Somewhere in the space between waking and sleep, Yoong Soo floated.
It wasn't darkness that surrounded him, but an endless white haze, soft and shifting like clouds. There was no sound, no sense of ground or sky, only weightless drifting. His body felt light, his thoughts slower than usual. Maybe it was the lack of sleep. Two nights without rest had already dulled his mind, and even now, he assumed this was nothing more than a deep dream brought on by exhaustion.
He didn't panic. He didn't question. He simply drifted.
But the stillness did not last.
A faint pull began tugging at him, gentle at first, then stronger, as though something unseen was drawing him toward a brighter light ahead. The mist parted, and the glow grew so intense that it blurred his vision. His heart beat faster.
"What kind of dream is this…" he murmured, his voice lost in the air.
The brightness consumed everything. For a moment, his mind went blank. Then, slowly, a new sensation emerged—solid ground beneath him, cool air brushing his skin, the faint smell of something clean and wooden.
A soft groan escaped his lips as he stirred.
His eyelids fluttered open, heavy with sleep. The light that greeted him was natural and warm, spilling from somewhere beyond the room. Yoong Soo rubbed his eyes lazily, still half-asleep, until the unfamiliar ceiling came into focus.
Gray. Uncracked. Smooth.
He blinked again. This wasn't his ceiling.
He pushed himself up slowly, sitting on what felt nothing like his bed. When he looked down, his confusion deepened. The mattress was gone—replaced by a blue futon. And his pajamas, which should have been an old pair of worn shorts and a T-shirt, were now a neat navy blue set that looked far too new to belong to him.
His head tilted. "What the…?"
He stood up too quickly and stumbled, catching himself against the wall. His heartbeat spiked.
The room around him was tidy, almost minimal. A small white desk stood in the left corner, its surface perfectly arranged—laptop, books, glasses, a phone, and a small lamp. Beside it sat a white wooden chair, pushed neatly under the table. To his right, a wooden closet stood closed, its surface polished and plain.
Across the room, a sliding glass door led to a balcony. Through it, he could see a stretch of green forest glowing under morning sunlight, fields of crops swaying gently in the breeze. The view looked too peaceful, too unreal to belong anywhere in Seoul.
Yoong Soo's pulse quickened. Sweat trickled down his temple as he slowly turned toward the door at the far end of the room.
"What is going on…" he whispered, scanning the unfamiliar walls. "Where… am I?"
Before he could calm himself, a soft knock came from the door.
"Rowan," a gentle voice called from the other side. It was the kind of voice that carried warmth and years of age, patient and kind. "You should come down and eat already."
Yoong Soo froze.
Rowan?
His throat went dry. He had no idea who that was. And the voice—he had never heard it before.
Another knock came, softer this time. "Rowan, did you hear me?"
He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could form a thought, a strange wave of warmth spread through his chest. His lips moved on their own.
"I'll come in a moment," he said without meaning to. "I just need to tidy up my room first."
The voice didn't sound quite like his own—it was gentler, smoother.
His eyes widened as soon as the words left his mouth.
What was that?
The woman outside chuckled softly. "All right then, but make it quick. We still have some planting to do in the garden."
Her footsteps faded away, leaving only silence.
Yoong Soo stood motionless, his mind spinning. He could still feel the warmth lingering from whatever had just taken over his body, as if someone else's instincts had spoken through him. Slowly, he reached up and touched his lips, his hand trembling slightly.
He swallowed hard. "That wasn't… me."
His heart pounded as he looked around the unfamiliar room once more, taking in the strange furniture, the morning light, the smell of earth drifting in from the balcony.
And then, realization struck him like a quiet whisper in the back of his mind.
The wish.
The one he had made before falling asleep.
He stared at the floor, disbelief flickering in his tired eyes. "No way…"
A shaky laugh escaped his throat. "Don't tell me… it actually worked."
His heartbeat quickened, echoing inside his chest as Yoong Soo slowly stumbled toward the glass door. Without hesitation, he gripped the handle and slid it open with a sharp sound that sliced through the quiet morning.
The morning air greeted him the moment he slid open the glass door.
A rush of wind swept into the room, brushing past his clothes and ruffling his hair. Yoong Soo stepped onto the balcony, the tiles cool beneath his bare feet. The scent of pine and damp soil filled his lungs, sharp and fresh.
He leaned forward slightly, his hands gripping the railing as he looked over the edge. The view stretched endlessly before him: a sea of green forests rolling into distant hills, fields lined neatly with crops that glittered with dew under the sunlight. It was beautiful, but not familiar.
