The shutdown law—one of humanity's mistakes that should never have existed.
And now, it was blocking her path.
With a hollow expression, she stepped out of the capsule, greeted only by the darkness of her room.
A glance at the small clock on her desk showed the hands pointing to 10 p.m.
The excitement she had felt vanished instantly, replaced by a profound stillness that stirred her anger.
She shot up from her seat, her footsteps echoing loudly as she stomped down the hallway.
"Hah..."
Leaning against the cold hallway wall, she let out a deep sigh. But no matter how much she fumed, nothing would change.
The shutdown law had never applied to her before, so she had laughed it off—who would have thought it would one day come back to haunt her?
She made her way to the living room, opening the door to find the warm light spilling into the room.
The familiar sound of the TV and the image of her mother sitting on the sofa watching variety shows or the news flooded her mind.
Old, faded memories overlapped with the present.
She had been given the chance to reunite with someone she thought she had lost forever. And yet, what was she doing now?
As much as she loved games...
"Hayeon?"
"Mom."
"Oh, it's already 10 o'clock?"
Without a word, she moved closer and sat beside her mother.
Even in this different world, mom was still mom.
Quietly, she hugged her mother.
"Do you need some allowance?"
"No."
* * * *
The next morning, she woke up with a thought—this was her chance.
A chance to start over, using her younger sister's body from this other world.
As she left her room, she saw a familiar figure rushing past her.
It seemed he had stayed up late gaming; the dark circles under his eyes were proof enough.
What age does the shutdown law apply until?
"Hey."
"... Me?"
Hayeon must have called Harang 'oppa' in this world.
No wonder her tone sounded so unfamiliar to him.
She crossed her arms and nodded at him.
"How old are you?"
"Eighteen..."
"And how old am I?"
"Are you crazy?"
"Answer properly."
"Fifteen..."
With that, Harang disappeared into the bathroom, leaving behind a baffled look.
A fifteen-year-old girl's body. A new start.
Even if the real Hayeon would curse her for this selfishness, she couldn't let this chance slip away.
There were so many things she still wanted to say to her mother.
Don't come back.
So I can keep living this life.
Once Harang came out of the bathroom, she went in to shower.
The face of the small girl in the mirror didn't stir any particular emotions.
Had she already gotten used to it? Perhaps it was the body's own unconscious acceptance.
Either way, the shower was quick.
As she sat down at the dining table, still drying her damp hair with a towel, her mother rushed over and took control.
"Seo Hayeon!"
"Uh, yes?"
"How many times do I have to tell you to dry your hair properly?"
As she nodded absentmindedly, her mother carefully dried her hair with familiar, loving hands.
Even while they ate breakfast, her mother's attention stayed on her hair, finishing the job with a hair dryer.
Watching this, Harang muttered under his breath, pouting.
"Mom, I didn't dry my hair either..."
"Well, your hair is short—it'll dry quickly."
Even though she knew the affection wasn't entirely for her, it still felt nice.
She smiled lightly and continued eating with her chopsticks.
After breakfast, she put on her school uniform.
The girl in the mirror seemed unsure of how to handle the outfit, turning this way and that.
Who could've imagined she'd go back to school—this time as a middle school girl?
There was something oddly thrilling, even mischievous, about it.
She was going to embrace this opportunity and live as Seo Hayeon.
Her uniform was familiar, likely because she was attending the same middle school she had once gone to.
"I'm off!"
"See you later."
She left the house with Harang.
He frowned at the sight of her trailing behind him.
What was his problem? His face, already unattractive, looked even worse when scrunched up.
Suddenly, she remembered her 18-year-old self, even if this world's Harang is a boy, he still seems to have her habits from her past life.
"Hey."
"..."
Was he really going to refuse to answer if she didn't call him oppa?
How ridiculous.
"Don't smoke."
"What...?"
At eighteen, she had been a smoker.
She had picked it up while hanging out with friends, though her family hadn't known.
That is, until the winter of her 18th year, when her mother found out. Her mother had cried, likely reminded of her late father.
Her father had been a heavy smoker, diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, yet still smoked with a serene smile as he gazed at the sky.
That was her last memory of him.
"How... How did you know?"
"The smell's strong."
She walked past Harang, leaving him stunned. He hurried after her, flustered.
Their schools were in the same direction, so they were forced to walk together.
He cautiously spoke up as they walked side by side.
"You... You didn't tell mom, right?"
"If she finds out, she'll cry. Don't smoke."
Even though he was still young and inexperienced, Harang wasn't stupid.
With a grim expression, he nodded.
