The moment she woke up, something felt different—there was no shoulder pain, the familiar ache that had accompanied her every morning. But there was no time to dwell on that. She couldn't be late.
With that thought in mind, she rubbed her sleepy eyes and crawled out of bed. Her blurry vision caught sight of a small door in front of her. She trudged towards it.
However, something felt off.
The door handle, which was usually within arm's reach, was now positioned higher than usual.
When she cautiously reached up for the handle, her hand also felt strange.
The feeling was undeniably foreign. Her hand, which was usually larger, was now small and delicate.
Even in the dim light of the room, her pale skin seemed to glow softly.
'Is this a dream?'
She chuckled to herself.
It was impossible, so she dismissed it as a dream, but the sensation traveling through her hand told her otherwise.
The idea of suddenly regressing in time was something she had only encountered in web novels.
Did she perhaps forget to log out of the game she was playing last night?
But no matter where she looked, there was no flashy game interface in her line of sight.
Click.
With a careful push, the door opened.
The dark hallway beyond was unfamiliar but, strangely, somewhat recognizable.
Her body moved on its own, as if it remembered the layout of this house.
Thud, thud, thud.
The sound of her footsteps echoed in the empty hallway, and even that felt unfamiliar.
As she walked, she realized that her body was much lighter than before.
Soon, she found herself standing in front of the bathroom sink.
When she turned on the light, the reflection in the mirror revealed a small girl.
Her long black hair hung neatly down her back, giving her an air of calmness.
The large eyes in the mirror stared back at her own body.
When the corners of the girl's lips awkwardly curled upwards, the atmosphere changed in an instant.
"This... is me?"
The girl's voice, filled with disbelief, echoed her own thoughts.
Was this really her reflection?
Just then, the sound of footsteps approached from behind.
A boy entered the room, and she froze in shock. There was something familiar about him, but it wasn't obvious right away.
He had the same sharp features and slender build she used to have, but his hair was shorter, and, well... he was a boy.
When their eyes met, the recognition struck her.
This boy had some of the exact features she remembered from her own body. The slope of the nose, the arch of the brows... It wasn't exactly her, but it was close enough to unsettle her. He looked like the male version of her past self.
"What are you doing?" the boy asked with a smirk, catching her staring.
Too shocked to answer right away, she could only blink, her mind racing.
After a moment of hesitation, she finally pieced it together.
Why did this boy look like a version of herself, just as a different gender?
"Aren't you going to get ready?"
"Ready?"
"Yeah, for school."
The boy, Seo Harang, said in a voice that was all too familiar.
Of course, it was. It was like her own voice, but a little deeper, more masculine.
Slowly, she raised her hand. It was a small, slender, white hand.
"Unbelievable."
"What the... did you eat something weird?"
"Come here."
"W-what are you... hey, stop!"
She reached out and touched the boy's face.
The smooth, unwrinkled skin was no surprise.
But the sensation she felt at her fingertips pulled her back into reality.
A part of her had still been hoping this was a dream.
Smack!
Harang slapped the small hand away.
The sting from the force surprised her.
As she blinked in shock, Harang's eyes glanced at her nervously before he quickly turned and ran off.
"Mom! Hayeon's acting weird!"
Hayeon?
She rubbed her reddened hand, thinking to herself.
Who is Hayeon? Is that supposed to be her?
It was time for breakfast.
Despite her awkward posture, her younger mother nudged her into a chair at the table.
Everything about the situation felt strange.
It was clear—she had somehow gone back to the past. But it wasn't as herself.
The name Hayeon didn't exist in her memories of her family.
"Mother."
As soon as she said the word "Mother," two sets of eyes turned towards her.
One belonged to her mother, and the other to Harang.
They both stared at her as if they'd seen something unbelievable.
"Mom... I told you, something's wrong with her," Harang insisted.
"Hayeon, are you feeling unwell? Should we go to the hospital?" her mother asked gently.
"No, I'm not sick."
She shook her head. She wasn't physically ill, but if they had to go to a hospital, it would likely be for a psychological reason.
"Mother, why... why was Seo Hayeon born?"
The question slipped out. It was only natural for her to ask.
From her perspective, Seo Hayeon, this younger sister, did not exist in her memories. Yet now, she had somehow entered this girl's body.
Clatter.
