Chapter Text
"Now for all my Geminis, the upcoming month might not be the kindest to you. You’ll face changes—drastic changes that might seem completely out of the realm of possibility right now. But fear not, perseverance is key. I believe you can get through it. And with that, we move on to—"
Before the fortune teller could continue, Duang paused the video and put down his phone, wearing an expression that could only be described as a mixture of confusion and utter disbelief. Drastic, impossible changes? In his life? No matter how hard he thought, Duang couldn’t make sense of it. Not that it had to make sense; this was only a prediction from a fortune teller on YouTube, of all places. However, this channel was somehow incredibly popular on social media, with viewers claiming the fortune teller possessed divine powers. Even the comment section was full of people asking for blessings, like devotees to a god. Duang could find only two logical explanations for this; either this fortune teller really was exceptional, or this was a cult.
The second possibility sounded terrifying, considering he had discovered the channel through his best friend, Pae, who was apparently a regular viewer. Pae had been rambling on and on since the previous week about how this channel had changed his beliefs and maybe even his entire worldview. Every time Jamie threw jabs at him for being too superstitious, Pae would just ominously reply, "You'll never know unless you see for yourself. She knew things—things that I could swear were supposed to be secrets between me and God."
Duang had laughed at that ridiculously dramatic declaration, but he’d be lying if he said it didn’t pique his interest a little. So today, his growing curiosity, combined with the quiet boredom of a lazy Sunday evening, had convinced Duang to click on the channel's latest video. And that had now led to him pondering what life-changing event he would have to face in the near future.
He racked his brain for a reasonable explanation for a while, and when nothing came up, he decided this fortune teller was probably just a con artist, like most in this profession are. How had Pae fallen for a total scam like this? Duang made a mental note to have a conversation with his best friend about the "grand" predictions his beloved fortune teller had made, hoping to make him understand that he was being indoctrinated into something bearing a suspicious resemblance to a cult.
He glanced at the time on his phone and noticed it was already past midnight. If he didn’t want to be late for morning classes on the very first day of the week, he had to go to sleep now. As Duang slipped into a peaceful slumber that night, he had no idea that this would be one of the last peaceful nights he’d experience in a very long time.
When the familiar sound of his alarm woke him the next morning, Duang realized with horror that he had overslept. This was surprising in itself, considering he almost never slept through alarms. But now, on the very first day of the week—the only day he had classes starting at 8:00 AM—he had somehow managed to sleep through not one, but three alarms. He had roughly fifteen minutes to get ready and make it to class. What left him even more bewildered was the fact that none of his friends had tried to call or text him. Did both Jamie and Pae forget about his existence after not seeing him for two days? Cursing his friends under his breath, Duang quickly tried to make himself look human enough to not scare his professors first thing in the morning.
"Something feels off..." he muttered under his breath while shoving his feet into his sneakers, his mismatched socks peeking through. If he spent time picking out matching socks, he'd get socked by his professor by the time he reached the university.(Violence is a crime Duang.)
He bolted out of his condo, running at a speed that could probably get him into the preliminary rounds of the next Olympics. By some miracle, he reached his faculty exactly two minutes late. He thought that, in itself, was a massive achievement.
"I'm sorry for being late, Professor! I—!!" The apology he had been rehearsing for the last ten minutes was cut short as Duang took in the scene before him.
The classroom itself was familiar, but the setup was entirely wrong. Instead of the wooden canvases and buckets of paint that were supposed to be present in a painting class, there were neat rows of desks with open textbooks. The students, most of whom were busy taking notes, were completely unfamiliar. He searched the whole room, but there was no sign of his friends.
Duang hesitantly turned to the professor. ”Uh, excuse me, Sir. Sorry for the interruption. I’m Duang Cheewin from the Arts department. We usually have our painting classes in this room. Has the class been shifted to a different room today?” By the time he finished his sentence, the professor, along with the entire class of about thirty students, was staring at him with confused expressions.
"What are you talking about, kid? Our university does not have a Faculty of Decorative Arts," the professor said, his voice laced with concern. "Did you come to the wrong university by mistake?"
"The wrong university?! Is this not Sampanthasil University?!" Duang almost screamed. Duang had never seen someone's face cycle through so many emotions in a matter of seconds. The professor's earlier concern slowly faded into mild irritation before finally settling on frustration.