His heart sank with confusion until, by instinct, he turned his head to the left.
That was when he saw it.
Far in the distance, cutting through the horizon like a monument that reached the heavens, stood a colossal tower. Its spire gleamed gold under the morning sun, so tall it seemed to pierce through the clouds themselves.
The Spire of Ascension.
Yoong Soo's breath caught in his throat. The name alone echoed through his memories. It was no ordinary structure—it was a tower of trials and strength, a symbol that existed on every continent within the world of Love.exe. Each floor held its own world, its own rules, and its own dangers.
There was no mistaking it now.
He wasn't dreaming.
His wish had come true.
Yoong Soo stared at the tower for a long while, his left hand gripping the railing, the morning light casting soft gold across his face. Slowly, his right hand rose to brush through his hair, a disbelieving laugh slipping out of him.
"I really… got reincarnated," he whispered.
The wind carried his words into the distance.
For a few quiet moments, he simply stood there, lost in the sight of the tower. Then, as his thoughts settled, the reality of where he was began to take form inside his mind. This was Love.exe—the same world that had stolen his nights, the same story whose ending had left a hollow ache in his chest.
He remembered it clearly. The final chapters. Evelyn's eyes, once bright and full of mischief, dulled after her final breakup. A thousand hearts broken, a thousand men left behind. The system had freed her, but at the cost of her ability to love. In the end, she had lived quietly, adopting a child instead of taking a lover.
It was a tragic beauty that had made Yoong Soo fall in love with her even more.
Now, standing under the same sun that shone upon her world, he clenched his fists and made a silent vow.
"If some unknown force gave me this chance," he murmured, "then I won't waste it. I'll change her ending."
He looked back at the golden spire, eyes hardening with resolve.
"I'll keep her heart warm… no matter what it takes."
The thought of Evelyn, now real somewhere in this vast world, sent a tremor through his chest. But that same realization brought a sting of pain. He knew the system she carried forced her to date over a thousand men. Just thinking about it made his expression tighten.
"She'll… she'll have to go through all of that again," he said softly, his voice almost trembling.
His mind began to drift, imagining her smiling and laughing with other men, holding hands, whispering words meant only for them. A flicker of jealousy burned in his chest before he caught himself.
"What am I even thinking?" he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck as heat crept up his cheeks. "She doesn't even know I exist. And here I am… acting like we're already close."
He exhaled deeply and shook his head, trying to steady his thoughts. The forest breeze blew through his hair again, almost as if mocking his sudden fluster. When he finally calmed down, he lifted his gaze to the tower once more, his eyes now steady with determination.
"It doesn't matter," he said under his breath. "Even if she dates a thousand men, I'll be the one waiting at the end."
If every man in this world was a stepping stone for her growth, then he would become the one who reached her heart after it all.
To do that, he needed strength. Power. Influence. He needed to climb the Spire of Ascension itself, to stand among the strongest this world could offer.
A spark of excitement rose in him. "And maybe," he thought aloud, "just maybe, I have something special too."
If Evelyn had a system, perhaps he, as a reincarnator, had one as well. He straightened his posture, looking toward the open air before him.
"System, open."
Nothing happened.
"System… activate?" he tried again, his voice quieter this time.
Still nothing.
He frowned, staring at the air in front of him as if it might change its mind. "Come on. System, status window? Inventory? Menu?"
Silence.
The only thing that answered him was the wind brushing against the balcony.
After several failed attempts, Yoong Soo sighed and slumped against the railing, muttering to himself, "Guess not. Figures I wouldn't get that lucky."
He chuckled softly, the disappointment fading almost as quickly as it came. "Fine. I don't need it anyway. I already know this world better than anyone."
Memories of the story unfolded in his mind: secret treasures, hidden dungeons, the rare artifacts that Evelyn had discovered but barely used. He knew where they were, how to find them, and when they appeared.
"If I can get them first," he said with a grin, "I'll have a head start."
He told himself it wasn't stealing—it was survival. And maybe, just maybe, a way to protect Evelyn from the loneliness that awaited her.
The thought of changing her fate filled him with a quiet sense of purpose. He inhaled deeply, the scent of morning air grounding him once more, and turned back toward his room.
As he slid the glass door shut behind him, a faint reflection of the Spire gleamed across the glass. He watched it fade, then whispered to himself, firm and certain,
"This time, things will end differently."