11:00 AM- Seoul, South Korea

Kiara Kim stood at the head of the long mahogany table, the weight of expectation pressing down on her. The polished surface reflected the cold gleam in her eyes as he faced the board members, who were twice her age and seasoned in the art of underestimation. 

The air was thick with tension, laced with the rich scent of coffee and power.

The pressure was unbearable. The board members stared at her with contempt. Most of them were old enough to be her father's age, and they would never let her forget it. The pressure was unbearable, yet she was not ready to give them that pleasure.

Director Park leaned back in his chair, and he pressed his hands together, fingers splayed out. "CEO Kim, our financial projections show a 30% decline in foreign investments this quarter. In my thought, the Indian market is unstable now, so why are you taking this huge gamble?" 

Kiara smoothed down her blazer, a sharp contrast to the warm brown of her hair. Her gaze. Unwavering, met his. Kiara was the CEO of the biggest company in Korea.

"Because where you see risk, I see opportunity, the opportunity to expand our company." Kiara's voice was crisp, each word deliberate. "India's tech sector is growing faster than any other. If we hesitate now, our competitors will take that lead."

A murmur rippled through the room. Some exchanged wary glances. Others shifted in their seats. 

Director Choi cleared his throat. "With all due respect, CEO Kim, we cannot afford reckless decisions."

Kiara's lips curled into a slow, knowing smile. as she stood on the chair. "It's not like I'm forcing you. and I'm not playing safe." she let her words settle. "If we don't expand now. We'll be the ones left behind."

"….." Board members didn't say anything against her. The silence fell on the room. The atmosphere was darkened and silent, and the tension thickened.

Kaira leaned forward, her voice a blade cutting through hesitation. "But if anyone here is too afraid to take that step. I won't force them." she paused, her next words slicing through the room like ice.

 "I'll just replace them."

"You're making a mistake, Kiara," Director Park shot back, his voice sharp. "The board won't support this reckless—"

Kiara's younger brother sat in his seat, not looking at her. And Han Tae-yang, her fiancé, sat beside her with a blank expression but definite support. He had no stake in the battles between corporations. But he was an anchor, steadying her on unstable ground. They were not in love, but he had always stood by Kiara's side; after all, he was a dependable businessman.

"The board?" Kiara turned back, eyes flashing. "Let me be crystal clear. I'm not asking for your support. I'm telling you how this is going to go."

"My people have spent months on this project, and I won't let you bury it because you're too scared to take a risk."

The meeting ended with Kiara's words as the others filled out. 

'Hmph… how pathetic. I know who the main character of this rebellion is.

'Most of these directors would stab me in the back, given half a chance.' Kiara thought while she stepped forward to her cabin. She moved immediately to her cabin. 

*Kiara's Cabin*

It was at this hour that the working day was over. Kiara found herself alone in the office, staring at the window outside.

 'There were lives and activities of people that bustled into the city, yet I didn't seem to be part of them.'

Her phone was ringing once more. But She wouldn't take the call. It's dinnertime. Family again. Same old faces. Same tired, uneasy conversations. 

~~

10:47 P.M. Driving Through Seoul

The city stretched before her, a never-ending sea of lights and movements. Even at this hour, Seoul pulsed with life. Neon signs flickered, car horns blared, and the faint hum of conversations spilled onto the streets from late-night cafes. 

Kiara drove in silence, the hum of the engine the only companion to her thoughts. The adrenaline from the boardroom had long faded, replaced by something heavier. A dull ache settled between her temples, a reminder that she hadn't eaten since morning.

She exhaled, tapping her fingers against the steering wheel.

that dream

It had haunted her for weeks, always the same. Shadows curling around her feet, a suffocating darkness pressing in, and then crimson eyes. A voice hollow and endless, whispering words she could never quite remember upon working.

*A woman stood in front of her in the dream. Her long, dark hair was a night of shadows. Her crimson-red eyes, resembling a blood moon, held an eerie glow.*

"Elara," the woman said, "I've been trying to reach you."

"Why?" 

Kiara clenched her jaw. It's just stress. Most of the parts she forgets. She only remembered that someone was trying to talk to her, that she hadn't met in the first place. She had no time for superstition.

A red light flickered ahead, and she showed, rubbing her temples. The streets had emptied now, the last remnants of traffic slipping into the distance. 

then--

A blinding flash.

Headlight. to close. To fast. Horn blared. Tires screeched. The impact was immediate. 

"Thud"

Metal twisted, glass shattered. And the world spun in a violent, merciless dance. Pain erupted, white-hot and searing. Her breath hitched, her vision a swirling mess of fractured light and shadow.

"Kraaaaah!"

The world seemed to blur, and she was injured, her breath catching her throat. 

She thought about her business, her family that never loved her, she was working so hard for her business, and now. she thought about all the time she struggled. All the times she had smiled and pretended everything was fine. 

The pain in her body grew, her head was hit by a Truck, and the pain radiated through her body. lay on the broken car, her vision blurring, the sound of people murmuring grew, people calling an ambulance, but it was too late, 

then--through the haze, she saw her. 

A woman in deep crimson is standing at the edge of the wreckage. Her black hair cascaded down her back, illuminated by the shattered streetlights, and her eyes--red, piercing, filled with an eerie knowing.

Regret twisted in her mind that she didn't live her life the way she wanted. She regretted that she didn't care about herself, she only focused on her father's happiness if one day he looked at her the way he looked at his other children.

The woman stood in front of her didn't say anything.

Kiara thought, If god grants me another chance, If I live again, I wouldn't let anyone ruin my life, I don't care if someone's happy to love me back. I'd live my own way. 

~~~~

When Kiara opened her eyes, all she could see was too vast, too endless, painted in hues that shouldn't exist. Kiara found herself in an empty place where there was no one only holding her. With the light flashing on her body, the world was different. The air was cold, and the surroundings were unfamiliar. She was no longer in the car or the city. Her first thought was that she had died in the car. Then, where is she now?

Kiara's eyes widened in surprise as she heard a voice in an empty place, her mind was racing to comprehend the implications of her current state.