The girl frowned in annoyance.
"Are you stupid or what? I'm the Rainbow. Why are you hitting me?"
Anha's eyes turned cold as she stepped closer.
"Yes, I know who you are… you bastard, Go-hwan. Aren't you going to escape now? I've been waiting for the moment you reveal your true form."
Without hesitation, Anha slapped him several times across the face. Her patience was already gone.
"Now tell me—where is your master?" she demanded, her voice sharp with irritation. "I'm already fed up. Call him. Right now."
Go-hwan simply smiled.
"Tell me something first," he said calmly. "What do you think I am? Just a rainbow? Or something more? And more importantly… have you ever seen time stop before?"
Anha clenched her jaw.
"Look, I'm not in the mood for your nonsense," she snapped. "I don't have time to argue. Just call your master, or I'll beat you so badly you won't even recognize yourself."
Go-hwan didn't respond with words.
Instead—
The world shifted.
In an instant, Anha found herself standing somewhere else.
A familiar place.
Her school days.
She blinked in confusion, her surroundings slowly becoming clear. Someone was walking toward her from a distance. At first, she couldn't recognize the figure… but as he got closer—
Her eyes widened.
Kang Ha-joon.
They used to live in the same room. But seeing him now didn't bring her happiness.
Instead, it stirred something bitter.
He had hidden his illness from everyone… and died at just nineteen. No one knew how or why. Not even her.
Even though they lived together, they had never interfered in each other's personal lives. That boundary had been set by Anha herself.
And now—
She was seeing him again.
Her expression darkened.
Without thinking, she looked around and spotted a sturdy stick lying nearby. Picking it up, she started walking straight toward him.
Judging by her expression… Kang Ha-joon wouldn't be walking properly today.
But strangely, this kind of behavior wasn't unusual between them. They were close friends, and this kind of chaos was part of their everyday life.
As she approached, she noticed something odd.
He walked past her… as if she didn't exist.
"Stop there!" she shouted.
No reaction.
He didn't even look back.
"Didn't I say stop? Can't you hear me, Anha?!"
Kang Ha-joon finally paused and glanced around, confused.
"Who… me?" he asked casually. "Were you talking to me, miss?"
As he turned toward her, his eyes narrowed slightly.
Something felt… off.
He was smart—too smart to ignore details. This woman in front of him… she looked like Anha, yet older. Much older.
And dressed in a wedding gown.
Standing in the middle of the road.
Holding a stick.
"…What the hell?" he muttered under his breath.
Before he could process it further—
Thud!
The stick came crashing down on him.
And then again.
And again.
To him, she looked like a complete lunatic—someone who had escaped from an asylum.
Meanwhile, Anha was furious.
First, he ignored her.
And now—
He called her "miss"… or worse—
"Aunty."
Her anger exploded.
"How dare you call me aunty, you bastard?!" she shouted, striking him repeatedly. "Can't you see me properly?! I'm not that old!"
Ha-joon had no idea what was happening.
Blood started trickling down from his head, staining his clothes.
And then—
Another voice interrupted.
"Who the hell are you?!"
A younger Anha rushed in, grabbing the older Anha's arm. "Why are you hitting him?! Didn't you see he's bleeding?! You old hag!"
For a moment—
Time froze again.
The older Anha raised her stick, ready to strike the younger one—
But suddenly, it stopped mid-air.
Someone had grabbed it.
Kang Ha-joon.
His eyes were cold now.
"I don't know who you are," he said slowly, his voice filled with quiet rage. "But how dare you try to hurt her in front of me?"
His grip tightened.
"I'm warning you. Try that again… and I'll kill you."
His gaze burned with intensity.
"I don't care who you are… but she means more to me than anything in this world."
He was about to say more—
But suddenly—
The world spun.
Anha felt dizzy.
And in the next moment—
She was back.
The graveyard.
Go-hwan stood there, waiting.
Her anger surged even more.
"You bastard! What do you think you're doing?!" she shouted. "You throw me into some random time and pull me back again?! Why?! What did I do?! Tell me!"
But deep inside—
There was something else.
A faint warmth.
Back then… even if life wasn't perfect, it was simpler.
There was someone beside her.
Someone who would listen.
Someone who would stand for her—no matter what.
Go-hwan smirked.
"Oh? So our Anha is missing her old lover now?"
"Shut the hell up!" she snapped. "I'm not in the mood. Call your master. Last warning."
Go-hwan chuckled softly.
"My master will come… eventually," he said. "But before that, there's still something left for you to see."
His eyes gleamed.
"I told you, didn't I? I'll show you three things."
He paused.
"And those three people… are actually the same person."
"Kang Ha-joon."
He leaned closer, voice dropping to a whisper.
"But why they are the same… you already know the answer better than I do."
For a brief moment—
Despite her anger—
Anha felt something strange.
A quiet, reluctant gratitude.
Because deep down...