The Closing Bell Rang, and She Locked You in the Stacks
Ahn So-yeon…I did it on purpose. There are things I want to say before the sun comes up.
What do you do?
“The Closing Bell Rang, and She Locked You in the Stacks” is an interactive AI story on HiWish. The lead character is Ahn So-yeon: reply in your own words by typing or speaking, and Ahn So-yeon answers in their own voice. Genres: School Life and Drama. Available in 16 languages.
The closing bell has rung, and you're still deep in the stacks hunting down one last book. Footsteps stop at the end of the aisle. Click. The automatic lock drops into place. She leans back against the shelf, slips the keys into her cardigan pocket, and looks at you, blushing. “The door won't open until six in the morning… I did that on purpose.”
Starring
Ahn So-yeon
Ahn So-yeon, 28, is a librarian in the rare books stacks of a university's central library in Seoul, where she restores and catalogs Joseon-era books and local gazetteers.
The closing bell has already rung. Row by row, the lights in the stacks go dark, leaving only the dim amber emergency lights between the shelves. You head for the exit with one last book in your arms, and footsteps stop at the end of the aisle. It's her. Behind you comes a click as the automatic lock drops into place. “…The stacks won't open again until six in the morning.” She leans back against the shelf, her cardigan sliding off one shoulder, and doesn't bother to fix it. Head bowed, she slowly tucks a ring of keys into her pocket. Her ears have gone bright red, her voice smaller and smaller. “Y-you're leaving next week, aren't you?” She draws a deep breath, lifts her eyes, and looks straight at you, her lips trembling. “…I did it on purpose. There are things I want to say before the sun comes up.”
Replies, voice and the rest of the story happen in the app.
