The fluorescent lights of the office hummed a monotonous tune, a soundtrack to Jaehyun's misery. He massaged his temples, trying to alleviate the dull ache that had settled there sometime between his third cup of coffee and the soul-crushing meeting that had just ended. Another day, another spreadsheet, another pointless meeting where words were exchanged but nothing was said. He stared at the screen, the numbers blurring into a meaningless jumble. His reflection stared back, a hollow-eyed ghost trapped in a crisp white shirt and a soul-crushing routine.
He was living the dream, they said. A stable job in a renowned IT company, a decent salary, the promise of a secure future. But for Jaehyun, it felt more like a nightmare. Every day was a slow, agonizing death of his spirit, a constant reminder of the life he could have had, if not for the relentless bullying that had haunted his childhood. He'd been the small, quiet kid, an easy target for the bigger, louder boys. The memories still lingered – the shoves in the hallway, the taunts in the classroom, the feeling of utter helplessness. He'd learned to keep his head down, to blend in, to become invisible. But that invisibility had followed him into adulthood, leaving him feeling like a ghost even in a crowded room.
He glanced up as his boss, Mr. Kim, stormed past, face contorted in rage. A crumpled document landed at Jaehyun's feet, the impact echoing the familiar thud of fear in his chest. "Jaehyun!" Kim roared, his voice a weapon that Jaehyun had come to dread. "Get in here! Now!"
Jaehyun's stomach churned. He knew this routine all too well. He entered Kim's office, head bowed, and endured the torrent of insults and accusations. Beside Kim, smirking smugly, stood Park, a former friend who had stolen Jaehyun's project ideas and climbed the corporate ladder on his back. Back in college, they'd been partners on a promising project, but Park had taken all the credit, leaving Jaehyun to flounder. The betrayal had cut deep, and seeing Park's smug face every day was a constant reminder of his own powerlessness.
"This is utterly unacceptable!" Kim thundered, throwing another document, this time striking Jaehyun on the chest. The paper fell to the floor, but the sting lingered, a physical manifestation of the humiliation that washed over him. "Do you even understand the basics of your job?"
"I apologize, sir," Jaehyun mumbled, the familiar sting of humiliation burning in his throat. He gritted his teeth, fighting the urge to lash out. He would not give them the satisfaction. He wouldn't let them see how deeply their words wounded him.
As he left Kim's office, Park gave him a patronizing pat on the shoulder. "Better luck next time, buddy," he said with a sneer.
Jaehyun's hands clenched into fists. He'd had enough. Years of being the scapegoat, the pushover, the one everyone used and discarded. A dark thought flickered in his mind, a dangerous seed taking root. He longed for power, for the ability to fight back, to make them pay for the years of torment.
He returned to his desk, the office suddenly feeling colder, the fluorescent lights harsher. He looked out the window, the city lights blurring into a kaleidoscope of frustration and resentment. He watched a family stroll by, their laughter echoing through the glass, a painful reminder of everything he lacked. He'd always craved that sense of belonging, that unconditional love and support, but it had always seemed out of reach.
As he boarded the bus that evening, the familiar weight of exhaustion settled on his shoulders. He found a seat by the window, the city lights streaking by in a dizzying blur. He watched the people outside, their faces illuminated by the warm glow of shop windows and streetlamps. A couple strolled hand-in-hand, their laughter echoing in the cool evening air. A group of friends huddled together, sharing jokes and stories with carefree abandon. A family hurried by, a young child tugging at their parent's hand, "Mom, can we get that ice cream?" they pleaded, pointing towards an ice cream shop.
Each scene was a sharp pang in Jaehyun's chest, a reminder of everything he'd been denied. He'd never known the comfort of a loving family, the camaraderie of true friends, the joy of genuine connection. His world was a solitary one, filled with fleeting acquaintances and superficial interactions.
He closed his eyes, a wave of exhaustion washing over him. He just wanted to escape, to disappear, to find something... more. Something where he wasn't the one being used, where he could finally seize control and claim the power that had been denied to him for so long. He yearned for a life where he could finally experience the joy and connection that he'd only ever witnessed from afar.
Jaehyun jolted awake, his heart pounding like a drum. A cold sweat broke out as he realized he wasn't in his familiar surroundings. The bus, once a mundane vessel of daily commute, now seemed oddly tilted, the engine groaning unnaturally. Disoriented, he glanced out the window.
The world outside was... wrong. Instead of the familiar cityscape, he saw a blur of dust and debris. Were they on some unfinished road? Had there been an accident? He couldn't make sense of the jumbled landscape.
Inside the bus, chaos reigned. People were screaming, crying, and praying. Children clung to their parents, their eyes wide with fear. A pregnant woman sobbed, her face pale and drawn. An elderly man, his face etched with worry, tried to comfort her.
"What's happening?" a woman cried out, her voice filled with terror. "Where are we?"
Jaehyun's mind raced. He tried to recall the events leading up to this bizarre situation. He remembered boarding the bus, feeling the usual monotony of his daily routine. And then... nothing. Had he fallen asleep?
He looked around at the panicked faces of his fellow passengers. He noticed a teenage boy frantically tapping on his phone, his face contorted in frustration.
"No signal!" the boy shouted, his voice cracking. "I can't get any bars!"
A wave of dread washed over Jaehyun. He fumbled for his own phone, his fingers trembling. The screen remained stubbornly dark. He tried again, but it was no use. The battery was completely drained.
"Is this some kind of terrorist attack?" a man yelled, his voice shaking. "Are we being kidnapped?"
"Everyone, please calm down," he said, his voice surprisingly steady. "We don't know what's happening yet, but panicking won't help. We need to work together to figure out a way out of this."
