"Hey… are you stupid? I'm a rainbow—why are you hitting me?"
The voice echoed with a strange mix of mockery and amusement.
Anha's eyes burned with irritation. Her grip tightened, and without hesitation, she struck again.
"I know exactly who you are, you bastard—Go-hwan. Aren't you going to run now?" Her lips curled into a cold smile. "I've been waiting… for the moment you reveal your true form."
Another hit landed.
"Now tell me—where is your master?" she snapped. "I'm done playing around. Call him. Right. Now."
For a moment, silence lingered.
Then—
Go-hwan smiled.
Not a normal smile. It was slow… unsettling… as if he knew something she didn't.
"Tell me, Anha," he said softly, tilting his head, "what did you think I was?"
His voice dropped lower.
"Just a rainbow?"
The air shifted.
"Or… something far beyond that?"
Anha clicked her tongue, clearly annoyed. "I don't have the patience for your riddles. I need to finish this quickly. Call your master… or I'll make sure you regret it."
For a brief moment, Go-hwan said nothing.
Then he chuckled.
"I think," he whispered, "you should see something… one last time."
Before Anha could react—
The world shattered.
A sudden pull—
A distortion—
And everything changed.
"…Where am I?"
Anha blinked, disoriented. The graveyard was gone. The eerie silence had vanished. Instead, the warm hues of afternoon sunlight painted the surroundings.
A familiar place.
Too familiar.
Her brows slowly furrowed as realization crept in.
"This is…"
Footsteps approached.
She turned her head.
A figure walked toward her—casual, calm, unaware.
Anha's breath hitched.
"…Kang Ha-joon."
The name lingered in her chest like an old wound.
Her expression hardened.
Not joy.
Not relief.
Only anger.
Kang Ha-joon—her former roommate. The boy who hid his illness from everyone… and died at just nineteen.
No one knew how.
No one knew why.
Not even her.
Even though they had lived under the same roof…
They had never crossed the boundaries of each other's personal lives.
Because she never allowed it.
"I don't like those kinds of conversations," she had told him once.
And he respected that.
Too well.
Anha's jaw tightened.
Her eyes scanned the area until she spotted a group of kids playing nearby. Without hesitation, she walked over, picked up a sturdy stick… and turned back.
Step by step, she approached him.
Her presence was heavy. Dangerous.
Today… she wasn't holding back.
"Stop there."
Her voice cut through the air.
No response.
Kang Ha-joon didn't even turn his head. He simply kept walking.
Anha's eyes twitched.
"Didn't I say stop?" she snapped, louder this time. "Can't you hear me?"
He paused.
Slowly, he turned.
"…Me?" he asked casually, glancing around as if unsure.
Then his eyes landed on her.
"Did you just tell me to stop, miss?"
Miss.
Anha froze for a split second.
Then—anger exploded.
"You…!"
Without thinking, she rushed forward and swung the stick.
Crack—!
The sound echoed.
"How dare you call me that?!" she shouted, striking him again. "Are you blind? Can't you recognize me?!"
Another hit.
"And 'aunt'?! You've got some nerve, you bastard!"
Kang Ha-joon staggered, completely confused. Blood trickled down, staining his clothes.
"What the hell…" he muttered under his breath. "Is she crazy?"
Before things could escalate further—
A hand grabbed the stick mid-air.
"Stop!"
Anha's eyes widened.
Standing there…
Was herself.
Younger.
Familiar.
The Anha from that time.
"Who the hell are you?" the younger Anha demanded, glaring. "Why are you hitting him? Can't you see he's bleeding?!"
For a brief moment—
Time froze.
Two versions of the same person… standing face to face.
Older Anha's grip tightened.
Her eyes darkened.
Without hesitation, she raised the stick again—this time aiming at her younger self.
But—
It didn't move.
Someone stopped it.
Kang Ha-joon.
"I don't know who you are," he said, his voice low but firm, "but how dare you try to hurt her in front of me?"
His gaze sharpened.
"If you try that again… I'll kill you."
Silence.
"She's more important than anything in this world."
The words struck deeper than any blow.
Anha's vision blurred.
Her head spun.
The world distorted again—
And just like that—
She was back.
The graveyard.
The silence.
Go-hwan.
Waiting.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly as anger surged through her veins.
"You bastard!" she shouted. "What the hell was that?! You throw me into the past and drag me back like it's nothing?!"
Her fists clenched.
"Why?!"
Her voice cracked.
"What did I do wrong…?"
For a fleeting moment—
Her anger faltered.
Replaced by something softer.
Memories.
Laughter.
A time when life wasn't this broken.
Maybe it wasn't perfect…
But she wasn't alone.
Go-hwan's voice broke through her thoughts.
"Oh?" he teased. "So… you miss him?"
Anha's eyes snapped open.
"Shut up," she growled. "I'm not in the mood for your nonsense. Call your master. Now."
Go-hwan smiled again.
That same unsettling smile.
"He will come," he said calmly. "But before that…"
He stepped closer.
"I told you, didn't I?"
"I would show you three things."
His eyes gleamed.
"And all three… are the same person."
A pause.
"Kang Ha-joon."
Anha's expression stiffened.
"But why they are the same…" Go-hwan whispered, leaning closer,
"You already know the answer."
Silence fell once more.
This time—
Heavier than before.
And for the first time—
Anha didn't just feel anger.
She felt curiosity.