27

Evan was still trying to process everything when someone suddenly tapped his shoulder from behind.

"Evaaaan! Oh my God, it's been so long!"

A woman with long, flowing hair sat beside him with an enthusiastic smile. It took Evan a few seconds to remember who she was, but before he could ask, she leaned in and said teasingly,

"Do you still flirt with girls using weird poetry like you used to?"

Evan almost choked on his drink. "What?"

Nadia, sitting across from him, laughed. "Oh my God, Evan back then... ugh, girls were all over him because he was always trying to be poetic! Remember when you confessed to Maya with words projected onto the auditorium ceiling during the school performance night?"

Evan's eyes widened. "I... did what?"

"Ohhh, don't pretend you forgot!" the woman beside him nudged his arm. "And then you dumped Dita just because she didn't like hiking, but the next day you went out with Sandra instead?"

"WHAT?!"

Nadia and the girl burst out laughing.

"Your expression is priceless!" said Nadia, still giggling. "You were such a playboy back then, Evan! It felt like you had a new girlfriend every month. There was even a bet on who your next target would be!"

Evan felt like his heart was going to burst. He wanted to deny it, to say it was all a misunderstanding, that they were joking. But... they seemed way too confident.

And then, worse, Nadia suddenly said, "Wait, don't tell me you're still a playboy? Still charming girls at the office?"

"No! I swear I'm not!" Evan quickly denied it, almost desperately.

Nadia and her friends just laughed harder. Evan, on the other hand, felt his head spinning. If this world had truly scrambled his life, was there any part of the real him left? Or had he already become someone else without realizing it?

—

Evan was still half-shocked when Nadia held out her phone.

"Let's swap numbers again!" she said with a bright smile.

Evan instinctively frowned. "Again?"

Nadia chuckled. "Oh, don't tell me your number's still the same? You used to change it every time you broke up with someone."

Evan didn't even know what to say. He took out his phone and saw that Nadia's contact was already saved there.

"I already have your number," he said, still confused.

"Of course! We used to chat all the time in high school, remember?" Nadia lightly patted his arm. "But I'll save it again just in case."

Not just Nadia—several other friends also asked for Evan's number. Including the girl who'd brought up the weird poetry.

"Evan, I want your number too!"

Evan wanted to refuse, but he didn't have a logical reason to do so. With resignation, he gave them his number.

As the messages started to come in, confirming they had saved his number, Evan stared at his phone with mixed emotions.

In this world, he was someone he didn't even recognize. A playboy, a heartbreaker, someone whose values no longer matched the man he believed himself to be.

So... who exactly was Nathaniel Evan in this world?

—

"Uh, this is weird." Nadia stared at her phone screen, frowning. "Your number's still the same, but I can't reach you."

The others tried too. One of the guys who had joked about the poetry—Adit—hit the call button and held the phone to his ear.

"Huh? It's not active?" Adit looked at Evan with suspicion. "Are you even using this number?"

Evan glanced at his own phone. Full signal. Battery fine. No incoming calls.

"Let me check," Evan said, trying to stay calm. He typed his number and tried to call it—only to hear the operator's voice. The number you have dialed cannot be reached.

His blood ran cold.

"Dude, maybe you're using a dual SIM and the other one's inactive?" someone joked.

"Or maybe you're in airplane mode?" another added.

Evan let out a small laugh, trying to seem unfazed. "Maybe just a network issue."

But deep down, he knew this wasn't a simple glitch. Something in his life had truly changed... and it seemed the system of this world wouldn't allow him to stay connected to his past.

—

Curiosity gnawed at Evan. He opened his contacts and tried calling the new number Nadia had given him earlier.

Nadia's phone rang. Everyone at the reunion table heard her ringtone. They looked at each other and laughed.

"See? It works!" Adit said with a grin.

Evan gave a faint smile, but inside, his anxiety was growing. He slipped his hand into his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and opened the cardholder section.

His breath caught.

The phone number printed on all his business cards wasn't the one he remembered. Even the email address seemed unfamiliar. Everything looked official—complete with company logo and his job title—but it was all... different.

Evan closed his wallet slowly, suppressing the tightness rising in his chest.

This world had truly rewritten his identity. Even something as small as a phone number hadn't escaped the change.

—

Evan called the number listed on the documents without overthinking it. His voice was professional as Ayla picked up the phone.

"Hello, this is Ayla from PT. Karya Mandiri Sejahtera."

"Good afternoon, this is Evan from the G project team. I'd like to discuss a few details regarding our work."

"Oh, sure, Mr. Evan. Shall we schedule a meeting to go over it in more detail?"

"That works. When would be a good time for you?"

They quickly settled on a meeting time. Ayla sounded polite, but neutral. No sign of recognizing Evan on a personal level.

But everything changed during the meeting.

When Evan entered the meeting room at the vendor's office, a woman in a black blazer with neatly tied long hair stood to greet him. As their eyes met, her eyes widened slightly.

Ayla stared at him for a long moment, then softly said, "So it really is you... Evan."

Evan frowned. There was something in Ayla's tone that made him uneasy. As if she knew him more deeply than he realized—or more accurately, more than he remembered.

—

Scene: Chat from Damar

Evan let out a long sigh, his phone still in his hand. The high school alumni WhatsApp group was buzzing, but his eyes were fixed on a private message that had just come in.

Damar: Yo, remember me, Van?

Evan: Damar, right? The one who said we used to be best buds?

Damar: Dude, "said"?! That's cold! Still forgetful even in your late twenties, huh?

Evan: Haha, sorry. My high school memories are kinda scrambled.

Damar: You're always such a poser. Haven't talked to you in ages. Saw you met Ayla again today, huh?

Evan: Yeah, why?

Damar: Just wondering… do you still remember the story?

Evan: What story? I honestly don't get what you mean.

Damar: So you really don't remember anything? Seriously?

Evan: I'm serious. I don't get it.