[A day in the life of high schooler Kim Su-yeon, 2023]
One quiet weekday morning in 2023.
Inside the school counseling office, a pale blue curtain swayed gently.
"Su-yeon,"
The homeroom teacher's tone was as composed as always.
"How about entering a contest this semester? If you win, it'll go on your school record and help with college admissions."
Su-yeon looked at the contest list in her hand and nodded.
Brushing her long hair back, she spoke softly,
"Yes, I'll think about it."
On her way back to class, voices of a few friends echoed down the hallway.
"Hey, have you tried that AI chat? It answers just like a real person!"
"No way, seriously? I talked about my worries last night, and it totally comforted me!"
Su-yeon passed by without much thought, but a little spark flickered in her heart.
'Maybe I should try it too?'
After school, once she got home, Su-yeon dropped her bag and sat down at her desk.
The room was quiet. Scattered under the light were notebooks, printed papers, and a lone paper cup left abandoned on the desk.
She turned on her laptop and began searching for keywords related to the contest, but then, recalling her friends' conversation, she changed her search terms.
"…If it even offers counseling, maybe it could help with campaign ideas too."
'AI Simulator.'
She hesitated for a moment before clicking the sign-up button.
The instant her fingertip pressed the mouse, her heart quickened for no reason.
'Nothing's going to happen… It's just a program answering with data and algorithms.'
But at that moment—
an unfamiliar interface unfolded across the screen.
『Is this for real? Are you… living in 2023 right now?』
The message on the screen was startlingly vivid.
Su-yeon's fingers paused briefly above the keyboard at the unexpected tone— not like a simple chatbot response.
『Huh? What's with that AI tone? Who are you?』
The other person furrowed their brow and laughed, clearly flustered.
『Is this some kind of hidden camera app? I'm not falling for that.』
『It's not a joke! The apparent temperature today's 46 degrees. I'm really living in 2050.』
A stranger, but with unmistakable urgency.
Su-yeon replied, half curious, half skeptical, continuing the conversation.
Jian immediately sent a screenshot showing the current temperature and disaster alert.
『apparent temperature 46 degrees?』
Su-yeon scoffed in disbelief.
"That's a lie, that's a bit exaggerated…"
『Okay, that was a bit much. Then if you're really from the future… how do school classes work?』
『I'm basically covering my whole face when I'm outside. Masks are a given, plus tinted goggles and cooling vests.
We hardly do any gym on the playground. Outdoor activities are often banned due to excessive fine dust levels.
So most of our PE time is spent meditating in the oxygen experience room.』
『...Oxygen experience room?』
Su-yeon's face tightened slightly.
It didn't sound like a joke.
『Has it really come to this?』
『It's just everyday life now.』
Jian sighed softly.
『Until recently, the new flu was spreading again, so we had to eat lunch like packed meals.』
『Wait… the coronavirus isn't even over yet, and now the new flu too?』
Su-yeon murmured quietly, staring at the monitor.
『We're still wearing masks. Back then, we even had clear partitions set up when eating in the classroom. I thought everything would get better once COVID was over… but now another epidemic is spreading.』
『We don't do social distancing anymore, and school meals have been replaced by indoor packed lunches. Instead of distancing, we've just grown apart.』
Jian's final words strangely pierced Su-yeon's heart.
She couldn't take her eyes off the screen for a moment.
『Sigh… I thought the future would be better.』
Su-yeon nodded before asking,
『What about school events? Do festivals or gatherings still happen?』
『Almost none. I've heard people used to go on picnics or trips, but these days, most things are virtual. Even field trips are AI-led, task-focused classes. I'm actually logged in now because of a project assignment.』
『I'm in the same boat. I'm preparing for a contest… a friend recommended the AI simulator, so I came to check it out.』
Su-yeon glanced at the contest papers on her desk and said,
『Since COVID, in-person events have dropped a lot, and I'm worried there won't be much to put on my school record. So I'm working on a contest… and when I heard people talking about the AI simulation, I decided to try it out.』
『What kind of contest is it?』
『A youth environmental campaign idea contest. I was just trying to do something for my school record, but after hearing you, it really hit me how serious this is.』
Su-yeon paused for a moment before quietly adding,
『It's the first time I've felt like I really have to do something.』
Jian smirked as she looked at the screen.
『Really? Then you should be the one to start. Who knows? The future might change.』
A brief silence fell.
On the screen, Su-yeon slowly nodded and gave a faint smile.
