Finally...
Haneul stretched his back, eyes squinting against the late afternoon sun.
"I've done it," he whispered, staring at the city skyline. "Graduated. No parents. No support. But I still made it…"
He smiled—tired, bitter, but proud.
Only a job remained now. Then maybe… finally… peace.
But those dreams… they hadn't stopped.
Every night, like a curse:
> A tower swallowing the sky.
The world drowned in black tsunamis.
Oceans of fire.
Screams. Monsters. Endless death.
"I'm going crazy," he muttered as he walked down the street. "They're just dreams. Just—"
That's when he saw the man.
Walking toward him. Slow. Deliberate.
The man's face was hazy, like smoke dancing under light. But he felt... familiar.
Haneul slowed down.
"Do I know you?"
The man didn't reply. He just pulled out a knife and stabbed him.
Haneul staggered, eyes wide. "W-What…?"
He stumbled back, clutching his stomach as warm blood soaked through his shirt. The pain hit like fire and frost all at once.
"Why…? I didn't… I don't even know you...!"
His legs gave out. The world tilted.
People didn't scream.
No one noticed.
His eyes dimmed as he collapsed on the pavement.
> "This can't be how it ends… I didn't even get to live…"