『Hello. My name is Han-na Lee, and I work for the Seoul Metropolitan Transportation Technology Bureau.』
Jian looked up.
"This time… it's a specialist?"
Shia pulled the laptop closer, studying the screen intently.
"Transportation… That won't be easy. It's going to be complicated."
At the bottom of the notification window, a quiet loading icon kept spinning.
Soon, a new message appeared on the screen—
and a careful sentence began to form, one word at a time.
『I need advice on designing a circuit network linked to climate infrastructure.』
Jian and Shia exchanged a glance.
A brief meeting of eyes— then, hands moved over the keyboard.
Jian began typing quickly.
『We really need that! In 2050… almost all the subways are broken!』
The moment she hit send, she caught herself holding her breath.
"…We agreed to use the AI tone… Ugh, I blew it. I don't know anymore…"
she muttered under her breath.
Shia, who had been searching the topic on her tablet, reacted immediately.
"Don't worry. I'll clean up the next sentence."
Keeping one eye on the articles pulled up on her tablet, Shia began typing calmly.
『It often felt like the air inside the tunnels was about to boil, and the heat caused frequent mechanical failures. There were many days we had to walk instead of taking the subway.』
Just then, Jihyuk leaned forward slightly.
"Wait… Is emotional description enough here?
If she's an engineer, she might be more interested in circuit data or stability figures."
Right on cue, a new question appeared on the screen:
『How stable was the circuit?
How much longer does it need to last compared to the current system?』
"See? Called it,"
Jihyuk murmured, switching the search terms on his tablet before reaching toward the laptop.
Jian and Shia glanced at him in surprise, then nodded and slid the laptop a little closer to him.Looking at the search bar, Jihyuk hesitated for a moment before slowly typing:
『We don't know the exact circuit specs, but the temperature inside the tunnels has risen close to 50°C at times, and in sections without heat-blocking systems, circuit damage was frequent.』
He paused, then added carefully,
"We're just speaking from a student's point of view, so we should avoid technical specs and stick to on-the-ground experiences."
Shia nodded.
"Alright. Then I'll add some of the news details below."
She began typing.
『Back then, the ventilation systems weren't sufficient, and the underground structures themselves trapped heat, which led to frequent circuit malfunctions.』
Jian added:
『People even collapsed inside the trains.
Just sitting on the floor felt unbearable, and a few times it even made the news.』
A moment later, another question from Lee Hanna appeared on the screen:
『So was it only the subway that had problems?
What about other modes of transportation?』
Jihyuk was the first to respond.
"Let's talk about the electric buses.
You've seen one break down on the road before, right?"
Jian nodded and set her hands on the keyboard.
『Buses broke down frequently, too. In summer, their batteries often overheated and shut down, sometimes leaving them stranded in the middle of the road.』
Shia added on top of that:
『Some even had wheels and parts of the chassis warp from the heat, blocking central bus lanes and preventing other vehicles from passing.』
Then—
Ding!
A warning message appeared at the bottom of the screen:
『Caution: Causality limit exceeded – Specific data cannot be provided.』
"Wait, the system just threw a warning.
We didn't even give anything that specific."
Jian lowered her voice, pointing at the alert.
Shia reacted quickly.
"Let's just avoid exact figures for now. I'll wrap it up more gently."
『We can't give you exact numbers. But in reality, the transport system was severely unstable, and many people were affected.』
A moment later, Ihanna's reply came through:
『...That's enough. I think I understand why this has to be done.』
All three of them stayed silent, eyes fixed on the screen.
Jihyuk stared at the sentence for a long moment before finally speaking.
"...So this… it was real?"
Jian and Shia exchanged a brief glance.
In that moment, no words were needed to understand each other.
Shia spoke carefully.
"Yeah. At first, we couldn't believe it either.
But that night… just like now, we really connected with someone.
And that person acted on what we said. The future changed."
Jihyuk still looked dazed, his expression caught somewhere between disbelief and awe.
"…So this isn't just a simulation—it actually connects to the past?"
Jian nodded and added,
"We don't know exactly how it works. But… it all started by accident, while I was working on a school project.
Then a single thing I said… changed someone's decision."
Jihyuk set his water bottle down and looked back at the screen.
At the bottom of the system window, the quiet line Session ended – saving record blinked softly.
"…Something like this actually exists in the world?"
"No one would believe it if we told them," Shia said with a faint smile.
"That's why we've kept it to ourselves. You're only hearing about it now because… well, things ended up like this."
Resting his chin on his hand, Jihyuk let out a long, steady breath.
"I still don't fully believe it," Jihyuk said quietly, "but there's one thing I'm sure of."
"What's that?" Jian asked.
He slowly raised his head.
"That we really did affect someone's life.
Whether that person was truly from the past, or whether it'll actually change the future…
I'm not sure."
Silence settled over the three of them again.
