The sounds of plates gently hitting each other and quiet talking filled the room. Adam sat down at the dining table. This was his last meal at home before he left for a long time. It felt strange and a little sad.
His mother, Rachel, walked around the table. She carefully placed a bowl of hot, colorful vegetables in front of him.
Steam rose from the bowl, smelling fresh and healthy. His father, Ricky, sat back in his chair across from him. He was slowly drinking from a mug, the warm smell of coffee filling the air along with the food.
The delicious smell of the freshly cooked meal was all around them. But Adam's mind wasn't really focused on eating.
His thoughts were already traveling ahead, thinking about the train ride and what he would do when he got to the city. He knew this meal was important, a last moment of being a simple family together, but his brain was buzzing with his secret plans.
He ate quietly, chewing slowly, tasting the food his mother made. He didn't talk much. His thoughts kept going back to the big choice he had made. The choice to not go to university.
The weight of this decision felt heavy inside him, like carrying a big rock. But he knew, deep down, that he couldn't change his mind now. There was no going back. This was the path he had to take.
The clock in the hall made a soft sound. It was noon. Twelve o'clock. The chime sounded faintly through the quiet house, marking the time.
Adam pushed back his chair from the table. The legs scraped slightly on the floor. He stood up and walked into the living room where his parents were already sitting, waiting.
They sat and talked for a while. The talk wasn't about anything too serious, just simple things. They told some funny stories. They gave him gentle advice about being careful, eating well, and studying hard. They didn't know everything he was planning.
They thought he was going to university to study computers, like they had talked about for a long time. They had so much belief in him.
This feeling they had, their faith, was easy to see. It made him feel warm inside, like a cozy blanket. But it also made him feel guilty, like he was tricking them.
Rachel's eyes started to look shiny, like she was about to cry. Her voice shook just a little bit when she spoke. "Just promise us you'll take care of yourself, Adam," she said softly. "That's all we ask. Please, stay safe and healthy."
Adam nodded, trying to hold back his own feelings. He swallowed a lump in his throat that made it hard to speak. "I will, Mom," he said, his voice a little shaky too. "I promise." He meant it. He really would try to take care of himself, because he had to do this for all of them.
Ricky, his dad, was always the more practical one. He wasn't as quick to show his feelings, but Adam knew he cared just as much. Ricky leaned forward in his chair, his face looking serious now.
"Remember, son," he said. "Life isn't just about chasing dreams, you know. Sometimes, you have to make tough choices. Hard choices. Like choosing between two things you want." He paused, looking right at Adam.
"But no matter what you do, no matter the path you choose, we're proud of you. Always remember that."
Adam smiled faintly, a small, sad smile. Inside, his heart ached. He wished so badly he could tell them everything. About the terrible mistakes he had made in his life that felt so long ago.
About how things turned out so bad. And about the unbelievable second chance he had been given, being back here, in this time. He wished he could explain why he had to do this, why he couldn't go to university.
But he couldn't. Not now. Maybe not ever. How could he make them understand something that seemed impossible?
Soon, it was time. Time to leave the house he grew up in. Time to start this new, secret life. Adam went upstairs to get his suitcase. He walked into his room. It felt different now.
Emptier, somehow. It was like the room already knew he wouldn't be coming back for a long, long time, not for good.
The air felt quiet and still. He grabbed his suitcase, the one packed with clothes for a future that wasn't going to happen in the way his parents thought.
With his bags by his side, he stood at the front door. He held the handle for a moment. His heart felt heavy with saying goodbye, but also strong and determined for what was ahead. He turned to face his parents, who stood there, looking at him with love and worry. He felt their eyes on him.
"Take care of Eric while I'm gone, will you?" he said, thinking of his younger brother. Eric was still at school. Adam felt bad that he couldn't say goodbye to him face-to-face.
Ricky chuckled, a warm sound that made Adam feel a little better. A friendly smile spread across his dad's face. "Don't worry about him," he teased gently. "He's probably smarter than you anyway."
Adam laughed softly, a real laugh that helped let go of some of the tightness in his chest. He knew Eric would understand. His brother was smart and would forgive him for leaving without saying goodbye when he found out why.
With a final wave to his parents, watching their faces, Adam stepped out of the house and closed the door behind him. His journey to rewrite his life had officially begun.
He walked to the train station. It was busy with people moving around. The low, rumbling sound of a train getting closer mixed with the sound of people talking and the loud voice announcing things over the speakers sometimes.
