Silence
The next morning, Jo Ri woke up late with swollen eyelids sleep had eluded her after that stormy confrontation at the playground. Her scream at him still echoed in her mind: Who did he think he was to tell her she belonged to him, when he had vowed eternal love to another? It was fortunate she had suppressed the urge to strike him yesterday and chose to walk away instead. But what disturbed her soul most was his choice of that specific location a place with a swing, as if he were deliberately reminding her of the swing he had destroyed back in Joseon. Then, a bitter realization struck her with shocking force: in his memory, that wasn't her swing at all, but Mi Fa's!
She washed her face in haste, dressed without eating a single bite, and headed out. As she descended the stairs, she saw De Lan standing as usual, waiting for her. She bypassed him with absolute coldness, without uttering a word. He, too, remained silent; every time they spoke, the level of hatred between them surged, making silence their only sanctuary.
He followed her at a safe distance, ensuring no contact, until they reached the school gates and parted ways. She continued toward the art studios, while he headed with heavy steps toward the electronics department a complex world of which he understood nothing, barely knowing how to operate its buttons. He sat there, eyeing the devices around him with trepidation, wondering in bewilderment: How could this boy be a prodigy in a field that he himself knew absolutely nothing about?
The Tremor of Certainty and a Journey into the Past
De Lan entered the classroom, and as soon as he settled into his seat, his friend Bak Chul, sitting behind him, whispered:
- I tried calling you several times yesterday. Why was your phone off?
- I think... I lost it,
De Lan replied curtly.
- Did you see the news about that boy who was killed with his girlfriend yesterday?
De Lan's body went rigid, but he answered with guarded calm:
- Yes, I saw it.
He let his friend continue talking, hoping to catch a thread that might help him understand. Han Ji joined the conversation, adding:
- For a moment, I thought the victims were students from our school, but I found out today that there are no absences.
- They were murdered brutally, and their identities were concealed,
Han Ji continued sorrowfully.
- It seems the killer harbored a deep malice toward them.
Then Bak Chul interjected with a hint of pride:
- You remember my uncle who works for the police? He visited us yesterday and said they haven't been able to identify the bodies yet.
- What's with all this mystery?
Han Ji wondered in amazement.
- How can a developed country like ours not know the identities of the deceased?
- My uncle said they'd have the personal information within a week, but I'm sure their parents will show up to report them missing before then.
De Lan listened intently to his friends gathered around him, realizing the bitter truth: if no parents came forward, it would be definitive proof that the bodies belonged to the original De Lan and Jo Ri. That realization made his hand tremble violently as he held his pen, he had to press his other hand firmly over it to hide the shaking before anyone noticed.
He felt an urgent need to speak with Jo Ri, despite her stubbornness and her fixation on her wounded feelings. He had to find a way for them to return to their world. His thoughts were interrupted by the teacher entering and writing in bold letters on the board: (Field Trip to the Museum of History and Civilization).
- Tomorrow, we will head to the museum on a group trip with other classes,
The teacher announced.
- Attendance is mandatory. De Lan, record the names of the students attending.
The Paper's Wit and the Race Against Time
After the lesson ended, De Lan stood with his usual poise and raised his voice, announcing with a commanding presence:
- Before leaving, I want everyone to inform me whether they will attend tomorrow's trip and write their name here.
He held up a white sheet of paper he had neatly lined for registration. The students crowded around him and began signing. One of them remarked in surprise:
- A creative method, De Lan! We usually send attendance confirmations via messages in the class group. Why go back to paper?
De Lan replied calmly, masking his unease:
- I lost my phone yesterday this is more reliable for everyone.
As soon as he finished collecting the names, he handed the paper to the teacher and rushed outside to catch Jo Ri before she disappeared. However, his friends stopped him in the hallway:
- De Lan! Aren't we practicing basketball today? Yesterday you outdid yourself, and the big game is only two weeks away!
- Not today... I'm busy. Let's make it tomorrow,
He replied curtly, trying to push past them.
- But tomorrow we have the field trip!
One of them complained, but De Lan didn't give them a chance to argue. He left them behind, walking away with urgent strides, forcing them to cancel the practice and head home, wondering about the secret behind their friend's sudden change.
The Flame of Memory and the Shadow's Withdrawal
De Lan stood by the school gate, his eyes searching for Jo Ri. Suddenly, Mi Fa came to a halt beside him, clutching her bag and looking down shyly. She asked in a soft voice:
- Are you waiting for someone?
De Lan gazed at her flawless, porcelain face and her long, wavy hair that glowed under the sunlight in a reddish orange hue, like gentle tongues of fire. He felt a desperate urge to reach out and touch those locks that haunted his memories, but he restrained himself he knew this world had no mercy for strange behavior, and to her, he was still a near-stranger. His eyes locked onto hers dark, with a hint of gray and he replied with a faint smile:
- Yes... I am waiting for someone.
He didn't dare utter Jo Ri's name, but added,
- But if you need anything, it's alright. I can help you.
