The hum of excitement and the smell of carnival food filled the air as the festival lights flickered against the evening sky. Cha Yoon, her heart weighed down by the recent breakup and the endless cycle of disappointment, wandered through the bustling crowd. The festival, a vibrant spectacle of colors and sounds, contrasted sharply with the dark cloud that loomed over her heart.
Her mom had mentioned gambling as a birthday treat—a grim reminder of how their financial situation had worsened. But Yoon, just turning sixteen in a week, had other plans. She wanted to escape from her current life, to be someone different, to be like the "cool heartless girl" she saw on TV—someone who never showed weakness, never let others in. In her mind, becoming like her idol seemed like the only way to stop the relentless bullying that had followed her for years. Her kindness and friendliness had always been met with sneers and scorn. Now, she was determined to learn to fight, to be unfeeling and untouchable.
As she wandered deeper into the festival grounds, the pulsating music from the various stalls and rides seemed to match the rhythm of her racing thoughts. Yoon spotted a makeshift stage in the center of the festival area, where a crowd was gathered. Curious, she approached and saw a lone figure dancing in the middle—a boy her age, dancing with a kind of earnestness that seemed out of place amidst the frenetic energy of the festival.
Feeling a pang of loneliness, she hesitated before stepping into the center herself. Her movements were hesitant at first but gradually gained confidence. The dance was her way of expressing the turmoil inside, a way to momentarily forget the weight of her life.
Just as she lost herself in the music, a sudden commotion broke through her reverie. A soft, plush teddy bear rolled across the floor, heading straight toward her. Yoon glanced down, noting its innocent appearance, and picked it up absentmindedly. It was a small, cute toy, but there was something peculiar about it—something that made her uneasy.
Before she could ponder further, she noticed the crowd around her had grown quiet, their eyes fixed on her with a mix of curiosity and unease. It was then that the weight of the teddy bear seemed to shift, and a chill ran down her spine. Her instincts screamed at her to drop it, but before she could react, there was a sudden, deafening explosion.
The world erupted into chaos. Yoon felt a blinding pain, her senses overwhelmed by the sound and force of the blast. She was thrown backward, the festival lights turning into a swirling mess of colors. Her vision blurred, and she lost all sense of time and space.
When she regained consciousness, she was back at the entrance of the festival. The scene before her was eerily familiar, as if she had been transported back in time. The festival was in full swing, as though nothing had happened.
Panic surged through her as she spotted her mom, who was about to enter the elevator to leave. Without thinking, Yoon rushed to her, trying to warn her of the danger. As they descended in the elevator, she heard the sound of another explosion—a harsh, violent reminder that history was repeating itself.
Yoon died once more, the pain and fear overwhelming her. When she opened her eyes again, she was back at the festival entrance, her body and mind exhausted from the repeated trauma.
As she tried to collect her thoughts, the enormity of her situation began to sink in. Each death seemed to reset her to this same point, each explosion a brutal reminder of her helplessness. She felt like she was trapped in a never-ending loop, each attempt to break free only leading her back to the beginning.
Desperation gripped her as she frantically searched for a solution. She finally spotted the bomb, hidden among the debris, and with trembling hands, she managed to throw it away from the crowd. But the bomb's trajectory was off, and it exploded mid-air, raining debris and chaos down upon the people below. The festival turned into a scene of horror, with injuries and panic spreading through the crowd.
The authorities arrived quickly, and Yoon found herself at the center of a storm of questions and accusations. Her attempt to escape the cycle had only made things worse. She was now a marked figure, her actions leading to casualties she had never intended.
As the police took her away, Yoon felt the weight of her choices crushing her. The world seemed to spin out of control, and she realized that the escape she had so desperately sought was slipping further and further from her grasp.
Her journey had only just begun, but the path ahead was fraught with pain, confusion, and a quest to break free from the endless rebirth of her existence.