Welcome to The One Theory Page. This is a place where you can discuss confirmed, debunked, and unconfirmed theories from The One series.
Current & Unconfirmed Theories
- Robots: Because of the similarity in premise between this book and Perfect Match, some have theorized The One will also feature robots who think they're human. In this case, it's thought that you might turn out to be the secret robot, rather than one of your love interests.
- Your One: Scientist is identified as your "one" just hours after you first meet, and when you note the weird timing, he/she confirms it's unusual for soulmates to know each other before being partnered. Given that, and considering you and Scientist first meet when you both express concerns over Chloe's inconsistent data, it's possible you were not truly paired by the Soulmate Program, but were instead artificially matched in the hopes of pacifying one or both of you into forgetting about Chloe's situation.
- Volition: In Chapter 4, Scientist mentions an anti-LoveCorp terrorist group called Volition. Because Stranger heavily mistrusts LoveCorp, is so evasive about giving personal details, and doesn't want to be seen doing something normal like walking down the street, it's suspected that he/she is a member of this group.
- Allies: Given that Volition is fighting LoveCorp, it's also believed the group will become allies of you and your love interests later on.
- Your Headache: In Chapter 5, you suffer a sudden blinding headache when Oscar Douglas shuts down your attempt to convince him to investigate Chloe's case. What he says to you immediately preceding this headache differs depending on which image you chose on the LoveCorp application screen in Chapter 1 — he speaks of the opportunity that comes with every new day if you chose the sun, compares a company's workers to tree roots if you chose the tree, and warns against a company turning into a den of snakes if you chose the serpent. Because of this, it's theorized that those who've used the LoveCorp helmets have been left with an exploitable weakness in their brain, and that negative physical side effects can be deliberately triggered by anyone who knows about it.
- Since Chloe dies from a brain hemorrhage while struggling to remember something important, it's also possible some of these side effects are programmed in and don't need to be specifically triggered by some sort of code phrase first.
Confirmed Theories
Brainwashing: Since Chloe's personality changed from snarky to sweet after repeated uses of the LoveVision helmet, some have theorized it changes users' brainwaves rather than simply reading them. Stranger mentions that others have reacted the same way to the helmet, so it's possible LoveCorp has a standard practice of changing the nature of anyone whose personality is considered disruptive to the company's hold on society. With the revelation in Chapter 3 that Chloe's contract work for the company was terminated after she bypassed security protocols, it's also possible she was brainwashed to make her forget something LoveCorp wants to keep hidden, and the personality change is simply a side effect of that. It is confirmed in Chapter 7 that LoveCorp has been brainwashing people since 2016.