"Are you playing a prank on me? Do you think this is funny? There is no university with that name in Bangkok! Do you think making jokes this early in the morning is amusing?" Sensing the growing anger in the professor’s voice, Duang decided to quickly apologize and leave the room before the man could threaten violence. As he sprinted out of there, Duang felt like he was genuinely losing his mind.
"Am I having some sort of mental breakdown? Am I still asleep? Duang, wake up! Wake up!" He smacked his own cheeks in hopes of waking up, earning more confused looks from the students around him, but he couldn’t care less. As he walked out of the building, he glanced up at the huge sign reading “Department of Agriculture” at the entrance—something he had completely missed in his hurry to rush to class. Impossible! Until last week, this building was unmistakably the Department of Arts at Sampanthasil University, his very own campus where he and his friends had been studying for the past two months. It looked exactly the same. The walkways, the cafeteria, the pond, and the overhead bridge were all sights he had become closely familiar with. This was his university—yet somehow, a whole faculty seemed to have swapped buildings without even informing the students? The very thought was absurd.
Everything that had been happening since he woke up this morning was absurd. It felt like the universe itself was playing a cruel joke on him. Duang thought back to how quickly he had dismissed the fortune teller’s words the night before and felt a sudden chill. This felt like retribution.
He frantically searched his pockets for his phone to call Jamie, but when he unlocked the device and opened his contacts, he almost screamed again. There wasn't a single familiar name. There were only about three unfamiliar contacts listed, and the phone looked as though it had been purchased an hour ago. No photos, no text conversations, no browsing history—not even any social media apps. This couldn’t be his phone. Except it was. The model and the custom phone case indicated it belonged to him and no one else. None of this was possible; none of this could be real. Was this a hyper-realistic dream, or some sort of elaborate prank his friends had planned, somehow managing to convince the entire university to play along? Duang felt his head spin. The words “drastic changes that might seem completely out of the realm of possibility right now” echoed in his mind.
He dragged his body to a nearby bench, feeling like he was about to faceplant into the concrete if he kept standing even a second longer. His thoughts were in total turmoil, the rational part of his brain still desperately searching for a reasonable scientific explanation. All of his thoughts were instantly silenced, along with his hopes of a rational explanation,as a loud, robotic voice suddenly boomed inside his brain:
[ — SYSTEM BOOT COMPLETE —
System has been successfully activated!
Welcome to Worldline 2103!
Character Description: Duang Cheewin
Age: 19
Major: Mass Communication
Background: Lived in the US for the past 19 years; came to Thailand to pursue higher studies.
Relationships: Parents (living in the US), Cousin (Jaijai)
Goal: To be revealed
Current Task: Getting acquainted with Variant 2103.
If you have any queries, feel free to ask. The System is an online help desk readily accessible at any hour of the day. ]
Duang felt like he had just been lobotomized. A system? Like in those fantasy transmigration web novels? And it could speak to him inside his head? It took him exactly two minutes to process the sheer volume of information the voice inside his brain had just dumped on him. Then, he finally screamed. He yelled so loud that a cat peacefully sleeping nearby jumped in terror, scrambling up a tree and holding onto a branch for dear life.
"YOU'RE KIDDING ME. NO, TELL ME YOU'RE JOKING. HEY! WHERE DID YOU GO?! SYSTEM? BROTHER? SYSTEM?!?! COME BACK, I HAVE QUESTIONS. STOP PLAYING WITH ME! I WANNA GO BACK HOME!"
By that point, a group of students had stopped just to witness Duang's mental breakdown, some even whipping out their phones to record. He’d probably become an internet meme if any of those videos were posted on social media. But Duang was too focused on trying to communicate with the so-called system to notice he had become a source of entertainment for a few college kids, who looked far more amused than concerned.
Finally, that lobotomizing voice spoke up again.
[ You do not have to scream to activate the System. The System is integrated inside your brain and can read your thoughts. Simply thinking about it is enough to trigger a response. ]
"I DO NOT CARE! JUST TAKE ME HOME! I WANNA GO BACK HOME!"
[ Unfortunately, that request cannot be granted until you reach your goal.
Current Task: Getting acquainted with Variant 2103. ]
"You're kidding me! Oh my God..." Finally noticing the students gathered around him, Duang lowered his voice and said in a helpless, pleading whisper, "If this is some sort of an elaborate prank, please, you've succeeded. You must have already recorded me screaming like a deranged person. You got what you wanted. So please, stop!"
