Chapter 2

The first time I saw the advertisement was on a fan forum dedicated to Winter.

That day, my supervisor caught me scrolling through celebrity paparazzi photos at my desk and fired me.

I walked out of the office building carrying a cardboard box as rain poured from the sky. I hadn't brought an umbrella, and my makeup was ruined, leaving black streaks beneath my eyes.

Just then, my phone lit up.

[AI Bio-Facial Transformation. Zero-invasive face replacement. Now recruiting trial participants for a limited time.]

I assumed it was a scam.

But when I opened it, I noticed that one of the before-and-after photos featured a face that looked remarkably similar to Winter's.

Beneath it was a line of fine print:

[Powered by deep-learning facial modeling technology. A non-surgical bio-synthetic dermal layer replicates the target's facial features with complete accuracy. Duration depends on membership tier.]

I stared at the words "membership tier" for a long time.

Then I filled out the application.

The interview took place in an office tower. It looked like a high-end cosmetic clinic, except it was unnaturally spotless, not even the faint smell of disinfectant lingered in the air.

The woman who greeted me wore a white lab coat. A surgical mask covered half her face, leaving only a pair of gentle-looking eyes visible.

"Why did you choose Winter Lambert?" she asked.

"Because she's beautiful," I replied. "Because I wanted to know whether beautiful people had easier lives."

The woman smiled, but the smile never reached her eyes.

"We can make you become her," she said.

"But there are three things you need to understand. First, this technology hasn't been made public, so you'll need to sign a confidentiality agreement.

“Second, maintaining the face requires continuous activation. The complimentary trial lasts thirty days, after which you'll need to purchase a membership. Third, and most importantly..."

She paused before taking a contract from the drawer.

"This face doesn't belong to you. You're renting it. When the lease expires, you'll have to give it back."

I signed the contract.

The procedure was much simpler than I'd expected.

There were no scalpels, no blood. I simply lay inside a machine that resembled a CT scanner while a layer of icy gel was spread across my face.

I could feel something growing beneath my skin, spreading like vines through damp soil.

Three hours later, I sat up and looked into the mirror.

Winter looked back at me.

It wasn't just similar.

It was identical.

Even I couldn't tell which face was real anymore.

I raised my hand.

The woman in the mirror raised hers.

I frowned.

She frowned too.

The eerie symmetry made me want to scream.

It also made me want to cry.

"The complimentary trial lasts thirty days," the woman in the lab coat said.

"After that, if you don't wish to renew, we'll restore your original face. If you do renew, there are four membership tiers: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Diamond. Each tier extends the duration, and naturally, the price increases as well."

"How much?"

"Bronze Membership costs three thousand dollars and maintains the face for seven days.

“Silver Membership costs ten thousand dollars lasts thirty days.

“Gold Membership costs ten hundred thousand dollars and lasts a full year. As for Diamond Membership..."

She glanced at me.

"A one-time payment of one million dollars grants permanent maintenance, along with facial enhancement upgrades."

I reached up and touched my new face.

The skin felt real. It was warm. It had pores. It even produced natural oil.

"What if I can't afford to renew?"

The warmth disappeared from the woman's eyes.

"Then this face will die," she said. "It'll wither and rot, like a dying flower."

A chill ran down my spine.

But at the time, I had no idea those words would become the beginning of every nightmare that followed.