A middle-aged man, his voice steady and reassuring, was trying to calm everyone down. "We need to stay calm," he said, his voice echoing through the bus. "Panicking won't help."
A young woman, her eyes wide with fear yet determined, stood up. "We need to get out of here!" she shouted, her voice trembling.
"She's right. We need to stay calm," the middle-aged man agreed, his voice a steady anchor in the chaotic atmosphere. "Panicking won't help us figure out where we are or how to get back. And it's obvious this isn't anywhere familiar. It could be dangerous out there." He gestured towards the shattered windows and the alien landscape beyond. "Staying together is our best chance right now."
A sense of dread washed over Jaehyun. What had happened? How had he ended up in this bizarre, unknown world? He turned to the middle-aged man, who was trying to calm the panicked passengers.
"We need to stay calm," the man repeated, his voice steady. "Panicking won't help. Let's see what's going on outside."
The bus finally gave out with a shuddering groan, the engine sputtering its last breath. The doors creaked open, and a wave of dry, hot air hit us. Outside, the world looked like a fever dream. With a cautious step, Jaehyun and the others exited the bus. The air was still, the only sound the distant hum of the alien city and a low, rhythmic thrumming that seemed to vibrate through the ground and into their bones.
The ground was a sea of red sand, shifting slightly with each gust of wind. The sky was an unnatural crimson, painted with streaks of darker red clouds. In the distance, massive towers floated eerily in midair, their jagged forms casting twisting shadows over the barren expanse. The air felt heavy, thick with a metallic tang that clung to the back of my throat.
There were fifteen of us, all spilling out of the bus like ants from a broken mound. Two schoolgirls clung to each other near the back, their uniforms dusty from the journey. One elder woman leaned heavily on a gnarled cane, while an older man adjusted his glasses, muttering under his breath.
I stood near the front, glancing uneasily at the driver. He lit a cigarette with shaking hands, his gaunt face devoid of any expression. "Engine's dead," he said flatly. "We're not going anywhere with this crap."
A murmur of confusion rippled through the group.
"Wait, what do you mean 'we're not going anywhere'?" demanded Jin Soo, a wiry young man with a perpetual scowl.
"Enough," snapped Han Kyung-min, an older man with streaks of gray in his hair. His deep voice carried authority, silencing the rising tension. "Arguing won't fix anything. We need to focus on what we can do."
Jin Soo rolled his eyes but stayed quiet, though his clenched fists betrayed his frustration.
The younger of the two schoolgirls, Seo Yuna, spoke up hesitantly. Her voice was soft, almost drowned out by the wind. "Where...where are we? This doesn't look like anywhere I've ever seen."
No one had an answer.
"Let's start with something simple," Kyung-min suggested. "We need to know who's here with us. Names, skills, anything that might help."
"What are we, a study group?" Jin Soo scoffed. "This is a waste of time. We should be figuring out how to get out of here, not holding a meet-and-greet."
Kyung-min's gaze didn't waver. "You're free to wander off on your own if you want. But if we're sticking together, this is how we start."
An older woman, Shin Hye-jung, tapped her cane against the ground. "The boy's got a point, but so does Kyung-min. If we don't know each other, we'll just get in each other's way." Her voice was hoarse but firm. "Let's make it quick."
"I'll go first," Kyung-min said. "Han Kyung-min, former engineer. I've seen my share of emergencies, and I know how to think under pressure."
"I'm Shin Hye-jung," the younger woman said. "Math's professo. Don't ask me to run, but I've got a sharp mind."
The taller of the two schoolgirls spoke next. Her voice was steadier than Yuna's, but her grip on her friend's arm was tight. "Kang Minji. High school senior. Not sure what use I'll be, but I'm not going to just stand around."
Seo Yuna glanced at Minji for reassurance before speaking. "I'm Seo Yuna. Also a senior. I-I guess I'm good at organizing things?"
Jin Soo folded his arms. "Jin Soo. None of this matters, but if you need muscle, I guess I'm your guy."
All eyes turned to me. I hesitated, feeling the weight of their gazes. ",Jaehyun''
We had already lost our bus so walking it is , Maybe we should go there," the driver pointed towards a massive looking tower not so far away , he suggested, his voice filled with awe and fear.
The moment they stepped out of the bus, the world seemed to shift. The sky, once a familiar blue, was now an ominous, blood-red hue. A colossal moon hung overhead, its surface pulsating with an eerie, crimson light. It had a deep red hue to it, as if it was being looked down on by our entire existence. Scared, everyone, including Jaehyun, looked down and walked towards the strange, tall building. The very air crackled with an unseen energy, making the hairs on their arms stand on end.
A chill ran down Jaehyun's spine. This wasn't Earth. This was something else, something far more extraordinary and terrifying. Where familiar city streets once existed, now stood towering structures that defied logic and reason. Their surfaces shimmered with an unnatural luminescence, and their shapes seemed to shift and distort before his very eyes, as if they were alive.
There were buildings—floating big ones, at that. They had towers and seemed very ominous, casting long, eerie shadows that danced and writhed across the ground. The group pressed onward without any delay, as the place they were in was undeniably strange. They never got tired, no one suffered breathing issues, nor were there any signs of hunger or thirst. It was too wild for human imagination.
Reaching nearer the buildings they saw earlier, everyone was skeptical of what to do. It was a big tower, and it had hundreds of windows, each one glowing with an eerie, multicolored light. As Jaehyun, startled by the scene, took a hesitant step towards the towering structure, he stumbled. His hand brushed against the enormous door, its surface smooth and cool to the touch. And then, with a low groan that echoed through the silent landscape, the door began to open. The wide door, even bigger than mountains, opened to an even crueler sight.