'God… seriously, what is this life?'
In the car rolling down the asphalt, Hye-won cursed the state of her twenty-seven years of existence.
It was Chuseok, and she was on her way home for the holiday. While speeding down the highway through the steady drizzle, a sudden lane change from another vehicle tipped her car off balance in an instant.
And that was when she realized—she'd forgotten to fasten her seatbelt after stopping at the rest area.
Maybe fate really does exist, Hye-won thought, blankly watching the scene of her scalding coffee flying through the air.
Fragments of the shattered A-pillar and her phone, blaring out, "Tollgate in 5km," distorted her vision.
It was 8:15 p.m.
People say your life flashes before your eyes in your final moments, like a slideshow of memories.
But all that came to Hye-won's mind was swearing—and one, single, overwhelming memory.
She was nineteen, in her last year of high school. It was that in-between season where summer fades into autumn. She and Yoon Jae-ha had run behind the deserted apartment complex.
Their clumsy first kiss tasted of blood, and even as their teeth bumped together, they couldn't stop giggling.
What kind of ridiculous scene was that?
But then came Choi Soo-rin's voice—and for reasons she couldn't understand, everything between her and Jae-ha fell apart.
Why had Jae-ha pushed her away? Did he have his reasons? But he never said a word. And from that moment, the bright, glittering world of Hye-won's life flipped upside down.
All it took was losing Yoon Jae-ha, and everything descended into darkness.
"Why won't you tell me? Why won't you even look at me? If that's how it was going to be, you shouldn't have kissed me in the first place, you jerk!"
At the time, she blamed him, projecting all her frustration onto him.
"Jae-ha… It's all my fault, I'm sorry for swearing at you. Can't we just go back to how things were?"
She had begged, pathetically. But all she got in return was the cold look in Jae-ha's eyes.
And just like that, she lost him—her childhood friend, her first love, her first kiss.
"Hye-won!"
At the desperate sound of her name, Hye-won weakly turned her surely broken neck.
Through her spinning vision, she saw Jae-ha fumbling to undo his seatbelt.
That idiot. Who's he going to blame if he dies like this?
And then… everything slowed down. The blood—undoubtedly hers—splattering in the air. Jae-ha finally releasing his seatbelt. His hand reaching toward her. The feeling of being pulled into his solid arms.
"I love you, Hye-won."
What…? That sudden confession was the last thing she heard before her world faded into darkness.
On the rain-soaked, pitch-black highway, crushed inside their wrecked car, embraced by the warmth fading from Jae-ha's body—Hye-won quietly took her last breath.
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On lazy weekend mornings, there's always some bizarre show on TV—stories about alien abductions, ridiculous deaths, and other oddities.
With its long history, the show covered just about everything, including tales of the afterlife.
"Yeah, right."
Hye-won never believed in ghosts, even though she entertained the idea of aliens.
Whenever she saw people recalling past lives under hypnosis, she'd switch the channel. Reincarnation dramas? She wouldn't even look at them—way too childish for her taste.
Not exactly the right attitude for a variety show writer, but that's how Hye-won was.
Well, at least… up until now.
The moment she opened her eyes, she instinctively knew—she was dead.
And seeing black cars pull up with men in dark suits only confirmed it.
"So… those are grim reapers, huh?"
"Like I said, there seems to have been a mishap, given the rain and the Chuseok holiday…"
Hye-won stared blankly at the sweating man in the tailored black suit, fumbling through his explanation.
"A grim reaper… sweating? Aren't you supposed to be a ghost?"
"Even reapers sweat, you know. This is serious business."
Startled by the man's response, Hye-won's gaze dropped to the young boy standing next to him—dressed in a black hoodie, jeans, and sneakers. The boy flashed her an impish smile.
"What is he? An intern?"
"Yeah, I've still got some time before I'm official."
What the hell…?
Dazed, Hye-won rubbed the goosebumps from her arms. The boy tapped his temple with his finger and continued,
"Reapers can hear your thoughts, too. Even the ones you keep to yourself."
"Oh… okay."
Embarrassed, Hye-won nudged Jae-ha beside her. He turned toward her, still listening to the reaper's explanation.
"They can hear our thoughts. It's kinda convenient, being a ghost. Right?"
Jae-ha frowned slightly at her remark, giving her a disapproving look before turning back to the reaper.
"So, you're saying we died because of your mistake?"
"To summarize… yes."
"And to fix that mistake, you're going to bring us back to life?"
"Correct. People not listed in the Book of Life can't cross the Sando River. It may not be much comfort, but we sincerely apologize."
"Forget the apology. Just tell us how we're coming back."
Listening to Jae-ha's calm voice, Hye-won felt a wave of nameless relief wash over her. Thank God he was here.
If she had gone through this alone, she would've been bawling by now, begging for her life—
"I got dumped by my childhood friend when I was 19. His name? Yoon Jae-ha. He totally played me, and I've been too traumatized to date ever since."
Yeah, she definitely would've embarrassed herself with that TMI.
Hye-won peeked at Jae-ha's sharp profile from the corner of her eye. His jawline and nose were more defined than in high school—more masculine, though he had always been good-looking.
"Jae-ha died… because of me. Of all days, why'd we end up in the same car today?"
Seven years. That's how long they'd avoided each other.
And then, just a week ago, she saw him again—coming out of the villa next door. The shock nearly floored her.
She suspected her mom was behind it.
"You were saying you wanted to move, so I recommended the neighborhood. Didn't you say it's nice? And wouldn't it be convenient with Jae-ha living next door?"
And today…
"The car broke down. Obviously, I couldn't get a bus ticket home."
Then, the doorbell rang. It was Jae-ha—acting casual as if nothing happened despite seven years apart.
"No thanks. Why would I?"
"We're heading the same way, same destination. We were friends, once. Can't we just go together?"
"'Once' being the key word. We're basically strangers now."
His eyes narrowed as he studied her face, sharp and calculating.
"You sure you don't still have feelings for me?"
"W-What are you talking about? Of course not! I never thought of you as anything more than a friend. Let's go already!"
Her pride got the better of her, and she blurted out nonsense.
That stupid pride… cost them their lives.
Luckily, they had another chance. If not, she would've become a ghost, haunting the highway for eternity.
Who knows—maybe her tragic story would've made it onto one of those weekend shows.
Just then…
"Have you heard of the 49 days?"