On a quiet street, a low voice was heard.
"…hah. Finally, I will be able to pay for my little sister's tuition fees and my mother's medical expenses."
The voice belonged to an adult male in his twenties, dressed in a formal office suit. He was walking along the lonely street at midnight.
There was no one to accompany him. No one to talk to.
He sighed again and looked at the sky. It should have been full of stars and the moon, but clouds covered the night's beauty.
"Sigh… My current income is still not enough. I have to find a new source of income." His voice was low but still audible in the quiet street. He didn't worry about anyone hearing him; there was no one around.
He murmured to himself, a new idea forming. "Well, I can explore the stock market once again… but I'll be careful this time. I won't repeat the same mistake."
A faint smile appeared on his face as he remembered that incident, when he had used all his remaining money in buying the stocks of a tech company, in the pursue of earning money fast, only to suffer a huge loss because of the company's most profitable product blueprint leaking by their loyal employee.
He then looked down at his wristwatch. With a wry smile, he murmured, "Tonight, I am late again. There will no one to talk with me and no one to accompany me while eating..…again. No even on call..."
In his mind, he recalled how he and his family used to eat together. But after his father passed away, he found himself navigating a world that seemed suddenly devoid of color. It was as if everything had become empty for his family.
He started working part-time jobs, taking loans for his higher education, and supporting his mother and sister with his earnings and family savings.
Time seemed to move faster than he could comprehend after his father was gone. He was only nineteen back then, yet he still managed, though with great difficulty. At least he had been able to share dinner with them.
But then his mother was hospitalized due to a lung disease. He used every penny of his savings for her treatment, yet it was still not enough.
He had to start working full-time.
He did not pursue his higher education any further. He stopped there and began working one full-time job and two part-time jobs. He returned home late and left early, leaving no time for family moments. Only on some weekends were they able to come together.
His little sister also wanted to help and even thought of leaving her studies. But he reassured her to continue, telling her to leave everything else to him. He was happy to see her mature thoughts. She had been just sixteen at the time, five years younger than him.
Even now, after so many years, she is still studying, pursuing higher education, and wanting to support him. Such a thoughtful girl.
Focusing his thoughts on the present, he murmured, "It would have been good if someone was waiting for me at home…"
As he said this, he stretched his body, sore from sitting in his office chair most of the day.
Walking along the quiet street, he arrived at his destination. His home. His house. His family home.
He unlocked the door with his keys. Stepping inside, he switched on the lights.
He then removed his outfit and changed into casual wear.
After that, he cooked a light dinner for himself and ate alone.
Once he finished eating, he looked at the dirty dishes. He decided to wash them now; otherwise, if he left them for the morning, he would be late for work.
While washing the dishes, he thought, "I don't know when Mom will be discharged from the hospital and cook a delicious meal for me. My cooking hasn't improved even now."
"Oh, I remember now. Her graduation is about to be completed; she will be coming home soon. I hope Mom can be discharged before she comes back."
He moved his hands faster, wanting to finish quickly. He hoped to read a chapter of his current favorite novel.
But after finishing the dishes, he looked at the time and sighed.
"It's 2:30 a.m. now. I can't relax and enjoy. I have to sleep, or I'll be hearing a long lecture from the shop owner."
His first part-time job started at 7:00 a.m. He worked as a finance assistant in a shop. The shop was quite large, and he earned a decent amount from it.
The owner wasn't bad. He had helped him quite a bit, offering advice, suggestions, and sometimes lectures when he came late.
He didn't want to hear those lectures again. So he decided to sleep. He had to wake up again in just a few hours.
***
"…All… are… possible…"
"…Become… a Pioneer."
Rumble…
Rumble…
Toot…
Toot…
The distant sounds of vehicles slowly reached the ears of a young man sleeping in his room.
The noise made him frown. He wanted to block it out and focus on the voice in his mind. It was trying to say something, but he couldn't hear it clearly. The sounds from outside kept disturbing him.
He was about to use his pillow to cover his ears, but then he stopped. He remembered he had to go to his part-time job. Since he was already disturbed, it would be better to wake up now. Even if the alarm hadn't rung yet, waking early would give him time to get ready without rushing.
He slowly opened his eyes. His eyelids struggled at first, but eventually gave in. His vision was blurred, but after blinking a few times, it cleared.
The first thing he saw was a little girl's face right in front of him. She was sleeping in an awkward position, lying on her stomach with her head turned to one side and her arms wrapped around a pillow. One leg was on the bed while the other hung off the side.
From where he lay, he could clearly see her features. At first, confusion crossed his face, but then a quiet laugh escaped his lips. It was too soft to reach her ears, and even if it had, he doubted it would wake her.
In his mind, he murmured, "I thought I woke up, but it seems I'm still dreaming…"
"Today I experienced a dream within a dream. I wonder if that means it will be a good day or a bad one. Ironically, I even thought about my job in a dream and woke up early for it… haha."
"Anyway, let me close my eyes. The dream should end soon."
He closed his eyes again and waited.
He waited.
Two minutes passed, and his confusion only grew. He murmured inwardly, "What is happening? Why am I not hearing my alarm? Is it broken? And why can I still feel everything? The distant noise of vehicles, and feel the bed beneath me, the pillow under my head… why?"
He opened his eyes once more. The little girl was still there.
Looking at her, he thought, "I'm happy to see her like this, in her childhood… but I know it's just a dream. Not reality. So wake me up. I have to work."
He hoped his mind would listen and end the dream. But even after a minute passed, nothing changed.
His expression turned slightly awkward. Now, he truly didn't know what to do. His alarm wasn't ringing. His mind wasn't responding.
And he needed to wake up and go to work.
Yet something felt off.
This dream was strange. He had experienced dreams many times before, but they always faded too quickly. Even trying to remember small details would strain his mind. But this one was different. It wasn't ending, and everything felt unusually vivid.
He could feel the softness of the foam beneath him and see everything in sharp detail. The little girl's face looked exactly as he remembered. Normally, such faces would be blurred in dreams, hard to recognize. But now, he could even see strands of her hair resting against her cheeks. It was strange.
Just as he was thinking, the little girl suddenly shifted. Her hand, which had been wrapped around the pillow, turned completely and swung toward his face like a hammer.
His mind, which had been unresponsive until now, suddenly sprang into action, trying to find a way to dodge.
But before it could come up with anything, his body moved on its own. It jerked to the side and slipped off the bed completely.
At the same time, the girl's hand struck the pillow where his head had been, landing with a dull thump.
A sigh escaped his lips. Even if the hit wouldn't have caused serious harm, it would have still hurt a little.