It was quiet, unlike how it usually was.
Downtown Seoul. A train station he couldn't remember the name of.
People passed by, rushing to places as people usually did; he didn't look up. He was tired, and just wanted to get home.
She better be in bed by now... mom would kill me if she wasn't.
A train shot by, making him sway from the wind it generated. The station moved on, before a sudden loud scream cut the air, and everyone stopped. Kangseok jumped at the noise.
What happened?
And then it was quiet. People had gathered around something near the tracks. Was it road kill? No, it was too big for that. He saw a shoe. The same kind he was wearing. So it was a person. He leaned forwards, trying to get a closer look.
It was quiet. And his corpse was laying cold on the tracks, his upper torso torn halfway off by the speed of the train, his body mangled and almost unrecognizable. He didn't remember jumping or tripping. He was there one moment, and gone the next. Had someone pushed him? Had he passed out and fallen in front of the train? If he was dead, how was he there, looking down at his cold body, clearly dead, while he wasn't? His head was spinning, and the world was going dark one more.
If only...
No, that thought was useless now. He had no true regrets; his life was boring.
If only I had lived it to the fullest...
And everything was gone, the world he once lived in fading like a bloody wound being washed out in a stream, or like paint that has yet to dry, just like how his life had yet to amount to something.
Kangseok Jo, age 23, had left this world as quietly as he had entered it. A simple office worker for a relatively large gaming company. He held no great achievements. He'd done nothing grand or noteworthy. His life had been a canvas left untouched—white and dry, never knowing the weight of a brushstroke. Kangseok himself had never made the effort to change himself, to at least put a single drop of paint onto that canvas.
there was so much I wanted to do... so many places I wanted to see... I hope Minseo's alright without me...
"Dwelling on the past isn't worth it. Not like I can change it. The real issue is being stuck here in this STUPID HOLE!" He shouted, panting, his suit drenched in sweat. He'd fallen from reality into what he could only assume was hell, or perhaps limbo. No matter how far he ran, it was all the same. Pitch black void surrounded him, the only light being the white of his shirt. He got back up, wiping the sweat from his brow, taking a long moment to think.
The most logical thing I can think of is that this is either a nightmare or a prank. But why would someone prank me? And I'd be awake by now if this really was a dream. So what-
A sparking noise made Kangseok jump, turning around to see a massive ball of golden energy, lightning crackling around it, biting at his skin as if he were being eaten by a thousand miniscule piranhas, as it unfolded itself. The air felt hot and heavy, and he could hardly breathe, the same feeling as stepping out of a hot room into a cold shower or an ice bath.
"Welcome, unfortunate soul. Your life has been one of great monotony and lifelessness. As such, we have decided to give you a second chance at life; one of magic and adventure, where your only limits are imagination and luck. You will face great struggle and hardship, yet you will also be met with joy and friendship. May you have a great second try, unfortunate soul. And may you do better than he did..."
Oh... an angel... how beautiful...
Kangseok thought, his eyes closing as he lost consciousness once more. She had long white hair, 12 sets of wings, a large halo, and a gold dress, as if she were a royal at a fantasy party. The black void faded to white, and then, once more...
It was quiet. Kangseok Jo, age 23, had entered this new world as quietly as he had exited the last.