I spent the next hour trying to figure out the Love Receipt app.

I tapped every button.

Or rather...

Every button that wasn't locked.

Which wasn't many.

I searched my phone settings.

Nothing.

I tried uninstalling it.

Nothing.

I even restarted my phone.

Twice.

The app remained exactly where it was.

Smug.

Pink.

And completely impossible to delete.

"...You're definitely illegal."

No response.

I sighed.

"At least pretend to be haunted."

Silence.

I searched online.

"Love Receipt app."

No results.

"App that rewinds time."

Nothing.

"Can phones become possessed?"

...Surprisingly, there were a lot of results.

None of them were helpful.

By midnight, I had exactly three conclusions.

One.

The app was real.

Two.

It could somehow rewind time.

Three.

I had absolutely no idea why it had chosen me.

I flopped backward onto my bed.

"...This is tomorrow's problem."

My phone vibrated once.

Buzz.

I didn't even bother looking at it.

"No."

"I'm off the clock."

I pulled my blanket over my head.

"If you're planning to ruin my life again..."

"...You can wait until morning."

Somewhere beneath my pillow, my phone vibrated again.

I ignored it.

A few minutes later...

Sleep finally won.

BEEP!

BEEP!

BEEP!

I blindly slapped my alarm clock.

Silence.

"...Five more minutes."

BEEP!

"...Traitor."

I slowly opened one eye.

Morning sunlight poured through the curtains.

For a brief, glorious moment...

Everything felt normal.

Then I remembered.

The app.

The refund.

Time travel.

"..."

"...It wasn't a dream."

I buried my face back into the pillow.

"I miss yesterday morning."

Unfortunately...

Adult responsibilities didn't care about my emotional well-being.

With the enthusiasm of a dying potato, I dragged myself out of bed.

Exactly one hour later...

I stood outside KoKup.

On time.

Actually...

Five minutes early.

Look at me.

Personal growth.

I proudly walked into the building.

"Good morning."

The security guard smiled.

"Morning, Miss Kang."

See?

People already knew my name.

Progress.

Real progress.

I stepped into the elevator just before the doors closed.

"Hold it!"

The doors reopened.

Kim Seo-ah hurried inside.

She looked at me and smiled.

"Oh! Morning!"

"Morning."

"You actually came back."

"I considered disappearing into the mountains."

Seo-ah laughed.

"It's only your second day."

"Exactly. I still have time to escape."

"Too late. HR already has your paperwork."

The elevator doors opened.

Together, we walked into the Marketing Department.

One by one, everyone greeted us.

"Morning."

"Good morning."

"You're early today."

"I learned my lesson."

"Thirty-seven minutes' worth?"

"...Please don't make that my nickname."

"No promises."

The office erupted in laughter.

Great.

I was going to be remembered forever as Thirty-Seven Minutes.

A few minutes later, Manager Kim walked in carrying a cardboard tray.

Coffee.

Beautiful.

Wonderful.

Life-giving coffee.

"I figured everyone needed some motivation."

He began handing the cups out.

When he reached me, he smiled.

"For surviving your first day."

I accepted it with both hands.

"Thank you, Manager Kim."

"You'll need the energy."

"...That doesn't sound reassuring."

"It wasn't."

The entire team laughed.

I was beginning to suspect this office enjoyed bullying newcomers.

Affectionately.

Hopefully.

Soon, everyone settled back into work.

The sound of keyboards filled the room.

Phones rang occasionally.

Someone sneezed.

Someone else declared war on the printer.

Everything felt...

Normal.

Until...

The office suddenly became quiet.

Very quiet.

I looked up.

Several employees had instinctively straightened their backs.

Even Manager Kim paused in the middle of typing.

"...?"

Footsteps echoed through the department.

Slow.

Steady.

Unhurried.

A man wearing a perfectly tailored navy suit walked into the office.

He looked to be around his late twenties.

Tall.

Neatly styled black hair.

Sharp features.

Calm eyes.

No smile.

Not because he looked angry.

More like...

He genuinely wasn't sure whether smiling was appropriate right now.

The atmosphere instantly changed.

Manager Kim stood.

"Good morning, CEO Han."

Everyone else followed.

"Good morning, sir."

"Good morning, CEO."

I blinked.

The CEO?

Already?

So this was...

Han Hyunwoo.

He gave a small nod.

"...Good morning."

His voice was quiet.

Gentle, even.

Not cold.

Just...

Carefully measured.

As if every word had been rehearsed beforehand.

He walked over to Manager Kim.

"The Orion campaign."

Manager Kim immediately nodded.

"Yes, sir."

"We scheduled a progress meeting."

"We're ready."

"...Good."

A short silence followed.

Hyunwoo remained standing there.

Manager Kim remained standing there.

The entire office remained standing there.

...

...

Eventually, Manager Kim cleared his throat.

"This way, sir."

"...Right."

The CEO gave a tiny nod and followed him toward the meeting room.

The glass door closed.

The entire department sighed in relief.

One employee whispered,

"I thought I forgot how to breathe."

Another nodded.

"Same."

I looked between them.

"...Is he really that scary?"

Seo-ah quietly rolled her chair closer.

"No."

"...Then why does everyone act like they're facing the final boss?"

She looked around before lowering her voice.

"It's because nobody understands him."

"Huh?"

"He isn't mean."

"He isn't?"

She shook her head.

"He just..."

"...communicates like a malfunctioning robot."

I laughed.

"What does that even mean?"

Seo-ah leaned even closer.

"Last month someone said, 'Have a nice weekend, sir.'"

"...Okay?"

"He replied..."

She straightened her posture and spoke in the flattest voice imaginable.

"Accepted."

I blinked.

"...Accepted?"

Seo-ah nodded seriously.

"He meant thank you."

"..."

"..."

I couldn't stop myself.

I burst into laughter.

"No way."

"I'm serious."

Ha-jun suddenly joined the conversation.

"He once congratulated someone on getting married."

"What did he say?" I asked.

Ha-jun cleared his throat dramatically.

"Probability of lifelong happiness... acknowledged."

I stared.

"...You're joking."

"I wish."

Another coworker leaned over.

"When I told him my dog recovered from surgery..."

"He looked at me for five seconds and said..."

"Excellent."

"...And then walked away."

Everyone at the nearby desks nodded.

"He always does that."

"He means well."

"He just..."

"...doesn't know how people work."

I glanced toward the meeting room.

Through the glass wall, I could see Hyunwoo listening while Manager Kim explained something.

He wasn't speaking.

Just listening.

Occasionally writing notes.

He looked...

Lonely.

Not in a dramatic way.

Just...

Like someone who had spent a long time worrying about saying the wrong thing.

For some reason...

That made me feel a little bad for him.

At that exact moment—

Hyunwoo looked up.

Our eyes met through the glass.

"...!"

I smiled politely and gave a small bow.

"Good morning."

His eyes widened.

Just slightly.

As if no one had greeted him after the meeting had already started.

His lips parted.

"..."

Nothing came out.

For one awkward second...

We simply stared at each other.

Then—

He gave the tiniest nod imaginable.

Almost as if he'd remembered,

Oh.

I'm supposed to respond.

Then he immediately looked down at his notebook again.

I blinked.

...That's it?

He's either incredibly shy...

...or he really doesn't like talking.

I honestly couldn't tell which.