Chapter 1
“It’s always like this! You’re completely useless at your job. What were you even expecting, huh? Are you trying to make my restaurant go bankrupt?!”
The shout of a middle-aged woman shattered the quiet of the afternoon. The street looked deserted, with barely anyone passing by.
The small restaurant tucked in the alley was almost empty—only a single customer sat in the corner, glancing over briefly when the loud voice broke the silence.
The owner’s aged face flushed red as she stood with her hands on her hips, glaring sharply. Meanwhile, the woman standing before her, her hair tied in a ponytail, remained indifferent. She placed both hands behind her back and lowered her head deeply. It wasn’t fear that showed on her face—she was holding back laughter.
Kalina had been scolded like this countless times, not just by the owner of this small restaurant, but in many other workplaces. Her occasional carelessness often forced her to move from one job to another.
As if being toyed with, the middle-aged woman grew even more furious.
“Kalina! What are you thinking?! You break glasses and plates every single day—do you think that doesn’t cost me money?!”
“You can’t work here anymore. Starting today, you’re fired! You have absolutely no manners. When someone is scolding you, you should reflect—not mock them.”
The final verdict was delivered. The stout woman’s anger could no longer be contained. She snorted harshly as she threw several bills toward Kalina.
“People like you will never grow. Don’t even dream of becoming someone important!” she sneered before leaving Kalina alone.
The silence felt suffocating, as if life’s problems were piling up all at once. Nothing could overpower the bitterness of the soul except the fate she was forced to endure.
Kalina bent down, picked up the scattered bills, and left the small restaurant where she had worked for the past three months.
Her feet carried her along the narrow alley. Various small shops lined the path, selling food and drinks. She let out a rough snort, lifting one of the bills given by the restaurant owner.
“Who does she think she is?! Talking like that so carelessly! Good thing I didn’t just wreck the whole place while I was at it. Stingy woman—she even complains endlessly about fixing her leaking roof!”
“She keeps whining about me breaking glasses and all that. What’s so great about it anyway?”
“Argh!” Kalina shouted, venting her frustration. “This is so annoying!”
After letting out her anger, her gaze drifted up to the sky, now slowly turning crimson.
“Ah~ the sunset is so beautiful,” Kalina murmured, as if the evening light was gently soothing her exhausted heart.
Her simple appearance, far from anything luxurious, drew the attention of passersby. Some looked at her curiously as she stood in the middle of the road.
Kalina didn’t care in the slightest. As long as she could earn enough to eat, she would do anything. Appearance meant nothing to her—as long as what she wore was comfortable and clean, it was more than enough.
***
Night fell, and Kalina arrived at her home—a rundown apartment with graffiti-covered walls and a leaking roof that had sheltered her all this time.
Dirty and cramped, yet it was still the place she returned to. Behind its cracked walls, Kalina gathered the strength to face another uncertain tomorrow.
Kalina lived all alone. Her mother had left her when she was still a toddler, while her father remarried and abandoned her without a second thought.
For years, she had relied only on herself. With no relatives to share her burdens, she had no choice but to stay strong and endure.
She didn’t know where her mother had gone or where her father was now. All she knew was that the world had never given her a choice—except to keep surviving, alone.
To make matters worse, the mountain of debt they left behind only added to her burden. Kalina had to jump from one job to another just to keep up with the ever-growing interest.
But no matter how hard she worked, her earnings were never enough to cover both her debts and her living expenses.
Kalina stopped in her tracks when she saw a man standing in front of the building entrance.
“Damn it… that loan shark is here again,” she muttered in shock.
“Oh, so you do remember how to come home. You’ve missed payments for two months now, Kalina. How long are you planning to keep playing hide and seek like this? If you can’t pay your debt, then we’ll have no choice but to take over this place,” the loan shark said upon noticing her return.
Kalina quickly shook her head, pleading for more time. But the man didn’t seem to believe her and continued threatening her.
As a result, Kalina received a harsh slap across the cheek. With a rough snort, the man turned and left.
