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Jang Chae Yeon had no way of knowing what on earth she was looking at.

The sunset should be in the west, and the sea shouldn’t be in the sky.

At least, that’s how it was according to the common sense of the world she knew.

“How much do you know about the situation?”

At Jang Chae Yeon’s words, her old colleague and now annoyingly persistent current coworker, Song Ah Rin, replied.

“Nothing at all. They told me to read the fairy tale.”

“Who did?”

“The manual.”

“Got it.”

Since it was a manual given by the Management Agency, there must be some reason behind it.

Jang Chae Yeon occasionally glanced at the manual too.

Of course, it was vastly different from the man who searched for the manual every time he had a spare moment or faced a problem.

She often wondered if she would go crazy with jealousy over a book in her lifetime, but every time she saw him deeply engrossed in reading the manual, she couldn’t help but feel frustrated.

“So you have no idea what kind of scene this is?”

As Jang Chae Yeon spoke, Song Ah Rin nodded while looking around.

“Got it.”

She sorted her thoughts.

No distractions.

Jang Chae Yeon had only one body, and the things she could do were limited.

And right now, what she had to do was—

“Let’s find him first.”

She had to locate that man.

Whatever had happened beforehand, when she woke up from the hypnosis, the sight of the man collapsed was a clear indication that she must have done something odd.

A bitter taste rose in Jang Chae Yeon’s mouth.

She was a person who clearly understood her own limits.

Unlike Song Ah Rin, she had to protect herself solely with her mental strength, and unlike Yu Da On, she had to ensure her safety through physical movement.

She had always been able to step forward for him, but in the end, she couldn’t be the one to stay for him.

Before that, she would either retreat out of danger or be dead already.

What she could best do, without being able to stay until the end, was to accept what she couldn’t do and accompany him until the end came.

It was the same when that man turned back time using the clock.

She would have been the first to sacrifice herself for him. In a prolonged situation where the pressure only increased, she would be relatively useless.

If you put her in that situation now, she would likely make the same choice.

In that sense, Jang Chae Yeon envied Song Ah Rin and Yu Da On.

Being able to be together until the end was a blessing.

“…”

She slowly shook her head.

Envy was not an emotion she should hold right now.

Think calmly. The Jang Chae Yeon who saw the necklace, and the Jang Chae Yeon who briefly lost her memory.

“Where do we have to go?”

“…I don’t know either.”

Song Ah Rin quietly replied to Jang Chae Yeon’s words.

“…Then I’ll take the lead.”

“Alright.”

Jang Chae Yeon stepped forward.

Jang Chae Yeon was someone who understood her limits.

However, if she thought that it wasn’t her limit, she could walk into a thorny path without hesitation, even if it hurt.

The sounds of their footsteps echoed out under the sky spread out before them.

*

“I seriously have no idea what’s happening.”

I gazed at the scene unfolding before my eyes.

Is it even logical for the sun to rise in the west and set in the east?

“Doesn’t make any sense.”

Muttering to myself, I began to walk.

This wasn’t the first time seeing this scene.

It was a landscape brought to view while looking into Song Ah Rin’s eyes.

But what does this have to do with my downfall?

I pulled the manual out of my pocket.

“…”

I waited for the manual to automatically open, but contrary to my expectations, the manual remained shut.

Slowly, I flipped through the pages.

[Manual for Office Staff]

There was nothing written in the manual.

No entries appeared, no matter how many pages I turned.

It felt as if it had reverted to being a regular book.

I returned the manual to my pocket.

If it wasn’t working, there must be a reason. I just had to be a little more cautious.

– No matter how many times you attempt, it will fail.

The words still whispered in my ears.

Was this the kind of thing Song Ah Rin heard?

If it was something to trigger her trauma, it was indeed a thing to worry about.

I opened my eyes wide and looked at the sky.

The sun rising in a fiery orange hue was now turning purple.

Soon, as the sun rose, the world was engulfed in darkness.

Only a translucent window floated above the sun.

[Name: -]

[Age: -]

[Specialty: -]

[Talent: -]

[Background: -]

[Weakness: Watch closely.]

As the darkness settled, all sounds disappeared.

Then, my body began to ignite.

*

“…What the heck?”

While gazing at the purplish sky, Song Ah Rin poked Jang Chae Yeon’s arm.

“What is that?”

“I don’t know.”

Jang Chae Yeon replied shortly while continually moving forward.

Following behind, Song Ah Rin looked at her, seemingly incredulous.

“Aren’t you even a little curious about what it is?”

At Song Ah Rin’s words, Jang Chae Yeon turned quickly to look at her.

“If I’m curious about that, will the one who disappeared return? Can we find him?”

In a strangely sharp response, Song Ah Rin fell silent.

“Think about what we need to do first. Don’t divert your attention to other things.”

Song Ah Rin bit her lips, then followed behind her again.

She also knew that Jang Chae Yeon was right.

It was just that she was displeased that Jang Chae Yeon always thought more efficiently than she did.

