Chapter 25: Unraveling the Present

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Hairi was sitting at the extreme end of her bed, lost in thought and staring hard into the glowing screen of her phone. The words from Minji seemed to reverberate through her head. "Talk to Sehun. Don't let time or distance get in the way of what you really want." It appeared like it was her lifeline, yet a part of her wondered if she could even act on it. The fact is, everything seemed all enmeshed now, like every action, every decision, was forcing her in a different direction.

She would try and try to connect the new person she was slowly molding into with the one she had left behind. But every time she made the jump, every time she changed her past, she felt herself slipping from the ability to really know herself again. Her connection with Sehun, which once felt so light and easy, now seemed so strained and fragile. It was beginning to feel as if the more she tried to patch it up, the further Pi and Sehun drifted apart.

But was it really her fault? Was it just this stupid time travel messing things up, or something else? Did the changes she made, the things she tried to alter, lead to this chain reaction that brought her to this point of confusion, isolation, and loss?

She becomes thicker, oval, and deeper as she closes her eyes and releases most deep breaths. She couldn't stop thinking about bitter, painful memories about the moment she opened up to Sehun through her evanescent, mist-like kiss. But just as she was about to hear his response, reality intruded, leaving her with nothing but a sore feeling of unfinished business.

Hairi shook her head while running her fingers through her hair. Perhaps it was my past self who did all the changing. Maybe it is she and not I who is doing the changing.

Her thoughts floated back to the time when she went back, when everything first began to happen. Back when Sehun and her were starting to grow close, back when she was so sure of her feelings-the very point when she'd confessed. Not with all the surety in the world, but well enough-in a total rush of vulnerability and emotion. But what had taken place after that confession? Had it yet been the stepping stone that caused it all to make such a drastic shift?

The more she thought about it, the more her brain raced. She hadn't been thinking clearly either. There were too many things she wanted to say, to change, and now-it was like she had opened Pandora's box.

And then that one appalling date which she could never forget, the call which had been resounding in her head since she had heard it.

She was whisked back to reality before she could hear Sehun's answer. But that time-before-something happened, something that feels like deep alteration in her everyday life.

Rumors had not escaped Hairi. She had heard about how after confessing, things went wrong-how it changed and altered the course of everything in life. There were the voices inside her family and the doctors.

She was a girl whose life was playing tricks on her through an accident-a car accident-and her 18-year self right after she came back to the present.

The details are sort of cloudy, but she did remember that memory was lost. The person she had been, the one who loved Sehun and was building a future with him, no longer existed. All memory related to him, to whatever they had been, vanished in that instant. Back then, all that was left was a blank slate and a strange sense of déjà vu when confronted with the past-the one who did not remember.

It was much more than that. It was her ex-fiancé, Jiwon, who has walked through these pieces of the life she has forgotten. **Jiwon?** She could hardly manage to think of everything that had happened now, but that was the truth. He was there when she remembered nothing anymore-when she had lost herself.

But that wasn't me. That wasn't the Hairi I know. That was my past self.

So I still ended up hurt and I still dated Jiwon after the car accident.

The realization hit her hard. She had been so wrapped up in the present, so consumed by the changes that she hadn't realized the impact her past self had made. She had assumed she was the one who was making all the changes. But what if her past self, the version of her that had been lost in that accident, had set this chain of events in motion?

Had she really altered everything to the point where she was now in this reality-one where she didn't remember Sehun, where Dongwoo and Minji were together, and where she was constantly struggling with the consequences of her actions?

Hairi stood up, pacing across the room. This can't be real. I have to fix this. I have to fix what my past self did.

But how? The question echoed in her mind. What if she couldn't change anything? What if the timeline had already been set in stone, and the events that had unfolded-no matter how much she wanted to fix them-were the only way things could have happened?

She stopped pacing and looked out of the window, the weight of everything she had done pressing down on her chest. The wind outside rustled the trees, a reminder that time kept moving forward, whether she liked it or not.

