The discovery of the anomaly—the possibility of the original, doomed Yoon Minji (Original YM) still existing—sent Minji and Jungkook back into the cold, clean logic of strategic planning, a familiar comfort after years of peace.
"The threat is not physical; it's existential," Minji explained, back in the mobile command center she and Jungkook had reactivated. "The writer's magic allowed me, the reader, to replace the side character. If the original side character still exists, her fate—Chapter 12, the traffic accident, the delivery of the compromised Phoenix file—might still be scheduled to occur. The universe must balance the plot."
Jungkook stood by her, his hands on her shoulders. "The universe doesn't care about the plot, Minji. But if the accident is still scheduled, it's a threat to an innocent person. And if she is Yoon Minji, her death could unravel our identity, our reality."
The Search for the Echo
Minji reactivated her old network of surveillance, not for corporate espionage, but for a single, quiet ghost. She searched for anyone named Yoon Minji who had been in an unconfirmed accident near Gangnam West Tunnel precisely ten years ago, around the time she had diverted the Chapter 12 Transport Mission.
The search was exhaustive, fruitless for days. Minji felt the pressure mounting—the plot was ticking again, silently, in the background of their perfect life.
Then, a minor hit: an unfiled police report from the time of the original plot twist. A traffic incident in the Gangnam West Tunnel. Not a fatal accident, but a multi-car pileup caused by a sudden, massive tire blowout on a heavy-goods vehicle—the exact vehicle scheduled for the fatal accident.
The driver of the smallest car involved, who suffered minor injuries and was quickly released, was listed as: Yoon Minji, Baker's Daughter.
"She survived," Minji breathed, collapsing into her chair. "I saved myself by changing the mission, but she survived the failed accident. The universe tried to follow the plot, but our intervention just made it messy. She's alive, Jungkook, and she is the true Yoon Minji."
The Final Reckoning
Minji's next move was based purely on instinct, not data. She sought out the original Yoon Minji.
The search led them to a small, unassuming bakery near the edge of Seoul. The scent of cinnamon and warm yeast was overwhelming—the scent of the side character's peaceful, ordinary life.
Minji found the original Yoon Minji (Original YM) kneading dough in the back. She was kind, quiet, and her face held the familiar, gentle expression Minji remembered from the novel's brief description. Original YM looked up, her hands dusted with flour.
"Can I help you?" Original YM asked, her voice soft.
Minji realized she had no script for this, no data to rely on. She was facing her own, forgotten beginning.
"My name is Minji," she began, her voice thick with emotion. "I'm a strategist. I... I believe I owe you an apology. And an explanation."
Original YM smiled faintly. "The strategist Minji. I've heard of you. You saved CEO Jeong Jungkook's company."
"I need to know," Minji insisted. "Ten years ago, in the Gangnam West Tunnel... did you feel... different after the accident?"
Original YM paused, looking down at the dough. "Yes. When the golden light hit me, right before the crash, I felt like a sudden, fierce determination had flooded me. I didn't die; I drove, instinctually. I thought I was just in shock. But sometimes... I feel like I know things I shouldn't. Like I've read the end of a very long, very silly book."
Minji gasped, tears welling in her eyes. The writer's magic hadn't failed; it had doubled. The original Yoon Minji, struck by the light, had gained the reader's frustration and knowledge, while the reader Minji (the new YM) had gained the side character's life and destiny.
"We both got out," Minji whispered, a profound sense of closure washing over her. "You got out of the plot and into a simple, beautiful life. And I got out of the book and into reality."
Original YM walked to the counter and picked up a freshly baked cookie, handing it to the strategist. "We both chose to survive. That's the only ending that matters, isn't it? No more chapters."
Minji took the cookie, tasting the sweet, real flavor of cinnamon and freedom. She had not only saved the Second Hero; she had freed the original side character and secured her own unique, unscripted reality. The loop was closed, not with a fight, but with a quiet, shared understanding.