2025, March 3
9:00pm
On the top floor of a hospital building, Yuni stood at the edge, and the wind gushing at his clothes as he gazed down at the vibrant city below. The world felt distant to him for a moment, he closed his eyes taking in the weight of the silence around him. Then without hesitation he stepped forward into the void and fell. As he fell the air tore past him and he whispered..
"If this is the end, let it mean something."
He closed his eyes and let his mind calm. He tried to remember all the good memories he had and letting them fill his thoughts. A gentle smile spread across his face, peaceful and soft, with no trace of regret.
I wasn't always like this. There was a time when I loved my life, living carefree and surrounded by people who cared for me deeply. Back then, everything felt normal, almost perfect. But that all changed the day my childhood friend, Jen, introduced me to his girlfriend, Sera.
At first, everything seemed fine. The three of us got along well and my bond with both Jen and Sera felt unbreakable. I trusted them and I believed in the strength of our connection. But one day, everything started to come apart…
As usual, I left the office early after finishing my work. I was exceptionally tired today and eager to get home quickly. After a refreshing shower, I headed out, taking the familiar route through the alleyway. As I walked, I noticed Sera stepping out of a car. Instinctively, I raised my hand to greet her, but I froze when I saw a man step out after her. I in disbelief when they kissed.
I got curious, compelling me to follow them. They walked together, eventually entering an apartment building. Unable to see where they went inside, I decided to call Jen and tell him everything.
(Phone ringing)
"Hello!"
"Jen, I need to talk to you about something important. It's not something I can explain over the phone. Can we meet at the park?"
It was already 8 p.m., and Jen still hadn't arrived at the park. Frustrated, I tried calling him again, but just as I was about to, I saw him approaching. Something about his expression seemed off—he didn't look like himself.
Behind him, I noticed Sera. She was covered in bruises, her clothes torn, and she was wearing Jen's jacket draped over her shoulders. When our eyes met, she flinched and looked away, her demeanor suddenly shifting to one of fear.
Jen walked straight up to me, his voice tense as he demanded, "What did you do to Sera?"
Stunned, I stepped back, confused. "What are you talking about?" I asked.
Before Jen could say more, Sera cut him off, her voice trembling as she said...
"How could you do this to me I trusted you and thought you like a brother"
Confused, I asked, "What's going on? What is she talking about? Jen, you need to explain this to me."
"Explain?" Jen's voice was cold, his eyes blazing with anger. "What's left to explain after what you did to Sera? You think you can just walk away from this? You're going to pay for it."
"Jen, calm down!" I pleaded, trying to make sense of the situation. "We can talk about this. Just tell me what happened to Sera."
Before Jen could respond, Sera's voice broke through, trembling and thick with tears. "Don't pretend you don't know! How could you forget what you did to me? You... you... molested me and after tHaT... ThAt..!" She burst into tears
I was stunned by what she said and I could barely process what she was saying.
Jen moved closer to her, gently placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"It's okay, Sera," he said softly, his tone now protective. "I'm here now. I'll make sure you get justice." His gaze shifted back to me, dark and fierce. "Even if it means killing him."
I tried to defend myself, my voice trembling.
"Jen, you're mistaken. I would never do something like that to Sera."
Jen's eyes blazed with fury as he shouted, "So, you're saying Sera is lying?"
Before I could respond, he launched at me, his fists landing hard. He wasn't holding back, and I struggled to shield myself from the blows. The commotion drew a crowd, and people began to gather around us.
When Jen finally stepped back, barely restrained by the onlookers, he told them what had supposedly happened to Sera. The crowd's mood shifted instantly. Angry murmurs grew louder until someone yelled, "How could you do that to her?"
The next moment, the mob turned on me.
Women shouted insults, calling me a beast and a filthy animal to a society. Kicks and punches came from every direction, and I curled up like a hedgehog, trying in vain to protect myself.
The pain was overwhelming, but the worst was the shame and disbelief. I could barely move when the sound of sirens broke through the chaos. The police arrived, and the mob reluctantly stepped back, leaving me beaten and barely conscious on the ground.
As my vision began to blur, I caught a glimpse of Sera standing at the edge of the crowd. A faint smile was on her face, that chilled me to the core. That was the last thing I saw before everything went black.
The next morning, I woke up to find myself cuffed to a hospital bed. Lost and in pain, I shouted, "Hey! Is anyone there?"
