Her father stared at the table.
At nothing.
At everything.
"I didn't want you to know," he said quietly.
She stepped closer.
Her heart pounded painfully.
"You don't have to hide it anymore."
He laughed.
Soft.
Bitter.
"That's the problem," he said.
"I can't hide it anymore."
Her chest tightened.
"How much?" she asked again.
This time—
He answered.
"More than I can repay right now."
Her throat tightened.
That wasn't just a number.
That was a sentence.
Her father continued slowly.
"I borrowed it after the company downsized."
Seo-yeon froze.
In her first life, she never asked why he struggled so much.
Never cared enough to understand.
Now she saw it clearly.
He wasn't irresponsible.
He was desperate.
"I thought I could fix it," he said.
"I thought if I worked harder… if I found something better…"
He stopped.
His voice breaking slightly.
"But time doesn't wait."
Her fingers curled into fists.
Neither did people like that man.
"Are they threatening you?" she asked.
Her father didn't answer.
Which was answer enough.
Fear settled cold and heavy inside her chest.
Not fate.
Not accident.
This was human.
Deliberate.
Patient.
Dangerous.