The view that had been dyed white soon returned to normal.
When I opened my eyes, I found myself lying on the floor of the cottage. The sensation of the cold wooden floor was distinct.
“Ugh!”
As soon as I tried to sit up, a wave of dizziness hit me, and nausea rose in my throat.
I barely managed to suppress the urge to vomit and looked around.
The cottage, which had just moments ago looked like it was about to collapse from how worn-down it was, now exuded a rustic charm, as if it had just been built. The place was entirely renewed, emitting the smell of fresh wood.
Its appearance remained the same, but the feeling was entirely different. Gone was the shabbiness, replaced by cleanliness. The former sense of instability had been supplanted by a feeling of solidity.
‘The past.’
I hurriedly got up and checked the calendar hanging on the wall.
If the cottage had accurately reverted the timeline, today’s date should be January 1, 1979.
That’s when the fragment of harmony was created.
“Please.”
However, the date in front of me was a bit different.
[December 26, 1978]
Six days before the fragment was created.
I sighed.
“…It’s close.”
Generally, in the original story, the limit for time travel is seven days.
Exceeding that would cause the timeline to collapse, returning one to the original point automatically.
Moreover, there would be no second chance—the cottage would disappear.
‘If this happens, I have to obtain it on the last day…’
I was deep in thought when I heard a voice from behind and slowly turned my head.
“Mmm…”
A soft, lethargic voice.
I slowly turned to see Kang Ah-rin stretching lazily.
She slowly looked over at me and gave a familiar smile.
“Did you sleep well?”
“…”
I closed my eyes for a moment, suppressing the rising confusion and questions.
I had no idea where to even start unraveling this situation.
Kang Ah-rin remained calm, either aware of or oblivious to my bewilderment.
I let out a deep sigh as I looked at her.
“…How did you know?”
She had locked the door just before midnight, which seemed strange but even stranger given her apparent lack of knowledge about the cottage’s mechanisms.
My thoughts were in disarray; all I could do was wait for her response.
She slightly narrowed her eyes and tilted her head, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.
“It’s Glory.”
Kang Ah-rin stretched and casually answered.
“Wouldn’t you know?”
I furrowed my eyebrows slightly at her words.
It’s true that Glory is an organization with an impressive intelligence network.
However, uncovering the hidden mechanics of the cottage, something that even the original story conceals, didn’t make sense.
My mind was a whirlwind of confusion. I had no choice but to wait for her response.
She slightly tilted her head and gestured toward the ground.
“Here, Mount Baekdu. This is where one of the two fragments found in the world is buried.”
My heart raced subtly as I listened.
“And the cottage.”
Kang Ah-rin slowly looked around the cottage as she spoke.
“This cottage is a place affected by the fragment’s timeline. Simply put, it’s a timeline twisted by the fragment’s energy.”
‘How…?’
It was a perfect answer.
That’s exactly the setting.
“What? Still don’t trust me?”
She grinned and approached me.
Her knowledge was too detailed, leaving me no choice but to believe her. My head became even more confused. How had the information reached this extent?
Was it another consequence of Kang Yu-seong’s death?
If so, it would only reinforce how incompetent his management truly was.
“And, I actually have a question for you instead.”
Kang Ah-rin leaned closer, her crimson eyes growing closer and glowing softly. It was as if she were trying to peer into my soul with a meaningful look.
“An information so confidential in Glory that no one knows it… how do you know it?”
Now it was my turn to explain.
If what she said was true, only a select few within Glory could possess this information. What could explain my knowledge of it? It made sense that she would have doubts.
However, I didn’t feel obligated to provide her with an answer.
Ignoring her question, I stepped out of the cottage immediately.
“Where are you going?”
Her voice followed me from behind, slightly hurried but still calm.
I didn’t stop and glanced back at her briefly.
“Aren’t you here to find the fragment too?”
Outside, it was still evening.
I took each step forward into the snowy landscape, blanketed in pristine white covering what had been a rain-laden cottage. The cold air pierced my skin.
“Me too.”
I felt her gaze from behind but deliberately ignored it and continued walking.
‘I already know the location and generation time of the fragment.’
Mount Baekdu, January 1st. The fragment would definitely appear there on that day. In the original story, it had emerged without warning.
