[Countryside Clinic]
Ayuri Zither pinched the bridge of her nose as a wailing toddler clung to her leg. His sticky fingers smeared something suspiciously snot-like on her white coat.
"Let go, kid. I have five more patients waiting," she muttered, prying the child off her leg.
The mother, a frazzled-looking woman, gave her an apologetic smile. "Sorry, doctor. He's just scared."
Ayuri forced a tight smile. "He should be. Hospitals are terrifying," she deadpanned.
The nurse next to her coughed violently to hide a laugh.
Before anyone could react, another child with an adorable round face vomited all over Ayuri's shoes.
Silence.
Ayuri stared down at the disaster on her feet, her eyes twitching.
'Okay. Deep breaths. You're a doctor. A professional. You do not punt small children like footballs.'
She sighed, turned toward the sink, and started scrubbing her hands. Hard.
"I swear, if I have to stay in this place one more day—" She looked up at the mirror. Her reflection looked just as done with life as she felt.
"I wish I could leave this place.
A strange ripple spread across the glass.
Her reflection blinked at her.
Her vision blurred. The world tilted.
Then, everything went black.
---
[Jinhai Private Hospital-In other world]
The other Ayuri stood frozen in the director's office, gripping the patient file so tightly it crumpled at the edges.
Across the desk, Yuzi Ren, the hospital's new director, adjusted his silver-rimmed glasses and stared her down like an insect.
"Dr. Zither," he said, voice clipped. "Do you expect me to accept such a mistake in my hospital?"
Her throat went dry. "I—I didn't mean to misplace the—"
"Meaning doesn't matter. Precision does." His cold gaze swept over her trembling hands. "Being a doctor is not for the weak-hearted. If you find it difficult, quit now."
As she left the office, her heart pounded.
Ayuri sat stiffly on her bed. She could still hear his cold voice ringing in her head.
She had worked so hard to get into this hospital. But now, on her first week, was she going to fail already?
She glanced at her reflection in the mirror by the dresser, face pale with frustration.
"If only I were as naturally gifted as the others…"
A shimmering light danced across the glass.
Her reflection... smirked at her?
And reached forward—
Before she could scream, everything went black.
---
When Ayuri opened her eyes.
She wasn't in her dormitory.
She found herself sitting in a luxurious bedroom with soft lighting, silk sheets, and a wardrobe worth more than her entire existence.
She bolted upright. "WHERE THE HELL AM I?!"
Meanwhile,
The other Ayuri found herself staring at the cracked walls, a flickering dorm light, and the faint smell of antiseptic mixed with countryside dust.
The sound of crying children and the lingering smell of vomit lingered in the background.
She sat up in panic. "WHAT IS THIS PLACE?"
Both of them stumbled towards the nearest mirror, only to freeze in horror.
Instead of their own reflection...
They saw each other.
"WHAT THE—?!"
"WHY AM I YOU?!"
"WHY ARE YOU ME?!"
They screamed in sync.
Ayuri stared at her reflection.
Her reflection stared back.
"Who are you?!"
They both ask in unison.
A silence stretched between them as they gawked at each other.
'This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening.'
Ayuri slowly looked down at her hands, not her hands.
Her usually smooth fingers were now calloused, the kind that came from long hours of meticulous work. On the desk beside her lay scribbled notes, filled with details written in small, precise handwriting.
Her back ached for some reason.
The other Ayuri, standing on the other side of the mirror, scanned the messy room, where designer clothes hung half-folded, and expensive perfume bottles were scattered among discarded scripts and coffee cups.
A deep breath.
"Did I... just get transported into a pigsty?" She muttered.
"Have you finished looking?" Ayuri asked, arms crossed.
The other jolted, as if hearing her voice in such a sharp, unimpressed tone was a first-hand shock.
Ayuri casually flipped through a book from the desk, staring at the pages full of notes with little interest.
She clicked her tongue. "You even write details as little as this? Don't you have a brain?"
She paused, suddenly realizing. Wait. She was insulting herself.
The other Ayuri's eyebrows twitched.
"And you're a little too carefree." She shot back, her tone soft but pointed.
They exchanged looks.
Fine. They both had problems.
"... So, we switched places?"
"Looks like it."
Ayuri took a deep breath. "Alright. No need to panic. This is fine."
"You're literally sweating."
"Shut up."
But it was not a time to argue.
Ayuri sighed, leaning closer to the mirror. "Listen, for today, just follow my lead. I'll tell you how to survive in my world."
The other Ayuri nodded hesitantly. "And I'll tell you how to not ruin mine."
Ayuri warns her about the kids. "The kids at the clinic can be demons. One of them is more trouble than the others. These children can bite."
The other Ayuri, on the other hand, had only one piece of advice. "Be careful around the director. He… um… he doesn't tolerate mistakes."
Ayuri scoffed, patting herself on the chest.
"Who do you think I am? Ayuri Zither. A once-in-a-thousand-years genius. I don't make mistakes."
The other Ayuri wasn't so sure about that.
But before she could say anything, Ayuri suddenly frowned as she remembered the reason why she was stuck in the countryside in the beginning.
"Tch. What bad luck. It's all because of that bastard."
The other Ayuri tilted her head. "Who?"
Ayuri's lips curled into a sneer. "Kris Urija. That playboy son of our hospital owner."
If it weren't for his stupid connections, she wouldn't have been sent to this hellhole in the first place.
Her other self blinked, clearly clueless about what was coming.
Ayuri let out a long sigh.
If they don't find a way back to switch back soon, she is going to lose her mind.