Death feels warm, apparently.
Or maybe it was the soft lighting. Or the smell of antiseptic. Or the fact that Ren Carter woke up on a memory foam mattress, not a hospital bed.
His eyes blinked open. White ceiling. One overhead light. No windows. No wires in his arm. No heart monitor.
Only silence… and a camera in the corner of the room, quietly blinking red.
"…What the hell?"
The door hissed open.
A woman stepped inside, dressed in a silver blazer, heels clicking against the tile. Blonde. Clipboard. Sharp smile. Corporate energy.
"Welcome back to the land of the living, Mr. Carter."
He sat up slowly. "Where am I?"
She smiled wider. "Let's call it… a production facility. As for what you're doing here—"
Her fingers clicked, and a wall-sized screen flickered to life.
Clips began playing: Ren laughing on a date. Ren arguing with someone. Ren storming out of an apartment. Kisses. Tears. Slaps.
Every single video was of him… and an ex-girlfriend.
Ren froze.
"Wh–what is this?"
She turned toward the screen, casually flipping pages on her clipboard.
"Your life, Mr. Carter. Or rather, your romantic history. All beautifully archived."
The screen froze on an image: Ren kissing a red-haired girl in the rain. She looked happy. He looked guilty.
He didn't remember her name.
"I don't understand," he muttered.
"You died. Car accident. Very tragic. Officially, you're gone. But we offered you a deal."
The woman walked closer, lowering her voice.
"One chance to return. One season. One choice."
Ren blinked. "Choice?"
A tablet slid into his hands. On the screen:
SECOND CHANCE SEASONA social experiment. A reality show. A proposal.Objective: Choose one ex-girlfriend to marry.Condition: Fake amnesia. Do not reveal the truth.Reward: Your life back.
"You're joking."
"I never joke before contract signatures."
Ren stared at the screen. His head spun. His heart didn't. It just… thudded.
"And if I say no?"
She shrugged. "Then we cut the feed. Bury the story. Your body, your past, your name—gone for good."
Silence.
Ren looked at the tablet again.
Choose one ex to marry?Pretend I forgot them all?Lie to girls I hurt… and act like it never happened?
He swallowed.
"I need time."
"You have ten seconds."
He looked at the blinking red camera.
"…Fine."
The screen vanished. The tablet beeped. The woman smiled.
"Excellent."
The far wall slid open, revealing a bright corridor lined with soft lights and distant voices.
Ren stood, shakily.
"One more thing," the woman said, smiling over her shoulder.
"They think you're dead. They think this is their second chance."
The voices grew louder. Laughter. Footsteps.
"You're about to meet them again, Mr. Carter," she said sweetly. "Try not to break them this time."
The lights flared. The voices came closer.
And Ren Carter stepped into the house… without knowing how many broken hearts were waiting for him.