"Maybe I'll give it a try. It really could change things."
Su-yeon's voice was soft but resolute.
『Honestly, I don't even know what to submit for the contest.』
She tossed her hair and confessed.
『Lots of people are working on something big... It's not like I have some brilliant idea. But there is one thing I really wish I could change.』
『What is it?』
At Jian's question, Suyeon glanced out the window, then back at the screen.
『There's this little café right across from our school. They go through an unbelievable number of disposable cups every single day. So many people just toss them on the street. Carrying your own tumbler is great and all, but honestly, I forget mine a lot. If I rush out in the morning, I just end up using a paper cup.』
『It's pretty much the same in 2050. If you forget your tumbler, you get charged like it's a fine—about 2,000 won(about 1.5 dollars) just to borrow a paper cup.』
Jian gave a disbelieving laugh.
『Seriously?
』
Suyeon's eyes widened.
『Yeah. But honestly, most people can't be bothered. We run campaigns and keep saying we should cut down on disposables, but it's not easy to stick to it.』
She lowered her head for a moment, then suddenly lit up with an idea.
『What if… we could borrow tumblers? Like a city bike-share program, but for cups.』
『Shared… tumblers?』
Jian repeated, eyes wide.
『Exactly!』
Suyeon's voice grew more energetic.
『You pay a deposit and a small monthly fee, and you can pick up a freshly cleaned tumbler every morning. If you don't return it, you're blocked from getting one the next day. That way, even if you forget your own, you're covered—and we cut down on single-use cups.』
Jian nodded absentmindedly, then let a smile tug at the corner of her lips.
『That's perfect for someone like me. Even if I get lazy, I could stick to that.』
『Then make that your contest theme,』
Suyeon said. She took a quiet breath, steadying her voice.
『I'll start with something small.』
Jian smiled softly and thought to herself,
'Yeah... maybe just a single word could really change something.'
[2023, School Hallway]
The hallway before lunch was still crowded.
A few students were lined up at the water dispenser, and the trash bin beside it was overflowing with crumpled paper cups.
One crushed cup rolled across the floor, stopping at Suyeon's feet.
She stared down at it for a moment.
"Ugh, forgot again. That's the third time just this week. I paid good money for that tumbler, and I keep leaving it at home."
The first friend grumbled as she filled her cup with water.
"Same here. I swear I pack it every morning, but somehow I forget it by the time I leave."
The second friend added with a laugh,
"Sure, I know using a tumbler is better. But it's heavy, and such a hassle to carry around."
The third friend pouted as she spoke, and the three of them giggled together.
Suyeon silently unzipped her bag. The familiar weight of the tumbler in her hand suddenly felt strange.
'I used to leave it at home sometimes, too…'
Alone now in the middle of the hallway, she stopped. Leaning against the wall, she looked down at the tumbler and whispered,
"Everyone knows it. We just choose to ignore it… …Then maybe… I should start."
[2023, Suyeon's Night]
Late at night, her room was silent.
Beneath the warm glow of her desk lamp, Suyeon sat at her laptop, a tumbler resting by her side.
The laughter of her friends by the water dispenser, and the overflowing trash bin of paper cups from just a few hours ago, kept replaying in her mind.
'A scene everyone knew, but no one tried to change.'
Slowly, she moved her fingers to open a blank document. The blinking cursor seemed to speak to her.
She remembered Jian's words.:
Then you should be the one to start. Who knows—maybe the future really will change.
Suyeon drew a small breath and began typing.
>"Shared Tumbler Subscription System – A Sustainable Choice for Everyone"
Even after she entered the title, she sat there, staring blankly at the screen.
It wasn't some grand project—just a change that could begin with a single tumbler she used every day.
"If someone starts, maybe someone else will follow."
A faint smile curved her lips, as if she knew that somewhere in the future, someone would answer that smile.
[2023, School Staff Room]
The next morning, in the corner of the staff room, beside the submission box for the environmental contest.
Suyeon carefully took a white envelope from the desk. Inside was the idea she had stayed up all night to write—Shared Tumbler.
Something no one had spoken of, yet everyone needed.
In the quiet corner of the staff room, students and teachers passed by without a glance.
She reached out and slipped the envelope into the basket.
The paper landed with a soft thud. The sound was brief, but the echo it left in her heart lingered.
Stepping back, she closed her eyes. What filled her chest was not certainty, but something closer to quiet courage.
Perhaps a single line could start a wave.