Summary: In the year 4026, a system has been built to make humans savor the moments of life. The system ensures that each person is born with a lifespan timer on their wrist. With only 6 months left in her timer and a recent confession to her best friend, 16-year old tech prodigy Ahn Yujin is determined to finally prove that there is no such thing as an errorless system.

Word Count: 6930

Hashtag: #JinjooFiesta_TheOddsofYouandMe

Playlist while reading the story.

The Odds of You and Me

It’s the year 4026, much had already happened to the world. Although, some things still remain the same—Earth is still Earth, but aside from that it’s barely recognizable if you looked at its previous photos. Imagine a place completely different from where you’re currently sitting in now. When you go outside, as the books used to say, you see trees, people, places, without having to question whether they’re real or not. When I go outside, I have to ask myself from time to time whether I’m truly in a moment or is it just another simulation of a virtual reality that the people in power are currently testing for us to experience. 

    It’s just one of many things that changed over the course of the years that passed. When I went to school, my professors would discuss our history nonchalantly. They talked about a pandemic that swept the lives of millions into massive cremations and graves in a monotonous tone over coffee, the story of the war that broke off families and shattered people beyond repair even years after the battle, came out of their mouths like a dictionary spitting words into the void, and then they would explain the changes made after like robots—programmed to say the lines, to feed information without asking if the receiver ever understood even just the half of it. That’s why I quit. When I finished sixth grade, I figured that I would learn more on my own than inside the four corners of a controlled environment meant to shape me in a certain way.

    Although, it’s not all bad stuff, because out of all the things that have been developed, the lifespan timer upon our wrists is probably one of the cruelest yet genius of them all. With this invention came people’s honesty. Each tick is accounted for; everyone is trying to make a mark before their numbers are reduced to nothing but a mere succession of zeros on their skin.

    My parents told me they cried even before my death when I was born. To put it simply, envision yourself becoming a parent of a child who’s going to die sixteen years and six months later. Try to wear the shoes of a mother who’s going to outlive the baby in her arms or a father who’s going to raise someone but only until the age not even more than half of what’s left with his time… that’s how my parents felt when they saw the timer on my wrist. And that is why by the age of ten, I have read journal after journal on how this system of lifespans have been made. At the age of twelve, I have been awarded for writing a thesis because I accidentally developed a new technology to get rid of the plastic waste and carbon emission of the previous generations—well, little did they know I was really just trying to find an error in the system. After all, there’s no such thing as a perfect invention. Being called a tech prodigy has made me realized a fact: in every system, there is a glitch—a loophole. And that is exactly what I want to prove before my time runs out.

    Three consecutive knocks on my door made me turn my head towards it from the screen of my computer. I have been staring at the text cursor for about five minutes after I pressed on the last period of my most recent article and the sound of my mother’s knuckles against the heavy wood snapped me back into reality.

    “Ahn Yujin, get out of your room and at least blow your candles.” I heard my mom’s muffled voice on the other side. I answered her with an okay, raising my voice just a little so she would hear me. I took her fading footsteps in the distance as a sign that she got my reply.

I fixed my glasses, looked at my right wrist and saw the numbers counting down by the second. Of course, I’d find two zeros labeled under my years left. I flicked my tongue and stood up from my chair, the pain that followed after I did a few stretches reminded me of how long I’ve been slouching in front of my desk. I my heel and saw my dimly lit room, I took a deep breath and scanned the whole place; starting from the bed I made up this morning, to the table beside it where my alarm rested so quietly, the posters on the wall, the markings on my board, all these images flashed before me and before I even notice, my lips had already curled at the corners. It was a great sixteen years, but in six month’s time everything inside this room will remain untouched by me. It’s both a comforting and terrifying thought to leave traces of myself even after I’m long gone.

    “Yujin, come here. Your mom prepared this for you,” my dad said from downstairs. I walked towards the dining area where I saw my father setting the table up; a cake was placed in the middle surrounded by a variety of my favorite dishes. 

    “You didn’t have to cook a lot, mom.” I could feel how huge the smile on my face was as I pulled out one of the chairs to sit on.