He knew deep down it couldn't be a prank—no prank could make him hear a loud, disembodied, robotic voice inside his own head. But he still desperately hoped for some miraculous, normal explanation to the whole situation—something, anything, that did not involve the possibility of him being transported to a different universe.
By now, Duang was on his knees, looking up at the sky with his hands joined as if praying to God. He looked like he had genuinely lost his marbles.
[ This is not a prank. To return to your original worldline, you must complete your mission.
Current Task: Getting acquainted with Variant 2103. ]
Duang fought the urge to scream again. "I’ve heard that already! Is this a reality-based video game? Have I really transmigrated?"
[ This is not a video game, nor is it an artificial simulation. The user is currently in Worldline 2103. You have been brought here by the System to complete a special mission. ]
“Why me?! Also, what variant are you talking about?!”
[ The System cannot answer the first question at the moment. The Variant is the System’s lifeline in this universe. The user must identify him. The System will provide sufficient information to assist you with the assigned task. ]
Duang was puzzled by the explanation. A lifeline? And "he"? So, when the system said variant, it actually meant a person from this universe? To confirm his suspicions, he asked,
“By ‘variant,’ you actually mean a human being?!”
[ That is correct. ]
“WHY CAN’T YOU PHRASE THAT NORMALLY?! WHO THE FUCK CALLS A HUMAN BEING A ‘VARIANT’?!”
Despite his growing frustration, Duang reasoned with himself that the objective of his mission being another human was an infinitely better alternative than it being some alien or a non-human creature.
“Whatever, just tell me who this guy is so I can complete this ridiculous mission and go back home!”
[ I request that you calm down first, Khun Cheewin. You are garnering unwanted attention.
Please take a seat. ]
He hadn’t even realized he had stood up and started pacing around while talking to the system.
"Don't you dare 'Khun Cheewin' me," Duang whispered under his breath. Still, he obediently walked back to his seat as if he hadn’t just had a public nervous breakdown twenty seconds ago. After sitting down on the freshly painted yellow bench overlooking the small pond, he hastily shoved his earphones into his ears so people wouldn't think he was talking to himself again. At this rate, before he could even figure out who this supposed variant was, he’d end up in a psychiatric ward. He was already going to be the talk of the campus for a while.
He thought back to the fortune teller's words and realized, that maybe Pae had been right. She really did know things. She really had changed his entire worldview—because what the fuck was actually happening to him?
The system's voice boomed in his head again. Duang wondered if he could somehow turn the volume down, or preferably eliminate the voice entirely. The sheer volume of that irritating, robotic tone was giving him a massive headache.
“I have composed myself, just like you requested," Duang thought aggressively."So please, tell me who this ‘variant’ is and why he is part of this mission.”
[ The exact details of the mission cannot be revealed at the moment. You will be provided with clues to locate the Variant. ]
“Clues?!” Duang snapped loudly, then immediately went back to mentally screaming.
“Why can’t you just tell me directly? I don’t know anything about this universe! How am I fucking supposed to find someone if I don’t even know his name?!”
The system completely ignored his protests, replying in its usual monotone voice.
[ Clue Unlocked.
Nature of Clue: Location
Target Area: Faculty of Mass Communication, 1st Year, Classroom A. ]
"This is ridiculous! There are probably fifty students in that class. How am I supposed to know which one of them it is?!”
[ The Variant is special. The user will instinctively recognize his identity upon visual contact.]
"Special, huh? What, is he going to have a glowing arrow floating over his head like a video game character?" Duang muttered in disbelief, finally choosing to just accept his fate.
"Otherwise, I don’t see how I’m supposed to recognize him. You know, brother, you could just admit you don't want to give me any real help.”
He sighed. The task mentioned getting acquainted, right? Given his energetic, cheerful demeanor, making friends had always been easy for him. Perhaps he would just have to befriend every single person in that classroom until the system gave a green light. He dismissively threw his hand in the air and started walking toward the Faculty of Mass Communication. He knew that if he could get any clues, it'd be right there. Besides, according to the information dump, he had a cousin named Jaijai in this world. Maybe he had to seek that person out first.
