I stopped feeling human after that day.
The moment Jihee's laughter cut through the air, something inside me snapped. The world I thought I knew—the one where maybe, just maybe, there was someone who saw me as more than just a joke—was gone.
I had been blind. Stupid.
I thought Jihee was different. She wasn't like the others, I told myself. She wasn't like Jihoon, who shoved my books off my desk for fun. She wasn't like Seojin, who tripped me in the hallways and pretended it was an accident. She wasn't like Jiwon, who sat back and smirked while the others made my life hell.
No, Jihee had smiled at me. She had sat with me at lunch when no one else would. She had defended me—just once or twice, nothing big, but it had meant the world to me.
And it was all fake.
A joke.
The worst part wasn't even the betrayal. It was that, for a brief moment, I had let myself believe I was worth something. That I wasn't just the school loser, the target, the punching bag. I let myself believe I had a chance at happiness.
And that was the real joke.
I didn't go back to school after that. Not the next day. Not the next week. Not the whole month.
++++++++++++++++++++
My parents tried everything to get me out of my room.
"Juhyun," my mom knocked gently on my door. "Sweetheart, talk to me. Please."
Silence.
My dad's voice came next, firmer, more frustrated. "You can't just lock yourself away forever. This isn't healthy."
Still nothing.
They knocked. They pleaded. They even threatened. But I didn't care. I didn't have the energy to.
I only left my room at night, when they were asleep. I moved like a ghost through the house, grabbing whatever food I could find before retreating back into my space—my own little prison.
And in that prison, I did the only thing that made me feel alive. I played.
++++++++++++++++++++
Online, I wasn't Kang Juhyun, the pathetic loser who got bullied at school. I wasn't the guy whose biggest dream had just been shattered in the cruelest way possible.
I was **KJ_88**—one of the top-ranked players in **Battlefront Online**, a game that required skill, strategy, and lightning-fast reflexes.
In Battlefront, I wasn't weak. I wasn't powerless. I could predict my enemy's moves before they made them. I could outmaneuver, outthink, and outgun anyone who stood in my way.
I wasn't a joke there. I was feared. Respected.
"KJ_88, you're insane," a teammate whispered after a match. "I swear you're not human."
"Yeah, dude, your aim is unreal," another added. "How do you do that?"
I didn't answer. I never did. I just queued for the next match.
I played for hours—sometimes days—barely sleeping, barely eating. I lost myself in that world because the real one didn't want me.
And then the fire came.
++++++++++++++++++++
The smell of smoke was faint at first. I barely noticed it, too focused on my screen, fingers moving on instinct as I tracked an enemy's movement.
Then came the sound—an odd *crackling* noise, like something burning.
My door handle was hot when I touched it. Too hot.
That's when I realized.
I ripped my headset off and threw open the door.
Flames.
Everywhere.
They licked the walls, curling around the staircase, devouring everything in sight. The heat was suffocating, smoke already filling the air, making my throat burn.
"Mom?! Dad?!" I screamed, stumbling back.
"Juhyun!" My dad's voice came from downstairs, filled with desperation. "Stay where you are!"
I turned, ready to climb out my window—when I saw it.
A figure stood in our yard, watching the flames with an eerie stillness.
It wasn't human.
Its body was twisted, like charred wood barely holding itself together. Its eyes burned—literally, glowing embers where pupils should have been. It grinned at me, its mouth stretching too wide, too unnatural.
I couldn't breathe.
No—this wasn't real. It couldn't be real.
"Mom! Dad!" I turned back to the hallway, my mind spinning. "There's something out there!"
No response.
Only the sound of flames roaring, swallowing our home whole.
++++++++++++++++++++
My parents fought to reach me.
"Juhyun, stay close to me!" My mom pulled me against her, shielding me from the falling debris.
"The stairs are blocked!" my dad yelled, coughing violently.
"The window!" My mom dragged me toward it, but the flames were faster.
I looked back at the monster in the yard. It hadn't moved.
It was watching. Waiting.
For me.
++++++++++++++++++++
Everything happened too fast.
The ceiling groaned. The walls cracked. The heat became unbearable.
And then—
Darkness.
++++++++++++++++++++
I woke up in a white void.
At first, I thought I was in a hospital. Maybe I had survived. Maybe my parents—
"They didn't make it," a voice said.
I spun around.
An old man in a white robe stood before me, his face wrinkled but his eyes sharp. He stroked his beard as if studying me.
"Who—where—" My voice cracked.
"You're dead," he said bluntly. "And so are your parents."
The words crushed me like a sledgehammer.
Tears burned my eyes. I dropped to my knees. "No… No, this can't be real."
"Death is real, boy," the old man said. "But so is opportunity."
I looked up, confused. "What…?"
He sighed. "That fire wasn't an accident. That thing you saw—it was a monster. One of many that will soon flood the world."
I swallowed hard, remembering those burning eyes. "But no one else—my parents didn't—"
"Because only a few can see them. And you, Kang Juhyun, are one of those chosen few."
"Chosen…?" I laughed bitterly. "For what? I'm just some pathetic loser."
The old man smirked. "Not anymore."
A glowing screen suddenly appeared before me.
[System Activated.]
[You have been chosen to return.]
[Accept the Second Chance? Y/N]
I blinked. "What… is this?"
"The System," the old man said. "A power that will let you grow stronger. Level up. Rewrite your fate."
I stared at him. "You're saying… I can go back?"
He nodded. "But only if you accept the responsibility. You must stop what's coming. Prevent the apocalypse."
I let out a dry laugh. "You want me to save the world? I couldn't even save myself!"
The old man raised an eyebrow. "You're a top global player, aren't you?"
I hesitated. "How do you know that?"
"You're skilled. Smart. Strategic. You think quickly under pressure. That's why you were chosen."
I clenched my fists. "Even if I say yes… what if I fail?"
"Then the world burns." His eyes darkened. "And this time, you won't get another chance."
My mind raced. If this was real… If I could really go back…
My parents.
I could save them.
I could change everything.
I took a deep breath and stared at the glowing screen.
Then I smirked. "Wait… If I was chosen to stop the apocalypse, why the hell did you let me die in the first place?"
The old man coughed. "Er… Technical difficulties."
I narrowed my eyes. "You're telling me the fate of the world depends on a buggy system?"
He ignored me. "Well? Time's running out. Make your choice."
I exhaled slowly.
No more regrets. No more running.
I raised my hand and tapped **[Yes.]**
The world flashed white.