Then, pulling something from his pocket, he crumpled it in his hand.
A faint smell of tobacco drifted up from the crushed cigarette.
"Haah..."
Wearing a school skirt after so long felt a bit strange.
The breeze on her legs gave the unsettling sensation of someone's hand brushing over her thighs.
"Are you sick?"
"No."
"Then why are you walking like that?"
She glanced down at her legs. Sure enough, she had been walking awkwardly.
She needed to be more careful.
She looked around, observing the movements of others. Her body, gifted with heightened senses, quickly copied their motions.
A sudden question popped into her mind.
Had the Hayeon of this world ever used these abilities to their fullest?
"Hey."
"What now...?"
Harang's spirit seemed broken, and now he was acting more meekly than ever.
She tapped him on the back.
"Was I any good at games?"
"You? You were terrible."
That wasn't the answer she wanted.
She frowned, and Harang quickly avoided her gaze.
"Really? That bad?"
"You lost to me all the time. That makes you pretty bad."
It wasn't clear if that was a fair standard.
Still frowning, she stared at him until he sighed and spoke again.
"Fine, yeah... You weren't great."
Finally, a more acceptable answer.
She nodded and took off running, her body feeling light and free as she sprinted ahead.
No matter how fast she ran, she didn't get out of breath. Her legs were nimble, her shoulders weren't sore.
"Hey!" Harang called after her, but she ignored him and kept running.
When she reached the front gate of the school, she slowed down.
Their schools—her middle school and his high school—were attached to one another. They would part ways here.
"See you later."
She waved to Harang, who awkwardly waved back, looking out of place.
There was something pathetic about his lack of confidence.
She already knew which class she was assigned to, thanks to her student ID.
She walked through the main gate, down the hall, and climbed the stairs to Class 2-3.
Without hesitation, she opened the door and stepped inside.
The moment she entered, a wave of attention turned toward her.
Familiarity, warmth, and nothing negative. It seemed like Hayeon had good relationships with her classmates.
"Hayeon!"
A girl quickly ran up and hugged her as soon as she entered the room.
The sudden display of affection caught her off guard, but the body reacted on its own, smoothly stepping to the side to avoid the hug.
It was a natural movement, and the girl, surprised, stumbled back.
"Hi."
She gave a small wave, and the girl awkwardly waved back.
Her eyes quickly scanned the girl, reading the name tag on her uniform.
Lee Sohee.
Hayeon seemed to have plenty of friends. Many of them greeted her as she walked in.
Her mind raced to memorize the faces and names of each classmate.
"What are you doing?"
She hadn't found her seat yet and was standing awkwardly, so Sohee grabbed her bag and took it to an empty desk.
When she stood there staring, Sohee confidently placed her bag down.
"You're coming to the snack shop, right?"
"Snack shop?"
"Yeah."
She frowned, checking the time.
There was still a little time before the first period started, so a trip to the snack shop wouldn't hurt.
"Let's go."
She needed to get used to this life. Avoiding it wouldn't help.
As soon as she agreed, Sohee linked arms with her, surprising her with the sudden closeness. She instinctively tried to pull away, but Sohee was stronger than she looked.
Was this how they normally acted together? Even in her past life this level of affection seemed strange.
But no one seemed to find it strange.
Sohee talked endlessly, her small mouth constantly moving.
She could only nod along occasionally. As a ??-something-year-old adult woman inside, she couldn't keep up with a middle school girl's chatter.
Still, Sohee seemed to enjoy her reactions, smiling brightly as they walked.
They picked up some bread from the snack shop, and before she knew it, first period was starting.
Nothing special happened during class.
She couldn't focus on the electronic chalkboard's scribbled letters.
Had she underestimated the difficulty of middle school material?
No, it was simply that she hadn't studied in so long. Her head began to ache.
When class ended, she continued to pour over her books, trying to catch up.
Thankfully, Hayeon's friends seemed considerate and didn't bother her while she studied.
But this was only a temporary fix. If she didn't adjust soon, she'd likely lose all of Hayeon's friends.
The entire day passed in a blur of studying, and before she knew it, the school day was over.
As the other students packed up and left the classroom, she slumped over her desk.
"Hayeon, Hayeon!"
A soft voice called her name, and she looked up to see Sohee approaching her.
Once again, she was too close. Sohee leaned in so much that she had to pull back.
"What is it?"
"See you tomorrow!"
Sohee leaned in, whispering her farewell as if it were some great secret.
The way she said it was oddly cute.
She watched Sohee walk away, and before she realized it, the classroom was empty.
Guess I'll go home to play.
She grabbed her bag and left the classroom.