It took him fifteen whole minutes to figure out where his class was. The system provided him with a schedule of classes, but Duang did not recognize a single class he was enrolled in. He was definitely fucked. He had learned that he was not at Sampanthasil University but Chulalongkorn University, even though the layout was identical to his university. Thanks to that, it didn’t take an hour for him to find his class—gotta find the silver linings when your life is falling apart.
When he finally entered his classroom, he was glad to see that the class had not started yet. Duang scanned the room in search of an empty seat and finally chose a seat beside a boy who appeared to have a calm, approachable aura.
"Can I sit here?"
The boy looked up at him, his big brown eyes scanning Duang's face before nodding.
"I'm Duang, by the way."
"I'm Type. Nice to meet you."
The boy, Type, flashed him a soft smile which revealed his braces. Duang thought he resembled an adorable hamster.
Usually, he’d have no trouble striking up a conversation with a classmate, but now he was in a whole new department which he had never thought of enrolling in. As an Arts student, he did not know a single thing about mass communication. At least the system had informed him this was the first day of the semester; that did make things easier for him. Duang wondered who his cousin was. Surely that person would be easier to recognize if they were blood-related.
As for the variant, the thought of that clue made him want to roll his eyes. With that kind of character description, that guy better glow and have a halo on top of his head or something. Ridiculous—
Before he could start cursing the system again, another student walked into the class. The guy was handsome—like, annoyingly handsome, with a soft edge to his beauty. His hair was perfectly styled. Who styles their hair this early in the morning? His eyes were big and sparkling, which Duang wished he could say he was exaggerating, but he was not. There were actual sparkles in his eyes. His cheeks were rosy and his lips were plump and glossy.
But what temporarily halted Duang’s train of thought was the fact that he really was glowing, and Duang could swear he actually had a halo on top of his head. Not metaphorically—literally a bright ring of light that divine beings from mythology were often depicted with.
[ Congratulations on successfully identifying the Variant. The System will now disable the identification mark. ]
The system’s voice broke his trance. So this is why the system had said he would recognize the variant. The system could have just told him that there would be an identification mark.
Maybe the mission really would not be as complicated as he had imagined. Duang observed the man who was the objective of his mission, and slowly, the halo above his head started to fade away, and the man’s features lost the otherworldly glow which made him look like a divine being. He was still ridiculously beautiful, but now he looked slightly more approachable.
Duang was about to question the system further when Type’s voice beside him interrupted his thoughts.
"I didn’t know we were going to have famous classmates this year. Choosing this major might have been the right choice after all.”
“Famous?” Duang blinked.
Type looked genuinely surprised by the question. "You don't know Pik?"
"Should I?"
"Pik as in Pik Sanit Jirawatthada! You seriously don’t know him?”
"Maybe because I'm not even from this universe," Duang muttered under his breath.
"Huh?"
"Nothing. I just don’t watch a lot of movies. Is he that famous?”
“Yes! He used to be one of the top child actors in the country," Type explained enthusiastically.
"But recently, he seems to be focusing more on his music career. He’s training to debut in an idol group.”
Hearing the absolute excitement in Type’s voice, Duang figured the guy was probably a major fan. This was perfect. It meant he could easily get plenty of information from Type about the Variant—no, he corrected himself—about Pik.
Duang was about to dig for more details when another guy walked into the classroom. The moment Duang saw him, the words died in his throat. He was so shocked that it made his stomach drop.
The newcomer looked almost identical to him. At first glance, Duang legitimately thought he was hallucinating. He knew he was supposed to have a cousin in this universe, but he hadn’t expected the guy to look like a literal clone—one with perfectly styled hair and a vastly different fashion sense.
The system’s voice chimed inside his brain right on cue:
[ Key Character Introduction: Jingjai
Relationship: Cousin
Profession: Idol Trainee
Relationship with Variant: Best Friends
This character will play a significant role in the user’s mission. ]
Duang stared. His cousin was Pik’s best friend? Well, that certainly made the task of befriending a celebrity infinitely easier. Perhaps the universe wasn’t entirely cruel after all. For the first time all day, Duang saw a genuine glimmer of hope. He would swiftly conclude this task, and hopefully be out of this place within a few days.
At that moment, however, Duang completely failed to realize just how severely he was underestimating the mission. Unbeknownst to him, the System had already mapped out a complex web to keep him trapped in Worldline 2103 for a very, very long time.