Love Across Universe

What's The Answer

Soojin

Sooah was struggling with the key in the lock while Alex stood beside me, imparting safety rules in his usual careful manner.

"....and here, take these 2 pepper spray bottles. Keep 1 with you and give the other to Sooah. What's on your mind, Soojin? Are you zoning out?"

"I'm fine, Alex. Just feeling a bit off," I replied, accepting the bottles from him. "You know how my life turned upside down after I turned 15. Losing Alain, then appa and eomma, and everything else falling apart. Sometimes I feel like I'm cursed."

Before I could continue, soft lips pressed against mine, cutting off my words.

"Whiskey on ice and you're all mine," Alex said with that irresistible American accent, licking his lips playfully. His touch always had a way of making me feel warm inside. "Forget about curses and all that nonsense. From now on, you won't lose anything. Only gain."

"Soojin, if you're ready, come on," Sooah called from the door.

"Seems like we're always interrupted," I sighed. "Take care, Alexie," I waved him goodbye as he chuckled and left.

Later that night, Sooah entered my room with a cup of hot brew, interrupting my thoughts once again.

"Who do you suspect, Soojin?" she asked, pushing the door open.

I took the cup from her and traced my fingers along the rim. Taking a small sip, the warmth spread through me, momentarily easing the tension.

"No one. Our parents never had enemies," I replied quietly.

She hummed in response and left me alone with my thoughts once more.

Frustrated, I rose from my bed and ran my hands along the spines of the thick science books on my shelf. One book caught my eye—its cover adorned with the title 'Micasa'.

An envelope slipped out as I pulled the book from the shelf. Crouching down, I picked it up and opened it to find childhood photos—memories of happier times with unnie and Alain, our last school excursion together. I smiled at the images, reminiscing about the carefree moments we shared.

Life used to be simpler back then...

The next day, I found myself alone in the office cafeteria during an unusual hour. I disliked being alone, but work demanded it. Holding a cup of hot latte, I reread an article from the German Times about a new theory on parallel universes. It wasn't entirely new, but the idea intrigued me nonetheless.

"Soollal is approaching. Should we go to Korea and enjoy some fresh K-air?" Sooah asked, appearing beside me.

I didn't turn to face her. "Let's invite Alex this time. We've always wanted to go together."

"That sounds like a great idea, Soojin. Talk to him and let me know," she chirped.

When I finally turned around, she had already disappeared. I placed the magazine back on the table and returned to my work.

Walking towards the Researchers' Cabin, I spotted Miss Stephen waiting for me.

"Oh, Miss Min, I was waiting for you. Did you read about the latest theory on parallel universes?" she asked, adjusting her glasses.

"Yes, Miss Stephen. It's quite fascinating," I replied, meeting her gaze.

"Based on that, organize a group project and draw some conclusions. Let me review them once you're done, and then Mr. Harper can send them to the German Institute of Science for potential collaboration. Take charge of this project, Soojin. Research thoroughly and aim for new insights."

She left, leaving me with a knot of worry. I had planned to ask for some time off, but now...

Later that night, Sooah interrupted my thoughts again.

"What? You should have told her right then," she said, spoon in hand.

"I felt awkward bringing it up in front of everyone," I admitted, chewing on a piece of braised meat. "But given our current situation, is it wise for us to leave the US?"

"You said it was just a cruel prank by someone, and I believed you. Just tell that you don't want to go. The sooner I book the tickets, the cheaper they'll be."

Her frustration was evident in her voice. I was Korean by heritage, but Korea held little allure for me. It wasn't that I disliked Korea; it simply didn't draw me in the way it did for others.

"Of course, Alex and I will come with you, unnie," I lied, feeling guilty, but seeing Sooah smile eased my conscience.

After a hearty meal, I settled onto my bed and pulled the duvet over my lower body. Opening Alain's diary, I turned to another page. There was something oddly comforting about reading his diary entries—perhaps a curiosity about people's private lives that I knew was somewhat intrusive. I remembered enjoying 'The Diary of a Young Girl'.

September 25th, 2017

Dear Diary,

Yippee! Today, we visited our school's Physics Lab. Grade 9: Time for practical experiments. We've been learning about the Laws of Reflection since grade 6, but today, when I actually proved it experimentally, it finally clicked. Let me describe the lab to you. There were beams and spring balances, and shelves filled with thermometers and other instruments I'd never seen before.

There were three large wooden tables and one small one. One of the large tables was covered with electronic devices, meters, and a couple of long rulers. The table was a tangle of wires with a mysterious switch. I was tempted to flip it, but for the sake of my life, I refrained—haha.

Each student was given a medium-sized wooden board with pins and a plane mirror. On a white A4 sheet attached to the board with small pins, I drew the line of the plane mirror and the incident ray. I placed two pins along that line and positioned the mirror to reflect the image of those two pins. Along the perpendicular line from the image, I placed more pins.

My first attempt gave an angle of incidence of 28 degrees. After a few tries, I finally got the correct angle—30 degrees. Now, about my best friend Soojin, that silly girl initially held the mirror stand upside down. I tried to signal her with hand gestures, but she didn't catch on.

She only got it right on her second attempt. No one got it right the first time. When I pointed out her mistake with the stand, she gave me a lame excuse, saying she thought the maker designed it that way.

Tea - Henry accidentally broke the mirror, and Elisha screamed at the sound of shattering glass. Miss Blair regretted bringing our class to the lab.

From,

Your Faithful Owner,

Alain Abreo.