couldn't swim either.
Trying to stay calm, Lucas quickly corrected himself. "I mean, there was a piece of wood floating nearby, so I grabbed onto it and used it to help me get to the shore."
David felt relieved by Lucas's explanation, completely trusting him.
"Lucas, you're really lucky that piece of wood was there," he said, patting Lucas on the shoulder a few times.
Lucas nodded, though his brow furrowed in thought.
He hadn't shared the full details, partly because he didn't remember everything clearly himself.
What he did recall was that someone had intentionally pushed him. But who?
Every time he tried to dig deeper into the memories of the original Lucas, a sharp pain would throb in his head.
No one knew that the real Lucas was gone. The person standing before them was only carrying his body, a stranger in familiar skin.
"Well then, let's celebrate your luck by going out for a meal," David said.
"I don't have any money," Lucas replied bluntly.
David clicked his tongue. "Then you'd better succeed in the future so you can treat me!"
"This time, I'll treat you," David offered.
As they passed by William's room, Lucas expected David to ignore him and leave.
But to his surprise, David stopped and knocked on the door.
"Will, stop sulking in there. Let's go out and eat!" David called.
"Go eat your food without me!" came William's muffled reply from the other side.
"Ugh, that brat," David muttered. "Idiot! I told you, I had nothing to do with that event!"
Moments later, the door swung open.
With a sour expression but unwilling to stay behind, William grumbled, "Move! How am I supposed to get through if you're blocking the way?"
He marched past them, taking the lead as they headed out.