“Therefore, the defendant is sentenced to death.”
Clunk.
The old transport van jolted violently over a low speed bump.
Half-collapsed, I stared ahead with lifeless, blackened eyes.
Beneath the blue prison uniform, handcuffs clinked against each other and dug into my wrists, leaving red marks.
I raised my hands to push my disheveled hair behind my ears. Even that small movement drew a sharp, watchful gaze from the prison guard.
Meeting the guard’s cold stare, I turned my head toward the window.
The snowy hills along the highway vanished beyond the tunnel.
An endless gray tunnel swept past my retinas.
Where did it all go wrong? What crime did I commit to deserve this fate?
As I sifted through the past, that day from a year ago surfaced in my mind.
The beginning of all misfortune was on my 29th birthday—when my fiancé became the fiancé of my stepsister, Yeonhwa.
Since that day, I had turned into a spiteful woman, framing my kind stepsister because I couldn’t bear to lose him.
A series of misunderstandings and unexpected events led even my family to abandon me.
And eventually…
On the day I went to the villa with Yeonhwa to make amends, we ended up arguing again. Unable to bear it any longer, I stormed out.
The next day, Yeonhwa was found stabbed to death on the second floor of the villa.
The only people there were the two of us.
Every piece of evidence pointed to me. I was arrested as the prime suspect in her murder.
No one believed me.
The texts I exchanged with her, the places I had been, even the packages delivered to me—all were used against me.
It was as if someone had meticulously planned it all to frame me.
And when they found Yeonhwa’s bloodstained blouse in my room, that was it. I became the murderer.
I was innocent. I didn’t kill Yeonhwa.
I had neither the intent nor the courage to commit such a terrible act.
Sure, I was heartbroken when the man I thought would be my husband married her instead,
But I never hated her enough to kill her.
“I… really didn’t do it…”
A tear slid down my cracked lips.
Her face, smiling happily in a white wedding dress, was still vivid in my memory.
I should have left her side back then. Even if I became the bad sister, at least she wouldn’t have left this world so tragically.
The deeper the regret, the more the tears poured.
The prison guard looked at me with awkward concern as I began to sob audibly.
Just as I looked at him, silently pleading for someone to understand my injustice—
A bright light appeared behind the guard.
Honk—Hooonk! The driver of the transport van blared the horn wildly.
But the massive truck didn’t slow down—it accelerated.
At the moment I realized the truck driver looked oddly familiar—
CRASH!!
The van collided head-on with the truck and flipped over with a thunderous noise.
Everything slowed down like a scene in slow motion.
The world outside the window turned upside down,
The guard struggled to grab his seatbelt,
And the truck receded into the distance.
My seatbelt snapped, and my body floated into the air.
Pain that felt like my body was breaking enveloped me.
Crash! Bang!
The van rolled several more times before coming to a halt.
Thrown from the van, I lay face-down on the asphalt, staring at the half-destroyed vehicle.
“Ha… Haah…”
Even breathing was agonizing from the pain.
Warm blood spread beneath my cheek, dyeing my vision red.
Is this the end?
Accused of a crime I didn’t commit, unable to uncover the truth behind Yeonhwa’s death—
To end like this, so futilely…
If only I could go back… I wouldn’t have done things the same way…
I’m sorry.
I’m so sorry, Yeonhwa.
Tears of regret streamed down my cheeks as I exhaled my final breath and closed my eyes.
—
♩♪♬♪♩♬
A familiar ringtone played.
Frowning slightly, I slowly opened my eyes.
Beneath trembling lashes, my still-unfocused eyes wandered aimlessly.
“Huh…?”
As my vision cleared, I furrowed my brows.
The ceiling and furniture were familiar—this was my old room at my parents’ house.
Even after I moved out, I used to come back and sleep here. Everything remained the same.
Do people return to the time they most longed for when they die?
As I blinked in confusion, the ringtone finally registered.
I turned my head toward the sound.
And at that moment, I frowned again.
“This phone… It broke last year.”
Just six months after I bought it, I accidentally dropped it, and it got crushed under a car wheel.
I even lost important data because of it, which caused a mess at work.
Even if I had wished to return to the past before dying, did it really have to recreate even this?
I sighed, then turned off the morning alarm.
Suddenly—
“ Euncha, happy birthday!”
“Ahh!”
The door burst open, and someone jumped onto my bed.
Startled, I flailed in panic.
The attacker giggled.
“Haha! You should see your face, Euncha! You look hilarious!”
My eyes trembled violently at the sight of her face.
“Yeonhwa… unni?”
“What’s with that ghost-seeing face? Did you have a dream? Something like ‘Do you still see me as Yeonhwa…?’”
She waved her hands like a ghost.
As she smiled brightly again, tears welled up in my eyes.
“Unni!”
I burst into tears and hugged Yeonhwa.
Dream or not—it didn’t matter.
Even if it was just a memory flashing before death,
I would do anything just to see Yeonhwa smiling at me again.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
Yeonhwa finally sensed something strange and looked at me seriously.
Her gentle, concerned eyes were just like the Yeonhwa I knew from that time.
Sobbing, I clutched her hands tightly.
And told her the words I never got to say when she was alive.
“Unni, I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have left you alone… I should’ve cleared the misunderstanding… I’m really, really sorry…”
Thick tears dripped onto her hand.
“What…?”
Startled, Yeonhwa didn’t know what to do.
Then, as if something occurred to her, she glanced sideways with a mischievous smile.
“Are you crying to get back at me for scaring you? That’s cheating!”
“No, unni. I really…”
“Okay, okay! I’m sorry for surprising you first thing in the morning. I’ve been waiting outside your room for 30 minutes to give you your birthday present.”
She handed me a wrapped gift.
An orange box with a luxury brand logo.
If I remembered correctly, this was the necklace Yeonhwa gave me last year.
Confused, I stared at it blankly.
Yeonhwa opened the box and pulled it out.
It was the same necklace.
“You said you liked this. I thought you wanted it, so I got it for you. I’m such a great sister, right? Lift your chin. I’ll put it on.”
Still dazed, I lifted my chin. If this was really that day…
“Ouch!”
A sharp sting pricked the back of my head.
I flinched, and Yeonhwa gasped in surprise.
“Oh no! Your hair got caught in the clasp. That must’ve hurt. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay…”
I slowly rubbed the sore spot.
It hurt too vividly to be a dream. Just like it did that day.
Even if this was a memory playing back before death, could it really feel this real?
I could move, think—
If this wasn’t just a dream, then maybe…
No way…
Grabbing Yeonhwa’s arm, I asked urgently,
“Unni, what day is it today?”
“Eunchae, quit joking. You’re scaring me now.”
“Please, quickly!”
Pressed by my urgency, Yeonhwa sighed.
She listed everything clearly.
“Today is your birthday. Your 28th—your last birthday in your twenties. You’re 29 today!”
It felt like I’d been hit in the head.
Even though I heard it from her, I couldn’t believe it.
I fumbled for my phone.
When the date clearly appeared before my eyes—
“No way…”
I couldn’t stop myself from covering my mouth.
February 1, 20XX.
My 29th birthday—the day when everything began.
The day I died… I had come back to it.
