The next morning arrived, but it didn't bring clarity—just a lingering sense of unease. My mind replayed the events of the previous night on a loop: Mirae's strange behavior, the cryptic man in the suit, and his ominous warning. It felt like I had stumbled into the opening act of a thriller, and the only thing I was certain of was how little I actually understood.
I barely noticed the chaos of school as I walked through the hallway. Even Su Yong's loud "Hey, Jiho!" barely registered until he shoved me lightly in the shoulder.
"Earth to Jiho! What's with the zombie look?" he asked, grinning.
"Just tired," I mumbled, my voice distant.
"Tired? Dude, I saw you walking out of school late last night. What were you doing here?"
My stomach dropped. Su Yong wasn't exactly the nosy type, but he had an uncanny knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"Just... library stuff," I said vaguely, trying to wave him off.
"Library stuff?" He gave me a skeptical look. "Since when do you care about books?"
"Since now," I snapped, sharper than I intended.
He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright. Jeez, no need to bite my head off."
---
In class, Mirae was once again at her desk, as composed as ever. The notebook sat in its usual spot, and she wrote with the same meticulous focus. From the outside, it was like nothing had changed, but I knew better now.
Seulgi leaned over from her desk. "You look terrible," she said bluntly. "What happened? Did Mirae's death glare finally break your spirit?"
"Not now, Seulgi," I muttered.
Her eyes lit up with mock sympathy. "Aw, poor Jiho. Don't worry, I'm sure she'll warm up to you eventually—probably after you stop being so awkward."
I ignored her and focused on Mirae. At some point, I needed answers, but approaching her in front of everyone wasn't an option.
---
By lunchtime, my plan was simple: corner Mirae when she wasn't surrounded by people. It didn't take long to find her. She was sitting under the same tree in the courtyard, her notebook open as usual.
"Hey," I said, approaching cautiously.
She looked up, her expression unreadable. "What do you want, Jiho?"
"To talk." I sat down across from her, despite her clear disapproval. "About last night."
Her eyes narrowed. "I told you to stay away."
"I can't do that," I said firmly. "Not after everything I've seen. The app, the notebook, that guy in the library—none of it makes sense. I just want to understand."
She sighed, closing her notebook. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"
"Nope."
For a moment, she seemed to wrestle with herself. Then she said, "It's not something you can understand. Not yet."
"What does that even mean?" I pressed.
Before she could answer, a shadow loomed over us. I looked up to see the man from the library standing a few feet away, his expression as cold as ever.
"You don't listen, do you?" he said, addressing Mirae.
She stood quickly, her body tense. "I didn't bring him here."
The man's gaze shifted to me. "I warned you to stay out of this."
"Yeah, well, you're not exactly convincing me," I said, trying to sound braver than I felt.
The man's lips curled into a faint smile, but there was no warmth in it. "You have no idea what you're getting involved in."
"Then why don't you enlighten me?" I shot back.
He took a step closer, and for a moment, I thought he might actually do something. But then he stopped and turned to Mirae.
"This is your responsibility," he said flatly. "You know the consequences."
With that, he walked away, leaving us in an awkward, suffocating silence.
---
After school, I found myself wandering aimlessly through the streets, my mind racing. Mirae's cryptic warnings and the man's ominous presence had left me more confused than ever.
"Hey, Jiho!"
I turned to see Su Yong jogging toward me, his usual grin replaced with a look of concern.
"What's up?" I asked, trying to sound normal.
"You tell me," he said, falling into step beside me. "You've been acting weird all day. Did something happen?"
I hesitated. Su Yong was my best friend, but this wasn't the kind of thing you just blurted out.
"It's nothing," I said finally.
"Come on, man. I know you better than that," he said. "Is it about Mirae?"
I stiffened. "What makes you say that?"
"Because you're always staring at her like she's a math problem you can't solve," he said, smirking.
Despite myself, I laughed. "That's... not entirely wrong."
"So what's the deal?"
I thought about brushing him off again, but something about his genuine concern made me pause.
"There's... something weird going on," I admitted.
"Weird how?"
I hesitated, then said, "I don't even know where to start."
"Start with what you know," he said simply.
---
By the time I got home, I felt slightly better, though my questions remained unanswered. I flopped onto my bed and pulled out my phone, opening the Fate Rewrite app.
The interface greeted me with the usual cryptic message: Progress: 12%.
I tapped the "Reveal Clue" button, and the screen flickered. A new message appeared:
"The first anchor holds strong. Seek the second thread before it unravels."
Below the text was an image of a dark alley, lit by a single flickering streetlight.
"Great," I muttered. "More riddles."
---
The alley from the image wasn't hard to find. It was only a few blocks from school, and I arrived just as the sun was setting. The streetlight flickered overhead, casting long shadows across the pavement.
I had no idea what I was supposed to be looking for, but the app had led me here for a reason.
As I walked deeper into the alley, a faint sound reached my ears—footsteps, echoing softly against the walls.
"Hello?" I called out, my voice shaky.
No response.
I took another step, and a figure emerged from the shadows. My breath caught in my throat as I recognized the man from the library.
"You just can't help yourself, can you?" he said, his tone almost amused.
"What are you doing here?" I demanded.
"The better question," he said, stepping closer, "is what you're doing here."
"I—"
Before I could answer, another voice cut through the air.
"Leave him alone."
I turned to see Mirae standing at the entrance of the alley, her notebook clutched tightly in her hands.
The man sighed. "This is becoming tiresome."
"You said it yourself," Mirae said, her voice steady. "He's my responsibility."
The man's gaze shifted between us, then he stepped back. "Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you."
With that, he disappeared into the shadows, leaving Mirae and me alone.
"What's going on, Mirae?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
She hesitated, then said, "It's complicated."
"Try me," I said, echoing my words from earlier.
For a moment, she looked like she might actually explain. But then she shook her head. "Not here."
---
Back at the library, Mirae sat across from me at a secluded table. Her notebook lay open between us, its pages filled with strange symbols and diagrams.
"This," she said, pointing to the notebook, "is what connects us."
"What does that mean?"
She sighed. "It's... a map. Of possibilities. Choices, outcomes, threads of fate. The app you're using is tied to this."
"How?"
"I don't know," she admitted. "But it's dangerous. And the more you use it, the deeper you'll get pulled into this."
"Into what?"
She hesitated, then said, "A world where nothing is as it seems."
Her words sent a chill down my spine, but I couldn't stop now.
"What do I do?" I asked.
"For now?" she said, closing the notebook. "Stay close. And trust me."
I nodded, even as my mind raced with questions. Whatever was happening, I wasn't facing it alone anymore.