The Variable

When I first tumbled into this world, all I could do was pray.

I prayed desperately to go back to the world I once lived in.

To where my mom was.

To the home where I belonged.

I wanted so badly to return to that warm, ordinary living room where, just moments before, we had been sitting side by side watching a drama together.

Yet I realized before long: no matter how fervently I prayed, that wish would never be granted.

And what was far more terrifying was that this world didn't give me even a moment to grow accustomed to that despair.

To my eyes, the people looked strange.

At first, I thought it was simply because I was in an unfamiliar place. But that wasn't it. Even as time flowed on, people remained bizarre.

They laughed and talked.

They grew angry and cried...

They were unquestionably alive and moving, yet they strangely didn't look like real human beings. They felt like characters trapped behind a screen. People reciting predetermined lines, wearing predetermined expressions, and moving solely for the sake of predetermined scenes.

Perhaps that was why. Though the sky was vast and the grass was green, the people inhabiting it looked entirely black and white to me.

That realization terrified me. Then came a suffocating loneliness, followed eventually by a quiet, burning anger.

Why was I the only one abandoned in a world like this?

Why do I have to suffer through this?

Why, why on earth...?

Yet no one could ever give me an answer. If I dared to ask, they would surely treat me like a madwoman.

So I put on a mask of normalcy. If they told me to eat, I ate; if they told me to go to school, I went. When it was time to smile, I smiled. In the eyes of the adults, I must have looked quite well-adjusted.

But I knew the truth. I knew that, piece by piece, I was losing my mind.

Then came that day.

By pure happenstance, I caught sight of a television news broadcast.

A man stood amidst a ravenous sea of reporters and blinding white camera flashes.

In that singular instant, my breath caught in my throat.

Even though he was on the other side of a glass screen, even though we had never met face-to-face—he alone was different.

He had color.

He looked like the very first real human being I had ever discovered in this world.

Subtitles rapidly scrolled across the bottom of the screen. I stared at those letters in a daze.

Kang-geon.

Kang-geon.

Kang-geon.

I chanted the name over and over in my heart. I didn't fully understand why, but there was one thing I knew with absolute certainty: I had to meet him. I had to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠meet him and confirm something at all costs.

I needed to know whether he was looking at this world through the exact same eyes as me.

And so, dragging my small, frail child's body along, I set off for the Seonghwa Group headquarters.

Naturally, I couldn't meet him right away. Getting past the front entrance was an impossible hurdle in itself. Ah, that was why I threw such a massive, chaotic tantrum in the lobby for hours on end.

Thinking back on it now, it was terribly embarrassing, but I still consider it a stroke of miraculous fortune. Because upon hearing the report that a young girl was raising hell in the lobby demanding to see him, he ultimately came down to the lobby in person.

That was our very first meeting.

And even now, I remember the first words you ever spoke to me as vividly as if it were yesterday.

...

I slowly opened my eyes. As my vision cleared, a familiar scenery gradually came into focus beyond the window of the speeding taxi.

I murmured quietly under my breath.

"It's been a while."

Going to that house, and seeing that person again.

"...Or is it?"

A soft, wry smile naturally tugged at the corners of my lips. Perhaps, from his perspective, this would be our very first meeting. After all, thirteen years is more than enough time for a person to change completely.

I opened my eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling.

Wait, fuck. Don't tell me it was all just a dream ending?!

...Though my panic was short-lived; I had simply forgotten that I'd moved into a new residence. My brain hadn't adjusted to the change of scenery yet.

"Yaaawn..."

Stretching my limbs wide, I dragged myself out of the bedroom. Originally, I had fully intended to celebrate the weekend by sleeping in until noon, but I had an appointment today.

As I pushed open the bedroom door, a space so excessively vast that it felt genuinely burdensome for a single occupant naturally unfolded before my eyes. No matter how many times I took it in, I couldn't get used to the sight. Just counting the number of rooms was a chore, and the living room was wide enough to host a sprint track. On top of that, there was a manicured yard and a sprawling second floor.

I had secured this estate under Choi Yuna's strong recommendation and assistance, but every time I looked around, I caught myself wondering if this wasn't complete overkill. The one saving grace was that I didn't have to clean or manage this monstrosity myself. Household chores were handled by an employed housekeeper. Even without me lifting a finger, the house was perpetually spotless, the refrigerator stayed stocked with fresh food, and any clothes I discarded were laundered, pressed, and neatly organized back in the closet before I even noticed.

The exterior was equally fortified. Security personnel were stationed around the clock to protect my person, and Director Kim oversaw the entire perimeter with iron discipline.

And today, the very first guest since I took up residence here was scheduled to arrive.

The faceless singer—no, singer-songwriter?—known as TEIA.

I picked up the handwritten letter she had sent. Neatly inscribed upon the paper was a proposal to meet on a weekend at eleven in the morning, right here at my private residential address—an address that hadn't even been disclosed to the public yet.

...Just how desperately does she want to flaunt it?

Flaunt the fact that she really came from the future, that is.

Well, if she was willing to walk straight to my doorstep on her own two feet, I had no reason to turn her away.

Right on cue—

Bzzzt—

My smartphone vibrated against the table. The caller ID displayed Director Kim. Checking the clock, it was 10:53 AM. Just shy of our agreed hour.

...Showtime, then.

I answered immediately.

"Has our guest arrived?"

"Send her right through. Oh, and tell her to wait just a moment, will you? I'll head out to greet her personally."

