Chapter 1: Prologue

“Su-Hyeok, I have returned."

“Returned from where?"

“The future."

“What the fuck? You’re crazy."

***

I tried everything, from pleading and clinging to begging her to reconsider just once. Unfortunately, I ultimately had no choice but to accept the inevitable. It was not like she cheated; her feelings had simply faded away. What could I possibly do?

Yes, that was right. I ended things with my girlfriend today. Or, to put it more accurately, she dumped me. If I was going to be brutally honest, I suppose I had seen this coming. I had sensed her cooling affection as far back as three months ago.

The rage simmering inside me now wasn’t because of my ex-girlfriend, though. It was because of Ha Hee-Jeong, my only female friend.

In the few minutes that I spent in the bathroom, Ha Hee-Jeong somehow managed to get knocked out cold and face-plant onto the table. Clumps of her hair were now sadly decorating the kimchi stew that we had been served.

Ugh. You’ve got to be kidding me.

Guess who was left to clean up the mess whenever Ha Hee-Jeong ended up like this? Yep, that would be me. She hadn’t drunk anywhere near enough for her to lose consciousness, so I couldn’t understand why she had already passed out.

I did a rough job of fishing Ha Hee-Jeong’s hair out of the kimchi stew with a napkin, then gave her shoulders a good shake.

“Hey, hey. Come on, wake up."

“

Ugh

..."

She mumbled and turned but didn’t wake up.

My irritation flared up again. The whole reason we were drinking tonight was my breakup, so I should have been the one drowning my sorrows in alcohol until I had passed out. Yet here she was, passed out before me even though she hadn’t even drunk much. I was becoming more annoyed by the second.

Figuring she wouldn’t remember any of this by morning, I impulsively gave her a swift smack on the back of her head. The sound echoed satisfyingly.

“You son of a—"

However, Ha Hee-Jeong wasn’t having any of it. She snapped up my right hand like a bear trap and twisted my wrist, causing pain to shoot up my arm.

“

Ow

!"

Right after, she grabbed a pair of chopsticks and thrust them toward my neck. Fortunately, she stopped just before she could hit me with them.

“What the...?"

She stared at me with wide eyes, the chopsticks in her hand shaking violently a mere inch away from my throat. It just startled me at first, but fear soon crept in.

Her eyes, filled with a murderous rage, haunted me. She seemed intent on stabbing me.

“...”

I forced myself to analyze the situation with whatever sobriety I had left. Ha Hee-Jeong was definitely drunk, so her reflexes probably kicked in when I smacked her. Defending herself—even if she had to do it with chopsticks—was a pretty natural response.

Damn it.

I decided to brush it off as her losing her senses because she was drunk.

“Are they fighting?"

“Should we call the cops? What is she holding?"

Only then did I notice other people murmuring and staring. Everyone in the small bar was now focused on us.

Ha Hee-Jeong froze, and her eyes lost focus and shook. She was still poised to stab me, but she thankfully didn’t seem to have the strength to follow through.

“Oh, I am so sorry. My friend is really drunk. I am so sorry about this," I apologized.

I untwisted my wrist and bowed to the onlookers. Afterward, I helped the still-dazed Ha Hee-Jeong back to her seat.

“Hey, are you okay? What was that about? You scared the hell out of me."

“Just... give me a moment."

“What do you mean, 'just a moment'? Are you sick?"

“No, just... shut up for a second, okay?"

Her sharp tone made me shut my mouth. I was overwhelmed by the feeling of being utterly subdued.

I watched her closely as I tried to read her expression. This wasn’t the Ha Hee-Jeong I knew. She seemed like someone else entirely.

A split personality? No, that couldn’t be it. I would have noticed something that major by now.

I waited silently for Ha Hee-Jeong to speak again. She absentmindedly tapped the table with her fingers and mumbled under her breath, seemingly haunted by something unseen. After a tense few minutes, she checked her phone.

“October 3rd, 2020... October 3rd, 2020."

She was mumbling today's date. Did I scramble her brain when I smacked her in the head?

“Hey, Su-Hyeok," she finally said.

Without thinking, I brusquely replied, “What?”

I then quickly checked her reaction. Fortunately, contrary to her previous intimidating demeanor, she didn’t seem to mind my curt response.

She suddenly leaned toward me, bringing our faces close together. She was pretty, but the overwhelming smell of kimchi stew made me slightly grimace.

“I have returned,” Ha Hee-Jeong whispered as if afraid someone might overhear.

“Returned from where?"

“The future."

She had to be out of her mind.

“What the fuck? You’re crazy."

The thought escaped my lips before my brain could catch up.