The Phenomenon: Time Loop

Chapter 4: The Wish Book

The next Monday, Chan's call woke me from my sleep instead of Jiwoo's again. I didn't bother sitting up in bed this time. What point was there?

"Good morning." His tired voice growled in the early hour. I double checked my phone. It was half an hour earlier than the prior day. "I guess I can't tell Minho why I am missing again."

"Guess not," I replied listlessly. "Though why, I don't know. He's... we might die if I say this but fuck it to hell. Lee Know and Han are part of this."

I squeezed my eyes shut, expecting the tree. When it didn't come, I breathed a sigh of relief. "I can tell you that much then?"

Chan sighed, the phone picking up the breath louder than he likely knew. "So if they're involved, why are they not remembering? Why aren't they..."

"Dying?" I supplied.

"Yeah," he murmured.

"I don't know," I replied. "I don't know the spells involved in this. My grandmother gifted me the diary from some shop."

So far, so good.

"Then maybe we should talk to the shop that sold her the diary?" Chan said slowly. "Maybe they know what's happening."

I made a noncommittal noise in my throat.

"Adi?" Chan's voice had a note of censure to it, one I didn't care for.

I felt tears spill over my cheeks, falling back into my hair, onto my pillow. "I'm sorry, Chan. It's my fault. All of this is my fucking fault. I broke one of the cardinal rules of witchcraft... messing with things I don't understand."

"You couldn't have known this would happen." His voice was gentle.

"No," I agreed, my voice cracking. "No, I didn't know. That doesn't excuse what I've done."

"We'll figure it out. Listen to me, yeah? I know we've gone through this Monday enough times to break us. I'm feeling it too. But we finally found out we're not alone, and now you want to quit?"

"It's not that," I muttered reluctantly. "It's just... I've been single and alone forever. And now I've gone and likely broken a very powerful magical artifact for my own selfish reasons, because I was lonely and drunk."

"Well," he murmured softly. "You're not alone. Not anymore. I'm going to hang up now. Call your grandmother and find the store she bought the diary from. We'll go from there."

I took a steadying breath. "Yes, sir."

Chan let out a startled laugh. "Just Chris or Channie is fine, Adi."

I smiled in spite of the tears drying on my cheeks. "Okay, Chris. Talk to you in a bit."

I hung up the phone, staring at the numbers I'd memorized from before. Grandma was home now, but likely tired. It was late enough in the morning that she should be up. Late in the morning for her, but so early for me. I guess when you have time, you choose the hours that are quiet.

I went to my phone app to call her from the recent calls list, and I stopped short.

His number was in my phone. In the recent calls list. Today at 4:30am, but a previous entry at 5am. I stared at the logs, brow furrowed in confusion.

I shook my head, scrolling back to my grandma's call and letting it ring. She answered after a few, sounding groggy but fine.

"Adi? Is everything okay, honey?"

"Hi, grandma!" I said, putting as much excitement into my voice as I could under the circumstances. "I had a question for you about the diary?"

"Of course, Adi. What would you like to know?"