Atlantis, the hidden kingdom erased from the maps of the world. Legends told of a realm that served as the very nexus of the future. A maiden of exquisite beauty named Atlanta departed from this sanctuary, venturing out into the vast, boundless expanse beyond her aquatic cage. For days on end, Atlanta braved the churning seas and shifting curtains of rain entirely on her own, until fate brought her across the path of a fisherman's son. His name was Luther A-- (I forgot his last name, let me leave this blank for now). As the months drifted by, the young maiden and the man sailed together, eventually dropping anchor at the bustling trade port of Babylonia. The very first thing she need-----
"Wohe-Wohe!" a blaring advertisement exploded directly into her ears. "Welcome, listeners one and all! We find ourselves together on this bright Thursday morning in December. I hope everyone is doing fantastic out there. DJ BezBoy[1], bringing you a killer playlist guaranteed to take your breath away this morning! To all my lovely Daisies out there~ have you grabbed your tickets for the D\8/ concert yet? You better hurry, because our promotional items for the Christmas Festival are strictly limited, haha! Snag your discounted tickets right now on the YangBond website. I'm telling you right here, it's an absolute steal! And it even comes with a discount code for two additional seats! Woo-hoo~!"
Hearing the boisterous announcement echoing from the park's public holographic billboard, the young woman, who had been deeply absorbed in writing her novel, shut her notebook in sheer annoyance. "Get the tickets before they're out, babies! WOOOOOOOOO~"
She whipped around to face the glowing hologram behind her and yelled,
"Ugh~! Will you just shut your mouth for once, DJ Jizzboi!"
-----------------ACT 2 - Yoon Eun Hwa (AKA the real FMC) <3-----------------
December 16, 2069
Seoul, South Korea
"The ultimate land of entertainment, a city of absolute tranquility—Korea is currently ranked as the sixth most prosperous nation in the world. Everyone dreams of coming here to witness the pristine beauty of what they call 'White Atom.' Everything runs on atomic energy. Now, don't confuse that with nuclear energy; they are completely different beasts. Shh...
If you need a mental picture, just imagine a metropolis filled with flying cars, gleaming white skyscrapers, crystal-clear rivers, and streetlamps that float through the air entirely on their own, right out of a sci-fi flick. Well, it's almost 2070, so I guess this is the future. The snow has been falling quite heavily lately, given that it's the end of the year.
Oh, I forgot to mention! My name is Yoon Eun Hwa, but my friends love to call me Yoona—or Yoo-naaa~ Ugh, I absolutely despise that nickname. I'm 165 cm tall, 52 kg. Not too short, not too tall, and definitely not fat, hehe. Blood type AB. Born on June 17, 2048, I'm currently a senior at... well, let's keep the university name a secret. Faculty of Pharmacy, majoring in the 2069 Curriculum for Pharmaceutical Development. Only a few weeks left until graduation. Hooray! So, I figured I'd write a little diary entry to look back on things.
I've been a straight-A honors student my whole life. When I was younger, boys always mistook me for a gaming nerd. I'm actually pretty.... sassy, I did outshine the head cheerleader from time to time. I might look petite, but I've got plenty of experience. And just because I wear glasses doesn't mean my eyesight is terrible... well, it's not that bad, only -1.70. Yeah, I don't want to do eye surgery, so NO! Oh, and even though I dye my hair, it's not because I'm trying to copy some idol. I'm serious... no lies here.
Even though I have the looks of a celebrity, don't go thinking I'm filthy rich. My dad's been unemployed since he wanted early retirement, and my mom has to pitch in by working at a convenience store. As for me, I'm about to secure a position at a pharmaceutical corporation in Incheon. My internship is almost over, and I just pray I won't follow in my father's footsteps. Let's just hope the robots don't come and steal my job, right?
Anyway, back to academics! I was so strict with my studies that I barely got five hours of sleep a day. It was absolute torture, pure freakin' hell! There were moments I felt so down I borderline hit clinical depression. I honestly wished I had a younger brother or sister to shoulder some of this immense pressure. But hey, the cost of living these days is sky-high, so what can you do? Ultimately, I managed to stand where I am today because someone constantly held me up through these past four years. If it weren't for him, I probably would have gone past the point of no return... all because of that one person... By the way, this is just me testing out a draft for a new novel. Nothing major."
Thud! The diary notebook snapped shut.
In the middle of a lush, verdant park, a young lady with vibrant peach-colored hair sat on a wooden bench, meticulously penning her memories into a black-and-pink diary. She possessed an enchanting, softly rounded face, adorned with round spectacles and rosy cheeks. From the front, her eyes appeared remarkably large behind the lenses, framing a smile that revealed fresh strawberry-candy patterned braces. Her most captivating feature, however, was an alluring black beauty mark right beneath her left eye. Standing at about 1.65 meters, she boasted a slender, well-proportioned figure—save for her chest, which was just about a handf—
"Hmm?! Did someone just mention my bra size?" the young woman interjected, tilting her face toward you.
"Must have been the wind. Alright! Keep reading, keep reading!"
Gleaming white architectural marvels flanked the park, boasting peculiar, innovative structures. Perched atop the highest skyscraper was a colossal glass orb, housing a lush, thriving sanctuary of indoor forests. Numerous flying vehicles glided seamlessly above the skyline of the ultra-modern city.