    “What are you talking about? Today’s your day, we have to celebrate.” My father sat down on his usual spot at the right end of our table, beside me. My mother on the other hand, brought out a match to light the candle on top of the cake. As they both sang me a birthday song, I can’t help but see how their eyes glistened with tears, their voices were trembling as they uttered the last line. I understand, it’s hard to sing for a daughter who’s going to leave so soon. Maybe it was the reason why birthdays are just birthdays in our day and age. When the system was developed, the tradition eventually died down, every celebration meant a year off of your timer, and honestly, who would want that?

    There was silence; an expectant look was drawn across their face. Slowly, I put my hands together and closed my eyes shut. With the earnest voice that my head could muster, I wished with all my heart. 

Let me prove what I have to prove.

    My lungs expanded as I took in air and softly blew on the small fire at the top of my candle. After that was over, my parents hugged me and pretended that everything was alright on their side. It is human nature, I see. No matter how many eons pass, adults are just lost kids who are good in acting they’re already found. At least, I didn’t have to do that.

    When lunch was over, I excused myself and went out of the house wearing a black oversized hoodie, sweatpants, and a pair of rubber shoes. I had a smile on my face that I can’t erase as I made my way to school—not my school though since I got my degree in the comfort of my room. All the technology has made it possible to attend your practicals without having to go out which explains why I was still able to secure an education after quitting on the idea of attending a school. So, why am I going to a place where I don’t have a business in? It’s because my best friend’s there, she studies music, and you can rest all your assumptions because I’ll be upfront, I have been in love with her since sixth grade. Her name is Kim Minjoo, the kid who smiles with her eyes, ever so fearless with her decisions that could seem rash at times but I think it’s what drew me to her. She wasn’t afraid of doing the things that she wants to.

    I nod along the song in my ear as I pedaled to the rhythm of Dansu’s song entitled Lost in the City. It’s a song released about two thousand years ago but it’s not far from the music being released today. I always believed that humans follow a trend, as in those that made it big years ago and vanished are bound to make a comeback and it’s a cycle that goes on eternally— and they used to think we’re bad at recycling. 

    The lights were dim inside the auditorium and only a spotlight facing the stage served as a source of scintillation. My lips curled at the corners almost as soon as I saw her seating by the piano in front wearing her uniform. She glowed under the glimmer of the light as her fingertips pressed on the tiles like feathers kissing a newborn’s cheek. I walked slowly towards the stage but she was too engrossed in her own world for her to notice my presence. Halfway through the aisle, I found myself seating on one of the empty chairs and although we are separated by the distance, when I closed my eyes and heard the notes fill the air, I could almost feel her breathing beside me. She took me to her world in a matter of a heartbeat.

    Eventually, the piece came to an end and I was back in the auditorium, we are apart again and the magic that has brought me elsewhere with her had already faded. I cleared my throat and with the liveliest voice I could muster I stood up and shouted across the hall, “You’re one of a kind, Kim Minjoo!” She jolted at my greeting; it was as if I broke through the glass wall she built around her while she practiced. I approached her on stage, making big and generous claps as I walked. And there she was, rolling her eyes at my antics like she always do. 

    “What are you doing here, Jinnie?” She crossed her arms across her chest and acted as if she wasn’t happy to see me. I laughed at the way her face betrayed her pretend play. I saw those dimples of hers deepened at the sight of me; she was smiling whilst putting a façade that she’s unamused. 

    I answered her with a shrug and I rested my arms on the edge of the stage. Minjoo sat by me and our stares linger for a few seconds before she broke eye contact—what a coward. I chuckle to myself and she raised an eyebrow at me. “Are you laughing? You bribed the guards with your new tech, didn’t you?” She sounded like a mother lecturing her child.

    “Do you really think I’d do that?” I asked her in the most innocent tone to further. She sighed and shook her head.

    “Such a child,” she countered and flicked a finger on my forehead. It didn’t hurt but me being me; I overacted and whined at her. “Is there anything that you know how to do other than annoy me?” I dropped my act abruptly and hoisted myself on the stage so we were sitting side by side.

