It actually rewound time.

...

No.

No.

Absolutely not.

I looked at my untouched glass.

Then at Junseo.

Then back at the glass.

Dry.

His pants were dry.

The cola was still sitting safely inside my cup.

I slowly reached out...

...and pinched my own arm.

"Ow."

Yep.

Still alive.

Still awake.

Which meant...

I hadn't imagined it.

"...Miss Kang?"

I nearly jumped out of my chair.

Junseo tilted his head.

"You've been staring at your drink for a while."

"Oh."

I forced an awkward laugh.

"I was just..."

Think, Yumi.

Think!

"...admiring the bubbles."

"...The bubbles?"

"Very... bubbly."

...

...

Why?

Why would I say that?

Junseo blinked.

Then he laughed.

"I've never met anyone who complimented soda before."

"I like supporting small achievements."

"Soda bubbles are achievements?"

"They're trying their best."

He stared at me for a second.

Then...

"...Fair enough."

He actually accepted that answer.

What kind of person accepts that answer?

Was he secretly just as weird as I was?

Before I could think any further—

Buzz.

My phone vibrated beneath the table.

Carefully, I lowered my gaze.

A new notification appeared.

REFUND COMPLETED

Timeline Stored

Romantic Failure Prevented

"Timeline Stored?"

Another notification slid onto the screen.

View Refund Details?

YES

LATER

I hesitated before tapping YES.

The screen transformed into what looked like... an actual receipt.

LOVE RECEIPT

Refund History

Target: Lee Junseo

Refund Used: 1 / 3

Reason: Extreme Embarrassment

Incident: Drink Spill

Result: Successful

"..."

"...It keeps records?"

I poked the screen again.

Nothing.

No explanation.

No help button.

No customer support.

Just the world's rudest receipt.

"Talking to your phone?"

I almost threw it into the barbecue grill.

Seo-ah had suddenly leaned over beside me.

"N-No!"

She narrowed her eyes.

"You've been staring at that thing all evening."

"Oh..."

"I was just checking my messages."

"From your mom?"

"...Sure."

She smiled.

"A boyfriend?"

I laughed.

"I wish."

"A crush?"

I immediately choked on absolutely nothing.

"Cough—"

"Cough—"

Seo-ah blinked.

"I didn't even mention anyone."

"I know!"

"..."

"..."

"...You're suspicious."

"I am not!"

"You absolutely are."

"I am simply..."

I looked around desperately.

"...hungry."

Then I shoved an entire slice of grilled beef into my mouth.

Emergency beef.

The safest escape strategy known to mankind.

Seo-ah laughed.

"You're kind of cute."

Cute?

No.

Humiliated?

Absolutely.

Cute?

Never.

Dinner continued surprisingly peacefully.

People argued over who had stolen the last mushroom.

Manager Kim insisted everyone eat more.

The interns competed to see who could grill meat better.

Apparently...

The Marketing Team became completely unprofessional whenever food was involved.

I secretly liked that.

It felt...

Warm.

Like a family.

Although every few minutes, I'd glance nervously at my glass...

Just to make sure it hadn't mysteriously tipped over again.

Thankfully...

It behaved itself.

Good glass.

About an hour later, everyone stepped outside the restaurant.

The cool evening breeze immediately hit my face.

Mr. Kim stretched his arms.

"Good work today, everyone."

"Good work!"

"See you tomorrow!"

The group slowly began splitting up.

Some headed toward the subway.

Others opened ride-hailing apps.

Just then—

Seo-ah stumbled.

"Whoa—"

Before she could lose her balance—

Junseo caught her by the arm.

"You okay?"

She looked up and laughed.

"...You caught me again."

Junseo sighed.

"Fourth time."

"You count?"

"I have to."

"You trip a lot."

"I prefer the term dramatically lose my balance."

He chuckled.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night."

Everyone laughed.

The exchange was so natural.

So effortless.

They seem really close.

For some reason...

That thought stayed with me.

Mr. Kim suddenly turned toward me.

"What about you, Miss Kang?"

"I'll just take a taxi."

He nodded.

"I already booked one for you."

"...You did?"

"It's company policy."

I blinked.

"Wow."

"See?"

He smiled proudly.

"We take care of our employees."

"...Even the ones who arrive thirty-seven minutes late?"

He laughed.

"Even those."

A few minutes later, I climbed into the taxi.

As the city lights blurred past the window, I rested my forehead against the cool glass.

Today had been...

Strange.

Really strange.

This morning, I was worried about losing my job.

Now...

I was worried my phone could manipulate time.

Somehow...

That felt like the bigger problem.

When I finally got home, I kicked off my shoes and collapsed face-first onto my bed.

"I'm never moving again."

Silence.

My apartment was small.

Quiet.

Comfortable.

Exactly what I needed after surviving my first day.

Then—

Buzz.

I slowly lifted my head.

"..."

The phone.

I had almost forgotten.

Almost.

I sat up.

Placed the phone carefully on my desk.

And stared at it.

The screen remained dark.

Completely innocent.

As if it hadn't casually rewritten reality an hour ago.

"..."

I stood up.

Walked to the kitchen.

Filled a glass with water.

Drank it.

Normal.

I looked out the window.

Cars.

People.

Streetlights.

Normal.

I checked the clock.

8:42 PM.

Still normal.

I even opened my browser and typed:

"Can stress cause hallucinations?"

The search results immediately appeared.

Common symptoms include...

"..."

I closed the browser.

"No."

"I definitely spilled that drink."

"I definitely saw time rewind."

I looked back at the phone.

"If you're going to ruin my life..."

"...At least explain yourself."

Taking a deep breath, I unlocked it.

There it was.

A tiny pink app icon.

A receipt.

With a tiny heart in the corner.

It looked...

Ridiculously cute.

I no longer trusted cute things.

Cute things apparently broke the laws of physics.

My finger hovered above the icon.

"...Here goes nothing."

Tap.

The screen faded to white.

Then a receipt slowly printed across the display.

LOVE RECEIPT

Welcome, Kang Yumi.

Current Crush

Lee Junseo

Refunds Remaining

2

Every other section was locked.

[LOCKED] Love Tasks

[LOCKED] Relationship History

[LOCKED] Refund Archive

[LOCKED] Premium Features

"...Premium?"

I frowned.

"This app has premium features?"

A new line suddenly appeared.

As if it had heard me.

Today's Evaluation

You survived.

Barely.

Congratulations.

"..."

"...Excuse me?"

Before I could complain...

One final notification appeared at the bottom of the screen.

Next Romantic Transaction

Estimated: Tomorrow

Target may change without notice.

"..."

"...Target may..."

"...Change?"

The screen instantly went black.

Leaving me staring at my own confused reflection.

Somehow...

I had a feeling tomorrow was going to be even worse than today.