Julian Mason jolted awake the next morning to his roommate Russell Bryant shaking his shoulder. Sunlight poured through the window—a dead giveaway that he was dangerously close to being late. He rubbed his temples, head pounding as he tried to piece together the blur of the night before. When he finally sat up, he caught his roommates trading odd looks in his direction.

“What’s going on?” Julian asked, a knot forming in his stomach under their stares.

“Not a thing,” Russell replied, flashing a shit-eating grin.

Once the others cleared out of the dorm, Russell pulled Julian aside. “So what went down last night? You finally come to your senses or what?”

“Come to my senses about what?”

“You seriously don’t remember how you got back here last night?”

Julian was infamous for blacking out when he drank, and last night was no exception. He struggled to pull up even a single memory—until a hazy image flickered through: Aleena Cook guiding him back to the dorm.

“She dropped you off at the building entrance. I was mid-chess game when she called me down to help haul your ass upstairs. Dude, you were all over her like a lovesick puppy.”

Mortification hit Julian like a truck. That’s how Aleena had brought him back? Unbelievable. Humiliating didn’t even begin to cover it.

Across his morning classes, he couldn't focus for shit. His eyes kept drifting to Aleena, sitting near the front, fully absorbed in the lecture. Frustration simmered under his skin. He wanted to keep his distance from her, but with their schedules so tangled up, there was no easy escape.

Meanwhile, his friends kept egging him on to get with Aleena, but Julian had a meeting lined up with Aya Morales anyway.

“I’m Aleena’s friend. She really cares about you, so don’t mess with her head!” To Julian’s surprise, Aya dragged Aleena into their conversation out of nowhere.

“Her feelings are her problem, not mine,” he shot back, playing it cool.

“You don’t actually think Aleena can’t function without you, do you? There are plenty of guys lining up for her. Just last week, a senior took her out to some fancy restaurant and confessed—right then and there!” Aya’s words were tossed off casually, but they carried a sharp edge, hinting that Aleena wasn’t exactly as loyal as she seemed.

Unbeknownst to Aya, Aleena had already gotten wind of this little meeting by slipping a recorder into Aya’s bag. She listened as Aya ran her mouth, fully aware of what Aya was doing—twisting the truth to make her look unfaithful. Aya was sly; her manipulation game was painfully smooth.

Julian’s jaw tightened. “If she’s got so many admirers, she can go run to them.”

“Aleena grew up in a loving home. She’s never been treated like crap. Why should she put up with yours? You should just stay away from her!” Aya declared, spinning on her heel to leave—only to slip and hit the ground with a grimace of pain.

“You okay?” Julian moved closer, concerned despite himself.

“I’m fine!” Aya insisted, scrambling up even though her face told a completely different story.

Julian watched her limp off, then offered, “Which dorm are you in? I can help you get back.”

“No need. I don’t dorm here. I’m heading home.” Her voice was stiff, playing the part of independence.

Leaving her like that didn’t sit right with him. “Is home far? I can give you a ride.”

And just like that, Aya found herself perched on the back of Julian’s bike.

On the other end of the recording, Aleena let out a long sigh. As a soul contractor with powers beyond measure, why was she stuck untangling this messy romantic knot for some girl? But then she thought of Aleena—the regret and sorrow she'd carried before her untimely death. If helping this unlucky girl find peace was the price of the contract, then maybe it was worth it after all.

Aleena Cook hit Aya Morales's number on purpose. "Hey Aya, I've got something important to talk to you about. Can I swing by your place?"

Aya hesitated. "Uh... I'm not home right now..."

"Where are you? I can meet you somewhere."

"I'm kind of tied up at the moment. Maybe tomorrow?" Aya hung up quickly.

"Was that Aleena? What did she want?" Julian Mason had overheard the whole thing.

"She wanted to come over. I told her my ankle's acting up and it's a hassle right now, so I suggested she visit tomorrow."

"Didn't she say it was important? What was it about?"

