Infinity

The end of journey

Tears stream down her face uncontrollably as she taps the bracelet, the heartbreak she has endured all these years crushing her soul.

Expecting the cruel continuation of it, she is engulfed in sheer disbelief as she slowly opens her eyes.

To her shock, there is no,

"Stay still. Dont move. I'll call the cops."  She has expected to hear.

The haunting scenes of alternate realities have vanished and is replaced by the surroundings of a church.

It's the universe – the one she belongs to, the one that is her reality. Now.

Disoriented and breathless, she scans the place , unable to believe her eyes.

The mad scientist, wearing a peculiar smile that hints at the secrets of the multiverse, stands before her. His presence, gives a glimmer of relief that she is in the right universe.

He has brought her back,

To Mina.

The sadness lifts momentarily. The mix of shock and relief paints a complex array of emotions across Nayeon's tear-streaked face as she grapples with the truth.

She wonders how much time has passed. She wonders if the years she has spent traversing universes have etched lines on her face and turned her hair gray.

The thought of irreversible change gnaws at her, casting a shadow of grief over the possibility that it could be too late to mend the fragments of her life.

"How long have I been gone?" she asks, her voice trembling.

"Only four hours," he responds, a glint of amusement in his eyes. "Quite a brief trip, wasn't it?"

Just four hours? To her, it feels like she had spent a lifetime between universes.

As if reading her mind, he explains while calmly checking her eyes with a scanner and taking her vitals, "Time works in mysterious ways, my dear. What feels like a lifetime in other universes may be just a blink of an eye here."

She theoretically understands the concept, but facing it firsthand is mind-boggling.

"It would have been even shorter, but it took me quite a while to make my beamer locate the coordinates on your quantum bracelet and guide you back."

Four hours. A mix of shock and relief floods Nayeon.

Four hours – what felt like an eternity in the alternate universes, was only a fraction of a day in her own.

She musters a thank-you, her voice trembling with emotions.

After the checkup, in which he dryly notes her dark circles, Nayeon hurries out of the church and spots her car. The storm has subsided, and the early morning rays of dawn tell her it's around five in the morning. The wet roads shimmer, glistening in the aftermath of the storm.

As she drives to her apartment, a lingering sense of unease accompanies Nayeon. When she opens the door, she expects her flat to be quiet , instead she's met with a furious Jeongyeon, who wastes no time expressing her frustration.

"You said, and I quote, 'I promise, Jeongyeon, I will stay in the apartment.' All a bunch of lies," Jeongyeon accuses with a stern expression.

Nayeon, however, doesn't take the scolding to heart, recognizing that Jeongyeon's anger stems from genuine concern and worry. She meets Jeongyeon's gaze with a solemn acknowledgment of her broken promises.

"I'm alive, aren't I?" she quips, a bittersweet smile tugging at the corners of her lips, earning a disapproving frown from the taller girl.

Jeongyeon's anger gradually subsides, replaced by genuine concern. "You look like shit, like you've aged by years."