“Damn it! That hurts… life really sucks,” she muttered before heading inside.
“I’m tired.”
Kalina threw herself onto the folding mattress laid out in the middle of the room. The place wasn’t large—just a single room connected to a small kitchen and a bathroom, much like a rented studio.
Aside from the cheap rent, it was fairly comfortable, even if she sometimes had to endure loud noises from all directions.
“I don’t feel like showering… Dad, Mom, why did you leave so many burdens on me?” she murmured, her words trailing off as drowsiness took over.
Not long after, her consciousness slipped away. Kalina fell asleep like someone who had fainted.
“No! Please… don’t hurt me anymore.”
“I can’t do it. Please… don’t treat me like this.”
“What did I do wrong? Why are you treating me so cruelly?”
“What’s wrong? W-why did you lie to me?”
“I can’t take this anymore!”
Kalina jolted awake, her breath ragged. Sweat drenched her temples, and her heart pounded uncontrollably, sending blood rushing through her entire body.
She sat in silence on the bed, looking around at the pitch-black room. After arriving earlier, she had forgotten to turn on the light and had fallen asleep just like that.
“Damn it! Why do I keep dreaming about the same thing? Who is she? Who is that woman being tortured?” Kalina muttered, rubbing her face anxiously.
“I can’t believe this. This is already the fifth time I’ve had that dream—the same template over and over again.”
“This is really confusing me… who is she?” she murmured.
“More importantly—” Kalina stopped mid-sentence, her caramel-colored eyes widening, “in that dream… that woman tried to end her life. Who is she? Who is it that I keep dreaming about?”
Fear began to take over. Kalina couldn’t fall back asleep, terrified of seeing the same dream again. She stayed awake until morning.
After losing her job the previous afternoon, Kalina spent the next day searching for new opportunities.
From one place to another, she kept looking for someone willing to hire her. But unfortunately, none gave her a chance.
Even worse, she received harsh remarks about her appearance from one of the employees at a clothing store.
“You look like a beggar. Don’t ever apply to our store again. What would customers say if someone like you worked in this boutique? It’s disgusting.”
The hurtful words echoed in her mind. Having not slept well the night before, Kalina felt empty and hollow.
She stopped in the middle of the street and looked up at the sky.
“How nice it must be to shine up there… not having to deal with all these annoying life problems.”
“Ah… I wish I could just disappear from this damn world,” she muttered, clenching her fists tightly.
Kalina walked weakly along the sidewalk, her head still tilted upward. The bustling city surrounded her loneliness.
The noise around her slowly faded into silence, as the heavy burden she had carried for so long left deep wounds in her heart.
She kept walking aimlessly, ignoring everyone around her.
Until suddenly—
Without realizing it, Kalina slipped and fell into an underground train track, her head hitting the ground first.
The sharp pain from falling nearly four meters left her dazed. People nearby screamed hysterically, calling for an ambulance and rushing toward her.
Blood poured from her head as her consciousness slowly faded, replaced by waves of pain.
“Ah… it seems God granted my wish. Finally, I don’t have to carry this burden anymore.”
After that final thought, Kalina lost consciousness completely, swallowed by darkness.
***
The sound of a heart monitor echoed painfully, and the scent of disinfectant filled the air, pulling her back to awareness.
Slowly, her eyes opened. A bitter smile formed when she realized she was still in this world.
Strange—that was the only word she could use to describe her surroundings. She sat up, looking around at the unfamiliar environment.
“What is this? Why am I still here?” she thought bitterly.
“Where am I?”
A hoarse voice—one she didn’t recognize at all—startled her. She froze for a moment, trying to process what was happening.
Fear suddenly crept in. Her eyes darted around, searching for anything that could reflect her image.
Fortunately, a mirror lay on the bedside table. She grabbed it quickly and looked into it with trembling hands.
At that very second, her heart seemed to stop. Her mind went blank, unable to process what she was seeing.
“W-what is this? Who is she? Why does my face look like this? What the hell?!”
Kalina screamed hysterically, shattering the silence of the early morning.
