Crimson Heart

1. iPS Testing Team (1)

***

"Good, everyone's here on time. The four of us here are the initial testing team, right?"
The first girl to welcome me as I entered the classroom was Sena. Well, it wasn't so much a welcome as a lukewarm hello. It felt like she was just checking attendance.
That's probably it. Sena, the student president, was like that. Her hair was up in a neat ponytail with zero loose strands. This reflected her personality. As did her searching eyes behind her glasses and her formal manner of speech.
"Shall we sit down? Do you all know what kind of system the iPS is?"
"Of course. My mom laid the foundation for that program."
A short girl with shoulder length hair plopped down in the chair opposite Sena. It was Dabi, who'd never lost her distinction as the top student at our school.
Amused, I looked around the room. It was an odd group of girls.
Sena, the student president, was the granddaughter of Kim, the city's founder. Naturally, her family was the most respected in the city. Then there was Dabi, top student and daughter of the legendary programmer. Yojae was shy, but she got along well with everyone. Her kindness made her popular.
Then there was me.
The school's official outsider.
Do I even belong here?
"..."
The thought made me a little blue. I felt like I was in the wrong place. Like maybe I had pushed my way in where I wasn't wanted. I felt awkward. What if my presence alone ruins the mood?
"Joan?" Sena suddenly called my name.
The moment I heard her voice, I made a decision. If she asks why I'm here, or says that it might be difficult to have me in the team, I'll pretend like I don't care. I'll tell her that I didn't plan on coming in the first place because of something going on at home, but that I decided to drop by briefly out of courtesy. I did register, after all. Then, I'll say I should get going. And I'll reassure them that I'm fine before I leave.
I hoped that no one would catch on and that my face wouldn't turn red.
I prayed dearly and tried to muster the courage to go through with my plan.
But Sena said something else.
"What are you doing?"
"Huh...?"
"Here."
"..."
Sena pointed to the seat next to her. My eyes traveled to the empty chair. Was she telling me to sit there?
She was, surprisingly.
"Let's get started."
"Oh, okay," I said, and sat down hesitantly.
Is it really okay that I'm here? Luckily, no one seemed to be looking at me or noticing anything. As I tried to settle in, Sena took something out of her bag.
"Look, guys. I got this from the principal earlier."
"The iPS?" asked Yojae.
Sena nodded.
I looked at the iPS, now placed on the table. It was a cube the size of a fist. Such a small device could apparently show all spatial information of Refugia in real time. It was captivating.
Sena continued.
"This is a trial version, of course. Due to the program restrictions, it only searches within our school. But that should be sufficient. We're here to test this trial version to see if the iPS is operating properly and to find any errors. That is the scope of our job."
I marveled at how eloquent Sena could be. Sena's personality was nearly even more interesting than the functions of the iPS.
But not all of us felt the same way.
"What? A trial version?" Dabi said, crossing her arms across her chest.
"Did you just say there might be an error? With the iPS? The program my mom created? That's impossible."
Apparently, Dabi took great pride in the legacy her mother left behind. She continued. "My mom gave her whole life to the iPS.
And she always said that the final version was already finished, that it was ready to be used. She told me that when I was little, but you're saying all we have to work with is a trial version?"
"Dabi-" Sena began.
"I can't accept that."
"But Dabi," Sena said more firmly.
Her voice was still calm, but I could hear a note of determination. Her expression remained composed, unwavering.
"Dabi. I understand how you feel, but we also have to consider the perspectives of those who worked on this after your mother. The teacher also said that testing it is the top priority."
"I know, but still. It's frustrating."
"Frustrating?"
"Yeah."
Sena was steadfast, but Dabi would not back down.
"The iPS is already finished. Isn't it a waste of time to test a mere trial version?"
"Then what do you want to do?"
"Remove the restrictions," Dabi said confidently.
She went on to explain. "You said this has programmatic restrictions. It's simple. We can release the program lock. Then we can use all functions of the completed version without any restrictions and test it out."
"But the teacher told us to test out the trial version."
"If we test the complete version, it includes all the functions of the trial version so it shouldn't matter, right?"
"..."
"Besides, if we have to do additional tests later on, it will be a waste of our time and effort. We'll probably be praised for taking the initiative."
"I don't know," said Sena. She looked worried.
I thought Dabi was getting too ahead of herself. She was overconfident, and it felt like she'd crossed the line.
But I liked her attitude, because I had to find a way to get this necklace off.
Using the final version instead of the trial version would increase my odds for finding a solution.
"I agree with Dabi," I said.
"..."
Everyone turned to face me. I remained silent, wondering if I had made a mistake. "Uh, um, me too..." Someone else spoke up just then.
It was Yojae, her hand raised. She looked back at everyone, a timid smile on her face.
"I think it'll be fun if we go along with what Dabi's suggesting. And I'm curious."
"..."
Sena remained quiet. Was she thinking this through? She wasn't silent for long.
"Okay, fine. If that's what you guys think," she said with a tone of resignation.
She decided to go with the majority, but Sena was still going to be meticulous about it.
"But Dabi, is it really possible to remove the restrictions on the trial program?"
"Of course."
Dabi, now triumphant, readily pulled the iPS close to her and began operating it. With a whirring sound, the cube opened diagonally. Then, Dabi began skillfully tapping away at the screen and control panel that were exposed with her nimble fingers.
"It's the same version my mom made." Dabi smiled.
But I got the sense that her smile wasn't all happy. Maybe Dabi was remembering her mother.
But I couldn't say for sure.
Suddenly, Dabi's fingers started moving fast.
And then faster and faster, her fingers were nearly a blur. She tapped the screen without hesitation. This was a person who was exceedingly familiar with the device.
For a time, we sat waiting.
"It's done..." As soon as Dabi's finger touched the "Execute" icon, we saw the "Restrictions Removed" notification pop up on the screen.
That's when it all began.
Me and Sena.
Dabi and Yojae.
Ordinarily, the four of us would have never been together in the same room. But here we were, and scenes we could never have even imagined began to unfold before us. It was also the start of a long journey that none of us could have ever dreamed of.

Original story: HYBE
Co-planning: HYBE / NAVER WEBTOON