Threads Of Fate.

I stared at the app's ominous choices, my mind racing. "Seek the Severed Thread" or "Protect the Loom"? Each felt like a leap into the unknown, but fear kept me rooted. What if I made the wrong choice? What if this was bigger than I ever imagined?

"What's happening?" I whispered, gripping my phone tighter.

I wanted answers, but part of me feared what might come next. Choosing the wrong path could tear whatever fragile connection Mirae and I might have left. The Loom was unraveling, and the threads seemed to be slipping further from my grasp.

A soft knock on my bedroom door broke through my thoughts.

"Jiho?" Seulgi's voice called out from the other side.

I didn't move.

"Hey, I know you're still obsessing over this whole Mirae thing. Trust me, I get it. But you need to step away from whatever you're doing. It's not healthy."

I stayed silent.

"I know it's complicated," Seulgi continued, her voice softer now. "But sometimes, the answers don't come from digging deeper. Sometimes they come from letting go."

Her words hung in the air, but they felt distant, far removed from the chaos inside me. I didn't know how to let go—not when Mirae's world was slipping further away from me.

After a long pause, I finally unlocked my phone. The app stared back at me, its interface as calm as ever, waiting for my choice.

I tapped "Seek the Severed Thread."

The screen went dark for a moment before flickering back to life, revealing a new message:

Progress: 20%

A hidden truth awaits. Find it before it's lost forever.

Beneath the message was another image—a dark, winding corridor with faint lights at its far end. The air seemed heavy, as if something had been disturbed.

"Hidden truths," I muttered, gripping my phone tighter. I didn't know what I was looking for, but I knew I couldn't ignore the pull anymore.

---

The next morning, I arrived at school with a strange sense of anticipation. Mirae wasn't at her usual spot under the tree, and that unsettling sense of emptiness lingered. Seulgi had followed me in silence, her expression guarded, but she didn't push me for answers.

I found Mirae's desk deserted, the notebook still sitting there, untouched. It felt like a silent challenge. Was she expecting me to come looking?

As I stood there, lost in thought, someone behind me cleared their throat. I turned to see a figure approaching—a woman, striking and composed, her presence commanding attention.

"Looking for something?" she asked, her voice calm but filled with authority.

It was the woman from the library.

"I—" I hesitated, my heart thudding in my chest. "Who are you?"

She stepped closer, eyes narrowing as she studied me. "I've been watching you, Jiho. You've been drawn to Mirae's world, haven't you?"

"I…" I struggled to find the words. The tension between us was suffocating.

She continued, her tone even colder now. "You're not ready for what's coming. None of you are."

"What do you mean?" I demanded. "What's happening?"

She sighed, her gaze distant. "The Loom is unraveling, faster than we anticipated. Threads are breaking, and the balance is shifting. We need someone to protect it, someone who understands. Someone like Mirae."

I clenched my fists. "What does that have to do with me?"

She stepped even closer, lowering her voice. "Mirae isn't just caught in this web—she's trying to mend it. But she can't do it alone. She needs someone who can understand the threads."

"Understand the threads?" I echoed, confused.

She ignored my question. "You've seen the app. The choices it gives you. The threads that are breaking—you can feel them, can't you?"

I nodded slowly, though every word she spoke felt like a blur.

She placed a hand on my shoulder, her grip firm. "The Severed Thread… Mirae needs you to find it. To repair it."

"I'm not sure I—"

"You have no choice," she interrupted. "The Loom won't wait for you to decide. If you don't act now, everything will fall apart."

Her words hit me harder than I expected. The Loom, the threads—what did any of it even mean? But something in her eyes told me that walking away wasn't an option.

Before I could respond, she turned, walking away with an air of finality.

I stood there, rooted to the spot, my mind racing.

Seulgi appeared at my side, having witnessed the exchange. "Who was that?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"I… don't know," I replied, still trying to process what had just happened.

We watched the woman disappear into the crowd, her presence now etched into my thoughts.

---

By the time school ended, I found myself back in the library, the pages of Mirae's notebook open in front of me. The blank pages were maddening, but I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to them than met the eye.

Suddenly, the app buzzed again.

Progress: 30%

A hidden connection is forming. Embrace it.

I unlocked the app, my hands trembling. This time, there was a new option: "Follow the Connection" or "Break Free."

I stared at the choices, torn. Mirae was somehow tied to this, to the Loom. And now, so was I.

"Follow the Connection" or "Break Free."

I closed my eyes, my breath catching.

The Loom was unraveling. There was no turning back.

I could feel the weight of the decision pressing down on me, as though the choice itself was a thread fraying at the edge of reality. The woman's warning echoed in my mind—find the Severed Thread or risk losing everything.

What if I chose wrong? What if there was no way back? But something inside me told me I couldn't ignore it anymore. Mirae wasn't just some girl who'd stumbled into my life. She was part of a much bigger picture, a force I couldn't begin to understand.

With shaky hands, I tapped "Follow the Connection."

The screen shifted again, showing an image of Mirae standing alone in that same dim corridor from earlier, her back turned to me. She looked lost, her figure illuminated by the faint glow of distant lights. The words beneath the image haunted me:

"You're not alone in this."

A pulse ran through my chest as if the message resonated deep within me. Mirae had been trying to protect the Loom, and now it seemed like her fate was tied to mine. Could I trust that? Could I trust myself to help her?

The app buzzed again, this time louder, more insistent. I opened it, expecting another message, but the screen went dark, replaced by a single image—Mirae's notebook, its pages now shimmering faintly.

For the first time, I saw something written on them, though the words were unfamiliar, foreign symbols that twisted and flowed like the writing from a dream. The letters seemed to pulse, shifting as if alive.

"The threads will unravel if you don't hold them together."

I didn't know what it meant, but one thing was clear: Mirae wasn't alone in this. And neither was I.

As I stared at the notebook, I felt a presence behind me again. Turning slowly, I found Mirae standing there, her gaze fixed on me.

"Why are you still here, Jiho?" Her voice was quiet, almost guarded, but her eyes searched mine with something I couldn't place—fear, or maybe something more.

I didn't have the answers, but I knew one thing. I couldn't let her fight this alone.

"I'm not leaving," I said, my voice steady.

She blinked, and for the briefest moment, her expression softened.

Then she turned, walking away into the shadows.

And I followed.