She thought about Sehun. She thought about the way he had pulled away from her, how he had become so distant, cold even. Had he felt her absence? Did he know that this wasn't her-this version of her who didn't remember him the way she should?

Hairi's fingers brushed the edge of her phone as it buzzed again. It was a message from Minji.

Minji:"Are you okay? You've been so quiet lately. I know you're struggling with the time traveling, but you have to face this. Whatever happens with Sehun, whatever happened with your past self, you can't keep running from it."

Hairi let the message sit in her hands for a moment before replying.

Hairi:"I don't know what's real anymore. I thought I was changing things for the better. But everything's just... different. And I don't know how to fix it."

Minji's response came quickly.

Minji:"You have to let go. Whatever happened with your past self, whatever changes she made-it's not your fault. You just need to be true to yourself now. Do what feels right for you, Hairi. Not for anyone else."

Hairi stared at the screen for a long moment, trying to absorb Minji's words. She was right. There was no point in obsessing over what had happened. What mattered now was what she did moving forward. But how could she move forward when she didn't know if the timeline she was in was the one she was supposed to be in?

---

Later that evening, Hairi sat with her elbows resting on the kitchen table as thoughts were swirling around like a tornado. She has not gotten over Sehun because of how much he changed in the present. He had also been distant and even cold. Where was that warm, playful Sehun she had known? Was it the time-travel mesb that had messed with his mind the way it had messed with hers? What about Minji and Dongwoo? Two people who had never been friends or know each other are now making it seem like more than friends now fall in love, their connection growing stronger with each passing day.
Is it a good thing? Would it have happened anyway regardless of her involvement or was she the cause of it? Because now she couldn't tell. Every decision felt accompanied by consequential deeds, and she was caught in the middle of it all, unsure where to walk next.
She walked to the window once again, directing her gaze on the distant skyline, as if looking for answers residing in that sunset behind her window. And she received a phone buzz again, and this time it was a message from her brother, Dongwoo.

Dongwoo: "Hey, Hairi. Just wanted to tell you that Minji and I are... well, we're official now. I don't know if this would've happened without your help, but I'm glad it did. Thanks for being there for us."
The words on the screen should have made her happy, and they did, in a way. But there was a gnawing feeling in her stomach, a sense that things weren't as simple as they seemed. How much had she really changed by traveling back in time? She had hoped to fix things, to fix herself. But was she just making things more complicated?
The door to the kitchen creaked open, and Dongwoo stepped inside. His eyes softened when he saw the look on her face.

"You okay?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.

Hairi shook her head. "I don't know. I'm not sure if I'm making things better or worse. With you and Minji... I don't even know if I should be happy or worried."
Dongwoo sat down across from her, his gaze thoughtful. "I get it. Time travel messes with your mind. But you can't keep second-guessing everything. Maybe things are changing, but that doesn't mean they're bad changes. Maybe the universe is just... finding its own balance again."
Hairi sighed, feeling the weight of his words. "But what if it's too late? What if I've already ruined everything, especially with Sehun?"

Dongwoo reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You can't control everything, Hairi. But you can control what you do from here on out. Don't let the past or the future decide for you."
His words gave her a small measure of comfort, but it wasn't enough to erase the feeling of uncertainty that still clung to her. As she sat there, lost in her thoughts, the sound of her phone buzzing again broke the silence.

Sehun: "I think we need some time apart. I need to figure things out."
Her heart broke at the words. It was exactly what she had feared, but now that it was happening, it felt like a punch to the gut.
The distance between them had grown too wide. She had tried so hard to bridge that gap, but it felt like every time she made progress, time had other plans. Now, more than ever, she feared that their connection was slipping away for good.

The following days felt like a blur. Hairi had never felt more disconnected from everything she had once known. Sehun was distant, and despite her best efforts to reconnect, he remained guarded, his words clipped whenever they spoke. She couldn't understand why-had her time traveling really affected him that much?