Song Ah Rin accurately understood what this feeling was.

Envy or maybe inferiority.

Among the three, Jang Chae Yeon was the most proactive.

It didn’t mean her actions toward that man. It just meant that Jang Chae Yeon always stood at the forefront in every action.

Being first in everything is the most memorable and can give trust.

So, the man couldn’t properly focus on Jang Chae Yeon and could trust her, leaving everything in her hands.

“…”

Song Ah Rin was enviously jealous to the point of irritation.

The two walked through a world changed to a purplish hue.

During the suffocating silence that was almost unbearable,

“…Found it.”

At Jang Chae Yeon’s words, Song Ah Rin quickly lifted her head.

“Where!”

“Over there.”

Her finger pointed at a man who stood vacantly.

The man mumbled something while looking at the sky.

“…It’s unavoidable?”

“Over there.”

Jang Chae Yeon started walking towards him.

A sense of relief washed over her.

If they could just take him out of there…

Before she could finish that thought,

-Whoosh!

His body began to ignite.

Song Ah Rin screamed, and Jang Chae Yeon rushed towards him.

“Water, water!”

“No water!”

Song Ah Rin soon regained her senses and approached her, extending her hand,

“Ah…!”

She pulled her hand back hurriedly from the heat she felt.

-Whoosh!

Soon, he burned brightly as if shining.

“…”

“…”

Leaving the two of them in shock, the man turned to ash.

“Did… did he die?”

“…”

“No, it can’t be.”

Song Ah Rin murmured as she reached out to the ashes.

As she put her hand into the hot remains, it turned bright red.

The searing pain rose to her fingertips, but she stubbornly searched through the ashes.

“Hey, this… it can’t be, right?”

“…”

“Oh, no…?”

Song Ah Rin’s voice began to tremble.

“Something feels off. Suddenly burning up like this, and moreover, this isn’t even the other world.”

“…”

“No, what if it’s not the other world at all? If a spiritual entity burns away and can’t be restored…”

“Calm down.”

Jang Chae Yeon cut off Song Ah Rin’s words.

“It’s not going to end like this.”

“…”

“What did you hear?”

“Hmm…?”

Song Ah Rin looked at Jang Chae Yeon with a puzzled expression at her words.

Jang Chae Yeon sighed softly.

It wasn’t her role to reason, but the fact that she was racking her brain only proved that Song Ah Rin’s state of mind was not right.

“I heard someone say the necklace was beautiful, and my sister’s voice.”

“…”

“You?”

Jang Chae Yeon’s words caused Song Ah Rin to hesitate before speaking up.

“A voice mocking my past self, and my mistakes.”

“Exactly. This is an attack.”

“What?”

At Jang Chae Yeon’s words, Song Ah Rin stared blankly at her, and Jang Chae Yeon sighed and looked at Song Ah Rin.

“This isn’t about killing.”

“…”

“It’s closer to psychological torment.”

Death is but a moment, but feeling death multiple times is like inflicting endless pain.

She had gone through it herself.

“…That’s true.”

As Song Ah Rin’s wavering gaze steadied, she fell into thought.

“So what do we do?”

Song Ah Rin muttered while looking at her hand, which was beginning to blister from the burn.

“Wait.”

“Huh?”

“If it’s meant to inflict pain, it won’t just end by burning.”

“…How do you know?”

“Because I’ve had experience.”

Jang Chae Yeon also had memories of being trapped in an infinite space of suffering.

When she thought she could never endure it again, that man had encouraged her with all manner of words.

Later on, as all their conversations dwindled, witnessing his desperate attempts to create a new story, prompted her to start trusting people after a long time.

“Let’s wait.”

She gazed at the purplish sky.

Soon, the sky began to blaze bright orange, and the sound of drums echoed.

Jang Chae Yeon rose from her place.

“Let’s go.”

If alone, one may never escape eternal torment. There are many things in the world that cannot be escaped alone.

But if someone can reach out a hand, they might just get out faster than expected.

Now, it was her turn.

*

“Gasp…!”

She regained consciousness.

Just moments ago, her body was on fire.

And the pain felt real as well.

Hastily, she checked her body, but,

“…It’s gone.”

There was no pain.

Was this what the past me had experienced?

If such pain were to persist, even she would struggle to remain sane.

As she sorted her thoughts calmly, the sky changed to orange and the sound of drums began to amplify.

“…”

She recalled Yu Da On’s memory, where he turned into sand and scattered.

What should she do to get out of here?

There were no critical situations, and all her eyes could see were directives, and even the manual was down.

Should she endure the pain once more and wait?

The sound of drums drew closer.

“…”

She gritted her teeth in preparation for the pain to come.

Thinking. If she can maintain her focus even amid pain, surely…

“I found it.”

A familiar voice reverberated in her ears.

Raising her head to see that place, her white hair glimmered in the golden light.

On her emotionless face, she smiled, and Jang Chae Yeon reached out her hand to her.