Chapter 0
Staring at the rope dangling right in front of me, I realize once again: I've barely made it this far.
'At last, I can leave this hellish world that's kept me trapped.'
Because I was too short, I'd stacked two chairs on top of each other just to hang the rope. Its precarious state seemed to reflect my own.
Since I wanted to die as peacefully as possible, the open window in the distance let in the pleasant scent of morning and a cool breeze that seemed to tickle my cheeks.
I turned my head toward the scent of happiness, something I usually barely noticed, and spotted the full-length mirror by the window.
Two chairs stacked so precariously that anyone could see the danger. Above them stood an unfamiliar little girl with an anxious expression.
That's right. A little girl. A tiny child who looked barely over 130 centimeters tall.
In the sunlight streaming through the window, her pitiful figure looked so radiant that it seemed almost sacred.
Her eyes, made restless with anxiety, trembled like those of a helpless herbivore stranded on a grassland.
As if she'd long since lost even the will to live, and was simply waiting to be devoured. Quietly.
"Haa..."
I let out a long sigh, exhaling the signs of life that remained in this small body.
'It's nice not having to struggle to breathe anymore.'
And so, I stopped breathing and surrendered myself to the reaper before my eyes.
Perhaps angel would be a more fitting word, since it would grant me a warm and peaceful rest.
Putting my full weight on it, my small frame ended up dangling closer to the ceiling than the floor.
Crack... crack-crack!
The unfamiliar view from up high startled me for a moment. Then the poorly tied rope began to snap, bit by bit.
My body suddenly tipped to the left before I had a chance to resist. As the rope began to fail, I was left at the mercy of an impossibly thin cord that tightened around my neck even harder.
It felt like being strangled by a strong, slender thread, like fishing line.
With my neck already being squeezed by my own weight, the thin line dug into my skin, deep enough to make the fear of death sink in.
Crack... thud!
Whether I should call it misfortune or good luck, my body dropped to the floor just before I lost consciousness.
My side struck the ground, sending a sharp pain through me, but the thought that it didn't really matter took over my mind.
I was alive. Even though I'd failed to reach the death I'd wanted so badly, I was so happy I could have cried.
"Ugh... ngh... guh......"
Slowly, I curled up on the floor, clutching myself as I cried out in pain.
The deep laceration on my neck seemed to remind me once again how close I was to death, as the smell of blood spread throughout the room.
Ding-
And right in front of me, my phone kept ringing as if to show off.
Though I'd already let go of any attachment to life, I desperately snatched up my phone and checked who had sent the message.
Hyunwoo, a high school friend who'd remained my friend ever since.
And the message Hyunwoo had sent was simple.
- Hey. What're you doing? I'm eating tteokbokki. This stuff is freaking delicious
- (Photo)
A perfectly angled photo of tteokbokki, a visual assault on my stomach so delicious-looking it made my mouth water just to see it.
And looking at that tteokbokki, I thought:
'Tteokbokki... looks delicious.'
Maybe I'd given that food meaning because it felt like a shame to give up on life just like this.
Even so, it was undeniably true that just that one photo made me desperately want to keep living.
I clicked Hyunwoo's profile to stay alive, then pressed the call button with trembling fingertips.
"Help... me... Help me..."