    “I take care of you, I listen to you, I take you out on dates, and I’d even catch a bullet for you. I can do a lot of things for you,” I enumerated on a haste which rendered the both of us speechless.

    “Hey, Ahn Yujin…” she quietly called and I looked into her eyes, “when did you become so serious? I was just joking earlier, though.” Again, silence took over us and I decided to break into a laugh to lighten the mood up.

    “I know, silly.” I ruffled her hair and we’re back to Minjoo being annoyed at me in no time. “Minguri, aren’t you forgetting something?” I lied down on the stage while she walked back towards the piano.

    “Is there anything special today?” She answered nonchalantly. Did she really forget? If she did, then it would be the first time since we became best friends.

A bittersweet smile found its way on my face as I shut my eyes and placed my arm on top of my forehead to counter the blinding light, “You’re too much, Kim Minjoo,” I said quietly, sounding hurt, but it was loud enough for her to hear it. There was no response but I remained still, the coolness of the hardwood floor seeped slowly through the fabric of my clothes. 

Her footsteps echoed as she approached towards where I was and it stopped right before me. I removed my arm on top of my forehead and squinted at Minjoo’s figure. From this view, she appeared to have a halo on top of her head. I smile to myself and thought that she had always been my angel, anyway.

“Hey, dumbo,” Minjoo called and I saw that she had on her hand a sky blue paper bag and I jerked forward so fast that I felt my head spin. I grinned at her and she plastered on a cool face. “Happy birthday,” she added casually and instead of taking the gift, I sprang up and enveloped her in a hug which probably took her by surprise initially but once she caught on what was happening, I felt her arms wrap around me.

“As expected, you’re the best my Minguri.” I couldn’t see her but I know she’s smiling. In my mind, I could almost envision two half moons and dimpled cheeks. She started to pat my back gently and we began to sway harmoniously. 

“You’re my ninety nine percent,” I whispered in her ear and I heard her chuckle.

“You’re weird but I like you,” she whispered back. Minjoo always answered this way but I knew better than to put anymore meaning to it. I’m her best friend and she likes me as a person— nothing more, and nothing less. Instead of answering, I tightened my embrace and bathed in her warmth, the urge not to let go increased by the second.

“Let’s go get ice cream,” I requested like a child and she just laughed, still clinging on to the hug.

“It’s winter,” she spoke dearly, “but ice cream sounds nice,” she continued to say. I nod and before I could get lost in the euphoria of her arms, I braced myself to let go even before I did.

“You’re paying,” I said in a hushed voice by her ear and broke off the hug. I beamed at her and she nodded in agreement.

The cash register chimed and Minjoo got her change. I uttered a small thank you while I retrieved the receipt from the slot. We stepped out and found ourselves sitting by the chairs set up outside of the convenience store. I placed the paper bag on top of the table while we silently ate our ice cream. The sleeve of my hoodie revealed my timer tirelessly running to its end. Thoughts come into my head like bullets aimed at me and each one is a clear hit. It’s been years and yet I have not proven that the government is lying about a flawless system. I was able to reveal some of their secrets but this thing right here is the reason why I started going after them in the first place but it seems like my time is going to run out before I uncover the fault in it all.

I never realized how long I’ve been zoning out until Minjoo touched my hand. I raised my head up and looked directly at her. Another train of thought drives by. I have known Minjoo since fourth grade, I knew I loved her back in sixth grade and years later here we are eating ice cream as best friends, still. Sometimes, I just want to drop and tell her how I feel—to risk it all and not look back. And suddenly, it was like cold water was poured over me and I realized that there was nothing holding me back anymore. When you’ve got six months on your clock and an unrequited love on the table, you best believe that you’ll gain enough courage to face what you fear. You’ll begin to understand that everything you wanted was right there in front of you. My eyes settled at the sight of our hands holding each other and figured that Minjoo had always been within reach.

“It’s going to melt,” she said, snapping me out of my daydream. “Why are you so deep in your own head? Tell me what’s bothering you.”

“Da