A note of genuine bewilderment colored Director Kim's voice. Well, I understood his reaction. In an estate sprawling enough to feature its own private forest paths, trekking all the way to the front gate just to receive a guest was a tedious chore. Even so, since an uninvited prophet had traveled all this way to see me, walking out to greet her felt like basic executive courtesy.

Slipping into a pair of sandals, I pushed open the heavy front door. The brisk, crisp morning air brushed against my cheeks. A little late to be called morning, yet a little early for lunch.

...Come to think of it, I haven't even eaten breakfast yet.

It definitely wasn't because I'd overslept; the whole TEIA situation had simply killed my appetite. Clearing my throat with an idle cough, I strolled down the paved path toward the front gate. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠In the distance, Director Kim spotted my approach and bowed deeply.

And beyond him—standing right at his side—was an unfamiliar girl.

She wore a pristine white dress and an eye-catching necklace, her pastel-pink hair swaying gently in the morning breeze.

My footsteps slowed involuntarily.

I had never laid eyes on her before. She was an utter stranger, a person I was encountering for the very first time in my existence.

Yet strangely, I couldn't tear my gaze away from her.

It wasn't merely because she possessed an exceptionally pretty face. It was because a startling, jarring realization slammed into my chest.

Wait...

Are you serious?

As if mocking my inability to maintain my usual calm, my heart began pounding violently against my ribs. The reason I was thrown into such utter turmoil was that I was experiencing a phenomenon I hadn't encountered a single time since dropping into this world.

Intuition.

The supernatural sense that had forged me into who I was today—the greatest, most infallible ally I possessed. Even when it didn't hand me the exact answer, Intuition had always illuminated the optimal path forward. At the very least, I had lived with the absolute confidence that following its whispers would never lead to ruin.

And yet, right now...

It's completely silent?

A hollow, disbelieving chuckle slipped past my lips.

I truly couldn't feel a single damn thing.

How I should approach this girl.

Whether I could trust a single word out of her mouth.

Whether her presence was a blessing or an existential threat to my life.

In the face of all those critical questions, my Intuition remained stubbornly, profoundly mute—as though this girl claiming to hail from the future existed entirely outside the sensory spectrum of my supernatural radar.

Fortunately, my paralysis didn't last long.

"Excuse me—"

Because the girl spoke first.

Snapping out of my daze, I focused squarely on her. Looking up at me, she flashed a bright, mischievous grin.

"Do I have something on my face?"

"..."

I suppose I had been staring at her far too blatantly. Even so, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I saw no reason to avert my eyes. It wasn't as if I had committed a crime.

"What should I call you? TEIA?"

"Just call me Sia. That's my real name."

"Then, Miss Sia."

At my formal address, the girl who introduced herself as Sia lightly raised her hand.

"If it's all the same to you, could you drop the honorifics and speak comfortably to me?"

"...Isn't that moving a bit too fast for a first meeting?"

"We're the exact same age anyway, so what does it matter? Don't be so stiff."

She tossed the suggestion out breezily, as if it were the most natural arrangement under the sun. I couldn't help but notice the blatant contradiction, considering the girl making the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠demand was still addressing me in polished, polite honorifics.

Well...

"Fine. Let's head inside first."

Standing around on the driveway conversing wouldn't be comfortable for either of us, and I had an endless list of things I needed to hear from her mouth anyway.

Even if my dead Intuition was an unexpected, dangerous variable.

The moment the girl named Sia stepped across the threshold of the mansion, I noticed another peculiar detail.

She was intimately, effortlessly familiar with this house.

The moment she crossed the foyer, the exact spot where she slipped off her outdoor shoes was completely natural, and her eyes didn't even wander as she instantly located the guest slippers. She even stepped forward toward the living room as though she had memorized the entire floor plan years ago.

Watching her back with narrowed eyes, I finally broke the silence.

"Have you been here before?"

Sia's shoulders went rigid. Ever so faintly. It was a micro-reaction so imperceptible that anyone not observing her with razor-sharp scrutiny would have missed it entirely.

If my Intuition refused to work, I'd just have to rely on my own eyes.

Then came her response.

"It's my first time in this house right now."

"Sounds like a riddle."

At my dry remark, Sia merely beamed with an innocent, radiant smile. It felt like she was deliberately sidestepping the truth for now...

Just then, she took an abrupt, breezy step closer to me.

"Ah, more importantly—have you eaten yet?"

"Someone scheduled our meeting at such an awkward hour that I missed breakfast entirely."

"Are you sure it wasn't just because you overslept?"

"..."

I couldn't immediately fire back.

How should I put it? The longer I bantered with this girl, the more it felt like I was being subtly, expertly led by the nose.

Yet she gave me no room to mount a counterattack.

"Then, as an apology, I'll cook something for you!"

"You'll cook?"

"Yep!"

Sia nodded with absolute conviction. Looking at her triumphant expression, I began to suspect that scheduling our meeting at such an odd, ambiguous hour had been a calculated ambush specifically designed for this outcome.

I gave her an appraising look from head to toe. Anyone could see she was dressed for an elegant weekend stroll, not for rolling up her sleeves and bustling around in someone else's kitchen.

"Do you even know how to cook?"

"One bite and you'll be completely blown away, guaranteed."

Sia shrugged playfully, planting both hands firmly on her hips.

Now, I wasn't entirely sure if it was polite to entertain such a thought, but...

With my Intuition completely offline, one deeply unsettling concern crept into the back of my mind.

She wouldn't... poison the food, would she?

Hssss.

Maybe it was because I had already survived a vicious, real-life makjang poisoning plot that wiped out an entire chaebol lineage, but the PTSD was kicking in all on its own.