Adam found his seat inside a train car that was full of people. He sat down and settled in, putting his suitcase above him. As the train started to move, slowly at first, then faster, he looked out the window.
He watched the streets and buildings of his hometown start to disappear behind him. It felt like a part of his old life was fading away with them.
Memories from his past life, the one he just came from, rushed back into his mind. He remembered this exact trip. He remembered his father giving him money for university. His dad had given him $38,000 back then to pay for starting fees and his first bit of living costs at National University.
But this time, Adam had no plan to use that money for university. His real plan was totally different. Instead, he planned to use the money, and much more, to buy a VR set. Not just any VR set, but the cheapest one he could find that would work well enough for the new version of Row Online.
Even the cheapest one he remembered cost a lot of money back in 2025, more than $40,000. This meant he would need thousands more dollars than his dad gave him.
It was a big risk, a dangerous step with so much money, but Adam knew, with a deep certainty, that it was his only chance to change the whole direction of his life.
"$38,000 isn't enough," Adam thought to himself, watching the world outside rush by. "I'll need to find a part-time job as soon as I get to the city." He knew he had to earn more money, and fast.
His strong decision became even harder. There were only two months until the new version of the game was released in March.
Every day, every hour, every minute counted. He couldn't afford to waste any time at all. He had to work, work, work.
The train rolled into Feku City. The sky outside was starting to turn orange and gold as evening came.
The streets looked busy and bright. It was 5:00 p.m. when Adam stepped off the train, feeling tired from the trip but also excited and nervous. He held onto his suitcase.
The station was a dizzy mix of people. People rushing home after work, street sellers calling out what they were selling, and sometimes someone playing music hoping people would give them some change.
The city felt alive and loud and fast, very different from the quiet life in his hometown he had just left.
Adam walked his way through the crowd of people. He pulled his suitcase behind him.
He looked at the signs and the buildings, finding his way through the many streets until he reached the apartment his father had already booked for him. His dad thought this was temporary housing before the university dorms were ready, but Adam knew this was just... home, for now.
The apartment was small and simple. It wasn't fancy at all, just a place to live. It had basic things like a bed and a table. It looked plain, not decorated nicely. He could faintly smell fresh paint, meaning someone had painted it recently.
It was functional, meaning it worked for what he needed, but it wasn't pretty. He quickly unpacked the most important things, putting his clothes and other items in neat piles.
After the long day and the train ride, he was exhausted. He quickly collapsed onto the bed.
He lay there on the simple bed, staring up at the white ceiling. His mind was still racing with plans. He whispered to himself in the quiet room,
"I have two months to save as much money as I can. At least another $4,000." He felt the heaviness of his plans pressing down on his chest, making it a little hard to breathe freely. But he told himself he couldn't stop or get scared now. He had come too far, made too many hard choices, to give up.
The very next morning, Adam started looking for part-time jobs. He got up early. He went out into the city.
He started walking to local places like coffee shops and restaurants. He had printed out papers about himself (resumes) and brought application forms to fill out. He talked to managers, trying to sound confident.
By the end of that first day, walking all over the city, he had managed to get two jobs. One was as a barista at a small coffee shop – he would make coffee and serve customers.
The other was as a delivery boy for a restaurant nearby – he would ride around delivering food orders. He knew this wasn't enough money yet.
A few days later, after more searching, he found a third job and added it to his very full schedule. He would work at night, stocking shelves at a grocery store.
Time seemed to speed up now. Days turned into nights quickly. Adam spent almost all his time juggling his three part-time jobs. He was always moving, always working.
His mornings started very early, sometimes before the sun came up, and ended very late at night, sometimes after midnight, after his grocery store shift finished. This left him with hardly any time for anything else.
He barely had time to eat a proper meal, often just grabbing quick food like a sandwich or a piece of fruit between shifts or while riding his delivery bike.
Sleeping for a full eight hours became something he could only dream of. He was always tired. His body ached from the constant moving and hard physical work. Making coffee, riding the bike, lifting boxes of food at night – it was all tiring. But Adam pushed through the tiredness and the pain.
He kept going because he was driven by one thing: the knowledge that every single dollar he earned brought him closer to buying the VR set. Closer to his goal. Closer to changing his future.
By the end of February, two months after he arrived in the city and just a few days before the game was supposed to be released, he counted his money. He had saved $12,000 from his three jobs.
