Ring ring ...
Bogum opened his eyes to the sound of his morning alarm.
He stared blankly at the cracked plaster on the goshiwon ceiling for a few seconds, then twisted to get up. He felt a strain in his lower back, but he washed his face and buttoned up his shirt one by one, as if nothing had happened.
“Ha… I overslept… I should just brush my teeth and go.”
Bogum slung his bag over his shoulder and walked briskly out of the house. A kendo keychain from his high school days hung from his old bag.
It was a secret birthday present from his older brother at the orphanage. Back then, he loved kendo. He'd learned it by accident, but it strangely suited him, and he believed it was "his alone."
But kendo was expensive, and competing required equipment, lessons, and time. No one at the orphanage could support those things. Ultimately, I had no choice but to put my dreams aside and focus entirely on college entrance exams.
He'd worked every part-time job he could to pay off his student loans, and with limited time to prepare for employment, he ended up joining the company later than most. Still, he was an ordinary office worker, working in Sales Team 2 at an unnamed small business.
"Manager Park, rewrite that report before the meeting later. Oh, and what happened with the business case from last week?"
“Uh… well, I haven’t heard back yet—”
"So you should call! You just sent an email and sat down? Are you thinking about doing something?"
It was always like this at work. I heard, "Why can't you do this?" more often than I did, "You're working hard." Even a single mistake would result in cold stares from colleagues and a sigh from my boss.
I thought about it while going up to the rooftop alone during lunch time and eating my packed lunch.
‘I really wish I could just… disappear.
Without anyone knowing,
‘I wish it would just disappear quietly.’
I was finally getting off work after working overtime and on my way home. The wind was blowing hard because it was winter.
As I was crossing the overpass, I felt a strange energy.
Bogum slowly turned his gaze to the side.
.
.
.
A girl was seen standing precariously on the railing.
Her long black hair and the hem of her white one-piece dress were unable to remain still in the cold wind.
A situation where if you take just one step forward, you might fall.
Bogum shouted unconsciously.
“What... are you doing there!!!!! Hmm... Come down quickly!!!!”
The girl slowly turned her head and looked at him.
The face with the lightless eyes seemed somehow familiar.
“…Please be quiet. It’s noisy.”
“What?? That… That place is dangerous! What are you doing!”
"....”
"It's hard right now, but
Another happy day is coming? Seriously!! So...."
"... haha thank you for the last consolation. Thanks to you, my heart feels warm."
She closed her eyes. And then... she stepped out, and the overpass tilted downwards.
Bogum instinctively jumped in.
“Okay… Wait a minute!!!!!!”
Bogum ran over and reached out to grab it, but due to his poor control, he fell down with it.
The city lights seemed to spread far and wide, and the wind whistled in my ears.
And everything slowed down.
He closed his eyes.
‘… I have no luck.
It's all for the best. It was a miracle that I lasted this long.'
Moment —
Thump thump, my heart was pounding.
My breath came out of my throat, and my eyes shot open.
And then he saw the girl looking down at him.
But she was no longer the child in the white dress.
She had her hair neatly braided and was wearing a pretty pink top.
And then... he started talking to me.
“What are you thinking about?”