The first thing Shin Hae-won noticed was the absence of wind.
The rooftop, the soft night breeze, the heavy tension in Do-yoon's eyes—gone.
Replaced by pitch blackness.
And silence.
Was she unconscious? Or… had the ripple pulled her into another moment in time?
Suddenly, her feet touched solid ground. She stumbled forward, blinking.
The darkness cracked.
She was standing in the middle of a bookstore.
Not just any bookstore—Saeum Books, the cozy little independent shop where she used to escape during her college years. She turned in a slow circle, heart hammering. Dusty shelves. Old wooden floorboards. A small reading nook near the back.
It looked exactly like it had in 2017.
Her fingers trembled as she picked up a receipt from the counter. The date printed on top?
October 2, 2017.
Her breath caught. That was… the day she first met Baek Do-yoon.
"No. This is too far back," she whispered.
A bell above the door jingled.
Her body froze.
She peeked around the shelf, heart thudding, and there he was.
Younger. Carefree. In a worn denim jacket and black jeans, flipping through a book near the travel section, completely unaware that a version of his future fiancée was standing just meters away, watching like a ghost from tomorrow.
He looked so… different.
So open. Like the pain and walls she'd known in him hadn't formed yet.
A slow ache filled her chest.
This was the version she fell for.
Not the guarded, hesitant man who left her. Not the one who looked into her eyes and lied.
This was the boy who made her laugh with stupid puns and brought her caramel candy because she once mentioned loving it as a child.
She knew this timeline. In an hour, he would bump into her near the poetry shelf. He'd drop a book. She'd pick it up. Their hands would touch. Electricity. The start of everything.
But now…
Could she stop it?
Was that why she was sent here?
She moved quietly through the aisles, keeping out of sight. Just watching.
Do-yoon was still flipping pages when a voice said behind her, "So, time dragged you back to the origin point."
She whirled around.
Seo Min-jae stood in the psychology section, hands in the pockets of a long gray coat. His black-framed glasses gleamed under the soft ceiling lights.
"How—how are you here too?" she asked in a hushed tone.
"I followed the ripple. Yours is strong enough to bend anchors in the timeline. Think of it like a storm—you're the eye."
"That's not comforting."
"It's not supposed to be."
She sighed and leaned against a nearby shelf. "So what now? Do I just… watch my past like a movie on repeat?"
"You could," Min-jae said, walking toward her. "Or… you could change it."
Her eyes narrowed. "And risk a paradox?"
He shrugged. "Paradoxes are just stories told by people afraid of consequences."
"Easy for you to say, Professor Time Warp."
He smirked. "Do you regret falling for him?"
Her breath hitched.
That question wasn't academic. It felt personal.
"I regret believing he'd choose me every time."
Min-jae's gaze softened. "People don't always leave because they stop loving us. Sometimes they leave because they think they're not enough."
She looked away. "He didn't even say goodbye."
"But what if he never could?" Min-jae asked, voice low. "What if something—or someone—interfered?"
Her head snapped up. "What are you talking about?"
He tilted his head. "Do you really believe it was just cold feet?"
"I—" she paused. No. It had never made sense. The Do-yoon she loved had vanished overnight. No closure. No answers.
Min-jae pulled out a worn photo from his coat pocket.
It was grainy but unmistakable.
Do-yoon… with an unfamiliar older man. In the exact same bookstore. Timestamp: October 2, 2017. Just hours before their supposed "first meeting."
Hae-won's hands trembled. "Who is that?"
"Still investigating," Min-jae replied. "But I have a feeling your breakup wasn't entirely his decision."
---
An hour passed.
Hae-won stood near the poetry shelf, heart thudding.
Do-yoon was making his way toward her. Right on time. Book in hand. The moment they met.
She knew what she was supposed to do. Drop her book. Let their hands meet. Let fate run its course.
But this time…
She stepped back.
Let the moment pass.
Do-yoon brushed past her without noticing.
Her hands clenched.
She had changed something.
Min-jae appeared at her side a moment later. "You just tore a thread."
She stared at the doorway Do-yoon had exited. "I'm not here to be a puppet in my own story. If time wants to play games, I'll flip the board."
He smiled faintly. "You're more dangerous than you look."
"And you're too calm about this."
"I've seen worse," he said. "I once got stuck in 1959 for six weeks with only jazz records and no wi-fi."
She blinked. "That does sound like hell."
Min-jae's smile faltered.
Suddenly, the bookstore shimmered—like it had been drawn in chalk and someone began to erase the edges. A low hum filled the air.
Another ripple.
Min-jae grabbed her wrist. "Something's pulling you again."
Her vision swam. Her ears buzzed.
And then—
Darkness.
Again.
---
This time, the air was colder.
She opened her eyes to find herself…
In a hospital corridor.
The lights flickered.
An intercom buzzed in the distance.
She recognized the place instantly. Her father's ward. He had been ill during their engagement year. This was the day Do-yoon had rushed to meet her, panicked, because—
A loud shout echoed down the hall.
She turned.
Two figures argued just outside her father's room.
One of them was Do-yoon.
The other… was the same man from the photograph.
Gray coat. Cold expression. Whispering something urgent into Do-yoon's ear.
And Do-yoon looked… broken.
Like he'd just heard something that shattered him.
Then the older man placed something in Do-yoon's hand.
A phone.
Do-yoon stared at it. His hand trembled.
Then—
He turned.
And ran.
Not into her arms.
But toward the exit.
Just like last time.
Hae-won's chest burned.
"Was he… forced to disappear?" she whispered.
The man in the coat turned slowly… and looked directly at her.
No surprise.
No confusion.
Just recognition.
And a chilling smile.
"You're not supposed to be here," he said, and began walking toward her.