Minji, on the other hand, was happier than ever. Her relationship with Dongwoo was blossoming, and while Hairi was genuinely happy for them, she couldn't shake the feeling of isolation creeping over her.
One evening, as Hairi sat in her room, her thoughts swirling around her like a whirlwind, her phone buzzed again. She opened the message with a deep breath.

Minji: "You know, I think you should talk to Sehun. You can't let time or distance stop you from what you want."

Hairi stared at the message for a long moment. She had tried. She had tried so hard to fix everything, but it felt like Sehun was slipping further away from her with each passing day. Could she really fix this? Was it too late?

As she set her phone down, she realized something-time wasn't just something she could control or bend to her will. It was unpredictable. And no matter how hard she tried, the distance between her and Sehun seemed to grow with every moment.

"You okay?" Dongwoo asked, concern evident in his voice.

Hairi shook her head. "I don't know. I'm not sure if I'm making things better or worse. With you and Minji... I don't even know if I should be happy or worried."

Dongwoo sat down across from her, his gaze thoughtful. "I get it. Time travel messes with your mind. But you can't keep second-guessing everything. Maybe things are changing, but that doesn't mean they're bad changes. Maybe the universe is just... finding its own balance again."

Hairi sighed, feeling the weight of his words. "But what if it's too late? What if I've already ruined everything, especially with Sehun?"

Dongwoo reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You can't control everything, Hairi. But you can control what you do from here on out. Don't let the past or the future decide for you."
____

Hairi found herself at the café where she had first met Sehun. It was quiet, and the only sounds were the soft clinks of cups and the low hum of conversation. Her eyes scanned the room, but there was no sign of him.

And then, just as she thought she had imagined it, the door opened, and there he was.

Sehun.

His gaze immediately met hers, and for a moment, it felt like everything paused. The tension between them was thick-an unspoken understanding, a question hanging in the air that neither of them dared to voice.

Sehun walked over to her, his expression unreadable. His usual warmth was missing, replaced by a cool detachment that stung. He sat down across from her without saying a word.

Hairi felt the familiar ache in her chest, the pull to reach out to him. But something told her it was too late. Had my past self already ruined this? Is this who we are now?

She finally broke the silence. "Sehun, I-"
Before she could finish, Sehun raised a hand, his eyes avoiding hers. "I don't know what to say anymore, Hairi. You've changed. I don't know who you are now. I don't know who I am in all of this."

His words hit her like a cold wave. It was as if the distance between them was more than just physical; it was emotional, psychological. Hairi swallowed hard, trying to keep the tears at bay.

"I didn't mean for any of this to happen," she whispered. "I didn't mean to change everything. But... I think I've been trying to fix something that can't be fixed."

Sehun looked at her, his eyes softening just a little. "Maybe you've been trying to fix the wrong things, Hairi."

For a moment, there was a flicker of the old Sehun, the one she knew so well-the one who had always known how to make her laugh, how to make her feel at home. But it quickly vanished, leaving her with nothing but the emptiness of what could have been.

"I don't know what happens next," he said quietly, his gaze dropping to the table. "But I think... I think it's time for both of us to figure out who we are without trying to fix the past."

Hairi nodded, the weight of his words sinking in. She had to let go, not just of the past, but of the future she had been trying so desperately to control.

But how could she move forward when she had no idea what was real anymore?
The silence stretched between them, heavy and unresolved. She wanted to say something, anything to break the distance. But in that moment, she realized-maybe there were no words left to say.

Sehun stood up slowly, his hand lingering on the edge of the table. "Take care of yourself, Hairi."

And then, just like that, he was gone.
The door closed softly behind him, leaving Hairi sitting alone in the café, a quiet ache in her chest and a thousand unanswered questions swirling in her mind.

Maybe it was time to stop trying to fix everything.

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