Ingrid crossed her arms, her gaze sharp. "What exactly are the two of you doing here?"
Rae Yoorin's mind raced. "Umm… we… were… um…" she stammered, desperately searching for a good excuse.
Gang Si Won let out a nervous chuckle. "Yeah, uh… just, you know, enjoying the hotel atmosphere?"
Shan raised an eyebrow. "At the reception desk? Watching us?"
Rae Yoorin gulped. "Coincidence?"
Ingrid, clearly not buying it. "Try again."
"DINNER!" Gang Si Won blurted out. "We came for dinner at this hotel! I heard the food is amazing. But then, we saw you, and… well, curiosity got the better of us!"
Shan glanced at Gang Si Won, then let out a sigh. He turned to Ingrid with a pleading look, as if urging her to just drop it. "Forget it, Manager Ingrid. Besides, the company's anniversary is right around the corner. Maybe Si Won here is just scouting the venue since he's in charge of organizing social events."
Gang Si Won blinked, then quickly nodded. "Yeah! Exactly! Gotta check out the best places, you know?"
Rae Yoorin shot him a sharp glance but quickly played along.
Ingrid folded her arms, eyeing them suspiciously. "Hmm… is that so?"
Her tone was calm, but the slight smirk on her lips told them she wasn't entirely convinced.
Gang Si Won chuckled nervously. "Of course! What else would we be doing here?"
Rae Yoorin forced a smile, silently praying Ingrid would buy the excuse.
For a moment, there was silence—then, Ingrid simply turned to Shan. "Let's go. We have more important things to do."
Without another word, she walked toward the elevator. Shan lingered for a second, glancing at Gang Si Won and Rae Yoorin before following her.
As soon as they disappeared, Gang Si Won let out a deep breath. "That was close."
Rae Yoorin nudged him. "Dinner? Really?"
He grinned. "Hey, it worked, didn't it?"
Rae Yoorin sighed, shaking her head. "We need a better plan."
Later in the hotel room…
Shan smirked as he ran his hands over Ingrid's body, his fingers fondling her breasts. "You're lucky I mentioned the company's anniversary," he murmured.
Ingrid let out a breathy sigh but scoffed. "Hah… hah… hmm… Consider that I don't use my body, unlike some perverts," she said, a hint of disgust in her voice.
Shan chuckled, tightening his grip slightly. "I suppose I had to say something. Besides… can you imagine if they found out? Their manager, about to have sex with her own staff?"
Ingrid's expression darkened for a moment, but she quickly masked it with an indifferent smirk. "Tch. As if I'd ever let that happen."
Shan grinned. "Good. Because I don't intend to stop now."
He leaned in, his lips brushing against her neck as Ingrid tilted her head slightly, her fingers digging into his embrace.
"Wait! I need to go to the bathroom," Ingrid said, pushing against Shan's chest. "I've been holding it for a few minutes, please."
Shan sighed, his hands reluctantly letting go. "Fine. You're lucky I'm kind, woman."
Ingrid scoffed as she slipped off the bed and hurried toward the bathroom. Shan leaned back, watching her with an amused smirk.
Shan got up from the bed and walked toward the balcony, pulling out a cigarette. He flicked open his lighter, the small flame dancing for a moment before igniting the tip. Taking a deep drag, he exhaled slowly, his eyes fixed on the night sky, a determined look settling on his face.
Then—suddenly—a sharp, searing pain tore through his back.
His body jerked, and his cigarette slipped from his fingers. He looked down, his breath hitching as he saw crimson spreading across his chest. Blood.
Slowly, he turned around—only to see Ingrid standing there, a gun in her hands, her eyes cold and unforgiving.
"You should've deleted that video when I told you to," she said, her voice eerily calm.
Shan staggered forward, his mind spinning. "You… bitch…"
Before he could react, Ingrid pulled the trigger twice more.
Bang! Bang!
