"I know... I'd be in total shock too!" Emily gushed, practically bouncing on her feet as they stepped back into the office. "But hey, look on the bright side—you can finally picture yourself as Dan Cross's future love interest! How exciting is that?" Her voice was practically bubbling over with enthusiasm.
The delivery office was alive with activity, but the real energy wasn't coming from the work. It radiated from the excitement surrounding the newest update of Veil of the Vanguard.
"Did you see the new chapter? It's absolutely wild!" one coworker exclaimed, slapping a piece of tape onto a box with exaggerated enthusiasm.
"And naming the new character after Lena? That's such a heartfelt touch! I swear, if my dad did something like that, I'd brag about it every day," another added, casting a cheerful glance in Lena's direction.
Lena stood at her workstation, forcing a small, polite smile. Her coworkers' excitement only deepened her unease. They thought this was some sweet father-daughter tribute, but she knew the truth—or at least part of it. Her father didn't even know about the new character. And the fact that she was that character… How could she explain the inexplicable?
Her hands trembled as she carefully packed smaller items into a large carton, their words swirling in her mind like an echo she couldn't escape.
"Lena?" Emily's voice cut through the noise as she stepped closer, concern etched on her face. "Are you okay? You've been acting a little off all morning."
"I'm fine," Lena replied quickly, avoiding Emily's gaze. "Just tired, that's all."
Emily's frown deepened. "You sure? You've been so quiet today. Maybe you need a break."
Another coworker leaned over, chiming in. "Seriously, Lena, you've been going non-stop. Take ten minutes. No one will think less of you."
Lena hesitated, glancing down at the items still waiting to be packed. The concern in their voices only heightened the tension already coiling in her chest. After a moment, she exhaled and nodded.
"Thanks. I think I'll step out for a bit."
As her colleagues took over her tasks, Lena sat in the break room with her head in her hands. She couldn't shake the ominous feeling in her chest. What if it happens again? What if I get pulled back into that world? And what if I can't come back?
She shivered at the thought. The webtoon world had felt too real. She wasn't sure how long she could pretend everything was normal.
---
Ethan Kim reclined in his office chair, scrolling through his phone. He was confused and irate, his brows furrowed in frustration as he opened the latest chapter of Veil of the Vanguard published.
"What in the world?" he muttered, staring at the illustrated pages.
His phone buzzed incessantly with calls from his team members. He answered the next one, barely getting out a hello before a voice on the other end demanded answers.
"Ethan, what's going on?" his assistant, Abigail, asked. "Did you sneak-publish this? None of us had any idea it was coming!"
Ethan rubbed his temples. "No, Abigail. I didn't publish this."
Abigail was quiet for a moment before responding cautiously, "Then… who did? You're the only one with access."
"Let's not panic," Ethan said, his voice firm though his thoughts were anything but calm. "I must've uploaded it late one night and just… forgot. It's not the first time I've made mistakes while drunk."
"Uh-huh," Abigail said, clearly unconvinced. "You don't remember creating this chapter at all?"
"No," Ethan admitted. "But I'll handle it. I'll put something out to smooth this over."
As he hung up, Ethan stared at his screen. His fans were going wild over the new female character. Even his publisher called, practically gushing about how much they loved the latest development.
But then something else struck Ethan like a lightning bolt—the character's name.
"Lena... Lena Kim?" Ethan whispered, his eyes fixed on the screen. The panel before him showcased the newest character in Veil of the Vanguard, and she wasn't just a typical addition to the story. She was his daughter.
Every detail—from her dark hair and warm brown eyes to her expressive face—was an exact replica of Lena. Even her name.
Ethan's chest tightened, his mind spinning.
"What is this? What's going on?"
Before he could process it further, his phone buzzed in his hand. It was his publisher. Ethan swallowed hard and answered.
"Kim! Fantastic work on the latest chapter!" The voice on the other end was loud and jubilant.
"Uh… thanks," Ethan replied, his voice strained.
"The fans are loving Lena—what a brilliant twist!" his publisher continued enthusiastically. "Making the new female lead your daughter's namesake was such a heartfelt touch. You're a genius!"
"Yeah…" Ethan trailed off, gripping the phone tightly. "I… wanted to do something unique and meaningful."
"Well, it's working. Keep it up!" With that, the call ended abruptly.
Ethan lowered the phone, his thoughts in disarray. He turned back to his screen, scrolling through the comments section of his latest update.
Fans were raving about the new character, speculating that Lena was poised to rival Raven, Dan Cross's trusted assistant, as the new love interest.
For years, readers had debated whether Dan and Raven would finally develop a romantic arc. Yet, as the webtoon neared the end of its current season, their relationship had remained platonic. Now, with the sudden introduction of Lena, fans were thrilled at the possibility of a fresh dynamic.
One comment in particular caught Ethan's attention:
[Nobara'sOppai886]: Mr. Kim, you've outdone yourself. We need MORE of Lena!
Ethan sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair.
"What am I supposed to do now?"
He scrolled through more comments, each one heaping praise on the new twist. The excitement was undeniable, and Ethan knew his fans wouldn't accept any sudden changes to this unexpected plotline.
After minutes of deliberation, he opened his laptop and began typing a tweet:
[@Ethankim]: Thank you for all the love on the latest update! I'll be honest—I must've uploaded it during one of my late-night writing binges, and I'm blown away by the response. You're all amazing! #VeiloftheVanguard]
Satisfied, he hit post and closed his laptop.
Ethan leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. The thought of unpublishing the chapter crossed his mind, but his hands hesitated. His fans adored the new direction. And if he suddenly took it down without explanation, it could cause an uproar.
"I'll leave it for now," he decided, though a heavy sense of unease lingered in his chest. Despite the nagging feeling that something was terribly off, he forced himself to dismiss it, convincing himself it must have been something he had done while drunk.
He resolved to take a quiet break from creating new chapters. Perhaps some distance would help him make sense of the mystery.
But deep down, Ethan knew: this wasn't something time could easily unravel.
---
Back at work, Lena sat outside on a bench during her break, holding a cup of coffee. The sun was bright and warm, but her thoughts were cold and heavy.
She pulled out her phone, her fingers trembling as she opened the latest chapter of her father's webtoon on the webtoon app (give it a name). There it was—her face, her name, everything that happened to her the previous night—all perfectly illustrated as if it had been pulled directly from her memories.
Her heart pounded as she stared at the screen. Why is this happening? she wondered. Her finger hovered over the screen, tempted to delete the app entirely.
Then it happened.
A low hum filled her ears, growing louder with each passing second. Lena dropped her phone, looking around in panic. No one else seemed to notice the sound.
Before she could react, her body stiffened. A white light engulfed her, and she felt the familiar, terrifying pull.
"No! No, no, no!" she screamed, clawing at the bench, trying to anchor herself. But it was no use.
The light consumed her, and in an instant, she was gone.