I was concerned about Glory’s information-gathering capabilities within this timeline following Kang Yu-seong’s death.
Even if we concede that they know about the fragment existing within the crater, there’s no way they could know the specific generation time.
I looked up toward the sky.
As I organized my plan and glanced around, my task was simple: pretend to search and distance myself from her.
Just then, as I walked across the snow-covered field,
-Fphhth.
A small chuckle erupted from behind me. Piercing through the cold air, it stopped me in my tracks.
Turning my head, I saw Kang Ah-rin covering her mouth with one hand, her shoulders shaking as she tried to suppress her laughter. Her eyes, however, were already brimming with amusement.
“Oh, sorry.”
She slightly bowed her head to hide her smile, but the lingering grin on her lips remained undeniable. Lifting her head, she smiled at me with clarity and sincerity.
“Watching you overthink things… it was just cute.”
I narrowed my eyebrows slightly. Her composed smile remained unchanged.
“But you know what?”
She slowly approached me. Walking a few steps through the snow, she stopped right beside me and glanced up.
Her lips moved softly, enunciating each word clearly.
“Mount Baekdu crater. January 1st. How’s that?”
At that moment, my mind went blank.
“…”
She grinned and tilted her head slightly.
“It’s cold and dark out here, don’t wander around anymore.”
She suddenly grabbed my hand firmly.
“Let’s just go back inside the warm cottage and chat.”
Kang Ah-rin held my hand tightly and pulled gently toward the cottage.
I could have resisted, but with thoughts abandoned, I had no choice but to let her lead me back.
*
Glory’s information-gathering capabilities were unreal.
Honest to goodness, I’m tempted to throw everything away right now and get a job with them.
Every plan I have is crumbling one by one.
She seems to think on the same wavelength as me, making her a frustratingly capable opponent.
“…So, you need the fragment too, right?”
Now, there’s no longer a need to hide it.
“Yep.”
At my response, she grinned and lightly tapped my arm.
Normally, negotiations like these happen at a respectful distance, right?
But because it was warm in front of the fireplace, she’d stuck herself right beside me.
When I suggested moving to the opposite side, she held me back.
“Want the fragment?”
I looked at her, completely taken aback.
What, does she really…
I didn’t seek the fragment for personal gain; I sought it for the greater good of the world.
And it’s not like I can even absorb it anyway—it’s specifically designed for Seong Si-woo.
If I could absorb the fragment, I might already have a plan in motion to create an infinite regression loop.
Of course, the regression is gone now, but…
“…Sure.”
Of course, I only muttered this under my breath.
With my ultimate goal being to acquire the fragment for myself, I was thoroughly in the subordinate position.
If she goes to great lengths to get the fragment, a senseless conflict will unfold.
But I’d prefer to avoid any clash with a character I created.
At my response, she seemed satisfied, casting a playful glance in my direction.
Her slightly upturned corners of her lips seemed to be teasing me.
“I’ll give it to you.”
Kang Ah-rin confidently nodded, as if she could hand it over any moment.
“Though there’s a condition.”
“What is it?”
If there weren’t one, that would be fraud.
What could she possibly demand?
The White Blade Sword?
Iano’s Cross?
Seeing my reaction, she broke out in a playful smirk before answering.
“After graduation, join Glory.”
My brain seemed to pause for a moment.
Glory was an affiliate guild of Glory itself.
Unquestionably, the top-ranked guild in the world.
In other words, her “condition” felt less like a condition and more like an offer too big to ignore.
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah.”
Kang Ah-rin maintained her composed expression and leaned slightly away, resting against the fireplace.
“I know you’re solitary.”
“And, I’m aware you’ve reached here with your own sources of intelligence, from the Tomb of Iano to the fragment’s location.”
She smiled as she continued her calm narration.
“Instead of a fragment whose use you don’t even know, I believe a true talent holds more value.”
She paused briefly, narrowing her eyes slightly.
“And, let’s face it, if you’re mine, the fragment is naturally mine too, right?”
Kang Ah-rin grinned again, slightly raising the corner of her mouth.
“What do you think?”
Frankly, it was an offer that didn’t need much deliberation.
“Alright…”
I had intended to join Glory after graduation anyway.