The moment she finished asking, Harang dropped his chopsticks.
He touched his lips nervously before turning to his mother, shouting,
"See, I told you! Something's wrong with her!"
"Hayeon, look at me. Are you hurt? What's going on?"
Her mother's soft, warm hands cupped her face.
The touch that only existed in her memories came flooding back, and her vision blurred with tears.
"Hayeon? Hayeon?"
Tears began to flow down her cheeks.
She remembered her mother's final moments—she never thought she would see her again.
But here she was, alive and well, stroking her face, pulling her into her arms.
Her familiar scent.
It was her mother's scent.
Tears flowed endlessly, and her mother gently wiped them away.
"Maybe you should stay home from school today?"
She asked while cradling her, her eyes locked on her tear-streaked face.
School? Should she go?
It was Hayeon's responsibility to go to school, but for now, all she wanted was to stay close to her mother.
She nodded while clinging to her.
Over her mother's shoulder, she saw Harang watching her with a troubled expression.
That look was familiar.
It was easy to read, as she had once been Harang.
Harang didn't want to go to school. He was envious of her.
But there was nothing to be done.
Harang, despite being just a boy, had always been thoughtful.
With a sigh, Harang grabbed his bag and got ready to leave.
"Alright, I'll be going now."
"Okay, be careful on your way and don't fight with your friends."
Her mother's usual advice, though she never bothered to tell her to study hard.
Harang frowned for a moment, then let out a sigh, shaking off his emotions.
"Yeah, I know."
Even after Harang left, she stayed in her mother's arms for a long time.
She was afraid that the moment she let go, this dream would end.
Her mother gently patted her back.
"Mom..."
"You don't call me 'Mother' anymore?"
"Do you prefer 'Mother'?"
At that, her mother laughed and shook her head.
"Call me 'Mom.' When you say 'Mother,' it makes me feel old."
She nodded in agreement.
It didn't matter what she called her—this was still her mother.
Even though she had become this small girl, it didn't change the fact that this woman was her mother.
Her heart calmed.
Though embarrassed by how childish she had acted, her face grew warm, and her ears turned red.
"Please let me down," she said in a calm voice.
But her mother didn't let go.
"How about staying like this a little longer?"
It didn't sound like such a bad idea. She nodded.
Her mother carried her over to the living room sofa.
Lifting a small girl like her wasn't much of a challenge for her. She didn't seem to struggle at all.
They sat together, watching TV.
Time passed, and the memories she thought she'd forgotten came flooding back.
As her mother flipped through channels, she noticed her lack of interest and eventually switched to the news.
She stared blankly at the screen, letting time slip by, as her mother muttered under her breath.
"The world sure is changing fast."
She probably didn't expect an answer.
She often talked to herself while watching TV, just as she had in her memories.
Her gaze remained fixed on the TV. Something felt strange.
Of course—it was the television's resolution.
"Mom?"
"Yes?"
"What's today's date?"
Her mother pulled out her smartphone, which was familiar to her, but strangely out of place.
She snatched it from her hand without thinking. Though it was a rude gesture, her mother said nothing.
She tapped the screen and checked the date.
It was 2020, June 7th.
Star 47.
The Star smartphone series had reached its 47th edition.
In her memory, the second Star smartphone had only been released in early 2020.
She would never forget that day.
Young Harang had pestered their mother into buying the second edition and bragged about it to her friends.
"I'll be right back in my room..."
Breaking free from her mother's warmth, she stood up.
As much as she didn't want to leave, she had to confirm something.
"Are you feeling better?" her mother asked.
She didn't answer. She couldn't.
She hurried down the hallway, which was filled with an eerie chill.
Her feet stopped in front of a familiar door.
Harang's room.
This was not her room anymore. She opened the door, and the unmistakable scent of a teenage boy hit her in the face.
She quickly shut the door.
She could find her answers in Hayeon's room.
She hurried over to the room where she had first woken up.
The moment she stepped inside, her body seemed to relax as if it were accustomed to this space.
Her eyes landed on the desk in the corner. The large computer wasn't what caught her attention.
What stood out was the large capsule connected to it.
It shouldn't exist here.
And so, the truth became clear.
This wasn't the world she had lived in.
It was a world where time had spiraled out of control—a chaotic, tangled mess.