But this time, the quiet carried something different—
the shared awareness that they had just stepped together into something far more important than any of them had planned.
Jian slowly closed the laptop.
The outside noise, the low hum of music in the café—
all of it faded into a distant blur.
And in her chest, she could feel it: the slow, certain seep of another connection beginning.
[2028 — Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, Transportation Technology Bureau]
The conference room of the Transportation Technology Bureau.
Beyond the window, sunlight seeped in faintly, like sand spilling through invisible cracks.
Han-na drew in one last breath.
The stack of proposals in her hands felt heavier than paper should.
"Of course, there's a chance this could fail."
Her voice was firm, each word dropping into the cold air with weight.
"But failure must not become an excuse to stop.
If we stay as we are now, the next generation will be forced to carry the burden of responsibilities we've turned away from."
A few team members leaned back in their chairs and gave small nods,
but the gesture felt more like politeness than conviction.
Moments later, the department chief flipped through the documents, his lips pressed into a hard line.
"It still feels premature."
He skimmed a few lines of the proposal, then shook his head again.
"The Power Authority, the budget office, and the city council—none of them are on firm ground with this.
We don't have enough time to win them over, and right now the risks are far too high.
It might be better to wait and push it forward when the timing is in our favor."
From the back of the room, a junior researcher cautiously raised her hand.
"Chief… I think you've overextended yourself this time."
Her words faded, leaving only the quiet sound of breathing in the conference room.
Han-na gave a small nod, yet the hard glint in her eyes refused to dim.
"When we've played it safe, have we ever actually gained anything?"
The quiet question cut through the air.
No one answered.
They only looked away, turned their pages, and lowered their eyes.
[After the meeting, in the Director's office]
The late-afternoon light stretched long across the floor, warming the edge of the carpet.
Though the sunlight slanted in through the window with a gentle glow, the air in the room felt weighted and cold.
The Director sat behind his desk.
In front of him lay the neatly stacked proposal submitted by Section Chief Lee Han-na.
With deliberate care, he straightened the edges of the papers with his fingertips.
Across from him, a National Assembly member peered at the document over the rim of his glasses.
He turned each page slowly, then finally closed the file.
When he looked up at the Director, his voice was calm—almost gentle—but carried a faint chill beneath it.
"Quite… an impassioned proposal."
The Director forced a thin smile, as though his face had frozen that way.
"Yes, Assemblyman. Our younger staff have been trying to bring a fresh wind into the transport system," the Director replied.
The Assemblyman tapped the desk lightly with his fingertips.
"A fresh wind…" he repeated, letting the words hang for a moment.
Then, with a faint, almost unreadable smile, he added,
"Climate change countermeasures—quite the trend these days.
Of course, it's good to think about the environment."
The Director nodded, continuing carefully,
"Yes, it's the call of the times.
Section Chief Lee Han-na's proposal reflects that direction—"
The Assemblyman raised his hand to cut him off.
"Of course. But such a radical transportation shift…"
His gaze turned cold.
"Well, I have my doubts about whether this is realistically possible," the Assemblyman said.
The Director leaned forward slightly, quick to agree.
"You're right. There's the budget issue, and if we implement it too soon, it could cause public inconvenience."
"Exactly. Public reaction must be assessed with great caution."
The Assemblyman spoke with a polite smile, but his eyes, devoid of warmth, cut straight through the Director.
"It's commendable when young talent tries to draw up a new vision."
He tapped the folder lightly with his fingers.
"But perhaps… it's a little too idealistic."
The Director gave a slight nod.
"Passion is good, but it's hard to expect them to have considered every practical detail."
"Exactly. Transportation policy isn't just about technology—it's about competing interests."
The Assemblyman smiled in a way that hinted at something deeper.
"Especially the concerns of industry. Those can't be ignored, can they?"
"No, sir. We have to take into account the positions of the automotive sector and local businesses as well," the Director replied,
feeling a cold sweat gather beneath his collar.
The Assemblyman continued, his tone unhurried.
"With the economy the way it is now, pushing something like this too aggressively will only increase the burden on the public."
"Yes, we can scale it down to a pilot program or redirect it toward further research," the Director replied quickly.
The Assemblyman smiled, pushing the stack of documents lightly across the desk.
"I trust you'll make the wise decision, Director."
He rose from his seat at a measured pace.
"Timing is everything. And right now… I'd say the time isn't right."
The Director bowed deeply.
"Thank you for your advice, sir. I'll keep that in mind."
The Assemblyman gave a final, easy smile.
"All I'm saying is—let's think it over together. Ha ha."
The door closed behind him, leaving the office steeped in silence.
The Director slowly picked up Chief Lee Hanna's proposal.
He stared at it for a long moment, then quietly slid the folder beneath a stack of other documents.
"…I'm sorry, Chief Lee," he murmured,
his voice barely audible as he gazed out the window at the dimming evening sky.