2. Back in Time?

The collision happened so quickly that many people were still in a daze when they saw it.

However, as soon as they realized what was happening, people in the vicinity immediately rushed to the scene of the accident and began administering first aid to the victims.

Several victims involved in the accident were rushed to the nearest hospital, one of them was Ayleen Hazel.

Unfortunately, hospital officials declared that Ayleen could not be saved and had died from her severe injuries.

The headlines were filled with news of the tragic accident that claimed the young writer’s life. So many people felt a sense of loss, including a man sitting with a white flower in his hand, gazing at Ayleen’s body.

“I’m sorry, I should have … gotten there faster,” the man said.

***

Meanwhile, Ayleen Hazel who had been declared dead in 2025 suddenly opened her eyes and immediately felt the sunlight stinging her eyes. She seemed to be lying asleep on a table with one hand propping up her head.

She shielded her eyes from the bright light with her left hand and began to try to make sense of her surroundings.

‘Where am I? Am I in a hospital?’ Ayleen wondered.

However, she gradually began to hear the voices of many people, which caused her to sit up straight.

As soon as she began looking around, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“This … isn’t this the Stone Hill Library?”

Ayleen, remembering that painful accident, immediately checked her body.

“Huh? Why aren’t there any injuries on my body? That accident clearly ….”

But apparently, that wasn’t the only thing that puzzled her. When she touched her hair, she was startled.

“My hair. Why is my hair so long?” Ayleen said, starting to panic.

Clearly, her hair had been cut to shoulder length.

She shook her head. “This must be a dream. I … must be dreaming.”

But when she pinched her arm, the pain felt real. The young woman froze in shock.

“This isn’t a dream, then … how did I end up here? And why does my hair look like this?” Ayleen bit her lip.

Ayleen tried to take in the people inside the library. Her brow immediately furrowed in confusion.

But suddenly, her eyes widened when she saw one of the students wearing a dark green university jacket that looked very similar to a suit jacket.

“That jacket … isn’t that .…”

That color of university jacket was the last style when I entered college, Ayleen thought to herself.

For the next class, the school colors had changed to a darker shade, and the design had evolved to include more buttons—not just the two on hers.

Ayleen bit her lip and only then realized there were several books on the table where she had been resting her head.

She picked up one titled “A View from the Bridge,” a play by Arthur Miller, a very popular American writer. It was clearly a book she had borrowed many times, as it had been one of the sources for her thesis when she was an English literature major.

Her eyes widened in shock as she turned to the last page of the book. On the back was a slip of paper listing the borrowers’ names, and hers wasn’t there.

Her head immediately started spinning.

Still completely confused, Ayleen quickly grabbed the other books on the table and began examining them.

“This can’t be real! I must have borrowed all these books before.”

Besides those books, she spotted a red card. She quickly grabbed it and froze as she read it.

“A library card. This … was supposed to have been lost after I graduated, but why-”

“Oh my gosh, so you’re here after all!”

Someone walked toward her, her face slightly damp with sweat. The girl smiled and casually grabbed a water bottle—which Ayleen just realized was the one she’d used back when she was a student at Stone Hill University.

“Oh, I’m so thirsty! What a relief—the cafeteria’s packed. I really don’t feel like dealing with the crowds,” the girl said as she casually sat down next to Ayleen.

Ayleen just stared blankly at the young girl wearing glasses.

Realizing she was being stared at, the girl turned her head. “Hey, why are you looking at me like that?”

Ayleen shook her head and suddenly hugged her, tears already streaming down her face, “Elizabeth. Eliza. It’s you.”

Ayleen let go of the hug and looked at the girl again, as if to make sure she was really her best friend, “Oh my God! It really is you.”

“Oh my God, I’ve missed you. Eliza, I-”

Elizabeth struggled and pulled away from Ayleen, “What’s wrong with you, Leen? Why are you crying? What do you mean, you miss me?”

Ayleen nodded, “Yes, I miss you. It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other.”

Elizabeth raised her right eyebrow, “Huh?”

But the girl quickly grabbed a tissue and helped Ayleen wipe away her tears.

“Leen, do you have a fever? Or what’s wrong?” Elizabeth asked anxiously.

Ayleen looked at Elizabeth with a confused expression.

Elizabeth Freus was one of her closest friends in college. They remained friends even after graduation. However, a year before she married Liam, their relationship soured.

Ayleen herself was very confused when Elizabeth suddenly started distancing herself, and they even lost touch.

Although she still didn’t know what was really going on, Ayleen asked, “Why is that?”

“You’re being strange. You said we haven’t seen each other in a while, but we were just in Prof. Maxwell’s class together this morning,” Elizabeth explained, sounding confused.

Hearing that, Ayleen fell silent—but only for a moment. She immediately asked cautiously, “Do you mean the ‘Poetry’ class?”

Elizabeth snapped her fingers. “Of course. Ah, I thought you really did have a fever.”

Ayleen fell silent again, beginning to think more deeply. She didn’t want to ask Elizabeth because she didn’t want her best friend to think she was strange.

Ayleen decided to find the answer herself and said, “Eliza, I’m going out front for a moment.”

“Where?”

“To the lockers,” Ayleen replied, who was already standing up.

As she stepped outside, she saw two library staff members she knew very well.

She didn’t forget to smile at the two of them before continuing on her way. However, after taking just a few steps, she stopped again and turned toward one of the staff members.

Hugo. He was still here. That meant … Ayleen swallowed hard and continued walking toward the front locker.

For a moment, she stood still in front of the locker. It wasn’t locked, but as far as she could remember, she had never used any other locker. So, without hesitation, she opened locker number 26.

There was a backpack inside. Without a second thought, she immediately opened it. She saw her books and found a white card—it was her thesis advising card.

She read it carefully and muttered, “So… it really is 2015. This year, I’m still a senior and am in the process of submitting my thesis.”

She swallowed nervously and muttered in confusion, “Is this … real? Have I gone back in time?”