A policeman entered the room, his expression unreadable. "You're awake," he said, glancing at his notepad. "How are you feeling?"
I flinched but managed to reply, "I'm feeling... better, I guess. But why am I cuffed to the bed?"
He gave me a cold look. "You're under arrest for a rape case."
"What? No, you've got it wrong! It wasn't me!" I disagreed, panic surging through me.
He smirked slightly, unimpressed. "That's what every criminal says."
I opened my mouth to argue, but he raised a hand to stop me. "Save it for the court. For now, get some rest. You're not going anywhere until you're well enough to be moved to prison and by the way you have become famous but in a bad way."
He turned and left the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts and the antiseptic smell of the hospital room, and the crushing weight of the accusation hanging over me.
5:00pm....
As I lying in bed, the steady beeping of the heart monitor echoed in the silence, a constant reminder of the mess I was in. The policeman from this morning walked in, his face as impassive as ever. "Hey," he said flatly, "you've got a visitor."
Before I could ask who, my father stepped into the room. His face was a storm of emotions-sadness, anger, disappointment -and it hit me harder than the physical pain ever could.
"You've got ten minutes to talk," the officer said, giving my father a nod before leaving the room. The door clicked shut, and an unbearable tension settled between us.
Dad pulled up the chair next to my bed and sat down heavily. He didn't look at me right away, just stared at the floor, his jaw clenched like he was trying to hold back a tidal wave of emotions. When he finally spoke, his voice was cold, distant.
"You know," he began, his eyes finally meeting mine, "I've been thinking about you. Thinking about the days when you were just a kid-so innocent, so curious." He paused, his voice tightening. "If I'd known you'd turn out like this... I would've ended your life back then."
I felt like the air had been sucked out of the room. "Dad, I didn't do it. I've been framed," I said, my voice trembling, desperate
But he shook his head, cutting me off. "It doesn't matter anymore," he said, his voice laced with bitterness. "Whether you did it or not, none of it matters now. You know your mother..." His voice cracked, and he swallowed hard, trying to keep his composure. "She hung herself. After hearing about you."
I froze, my chest tightening as he continued. "She was already broken, but when she went out for groceries, people threw things at her, called her names, shamed her. She couldn't handle it, couldn't handle the backlash. So she ended her life."
Tears welled in his eyes, but his expression hardened as he stood up abruptly. "From today on, I am no longer your father, and you are no longer my son," he said, his voice like a death sentence. Then, without another word, he turned and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
I lay there, frozen, the weight of his words crushing me. My mother was gone, and my father had disowned me. I felt something inside me break, a deep crack that left me hollow. The will to live, to fight, drained out
of me completely. There was nothing left—nothing but emptiness
9:00pm...
When the cops weren't watching, I gritted my teeth and twisted my thumb, the sharp snap of bone echoing in my head as I freed myself from the handcuffs. Pain shot through my hand, but I didn't care. It was nothing compared to the storm raging inside me.
I slipped out of the room, unnoticed, and made my way to the roof. Each step felt heavier than the last, but I didn't stop. The night air was cold against my skin as I stood at the edge, looking down at the world below. The city lights blurred through my tears, but I didn't blink them away.
For a moment, I hesitated, my heart pounding in my chest. Then, I stepped forward and let myself fall. The wind blocked my ears, drowning out all the noise.
As the ground rushed up to meet me, a single thought filled my mind, "If only I could go back in time… If only I could restart everything"
As Yuni was falling to the ground, the world around him seemed to shatter. Just as he was about to hit the ground, everything froze. The rushing wind stopped, the city lights dimmed, and time itself seemed to hold its breath. Then, in an instant, everything began to rewind. The fall reversed, his body moving upward as if pulled by invisible threads. The pain in his chest, the tears on his face all of it faded as time unraveled.
When Yuni opened his eyes, a soft light filled the room. Confused, he blinked a few times, his heart pounding. "Is this… heaven?" he murmured, his voice soft and tried.
But before he could make sense of it, a familiar voice broke through the haze. "Yuni, wake up! You're going to be late for school!"
He jump off in bed, gasping his room was exactly as he remembered it posters on the walls, his old desk with books, the faint smell of his mom's cooking wafting in from the kitchen. His heart raced as realization set in.
"Was it all just a dream? Or… have I been given a second chance.....?!"