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Hye-ryeong's disbelief in him lingered, yet she couldn't resist following him discreetly. Seokjin sat alone on a park bench near the path frequented by bikers, and gradually, Hye-ryeong noticed his vulnerability. She longed to be by his side, to understand the weight on his mind, but his sorrowful tone kept her from approaching him.

Memories of Seokjin's past lover resurfaced in her thoughts. Had he ever appeared so fragile to her? What could she do if Seokjin exposed his emotional vulnerability? What advice or support had she given him in the past when he needed it most?

Soon, tears filled the air. Amidst the silence, Hye-ryeong fixed her gaze upon the man who had finally broken down. With each sob, he grew weaker, his knees surrendering to the ground, as if bowing to an invisible force. His cries grew louder, his shoulders trembled, and his voice quivered with pain.

An overwhelming urge compelled Hye-ryeong to approach him, wrapping her arms around his quivering form. She felt the wetness of his tears on her shoulder, his sobs reverberating through her being. One hand cradled his head, drawing him closer, while the other gently stroked his broad back.

She had never been one to cry alongside her friends, but she was always the shoulder they leaned on. Sad movies, heart-wrenching dramas, or even emotionally charged books didn't bring tears to her eyes. Yet, when she was there for someone, her own tears flowed freely.

"I'm sorry," she blurted out without thinking. It felt out of place, but she couldn't resist the impulse. Her palms cupped Seokjin's cheeks as he looked up.

"On my way here, I pondered your words. You were right," Seokjin sniffled. "Love drove me to madness, causing me to neglect a future that held countless possibilities and turning me into a lunatic." Another sob escaped him, and Hye-ryeong gently wiped away his tears, repeating, "It's okay." "I must return to my time," he proclaimed later.

"But what about your stopwatch?"

"We have to find it."

**********

A week later, Hye-ryeong received an invitation to a family gathering at her parents' house. She had intended to bring Seokjin along, but he refused, insisting on searching for the stopwatch. She kept the features of the stopwatch in mind, in case she came across it: a golden, rusted timepiece, the size of a doorknob, with a wrist-sized chain and the words "time be capable of holding fate" engraved on its back.

To her astonishment, she noticed her dog, Mondoongie, wearing a stopwatch around his neck. Confirming that it belonged to Seokjin came when her brother revealed how they had acquired it.

"You mischievous boy, I never taught you how to steal!" she scolded her dog. Mondoongie lay on his stomach, whimpering and casting regretful glances at her. "It's okay," Hye-ryeong remarked, sighing and smiling at her furry companion. "On your behalf, I'll apologize to that friend."

After the gathering, she returned to her rented house to search for Seokjin. To her surprise, she found him unconscious on the floor, his hands bound behind his back and his lips taped shut.

"What happened?" she cried, shaking him awake, but he remained motionless. Footsteps echoed behind her, soft and deliberate. Before she could turn around, a hand gripped her neck from behind, a white cloth pressed against her face, suffocating her. Dizziness and a pungent smell overwhelmed her senses.

Her eyelids felt heavy as if burdened by rocks, and everything turned black in an instant.

**********

"Hey there, wake up." A cheerful yet unfamiliar deep voice cut through the air. Hye-ryeong shifted uncomfortably in her restraints.

Scant traces of light reached her eyes. It seemed like they blinked, but they didn't. The room felt devoid of cool air or breeze, suffocatingly hot instead. Sweat clung to her hair, sticking it to her skin. The air felt stifling, causing an itch on her chin and neck, an urge to sneeze or cough.

"Are you awake, honey?" The moment she fully opened her eyes, an unknown man with a grin stood before her. She almost kicked him in surprise, inadvertently pushing herself further away from him. That's when she realized she was tightly bound.

She tried to untie the knots around her wrists, but they pinched her skin, causing pain.

"Calm down, sugar," the man whispered as he circled around her chair, crouching in front to gently caress her wrist. "I don't want you to get hurt when we return."

"Don't touch me!"

"You're feistier than the Hye-ryeong of this era," the man said cautiously. "But I love it." His grin widened, taking on a sinister quality.

"Who the hell are you?" Hye-ryeong yelled, continuing her struggle to free herself from the knots—first her wrists, then her legs.

The man leaned back, resting his chin on both palms, elbows on his knees. "Ah, I see. Reincarnation erased your memories," he murmured, nodding with pressed lips. "You're even cuter and more beautiful than the last time I saw you."

Hye-ryeong shot him a hard look as he chuckled darkly. There was a brief moment of silence, during which her thoughts turned to Seokjin. She quickly surveyed her surroundings. "Where's Seokjin?" she asked, only to be met with laughter from the man. "What have you done to him?" she cried out, her anger rising.

"Kim Seokjin?" The man looked around with a pout. Another creepy grin emerged as he spoke, "He's dead."

"You've got to be kidding me!" she exclaimed. "What did you do to him?"

"Don't worry," he replied, annoyed. "He's still alive and well. I simply knocked him unconscious with a stick. I don't know if he's awake yet. He looks like he's dead."

"Let me see him," she pleaded, concern flooding her.

He cooed, his smirk unwavering. "Oh, Hye-ryeong." His finger pushed up his sliding spectacles. "No. I think it's better if I take you to our time and leave him behind."

"Damn it! You want to drag me to your time when I don't even know you? You make me sick. Screw you."

The man hummed, puckering his lips. "Hmm. Will you have a flashback if I tell you my name?"

Hye-ryeong averted her gaze, realizing that revealing her knowledge wouldn't change anything if meeting Seokjin hadn't triggered her memories.

As he leaned closer to her face, he smirked in a creepy manner, memorizing every detail of her features. "I am... Kim Tae-hyung. Do you remember me?" Hearing his name emphasized triggered something within Hye-ryeong, though she couldn't quite grasp why.

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(1225 words, EDITED;
number of words changes)