"I... I didn't ask."

"You're supposed to be her close friend. How can you be so indifferent?"

Aya hadn't expected Julian to care that much. She figured he wouldn't give a damn about Aleena's business. Could he actually be getting interested in her? If so, that could really mess up her plans. She needed to move fast.

Meanwhile, Aleena was already taking action. She planned to meet Russell Bryant. "Russell, I could use a favor..."

Even though Julian always gave Aleena a hard time, Russell had always had a good impression of her. Back when she was on the student council, Aleena often covered for Russell when he was late to class. So when she asked for help, he readily agreed. "Sure, Aleena, what do you need?"

"Our department's doing a field project at a local park this weekend, and we get to choose our own groups. I was thinking..."

"You want to be in Julian's group? No problem! I'll take care of it!" Russell cut her off before she could even finish.

Aleena smiled and nodded, her bright eyes sparkling like stars—the kind of look that could reel anyone in. She handed Russell a small box of homemade treats as a thank-you. "Thanks, Russell! Just a little something to show my appreciation."

"No need for that, Aleena. It's no big deal. I'll get myself into Julian's group, and then you can join us."

"You've gotta take it, Russell. I might need your help again," Aleena insisted with a laugh.

Russell took the box, a little embarrassed, said goodbye to Aleena, and headed off.

Later, as Julian was biking back to the dorm after dropping Aya off, he spotted Russell and Aleena by the roadside. They were deep in conversation—Aleena beaming at whatever Russell was animatedly describing. At one point, she handed him a beautifully wrapped box.

Julian slowed down, watching them from a distance. Seeing Aleena and Russell so wrapped up in each other stirred something in his chest—a restless, inexplicable unease.

Back at the dorm, Julian sat brooding. Meanwhile, Russell was happily munching on the cookies Aleena had given him. When Julian walked in, Russell offered him one. "Want some?"

Julian glanced at the box in Russell's hand. "Where'd you get those?"

"Aleena made them herself and passed them to me. They're awesome!"

Julian replied, "I don't want any. They were meant for you, so enjoy them."

He remembered what Aya had said about Aleena having plenty of admirers. Looking at that box of cookies, he felt even more unsettled. Aleena had told him she liked him before—so why was she out here handing out homemade treats to other guys?

Russell leaned in with a teasing grin. "Jealous because Aleena gave me something?"

"Not at all!" Julian shot back immediately. "Why would I care about her?"

Russell Bryant kept his word. So when Julian Mason saw the lineup for the fieldwork project, he was baffled—Russell, Julian, Aleena Cook, and Judith Stone... no matter how he looked at it, it felt like a setup.

The soul contractor had a reason for tagging along with Julian on this trip. Holding all of Aleena's memories, she vividly recalled a pivotal event from a past life. During this same project, Julian had wandered off and gotten hurt, only to be conveniently rescued by Aya Morales. Aleena had always suspected that moment was the turning point in Julian and Aya's relationship.

Aya had once confided in Aleena that she came from a broke family, forced to drop out of school early and hustle a bunch of odd jobs. She'd often show up at tourist spots, peddling goods to visitors. Aleena, who considered Aya her best friend, never once doubted her words.

Seeing the kind of trauma Aleena had been through, the soul contractor understood exactly how deeply Julian had wounded her. Now, inhabiting Aleena's body, she carefully stitched together the girl's fragmented soul with her own spiritual energy—and made up her mind to get revenge. No mercy. Revenge had to be savage.

In the past life, Julian had messed with Aleena's emotions. This time, she'd use the same trick against him. So Aleena would walk the exact same path as her previous life, executing her plan one calculated step at a time.

Early in the morning, Aleena boarded the bus headed for the tourist area, luggage in tow. The fieldwork was basically sightseeing, snapping photos, and writing a report afterward—pure going through the motions. But the thrill of traveling together was contagious, and everyone was buzzing with excitement.

