"…At least twice."
Han Seo-yeon's breath stopped.
The announcement cut into static.
Around them, passengers continued their conversations like nothing was wrong.
The child cried.
A woman laughed at something on her phone.
Normal.
Everything looked painfully normal.
But her world tilted.
"You remember," she whispered.
The tall man's expression remained calm.
"Yes."
The lights flickered.
Her heart pounded faster.
"How?" she demanded.
"I don't know," he replied. "But this is the third time."
Third.
The word hit her like a punch.
"You didn't say anything before," she said.
"You didn't ask."
She stared at him, disbelief mixing with anger.
"We're about to die!"
"I know."
"And you're just standing there?!"
He looked toward the far end of the cabin.
"Watch."
Her stomach dropped.
She turned.
The pale man.
Again.
Standing.
Breathing strangely.
Eyes red.
This time, Seo-yeon moved before he did.
She ran.
She shoved through passengers and grabbed the attacker's wrist before he could bite anyone.
"Stop!"
He struggled violently.
Stronger than before.
Too strong.
The tall man was beside her in seconds, gripping the attacker's shoulder and twisting his arm down with controlled force.
Passengers screamed.
"Security!"
"Call someone!"
The attacker thrashed like an animal.
For a split second, Seo-yeon saw something in his eyes.
Not rage.
Not madness.
Something empty.
The train jerked hard.
Her balance slipped.
The attacker broke free and lunged forward—
But this time he didn't bite anyone.
He collapsed.
Foam at his mouth.
Convulsing.
People backed away in horror.
The tall man stepped back slowly.
"Interesting," he murmured.
"What is?" she snapped.
"The trigger changed."
Her mind raced.
"So we stopped it?"
"No."
The emergency lights flashed red.
Her blood ran cold.
"Why are you so calm?!" she shouted.
He looked at her again.
"I'm observing."
"Observing what?"
"Patterns."
The floor beneath them vibrated.
Metal screamed somewhere below.
Seo-yeon grabbed his coat.
"If you know something, say it!"
He didn't pull away.
"The explosion isn't caused by him."
Her eyes widened.
"What?"
"If it were," he said evenly, "stopping him would stop the blast."
The announcement tried to play again—
"Emergency protocol acti—"
Static.
Seo-yeon's heart pounded violently.
"If it's not him… then what is it?"
The tall man's gaze shifted toward the front of the train.
"We're solving the wrong problem."
BOOM.
The explosion tore through Cabin C again.
Fire.
Shattered glass.
Screams cut short.
Everything burned.
—
Seo-yeon gasped awake.
Cabin C.
Coffee.
Perfume.
Her legs almost gave out.
Her head felt heavier.
Her vision slightly blurred.
This was wrong.
Something was wrong with her body.
The train slowed.
The lights flickered.
The man in the dark coat stood across from her.
Already looking at her.
He didn't wait this time.
"This is the fourth loop," he said quietly.
Her throat felt dry.
"You counted."
"Yes."
Her heart raced.
"We stopped the attacker."
"And the explosion still happened."
"So what do we do?"
For the first time, his calm expression showed something else.
Not fear.
But calculation.
"We change more."
Her chest tightened.
"How much more?"
He looked toward the front of the train again.
"All of it."
The announcement began—
"Attention passengers—"
Seo-yeon swallowed hard.
"Tell me your name."
He met her eyes.
"Kang Ji-hoon."
She nodded once.
"Han Seo-yeon."
The lights flickered.
Static filled the air.
Ji-hoon spoke softly, almost like a warning.
"Don't panic this time."
Her pulse hammered.
"Why?"
He looked directly at her.
"Because I think the blast isn't inside this cabin."
The train shook violently.
And for the first time—
Seo-yeon realized something terrifying.
Maybe the explosion…
Was never here.