Mi Fa flashed him a radiant smile that shook his very soul, echoing the beloved woman he had left behind in the storms of the past.
At that exact moment, Jo Ri emerged from the art building with her friends. From a distance, she spotted the two of them standing together. One glance at De Lan's expression was enough for her to realize he was in another world one where he didn't want to be interrupted, especially not by her. She told her friends, trying to keep her voice steady:
- I forgot something important in the studio. You guys go ahead I'll head home later.
She turned away from them and retreated back into the art building, shielding her dignity from a scene that tore at the remnants of her heart.
Walls of Escape and Shadows of Longing
Jo Ri waited for a while behind the cold walls before slipping out cautiously. She saw De Lan still lost in Mi Fa's gaze, the two of them conversing in a harmony that replayed the memories of that painful night in her mind the night of the broken swing and the slaughtered tree. She couldn't bear to face them the shocks had drained her of all strength.
She dashed toward the school's perimeter wall, climbing its stones to jump outside, away from their sight. But she froze when she found her childhood friend, Han Ji, standing on the other side, staring at her in utter bewilderment. In her embarrassment and clumsiness, she lost her balance and tumbled toward him. He caught her with a swift, fluid motion, spinning her around to stand directly in front of him.
Their eyes locked in a profound silence, as if a nostalgia for an ancient conversation from a distant past had begun to echo between them. Jo Ri's face flushed crimson, and she tried desperately to bypass him and flee with her dignity intact, but his calm, confident voice stopped her:
- Isn't the timing a bit... off?
She looked at him with wide, confused eyes.
- What?
He gave her a mysterious smile, its meaning eluding her, and added playfully:
- Scaling walls during school hours is called a logical escape. But to do it after school is over... isn't that a bit strange?
Jo Ri smiled to herself; she remembered their long history of escaping the halls of learning back in Joseon. She studied Han Ji's features in this world; he appeared more handsome and charismatic, his voice carrying a tone of calm authority she had never noticed before. She stammered, feeling his unyielding gaze:
- I... I have my reasons.
Silent Shadows and the Sting of Disappointment
He slid his hand into his pocket coolly, catching Jo Ri off guard with a question that made her heart skip a beat:
- Were you running away from De Lan?
- No... of course not!
She replied with a firm denial, trying to mask her inner turmoil.
A smile almost broke across his face, but he quickly hid it behind a mask of stoic indifference, looking into the distance as if deliberately concealing his thoughts from her. Jo Ri continued walking, a step ahead of him, watching his shadow following her on the pavement. A secret joy fluttered in her chest just knowing he was walking behind her; she smiled to herself without turning back, remembering how he used to sneak up and silently push her swing in the early days of their friendship in Joseon.
She spent the entire walk thinking of how to start a real conversation with him, but the steps felt too short, and she soon reached the entrance of her building. Han Ji made no move to draw closer, nor did he utter a single word. Jo Ri lingered for a moment at the door, waiting for a sign or a sentence to break the ice. She felt him stop directly behind her for a few hesitant seconds, but in the end, he moved past her without a word and walked away.
Jo Ri climbed the stairs with a heavy heart, stung by disappointment. She realized with lingering bitterness that Han Ji in this world wasn't her loyal childhood friend; he was a stranger to her, just as she felt like a stranger in this entire era.
Mirrored Fates
As soon as Jo Ri reached her room, she collapsed onto her bed, drowning in conflicting emotions. Her mind was caught between De Lan, who occupied her thoughts with his habitually cold and belittling treatment, and her childhood friend, Han Ji, who always found a way to her starved heart even if only as a silent shadow following her path.
She tried to distract herself by searching her phone for any information regarding the original Jo Ri. She stared at the date on the screen in disbelief they truly were in the distant future. She wondered bitterly: "Has life changed this much?" The social classes, the personalities, the destinies everything had been inverted. Those who were once wealthy were now poor, and those who once ruled with an iron fist were now ordinary citizens struggling through the day. She couldn't explain this strange repetition why the same faces and souls were gathered again in this new era.
A Cry Against Intrusion and the Intrusion of Solitude
The sound of the front door opening broke her train of thought. At first, she thought it was her mother, but it was far too early for her to return from the beauty salon. Moments later, her bedroom door swung open, revealing De Lan's tall figure standing before her like an immovable barrier.
She bolted upright and screamed at him in panic:
- Why are you here?! How dare you just walk in?
Jo Ri bolted upright, a mixture of rage and fear surging in her chest under the weight of his piercing gaze. She wondered in a panic: "Did he see her leaping over the wall with Han Ji? Is that the source of his suppressed fury?"
Or perhaps, seeing Mi Fa and speaking with her had breathed an ancient pride back into his soul, and he had come to pour out a fresh grudge upon her viewing her as the sole obstacle to his reclaimed happiness in this world. Her breath quickened as she waited for him to speak a single word, while he stood there like a mountain, watching the tremble of her shoulders in a terrifying silence.