As soon as she stepped on the bus, Aleena saw that Russell had already saved her a seat. He waved her over enthusiastically. "Aleena, Judith, come sit with us! We're all in the same group, so let's stick together!"

With that, he grabbed Judith's luggage and pulled her down into the front row. The two remaining seats were for Julian and Aleena.

Judith blinked. "What?!"

Julian muttered under his breath. "..."

Aleena grinned. "Russell, you're an amazing friend—truly loyal!"

She settled in right next to Julian and even greeted him, "Up this early? Aren't you tired?"

Julian clearly wasn't in the mood to chat. He closed his eyes, leaned back, and pretended to sleep. Aleena didn't care. She just slipped on her headphones and let the music play.

"What's going on?" Judith whispered to Russell.

"Just a little... matchmaking?" Russell joked, chuckling softly.

"Are you kidding me? Cut it out! You know how Julian treats Aleena. You're basically pushing her into a fire pit! Move—I'm sitting with Aleena instead," Judith snapped, annoyed. She couldn't understand why Aleena would waste her time on such a jerk.

"How can you be so sure about Julian's attitude?" Russell countered.

"It's pretty obvious..."

"Attention, everyone! Once we reach the site, you're free to roam in groups, but safety comes first!" Their faculty adviser, Professor Bennett, cut through Judith and Russell's conversation.

The ride from the university to the site took about two hours, the bus swaying the whole way. Drowsiness settled over everyone. Aleena took off her headphones and leaned back to rest for a bit. As the bus lurched over the bumpy road, she suddenly felt a weight drop onto her shoulder. Opening her eyes, she found Julian fast asleep, leaning against her.

Aleena thought, "...So heavy."

She considered shoving him off but hesitated, letting her gaze linger on his relaxed sleeping face. Her eyes traveled from his thick lashes down to his sharp nose and slightly parted lips. Aleena swallowed hard. As a soul contractor constantly buried in work, when had she ever come across such a stunning man? This kind of beauty—even if it was just for her eyes—was a total treat!

"Go ahead, lean on me," she thought. The contractor mused, "I'm tempted by his looks... maybe I should put Aleena's revenge on the back burner... No, no. Work comes first. Beauty is fleeting!"

She studied Julian boldly. In her past life, Aleena had never dared to do that. Every time she met Julian, she'd look away, too shy to hold his gaze. Even after marriage, any sign of intimacy would send her into a nervous spiral, tiptoeing around him, terrified of messing up.

"Maybe I should take this charming devil back to the contractor's realm and keep him as eye candy," Aleena silently plotted.

Suddenly, she heard a call inside her mind. She closed her eyes, felt her body respond, and focused her energy to answer it. "Don't be afraid. Come here."

In an instant, she entered a space where a girl stood. That girl was the real Aleena Cook.

"Who are you? Did you save me?" the real Aleena asked.

"I'm a soul contractor. Your soul is too fragile to control your body, so I'm managing it while feeding your spirit with my energy," the contractor replied.

"Thank you. What's your name?" Aleena asked softly.

"My code is K. My name is Florence Carr."

"What a beautiful name, Florence..."

The voice faded away, and Florence opened her eyes. Aleena's soul was still weak, which meant Florence would have to keep running her body for a while longer.

They were nearing the tourist site. The bus bounced along the winding road when Julian stirred awake from his nap on Aleena's shoulder, staring at her with sleepy eyes. His first words only stoked Aleena's irritation: "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

Aleena shot back, "On purpose, my foot! My arm went completely dead from your heavy head, and you drooled all over my shoulder! You owe me a new shirt!"

"I did not drool..." Julian protested weakly, a faint pink blush creeping across his pale cheeks. Aleena's rapid-fire accusations had left him completely flustered.

"Don't argue—everyone's still asleep. Now massage my shoulder," Aleena ordered.

"I don't want to!" Julian refused.

"Are you going to do it, or not?"

Under Aleena's piercing stare, Julian finally turned around and grudgingly started massaging her shoulder.