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Chapter 2: The Boy Who Was Meant to Die
The second Jae Li stepped into class, the air changed.
Her classmates were just as she remembered—bubbly Min Seo with her oversized glasses, arrogant Joon who thought he was a model, and shy little Eun Bi who always sat at the back. Everyone stared as she entered, whispers flying.
"She dyed her hair back?"
"She's not wearing makeup today."
"Did she get prettier?"
But Jae Li wasn't listening. Her eyes locked on the empty desk in the last row by the window.
His seat.
The chair scraped.
Lee Han Wook walked in, late as usual. He didn't apologize. Just took his seat and looked out the window.
Like he always did before everything fell apart.
The teacher droned on. Jae Li could barely focus. Her fingers itched. Her thoughts screamed.
> He dies next month. An 'accident' in the alley behind school.
> They called it gang violence.
> But it wasn't.
She'd seen it in her past life—Han Wook alone, bleeding, looking surprised. She remembered running to him. But not in time.
Not this time.
She raised her hand. "Excuse me, may I be excused?"
Heads turned. Even Han Wook blinked in her direction.
The teacher nodded.
In the hallway, Jae Li leaned against her locker, breathing hard. "I need to stop it before it starts. I need to find out who planned it."
She pulled out her old journal. The memories weren't perfect, but names, dates… they started returning. She flipped pages until she landed on one written in angry red ink:
Park Tae Jin.
He had started it all. The rumors, the lies, the threats. And he was still here, still lurking, still dangerous.
Suddenly, footsteps approached.
"Kim Jae Li?"
She turned.
It was Han Wook.
He had never spoken to her this early in their old timeline.
She blinked. "Y-yes?"
He looked at her for a long moment. Then, in a low voice: "Why do you keep staring at me?"
Caught off guard, her throat tightened.
"Because…" she said, trying to breathe, "I think I once watched you die."
His brows furrowed. "What?"
She shook her head quickly. "Never mind."
But he didn't walk away.
He stayed.
And that changed everything.
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To be continued in Chapter 3: The Red Journal and the Silver Blade