Four years later.
The bar was alive with chatter, laughter, and the clinking of glasses. At one corner booth, four women sat huddled together, their plates scattered with half-eaten food and empty bottles of soju.
"I heard the game flopped so hard," Annie said with a wicked grin, tossing her hair back. "The Male Leads are Obsessed Maniacs" totally tanked with the overwhelming negative reviews. The company lost millions. Honestly? I can't stop laughing. I'm glad I left before it drowned."
"Highly agreed," Nessa said with a soft laugh, raising her glass. "Our game The Priestess Finds Love did way better, with green-flag male leads that actual players can fall for. No abuse, no manipulation, just genuine romance. What a shocker."
"Though it's a pity they stole your character," Patricia murmured, glancing at Nessa's face.
"Yeah…NDAs I guess…." Nessa swirled the liquid in her cup, her tone softening. "I wanted to design the FL after my sister. I thought maybe that way she'd live on, in some sense."
"Wait, that's allowed?" Laura, blinked in surprise.
"You didn't know?" Annie asked. "Nessa's little sister was a rising music star. Gorgeous, too. We all agreed she'd be a perfect inspiration for a protagonist."
Laura's smile faltered, noticing the depressed looks of the group. "What happened to her?"
"She was killed," Nessa said simply, her tone flat. "By her husband."
The table went quiet. Laura's hand flew to her mouth. "I'm so sorry."
"Don't be," Nessa murmured, brushing it off. But her eyes were distant, hollow.
Patricia tried to shift the mood. "Honestly, that old company deserved its failure. Who in their right mind thought a pedophile magic teacher, a blood thirty violent Duke, a sexual harasser prince, a manipulative pedophilic Marquis, and Yandere twins who constantly threaten to hurt everyone around the fl, would make good love interests? I swear, I need to meet the idiot who thought that lineup was romantic."
"They were obviously delusional," Laura said with a laugh, shaking her head.
"Well, no use dwelling on it now," Nessa said quietly.
Patricia chuckled. "I know you're the happiest out of all of us, Nessa. You're glowing."
Nessa forced a laugh, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.
Suddenly, a shrill voice rose from another table.
"Oh my god, did you hear? Musician Aiji Kang is going to be released from prison! They finally listened to our petition!"
"What?!" another girl at the same table whispered. "Didn't he… abuse and kill his wife?"
"So what? He's served his time! That just makes him hotter, like a real-life broken dark romance ml, y'know?" the first girl giggled.
SLAP.
The sound echoed through the bar. Silence followed, as every eye turned toward Nessa, standing over the girl she had just struck.
The young woman clutched her cheek, horrified. "What the hell?! Are you crazy?! Why would you hit me?!"
Nessa's eyes were cold, sharper than steel. "Because you disgust me."
The girl shrank back in her seat, unable to meet Nessa's gaze.
"I'm heading home," Nessa said to her friends, grabbing her bag. Her voice carried no emotion.
"Nessa—" Annie started, but Patricia placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking her head.
"Let her go," Patricia whispered. "She needs time alone."
Walking through the dark streets, Nessa scrolled through her phone. The headline of Aiji's release reflecting on her eyes.
"Court Grants Bail to Musician Aiji Kang."
Nessa stopped in her tracks, her fists clenching so hard her nails dug into her palms. "Bribery," she hissed under her breath. "There's no way this isn't bribery. Aiji… you'll walk free while Olivia rots in the dirt? No. I won't accept that."
She quickened her pace, anger buzzing in her veins like poison.
Back at her apartment, she pulled open a drawer. Inside lay a silencer. Her hands were steady as she picked it up, loaded the magazine, and clicked it into place.
The next morning, chaos filled the streets outside the prison. Protesters shouted for justice, holding signs with Olivia's name. Across from them, screaming fangirls waved banners of Aiji's face, crying that he was misunderstood, that he deserved a second chance.
In the chaos, no one noticed Nessa slipping closer, her hood pulled over her face. Her heart pounded, but her hands were steady as she raised the gun.
For a split second, she saw him, Aiji, stepping into the sunlight with a smug smirk, his fans shrieking his name. The same hands that had broken Olivia's ribs were raised.
BANG.
The bullet tore through his skull. Aiji collapsed instantly, his body crumpling in front of his adoring fans. Screams erupted. Protesters and fangirls alike scattered in panic.
Police surged forward, tackling Nessa to the ground, prying the weapon from her hands. She didn't resist. She didn't even blink.
In a cold steel interrogation room, Nessa sat cuffed, her expression blank. Her eyes stared forward, as if she were already gone.
"You know what you did was wrong, right?" her lawyer asked, frustration bleeding into her voice.
Nessa tilted her head slightly, then smirked. "I killed a rapist. An abusive bastard. So no, I don't give a damn."
The lawyer exhaled heavily, rubbing her temple. "You're making this difficult. You're a woman, you'll either get life in prison or a death sentence."
Nessa's laugh was dark, bitter. "Yet he didn't get a death sentence nor life in prison like promised? He tortured and murdered my sister, and he got to keep breathing for four years. What a pathetic world."
Her voice dropped, softer, almost amused. "But honestly? I'm satisfied. All those hours at the shooting range paid off."
Before anyone could react, Nessa shifted her cuffed hands, pulling a hairpin from her braids. The officers in the room stiffened, tasers raised, but she didn't hesitate. With one swift movement, she drove the pin into her throat.
Blood spilled down her neck as gasps filled the room.
"Call medics! Now!" the lawyer screamed as officers rushed to stop the bleeding.
Nessa's vision blurred. Her body grew cold. But in her fading consciousness, she smiled.
'Little sister… I got justice for you. In my next life, let us meet again. And this time… I'll protect you.'