Adding the $38,000 his dad gave him meant he now had $50,000 total. It was finally enough to buy the VR set he needed. It wasn't easy at all to save that much working three jobs.
There were many times when he felt like he couldn't do it anymore, when the tiredness was so bad it felt like it would crush him. He had moments when he doubted if this was the right path.
But each time he felt like giving up, he reminded himself why he was doing this. He thought about the big mistakes he had made in his past life.
He thought about the second chance he had been given, something nobody else had. He saw clearly in his mind the future he was trying to escape. He knew he couldn't fail. Not this time. He just couldn't.
It was March 1, 2025. The morning sun shone through the apartment windows, making lines of light on the floor. Adam felt different this morning. Today was the day. He stepped out of his apartment and onto the street.
The streets were already busy. People were everywhere. Bakers were putting out fresh bread that smelled wonderful. People on bikes were riding through the traffic.
There was a quiet, steady sound of construction work happening somewhere in the distance. The city was waking up, full of noise and energy. And Adam felt like he was finally waking up too, really starting his new life.
He walked through the busy streets to a small electronics store. It was tucked between a coffee shop and a store that sold tools and building supplies. The sign above the store said, TechHub: Tomorrow's Technology Today. It sounded like the future was sold inside.
The inside of the store was filled with many different electronic things. They were placed close together. The shiny surfaces of the gadgets reflected the bright lights from the ceiling.
Adam's eyes immediately found what he was looking for. The VR set. It was sitting in a clear glass case near the front of the store, placed so everyone could see it. It looked sleek and cool, like something from a science fiction movie.
It was a symbol of the new life he was about to start, a life connected to the virtual world.
A man working in the store came over to him. He looked like he was in his middle years. He had sharp eyes but a kind, friendly smile. "Looking for something specific today?" he asked Adam.
Adam nodded. "Yes," he said. "The basic VR set." He pointed at the one in the glass case.
"Good choice," the sales assistant said. "That's a very popular one. Simple to use, works great." He looked at a price tag. "That one costs $42,000. That includes the fee for someone to come install it at your place and make sure it works right."
$42,000. It was exactly the price he remembered. He had saved enough, and more, thanks to the $38,000 from his dad. Adam felt a mix of thankfulness for his parents' help and a little bit of fear.
Adam handed over the money – $42,000. He counted out the cash he had saved. His heart was racing as the man took the money and the sale was completed.
He watched carefully as the sales assistant took the VR set from the case and packed the box carefully. The man said he would send an installer to Adam's apartment later that day to set it up for him.
Back at his small apartment, Adam waited nervously. He tidied up the small space, making sure there was room near the bed for the VR setup. Finally, by evening, a technician arrived.
The technician was very good at his job and set up the VR set quickly and neatly. He attached the parts, connected the wires, and made sure everything was working correctly.
The sleek, cool-looking device gleamed on Adam's desk, just as he had imagined. Its modern, futuristic design looked very different next to the simple old wooden desk and the plain room.
It looked like something from the future had arrived in his past. As the technician finished and left, Adam stood in front of the VR set. His heart was pounding with excitement and a little bit of fear of the unknown.
He had started with $50,000 (dad's $38k + his $12k). The VR set cost $42,000. This meant Adam had $8,000 left from his savings. It wasn't a lot of money to live on. Adam knew he couldn't stop working completely yet.
He decided he would keep one of his part-time jobs, probably the night stocking job because it didn't take up his day time, to cover his rent, food, and other living costs.
The rest of his time, almost all of it, would be spent on preparing for the game. The game's release was only a few days away now. He needed to be ready to jump in right when it started.
The clock showed 9:00 p.m. Adam's heart was pounding in his chest. He reached for the VR set. He carefully strapped on the headgear – the part that goes over his eyes and ears.
It fit snugly, comfortably. He also put on the special gloves that came with it. He remembered these gloves from his past life; they felt smooth and responded to even small movements of his fingers.
"This time, I'll fix my mistakes," he thought strongly. The thought was a fire inside him, pushing away any doubts. He closed his eyes briefly behind the headset, focusing on that goal.
Adam began the steps to start using the VR set. Through the headset's view, he saw a loading screen, then a menu of programs. There, clear among them, he saw it.
He selected it. Adam sees the program, and then starts to install it onto the VR set. He knew this process well from trying to use a VR set later in his past life.