The young woman sat cross-legged on a marble bench in the park, losing herself in the melody of her music. She whipped her head around with sharp precision the moment she sensed a stranger lurking and observing her. Recognizing exactly who you were, she opened her mouth to speak.
"Well, hello there, boys and girls. I don't really care who you are, but I'm Yoona! Ah-ha! If you assume that because my aesthetic is entirely pink, I must view the world through rose-colored glasses... you are dead wrong. I am a person who relies strictly on logic and brains to make decisions—and brains, mind you, are pink. Think about it: if we were truly brainless creatures, how could we even differentiate colors?
I firmly believe that pink is the ultimate color of intellect and wisdom, not romance. Let me make this clear: I do not live in a fantasy world... not at all... Wait! Why on earth don't you guys believe me~?! Ugh!"
Without missing a beat, the young woman pulled out a miniature black metallic sphere, barely half the size of a fist, and held it up.
"You're probably wondering what this is, aren't you? Let me tell you, even someone with only eighty thousand neurons could guess this one. It's a ball... or you could call it a three-dimensional sphere; I won't judge, whee!" She let out a triumphant chuckle before throwing the object far into the distance.
"Whoosh~ It's gone forever... or is it?" The ball streaked through the air and vanished into the dense green shrubbery.
"Alright, stop messing around. Get back here!"
The moment the command left her lips, the tiny ball levitated straight back into her palm. Instantly, it projected a vivid, brilliant holographic interface, displaying the boundless matrix of the digital world.
"This little beauty is the Hi-Tech-Goo BallPhone. Welcome to the social media of the year 2070, folks! Time for a selfie~"
Snap!
The sphere captured an image of her clutching her book, one hand elegantly adjusting her glasses. Once the shot was taken, she commanded the device to execute an automated filter sequence, seamlessly erasing her faded makeup and replacing it with a professional, studio-grade look.
"Flawless! Upload, tweet it~!"
UPLOAD COMPLETE.
The image instantly synchronized with her social media story for the world to see. Within seconds, the view count and emojis surged into the thousands.
"That's just the reality of being naturally popular, hehe," she gloated.
She took a deep breath, inhaling oxygen and exhaling pure carbon dioxide. Suddenly, the smooth, gentle voice of a young man called out to her from a distance.
"Hey there, my little chemist."
A young man walked toward her, carrying a plastic grocery bag. He possessed a sharp, slender jawline, styled brown hair, and dark brown eyes that were one hundred percent Asian. He had a lean, slender build, standing at about 174 cm. He wore a slim-fit shirt paired with shorts that rested just above his knees, with mismatched 'S' and 'O' symbol earrings dangling from opposite ears. The most striking element of his attire, however, was his pair of iconic red-and-white basketball sneakers.
"Oh! Babe! What did you buy for me?" Yoona asked, her voice laced with eager excitement.
"Sweet cake, iced chocolate, and that hellish, spicy gochujang burger you love so much." The young man held up the bag with his left hand while flashing a mini-heart gesture with his right, offering a charming smile. His eyes crinkled into sweet crescents at the sight of his beautiful girlfriend sitting alone.
Ahem! This handsome, cute guy right here is my boyfriend, Tae So-hyung. He's a senior majoring in computer engineering and software programming. He even served as the president of the university's coding club. He is incredibly sweet and attentive—sometimes a little too attentive, honestly—but hey, he's a massive upgrade from all my exes. He always comes to me for advice, and he's so dedicated to his work that everyone says we're a match made in heaven. Thanks to this man, my life did a complete hundred-and-eighty-degree turnaround. Some of my friends are even jealous of how absolutely perfect we are together. Out of the five boyfriends I've ever dated, this one is definitely my future hus—
Ahem! Let's pass the narration duties back to the All-Father[2] now.
"Aww, babe, it's almost two o'clock now," Yoona whined, narrowing her eyes and crossing her arms with a pout. "I'm supposed to eat between 11:30 and 12:45. Did you seriously forget~?"
"I'm sorry~ To be completely honest... if you don't want it, I can just eat it myself," So-hyung said, his shoulders slumping after her sharp critique hit home.
"Ah, ah, cham-gan-man-yo! Hold on a second! I was just kidding, babe. Don't cry~ You went through all the trouble of buying this for me, how could I possibly not eat it?" The young woman reached out, took the bag, and settled it onto her lap.
The young man stepped closer, pulling out a pair of wireless earbuds and slipping them on to listen to some music.
"You're always teasing and tricking me like this," So-hyung chuckled softly, gently placing the left earbud into his girlfriend's ear.
Yoona flipped open her notebook to the very first page.
"We have been dating for 3 years, 4 months, and 24 days," she stated definitively. "Since August 9, 2067. I keep track of it constantly, babe. I was willing to change and become a completely new person all because of you."
"And~ how can I be absolutely certain that you've really changed?" So-hyung teased, gently swinging her hand back and forth in his.
"Who You? And Who Me?" Yoona countered playfully, taking a bite of the cake as they both swayed gently to the rhythm of the music.
[1] Easter Egg : DJ BezBoy (Park Tae Un), a minor character from Series 8: My Heart, My Idol (Boylove novel)
[2] 3rd person perspective