Two more bullets slammed into his chest, forcing him backward. His knees buckled, his vision blurring, but his survival instincts kicked in.
With the last of his strength, he grabbed a small table beside him and hurled it at Ingrid. She cursed as it struck her arm, causing her to stumble. In that split second, Shan lunged forward, his hands gripping the gun.
The struggle had just begun.
Without hesitation, Shan gritted his teeth and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The gunshot echoed through the room as Ingrid's body jerked backward. Her eyes widened in shock, a single teardrop rolling down her cheek.
"Kim… Yee… onn…" she whispered, her final breath escaping her lips as she crumpled to the floor.
Shan stood there, panting, blood dripping from his wounds. He leaned heavily against the balcony railing, his grip on the gun tightening.
"Hah… hah… huh… Yeah, well… tough luck for you," he muttered, wiping the sweat from his brow.
The city lights below shimmered, oblivious to the brutal scene above. The night was quiet—except for the sound of Shan's ragged breathing.
But it wasn't over yet.
"I'm not letting you die that easily, bitch!" Shan snarled, his grip tightening on the gun.
Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger—Bang!—another shot straight to Ingrid's already lifeless head.
Then, without a second thought, he turned the gun on himself. Bang!
His body jerked as the bullet tore through his skull. The force sent him staggering backward, and with one final breath, he tumbled over the balcony railing.
The world spun around him. The wind roared in his ears.
CRASH!
His body slammed onto the roof of a car just outside the hotel entrance, shattering the windshield. Blood pooled beneath him as screams erupted from horrified onlookers.
Among them, Rae Yoorin and Gang Si Won stood frozen, watching in sheer disbelief.
Shan could still hear the distant chaos—the sirens, the panicked voices—but it all faded as darkness consumed him. His eyes fluttered shut.
And then…
A soft chime.
Shan's eyes snapped open.
He was standing upright. The warm golden glow of the elevator lights cast a familiar hue over the polished walls. The soft hum of the moving lift vibrated beneath his feet.
And then, he noticed—Ingrid was right next to him.
She stood beside him, arms crossed, her expression unreadable as they ascended to their hotel room. It was as if nothing had happened.
"Heh." Shan chuckled softly, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
He knew exactly what was going to happen next. Every moment, every breath, every mistake—he had already lived through it.
Ingrid shot him a glance, her brow furrowing. "What?" she asked, caught off guard by his sudden amusement.
Shan tilted his head slightly, still grinning. "Oh, nothing," he replied smoothly.
Ingrid narrowed her eyes but didn't press further. Still, something about him felt… off. Different.
Shan simply leaned back against the elevator wall, hands in his pockets, waiting. This time, he knew, what will happen and know how he's gonna change it.
Once they stepped inside the hotel room, Shan glanced at Ingrid, already knowing what was about to happen.
He casually gestured toward the bathroom. "If you need to go, do it now. I can wait. Just leave your bags or whatever you have. It'll be a hassle to carry them in."
Ingrid arched an eyebrow, slightly taken aback by his suggestion. It was exactly what she had planned to do anyway. Just like before.
After a brief pause, she nodded and walked toward the bathroom, just as she had before Shan's death.
Shan watched her go, his expression unreadable. This time, he wasn't going to let things play out the same way.
As soon as the door clicked shut, his gaze shifted to her bag.
Her gun was inside.
And he was going to get to it first.
Shan let out a low whistle as he examined the sleek black pistol in his hands. "Bitch got taste."
It was a Glock 47, modified with a silencer. Clean, professional. Deadly.
A smirk tugged at his lips. He had a thing for guns. Not just using them—appreciating them. The weight, the mechanics, the craftsmanship. He could tell this one had been well-maintained, likely customized for Ingrid's personal use.
But tonight, it wouldn't serve her.
With swift, practiced movements, he ejected the magazine, sliding out every bullet with ease. Then, as if nothing had happened, he placed the empty gun back into Ingrid's bag, making sure it sat exactly as he had found it.
