Strings Of Fate:Fate Rewrite

Jiho slumped into his chair, his shoulders weighed down by the monotony of the day ahead. He glanced at the board where the teacher scribbled something indecipherable and sighed. Life felt like a wheel spinning endlessly—except for Mirae, whose very existence seemed like an enigma he couldn't crack.

"Earth to Jiho," Su Yong's voice cut through his thoughts.

Jiho blinked and turned to his best friend, who was balancing a pencil on his upper lip. Su Yong had a way of turning even the dullest moments into a spectacle.

"Are you zoning out again, or are you finally plotting your move on Notebook Girl?" Su Yong teased, his grin infectious.

"Can you stop calling her that?" Jiho groaned, rubbing his temples. "Her name is Mirae."

"Noted," Su Yong said, miming a salute. "So, what's your plan today? Going to ask her about the weather? Maybe compliment her penmanship?"

Jiho sighed. "I don't have a plan, okay? It's not like she's the easiest person to talk to."

Su Yong shrugged. "Life's too short to overthink, my friend. Go say something weird; it's your specialty anyway."

---

As lunchtime rolled around, Jiho found himself wandering toward the courtyard. Mirae was there, sitting under her usual tree with her ever-present notebook. He hesitated, the ghost of Su Yong's teasing ringing in his ears.

Just say something weird. What's the worst that could happen?

"Hey," Jiho said, walking up to her.

Mirae looked up, her expression as calm as ever. "Hi."

For a moment, Jiho's mind went blank. He scrambled for something to say, anything that wouldn't make him sound like an idiot.

"So, do you believe in parallel universes?" he blurted out.

Mirae tilted her head slightly, a faint glimmer of amusement in her eyes. "Why do you ask?"

Jiho scratched the back of his neck. "I don't know. You just seem like the kind of person who'd have an opinion about it."

She closed her notebook and rested her hands on it, her gaze steady. "Maybe I do."

"Is that a yes?" Jiho asked, leaning slightly forward.

Mirae's lips curved into a small, enigmatic smile. "Maybe."

---

Jiho returned to his seat in the cafeteria, where Su Yong was waiting, his tray already half-empty.

"You look like you survived a war," Su Yong said, pointing his fork at Jiho. "Did she laugh in your face?"

"No, she didn't laugh," Jiho said, sitting down with a sigh. "But she didn't exactly answer my question either."

"What did you ask her?"

"About parallel universes."

Su Yong choked on his soda. "You asked her about what?"

Jiho groaned. "It was the first thing that came to mind, okay? She didn't seem to think it was that weird."

"Jiho, my guy, you're a walking mystery. How does your brain even work?" Su Yong chuckled, shaking his head.

---

The rest of the day passed uneventfully, but Jiho couldn't shake the feeling that his conversation with Mirae had shifted something. Her smile, faint as it was, lingered in his mind.

Later that evening, Jiho sat on his bed, staring at his phone. The Fate Rewrite app hadn't updated since the last cryptic message, but curiosity got the better of him. He opened it, the familiar interface lighting up his screen.

"Progress: 6%," it read.

A new notification popped up:

Clue Unlocked: "The first step to unraveling fate is asking the wrong question."

Jiho frowned. "What does that even mean?"

The app didn't respond, of course. But as Jiho stared at the message, he couldn't help but wonder if his question about parallel universes had been more significant than he realized.

---

The next morning, Jiho arrived at school to find the usual hustle and bustle. Su Yong was already waiting by his desk, flipping through a comic book.

"Ready for round two?" Su Yong asked without looking up.

"Round two of what?" Jiho asked, dropping his bag onto his chair.

"Talking to Mirae. Or are you giving up already?"

"I'm not giving up," Jiho said defensively. "But I can't just keep walking up to her and saying random things."

"Why not? It worked yesterday."

Jiho sighed. "I don't think she's the kind of person who opens up easily. There's something… different about her."

Su Yong closed his comic book and gave Jiho a serious look. "Maybe she's just waiting for someone to try hard enough."

---

During lunch, Jiho found himself back in the courtyard, drawn to the familiar sight of Mirae under the tree. This time, he didn't hesitate.

"Hey," he said, sitting down beside her.

Mirae glanced at him, then back at her notebook. "Hi."

Jiho leaned back against the tree, looking up at the sky. "So, about parallel universes…"

Mirae raised an eyebrow. "You're still on that?"

"I was just wondering," Jiho said, trying to sound casual. "If they exist, do you think we're the same people in every version of them?"

Mirae paused, as if considering her answer. "Maybe some parts of us stay the same. But other parts… change."

"Like what?" Jiho asked, genuinely curious.

She looked at him, her gaze piercing. "Like the choices we make. The paths we take. Those things define who we are."

For a moment, Jiho felt like she was speaking from experience, as if she knew more about the subject than she let on. But before he could ask anything else, Mirae closed her notebook and stood up.

"See you around, Jiho," she said, walking away.

---

That evening, Jiho couldn't stop replaying their conversation in his head. Mirae's words felt heavier than they should have, like they carried a meaning he couldn't quite grasp.

He opened the Fate Rewrite app again, hoping for some kind of clue.

"Progress: 7%," it read.

A new message appeared:

"The second thread has been pulled. Stay curious, but tread carefully."

Jiho stared at the screen, his mind racing. He didn't know what the app wanted from him or what Mirae's role in all of this was, but one thing was certain—he couldn't stop now.