The following day felt surreal. After Mirae's cryptic explanation in the library, I had more questions than ever. But at least now I wasn't blindly stumbling through this mystery alone—well, mostly.
As I walked into school, the usual chaos unfolded around me. Students yelled greetings, lockers slammed, and someone spilled their coffee on the floor, prompting a round of laughter. But I wasn't focused on any of it. My mind kept replaying Mirae's words:
"Stay close. And trust me."
Easier said than done.
"Jiho!" Su Yong's loud voice pulled me from my thoughts. He jogged up to me, his ever-present grin plastered on his face. "You've been avoiding me, man. Don't think I didn't notice."
"Not avoiding you," I replied automatically. "Just... busy."
"Busy with Mirae, I bet." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
"Not like that," I muttered, trying to brush him off.
"Sure, sure," he said, smirking. "But hey, if you're trying to win her over, I can give you some tips. I was basically the king of middle school romances, remember?"
I snorted. "Yeah, until you got rejected by Sojin in front of the entire cafeteria."
"Low blow, man," he said, clutching his chest dramatically.
Despite myself, I laughed. Su Yong had a way of cutting through my stress, even if he didn't realize it.
---
By the time I made it to class, Mirae was already in her seat, scribbling in her notebook as usual. I debated whether to approach her but decided against it. Whatever conversation we needed to have, it wasn't happening here.
The morning dragged on, with teachers droning and students barely paying attention. My mind kept wandering back to the app. I hadn't opened it since last night, but the curiosity was eating away at me.
At lunch, I found myself sitting under the tree in the courtyard, scrolling through my phone. I hesitated for a moment, then opened the Fate Rewrite app.
Progress: 15%.
The number was higher than before, though I had no idea what it meant.
I tapped "Reveal Clue," and the screen flickered before displaying another cryptic message:
"Not all threads can be trusted. Choose wisely."
Beneath the text was an image of a folded piece of paper, resting on what looked like a teacher's desk.
"What does this even mean?" I muttered under my breath.
"Talking to yourself is the first sign of madness, you know."
I looked up to see Seulgi standing over me, her tray balanced in one hand.
"What do you want?" I asked, shoving my phone into my pocket.
"Relax, I'm not here to interrogate you. Just thought you could use some company," she said, sitting down across from me.
"Company or sarcasm?"
"Both," she said with a grin.
As much as Seulgi's teasing annoyed me, I had to admit it was better than sitting alone with my spiraling thoughts.
---
After school, I found Mirae waiting for me near the front gate. She leaned against the wall, her notebook tucked under her arm.
"We need to talk," she said, her voice quiet but firm.
"About what?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.
"Not here."
She led me to a small café a few blocks from school. It was quiet, with only a handful of customers scattered throughout. We took a corner booth, far from prying ears.
"What's going on?" I asked once we were seated.
Mirae opened her notebook, flipping to a page filled with symbols and strange markings.
"This," she said, pointing to the page, "is what connects the app to everything else."
"What do you mean?"
"The app isn't random," she explained. "It's tied to these... threads. They're like markers, points in time and space where choices are made. The app shows you fragments of those threads, but it doesn't tell you everything."
"So it's a puzzle?"
"In a way," she said. "But it's not just a game. The threads affect people's lives—sometimes in ways they don't even realize."
I stared at the page, trying to make sense of the symbols. "Why me? Why do I have the app?"
"I don't know," she admitted. "But it's dangerous. The more you use it, the more tangled the threads become. And if you're not careful, you could unravel something important."
"Like what?"
"Fate," she said simply.
---
As we left the café, the weight of Mirae's words hung heavy in the air. I still didn't fully understand what was happening, but I knew one thing for sure: I was in way over my head.
"Jiho," Mirae said suddenly, stopping in her tracks.
"What?"
She hesitated, then said, "Be careful who you trust. Not everyone is what they seem."
Before I could ask what she meant, she walked away, leaving me standing alone on the sidewalk.
---
That night, I couldn't sleep. I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, my mind racing with questions. Finally, I grabbed my phone and opened the app again.
This time, a new option appeared: "Initiate Contact."
Without thinking, I tapped it. The screen went black for a moment, then a message appeared:
"Connection established. Await further instructions."
My heart pounded as the app closed itself, leaving me more confused than ever.
Whatever was coming, I knew it wasn't going to be simple.