Cold rain poured from the dark sky. 🌧️

A young woman sat curled up in a narrow alley, her thin clothes soaked through.

Her stomach ached with hunger.

It had been two days since she had eaten a proper meal.

The once-proud heiress, who had lived in a luxurious mansion, now had nothing.

She smiled bitterly.

"How did my life become like this...?"

Memories flashed through her mind.

When she was only three years old, her mother passed away.

Her wealthy father gave her everything money could buy, but never the love she longed for. He was always busy and rarely came home.

The people she trusted most—her mother's cousins—raised her.

They spoiled her.

They told her she didn't need to study because she was rich.

They encouraged her bad temper and laughed whenever she made a mistake.

She thought they loved her.

She was wrong.

When she fell in love with the smartest boy in her class, they whispered into her ears every day.

"If you love him, don't let him go."

"Use your family's power."

"Make him marry you."

Blinded by love, she listened.

She forced him into a marriage he never wanted.

That single decision destroyed both of their lives.

The marriage ended in divorce.

After that, the same cousins who had encouraged her abandoned her without a second thought.

They took away her inheritance.

They drove everyone away from her.

When she begged for help...

No one reached out a hand.

Tears rolled down her pale cheeks.

"I was so foolish..."

"I trusted the wrong people..."

"I ruined his life..."

"If only..."

"If only I could live once more..."

The rain grew heavier.

Her vision slowly blurred.

With endless regret filling her heart, she closed her eyes forever.

...

A sharp ringing sound echoed in her ears.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

Her eyes flew open.

She stared at the familiar classroom ceiling in shock.

The voices of students filled the room.

Someone laughed.

Someone complained about homework.

At the front of the class, the teacher was writing on the blackboard.

She looked down at her own hands.

Smooth.

Young.

Unscarred.

Then her eyes landed on the countdown board.

College Entrance Examination — 180 Days Left.

She froze.

"...I'm alive?"

"No..."

"This can't be..."

She had returned...

To the day everything could still be changed.

Cold rain poured endlessly over the silent streets. 🌧️

A young woman sat curled up beneath the broken roof of an abandoned bus stop.

Her clothes were old and soaked.

Her lips were pale.

Her hands trembled from hunger.

She lowered her head, wrapping her arms around herself as another cold wind blew past.

"...So this is how it ends."

Once...

She had been the only daughter of a wealthy family.

She owned luxury cars.

A huge mansion.

Designer clothes.

Everything people dreamed of.

Now...

She couldn't even afford a bowl of hot noodles.

A bitter smile appeared on her lips.

"I deserve this..."

Her stomach growled painfully.

It had been nearly two days since she had eaten anything.

She slowly closed her eyes.

Memories she had tried to forget flooded back.

...

When she was only three years old, her mother passed away.

She never even remembered what her mother's embrace felt like.

Her father loved his work more than his home.

Every month, he transferred a large amount of money into her account.

Every birthday, expensive gifts arrived.

But he rarely appeared.

Money was never lacking.

Love always was.

Fortunately...

At least that was what she had believed.

Her mother's cousins came to the mansion.

They smiled warmly.

"We'll take care of you."

"We're family."

"Don't be afraid."

Little by little...

She depended on them.

Whenever she cried, they comforted her.

Whenever she wanted something, they spoiled her.

If she refused to study...

They laughed.

"Our little princess doesn't need good grades."

"Why work hard? You're already rich."

"If you're happy, that's enough."

She believed every word.

Instead of correcting her mistakes...

They encouraged them.

Instead of teaching her responsibility...

They taught her arrogance.

By the time she realized the truth...

It was already too late.

...

In high school...

She met him.

The smartest boy in school.

Quiet.

Handsome.

Hardworking.

Unlike everyone around her, he never tried to please her because she was rich.

He treated everyone equally.

For the first time...

She wanted someone's attention.

Unfortunately...

The harder she chased him...

The farther he walked away.

She thought persistence meant love.

She didn't know...

Love could never be forced.

Seeing her obsession, her cousins whispered beside her every day.

"If you really love him, don't let him escape."

"He's poor."

"Your family can easily make him agree."

"Once you're married, he'll eventually fall in love with you."

She believed them again.

That decision...

Destroyed both of their lives.

...

Their marriage lasted only a few years.

There were endless misunderstandings.

Countless arguments.

Every time she doubted him...

Her cousins were there.

"We told you."

"He doesn't love you."

"He's using you."

"Don't trust him."

Without realizing it...

She pushed him farther away every single day.

Until one day...

He quietly handed her the divorce papers.

He looked exhausted.

"I can't do this anymore."