Satisfied, he straightened up and walked toward the balcony.
This time, he didn't pull out a cigarette.
This time, he was ready.
As Ingrid stepped out of the bathroom, she moved quietly, her eyes locking onto Shan's back as he stood at the balcony.
Without hesitation, she reached into her bag, pulled out her Glock 47, and aimed.
Click.
Nothing.
Her eyes widened in shock. She tried again. Click. Click.
Still nothing.
Her breath hitched as panic crept in. "Impossible."
Then—
"Looking for these?"
Her blood ran cold.
She turned sharply to see Shan leaning against the balcony railing, a smug grin on his face as he casually tossed the bullets in his hand, the small metal casings glinting under the hotel lights.
Her grip tightened on the empty gun, rage flashing in her eyes.
Shan chuckled. "Gotta admit, I like your choice of weapon. But if you're gonna pull the trigger on me, at least make sure it's loaded first."
Ingrid's jaw clenched. She had underestimated him. And now, the game had changed.
Shan chuckled, tossing a bullet into the air and catching it with ease.
"I'm starting to like you more and more. Not just your body or your manipulative nature," he mused, his tone teasing yet sharp. "But your willingness to murder again."
Ingrid's hands trembled on the gun. "Shut up! You don't know anything!" she snapped.
Shan tilted his head, amusement flickering in his eyes. "Oh?"
Then, his voice shifted. Lower. Colder.
"Please… save my… ch-child…"
Ingrid's breath hitched.
Her nails dug into the grip of the gun as she watched Shan recreate the exact moment she had buried deep in her past—
The night she had accidentally knocked down a pregnant woman. The woman had reached out for help, her blood pooling on the pavement. Ingrid had turned away. She had run—no, driven off—leaving the woman behind as she desperately fled the scene.
Shan's smirk grew as he mimicked the exact way she had glanced back in hesitation before pressing the gas pedal.
"SHUT UP!!!"
Ingrid screamed, pulling the trigger again and again. Click. Click. Click.
Nothing.
She kept trying, her mind spiraling into panic, as if sheer will could make a bullet appear.
Click. Click.
Then—silence.
Shan exhaled slowly, shaking his head. "Are you done shooting empty bullets?" He smirked. "Even though you knew it was empty?"
Ingrid's hands trembled.
The game had shifted. And she was no longer the one in control.
Shan watched Ingrid, her hands still clenched around the useless gun, her breath ragged with frustration and panic.
He could see it in her eyes—the fear, the guilt, the desperate hope that she could erase the past with a single bullet.
But the truth was far crueler than she could ever imagine.
He had already undone her crime.
In a past timeline, the pregnant woman lived, but her child never got a chance to live. But Shan had died too on that same night as he jumped off the highest floor in his apartment on the cold night rainy day. And thanks to his ability to reset time upon his death, the butterfly effect had taken its toll.
This time, when he was able to quickly signed the documents foe approval of surgery and saved her in time. She had survived. And so had her baby.
But Ingrid didn't know that.
And he wasn't going to tell her.
Not yet.
Not when watching her suffer under the weight of guilt and fear was far more satisfying.
Shan casually rolled a bullet between his fingers, his smirk widening. "You know, Ingrid… guilt is a funny thing. It eats you alive, makes you desperate. Makes you do stupid things."
Her breath hitched, but she kept her glare locked on him.
"I wonder…" Shan continued, leaning in just slightly. "If you could go back… would you change anything?"
Ingrid swallowed hard. "I—"
Ding.
The sound of the elevator in the hallway echoed faintly through the hotel room, snapping the tension like a whip.
Shan straightened up, slipping the bullets into his pocket. "Oops. Looks like time's still moving forward after all."
Ingrid's grip on the gun tightened, but for the first time, she looked unsure.
And Shan?
He had already won and he's gonna enjoy this night. Hungrily that is.