Maya's POV
"If you're planning to become a villain, I'll kill you right here."
Jae-hyun's words hung in the air like a death sentence. His eyes glowed with that inhuman power, and I knew—absolutely knew—he meant every word.
My system screamed a warning:
[DANGER: HOSTILE INTENT DETECTED][KANG JAE-HYUN - THREAT LEVEL: EXTREME][RECOMMENDATION: RETREAT IMMEDIATELY]
But I didn't move. Didn't run. Instead, I looked him straight in those glowing eyes and asked the one question that mattered:
"What makes you think you're the hero?"
He blinked, surprised.
"In my first life," I continued, my voice steady despite my racing heart, "I was betrayed by everyone I loved. My sister. My fiancé. The people I saved. They used me, threw me away, and fed me to zombies while laughing." I stepped closer, anger burning through my fear. "So tell me, Void King—if you came back to save yourself, why can't I come back to destroy the people who murdered me?"
Jae-hyun's glowing eyes flickered. The power around him dimmed slightly.
"Because revenge makes you the same as them," he said, but his voice was less certain now.
"No." I shook my head. "Revenge makes me the person who survives. The person who ensures they never hurt anyone else again." I crossed my arms. "And if you have a problem with that, then kill me now. Because I'm not letting them destroy me twice."
Silence stretched between us. Jae-hyun studied my face like he was reading a book written in a language he'd forgotten.
Finally, he sighed and the glow faded from his eyes. "I'm not going to kill you."
"Why not?"
"Because..." He ran a hand through his black hair, looking tired suddenly. Human. "Because I remember holding your dead body and feeling like I'd failed to save someone important. And because—" He met my eyes. "—because maybe revenge isn't the same as evil. Maybe it's just survival."
Something in my chest loosened. "So we're not enemies?"
"Not yet." A small, dangerous smile crossed his face. "But I'm watching you, Maya Chen. And if you cross the line from revenge into monster, I will stop you."
"Fair enough." I stepped back, letting him into my apartment. "Now are you going to tell me how you came back? And what your plan is?"
Jae-hyun walked in, his presence filling my small apartment. "You first. Your system. Death's Architect. That's not a normal SSS-rank."
I hesitated, then decided honesty was smarter than lies. He'd know if I lied anyway.
"I can control zombies. Steal powers. See weaknesses. Drain life." I watched his reaction. "The system says I'm unique. That nobody else has these abilities."
"They're right." Jae-hyun sat on my couch without asking. "I have the Void King system. I can erase things from existence—matter, energy, even abilities. But your powers..." He shook his head. "Those are god-tier. Possibly the strongest system that will exist."
"And yours isn't?"
"Mine destroys. Yours controls." He leaned forward. "Do you understand what that means? When the apocalypse starts, every awakened will be trying to kill zombies. But you? You'll be building an army of them."
The thought sent chills down my spine. An army of zombies under my control.
"I need to prepare," I said suddenly. "I need to write everything down before I forget."
I grabbed my notebook—the one I used for grocery lists and random thoughts—and opened to a blank page. Jae-hyun watched as I started writing.
THREE DAYS UNTIL APOCALYPSE
THINGS I REMEMBER:
My hand moved fast, pouring out six months of memories:
Day 1: Apocalypse starts at 6:47 AM Awakening happens simultaneously worldwide 90% of humans become zombies instantly Subway Station 4 has a hidden dungeon (low-level, good for starter equipment) Supermarket on 5th Street will be untouched for 3 days (everyone rushes to military base instead) Han River Bridge collapses on Day 2 (save people before then)
"You remember everything," Jae-hyun said, reading over my shoulder. "Dates, times, locations."
"Six months of hell tends to stick in your memory." I kept writing.
Then I flipped to a new page and wrote two headers:
PEOPLE TO SAVE
PEOPLE TO DESTROY
"What's this?" Jae-hyun asked.