She laughed through her tears and signed her name.

She had believed he was the reason for all her unhappiness.

Only after the divorce did she discover the cruel truth.

The people who had ruined her life...

Were the ones she had trusted the most.

Her mother's cousins.

They had lied to her from the beginning.

Every kind word.

Every suggestion.

Every smile.

It had all been an act.

By the time she realized everything...

They had already taken her inheritance, her money, and the life her mother had left for her.

When she begged them for help...

They shut the door in her face.

"You're no longer useful to us."

Their laughter still echoed in her ears.

...

Raindrops slid down her face, mixing with silent tears.

"If..."

"If I could live again..."

"I would never let anyone control my life."

"And..."

"I would never force someone to stay beside me."

Her vision slowly blurred.

The cold no longer hurt.

The hunger disappeared.

She looked up at the dark sky one last time.

"I'm sorry..."

Then...

Everything went black.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

The loud school bell echoed through the classroom.

She frowned.

"...Am I dreaming?"

A few seconds ago, she had been lying in the freezing rain, waiting for death.

Now...

The warm sunlight shining through the classroom windows landed gently on her face.

Confused, she slowly opened her eyes.

The familiar scent of chalk filled the air.

Students chatted noisily around her.

Someone was secretly eating snacks.

Someone complained about the upcoming exams.

Everything felt unbelievably real.

She looked down at her desk.

A stack of textbooks.

Practice papers.

A half-finished math workbook.

Her breathing became uneven.

"This..."

She immediately grabbed the small desk calendar.

March 8.

Her heart nearly stopped.

"No..."

She hurriedly looked toward the front of the classroom.

On the blackboard, written in large white letters, were the words:

College Entrance Examination — 180 Days Left!

Her eyes widened.

"I... I've come back?"

Her hands trembled uncontrollably.

She quickly pinched her arm.

"Ouch..."

It hurt.

This wasn't a dream.

She had truly returned to six months before the college entrance examination.

To the moment when everything could still be changed.

Before she confessed.

Before she forced him to stay by her side.

Before she ruined both of their lives.

Tears quietly rolled down her cheeks.

Not tears of sadness...

But tears of relief.

"Heaven..."

"You've given me another chance."

This time...

She wouldn't waste it.

"Hey!"

A classmate poked her shoulder.

"Why are you crying? Did you fail another test?"

The classroom burst into laughter.

In her previous life, those words would have made her angry.

She would have argued until the teacher arrived.

But now...

She simply smiled.

"I'm fine."

The classmates looked at each other in surprise.

"She... didn't get angry?"

"That's strange."

Before anyone could say anything else, the classroom door opened.

The homeroom teacher walked in.

"Everyone, take your seats."

Silence quickly filled the room.

The teacher looked around before speaking.

"The college entrance examination is only one hundred and eighty days away."

"Some of you still think there's plenty of time."

"There isn't."

"Your future depends on what you do starting today."

Those words struck her heart.

In her first life...

She hadn't listened.

She skipped classes.

Ignored homework.

Spent every day thinking about the boy she liked.

While others studied late into the night...

She chased after someone who never asked to be chased.

Never again.

She clenched her fists beneath the desk.

This life belongs to me.

I won't waste it again.

After class ended, students poured into the hallway.

She quietly organized her books.

Just as she stood up...

A familiar figure walked past the classroom.

Tall.

Calm.

Neatly dressed in the school uniform.

His expression remained as indifferent as ever.

It was him.

The boy she had loved for years.

The boy she had once forced into a marriage.

For a moment, countless memories flashed before her eyes.

Their wedding.

Their arguments.

The divorce papers.

His tired eyes.

Her chest tightened.

She instinctively took one step forward...

Then stopped herself.

"No."

She lowered her gaze.

"In this life..."

"I won't chase you."

She turned around and walked in the opposite direction.

Not once did she look back.

Outside the classroom, the young man paused.

He frowned slightly.

For some reason...

He felt that today's her was different.

Normally, she would have found an excuse to talk to him.

Today...

She walked away without even greeting him.

"...Strange."

He didn't think much of it and continued toward the library.

Meanwhile, she headed straight for the school's study room.

She borrowed review books she had never touched in her previous life.

Looking at the thick stack of books in her arms, she smiled.

"It won't be easy."

"But this time..."

"I'll earn my future with my own hands."

Far away, hidden behind the corridor, two girls watched her every move.

One of them curled her lips into a mocking smile.

"What's wrong with her today?"

The other laughed softly.

"Who knows? She'll never study seriously."

Neither of them noticed...

The girl they had always manipulated was no longer the same person.

And this time...

She was ready for them.