Parallel World — Prologue
His pale eyelids fluttered rapidly, trying to focus.
What came into view was a dull white ceiling. He sat up, scanning the unfamiliar surroundings with a puzzled look.
It was a room—neither too big nor too small. For most people, it would be just fine, but for Thanik, it felt far too cramped.
At the moment, he was lying on a bed. To his right was a window, to his left a vanity table. Across from him, near the door, stood a wardrobe, and beside it a desk with an outdated-looking laptop resting on top. Another door—probably leading to the bathroom—was on the far right.
Whose room was this?
It wasn't a hospital, nor was it his own room—his was far larger and far more luxurious.
The last thing he remembered was sipping on a cup of bubble tea inside his office.
Recently, bubble tea had become the trendiest drink in the city. With stress piling up from work, he had searched online for stress relief methods and stumbled upon a post claiming bubble tea could help.
So, he ordered his secretary to get him ten cups. The taste was so addictive that he couldn't stop drinking—until, of all things, the tapioca pearls clogged his throat. And then... everything went black.
While he was still lost in thought, a sudden flash of unfamiliar memories invaded his mind.
"Argh—what the hell!?" He instantly grabbed his head, groaning.
When the strange episode passed, he scrambled to the mirror in a panic.
Staring back at him was a teenage boy, no older than seventeen or eighteen. His face was slender, with sharp features, a high nose bridge, and lips perfectly shaped.
"Not bad, not bad... wait. Wait a damn second!"
This wasn't possible.
Had he possessed someone else's body?
He was Thanik—the IT mogul of his era, a wildly successful businessman at just thirty-five. People everywhere recognized his name. And yet, he had died choking on tapioca pearls... and now, he was in someone else's skin?
He swore to himself then and there: he would never touch bubble tea again for the rest of his life.
After calming down, he pieced things together. His old self had died. His spirit had taken over this new body.
This body belonged to Thawin, or simply Win—an eighteen-year-old boy living with his parents and younger brother.
The original Thawin had died tragically after being dumped by his girlfriend of two years, who left him for a wealthier man. The heartbreak was unbearable. He cried endlessly, until his sobs stole his breath... and he suffocated.
Pathetic.
Still, it couldn't be more embarrassing than dying from bubble tea pearls.
God, that's humiliating.
[Yes, humiliating indeed.]
"Who said that!?" Thanik's head whipped around.
[Me, sir. The System.]
"Huh!? What the hell is this crazy System!?"""
[-_- It's not a crazy system sir. Just... System.]
"And where the hell are you? I can hear you, but I don't see you..." His eyes darted suspiciously around the room. "Don't tell me... a ghost?"
[System is not a ghost. System is System.]
"..."
[And System resides... in your head, host.]
"This is insane," he muttered.
[Not insane, host. Perfectly real.]
"Fine, fine. Not insane. Then tell me, why the hell are you in my head?"
[Ahem. The System has been assigned to help the host live a better life in this body.]
"You're serious?"
[Completely.]
Knock, knock, knock!
"Win! You up yet? Mom says dinner's ready!" a voice called from outside.
He flinched at the sudden sound.
"Y-Yeah! I'm up. I'll be right down," he shouted back awkwardly. God, this feels weird. I'm old enough to be their father, and now I'm answering like some teenage kid.
"Okayyy!" came the cheerful reply.
That was Thanwa, Thawin's fifteen-year-old younger brother.
Win quickly sat down at the desk and opened the old laptop. The time read 18:35.
He opened up the search engine—
"Goog... Gook? What the hell is Gook?"
Weird name, but whatever. He typed in his own name:
Thanik, famous businessman.
The results flooded the screen. None of the information was about him. Not a single record of his existence.
"What? No way. That's impossible."
[Ahem, host.]
"What now?"
[Currently... you've traveled back to the year 19xx. And this... is a parallel world.]
"WHAT!?"
[Please calm down, host. For now, the System suggests you head downstairs for dinner.]
"..."
[Making people wait? Not very polite, you know.]
"Tch. Fine."
Still dazed, he splashed water on his face and went downstairs.
At the dining table sat a middle-aged man of about forty at the head, a woman of similar age beside him, and the younger brother opposite. They were the parents and sibling of this body.
Win sat down hesitantly across from his mother and brother, beside his new father. Dinner began quietly, with bits of casual conversation that slowly eased his nerves.
His new father worked at a small company. His mother ran a food stall out front. The family's income was modest—barely enough.
Seeing this, his chest tightened. He thought of Dad and Mum from his past life. How devastated must they have been when they learned of his death?
Would he ever see them again? Probably not. He was dead. His only option was to accept it.
After dinner, he excused himself and returned to his room.
Sitting at the desk, he thought deeply. This was his life now. He had been given a second chance, a new beginning. Perhaps God still had mercy on him. From now on, he would live differently—live with purpose.
From this day on, he was no longer Thanik Worawong. He was Thawin Sakulkiat.
He clenched his fists. He would not repeat the mistakes of his past life—
cough, cough
[Seriously. Dying from bubble tea pearls? Oh, my.]
That flat, monotone voice cut through his solemn moment like a knife.
"Damn it, stupid system!!"
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