"My lists." I started writing names under 'PEOPLE TO SAVE':
Sarah Oh (trauma surgeon, saved me when nobody else would) Kwan Min-ho (19-year-old kid, died protecting children) Park Ji-woo (single mom, shared her food with starving strangers) Lee Dae-jung (old man who knew all the safe routes)
People who'd been kind. People who'd died because they were good.
"This time, I'm saving them first," I said. "Before the bad people can use them."
Jae-hyun nodded slowly. "And the other list?"
My hand shook as I wrote the first name under 'PEOPLE TO DESTROY':
Liu Yiren (my sister)Crime: Betrayal, attempted murder, stealing supplies meant for children Ethan Park (my ex-fiancé)
Crime: Betrayal, abandonment, causing 12 deaths by stealing medicine Commander Shin Tae-junCrime: Using people as zombie bait, executing "useless" awakened
The list went on. Ten names. Twenty. Thirty.
Every person who'd killed, stolen, or betrayed in my first life. Every monster wearing a human face.
"That's a lot of enemies," Jae-hyun observed.
"They earned it." I closed the notebook. "I'm not killing innocents. Just the people who deserve it."
"And how do you decide who deserves death?"
I looked at him. "The same way you do. By watching what they do when nobody's stopping them."
He didn't argue.
My phone buzzed. A text from Yiren:
"Big sis, Ethan told me you said no about the money. Why are you being so mean? I'm your SISTER. Family helps family! 😢"
I showed Jae-hyun the text. "In my first life, I gave her the money. She bought designer shoes. The next week, a little girl died because we didn't have enough medicine. Medicine I could've bought with that $500."
Jae-hyun's jaw tightened. "And you remembered that? One child among thousands?"
"I remember every death that was my fault." My voice cracked. "Every person I could've saved if I'd been smarter. Stronger. Less trusting."
"Maya—"
"I'm not that person anymore." I deleted Yiren's text without responding. "This time, I'm saving the right people and destroying the wrong ones."
Jae-hyun stood, his expression complicated. "I'll help you. Not with the revenge—that's your choice. But with the preparation. With saving the innocents."
"Why? You don't know me."
"Because I held your corpse and felt like my soul was breaking." His eyes met mine, raw and honest. "And because someone who remembers every death they couldn't prevent isn't a villain. They're just someone who cares too much."
Something warm bloomed in my chest. Hope, maybe. Or trust.
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet." He headed for the door. "Meet me tomorrow morning. 7 AM. The coffee shop on Gangnam Street. We'll plan how to save your people before the apocalypse starts."
He paused at the door.
"And Maya? Add my name to your save list. Because I'm not letting you face this alone."
The door closed behind him.
I stood there, staring at my notebook. At the two lists that would define the next six months.
My system chimed:
[QUEST COMPLETE: MEET THE OTHER RETURNER][REWARD: 100 EXP][NEW QUEST UNLOCKED: PREVENT FIRST TRAGEDY][OBJECTIVE: Save Dr. Sarah Oh from the car accident that kills her in 48 hours][REWARD: UNLOCK ALLY SYSTEM + 200 EXP]
My blood went cold.
Dr. Sarah died in a car accident? I'd thought she died during the apocalypse. But if she died before it even started...
I grabbed my phone, hands shaking, and called her number.
It rang. And rang. And rang.
Then voicemail: "Hi! This is Dr. Oh. I'm currently in surgery and can't answer. Leave a message!"
Surgery. She was at the hospital. Safe.
I exhaled in relief—
My system blazed red with a new alert:
[EMERGENCY WARNING][TIMELINE CORRUPTION DETECTED][YOUR SISTER YIREN HAS JUST RECEIVED A SYSTEM MESSAGE][MESSAGE CONTENT: "Kill Maya Chen before the apocalypse. She will destroy your future."][YIREN'S RESPONSE: ACCEPTED][THREAT LEVEL: CRITICAL][TIME UNTIL ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT: 3 HOURS]
My sister was coming to kill me.
And she didn't even know why.