Chapter 7

  ...Thud!

A powerful impact that seemed to shake his entire body struck Sol, and he collapsed onto the cold tiled floor. Falling and forcefully hitting his head, Sol couldn’t properly distinguish his surroundings amid the ringing in his head and the dizziness.

‘119.’ Sol instinctively sensed that the end of this pain was death, but there was no way to seek help. He had lost control of his body, and there was no means of communication. The pain, as if his heart would burst, was overwhelming, but after hitting his head, Sol lost his sense of direction and crawled forward, feeling the floor blindly. Gasping for breath, a sound akin to sobbing escaped his lips. It felt like his heart was about to give in.

Tears streamed down his face due to the unbearable pain. If he were to die like this, he would have been happier dying on that day in the tunnel. He didn’t want to die. The pain was excruciating, but the thought of someone named ‘Sung Sol’ disappearing so helplessly without leaving anything behind distressed him. Dying like this seemed too pathetic.

“Heuk...! Cough... Cough, save... me, help... Heuk!”

Droplets of blood fell onto the white tiles. Collapsing to the floor and experiencing a significant impact, there was no chance to properly understand whether the injuries were caused by the fall or whatever it was that actually happened. Sol simply collapsed, overwhelmed by an unbearable, immense shock and pain, much like the aftermath of a rear-end collision. 

The word “inevitable” was fitting. Once, he contemplated death, but when the actual prospect of dying confronted him, it was overwhelmingly frightening, and the chill mirrored that of the cold bathroom floor.

“Heug.... Please save me... Heuk...!”

The voice, barely squeezed out, couldn’t reach beyond the bathroom. It was a feeble and thin sound, almost inaudible even to Sol, whose ears were ringing from the pain. This was how he would die—miserably, doing nothing in a strange place. Tears blurred his vision.

Suddenly, Tae-oh’s face, who had mocked him when he said he would go to the bathroom, flashed in his mind. He noticed that he was about to run away, and he sneered while clenching his fist. Even if Sol didn’t come back, he wouldn’t come looking for him. System shutdown, and the ‘corresponding pain’ that followed, were just equivalent to death. In the immense pain, Sol’s vision darkened.

On the pitch-black stage, a solitary spotlight descended. As Sol found himself enclosed in the round glow trailing him, a feeling of familiarity washed over him. In the fifth grade of elementary school, on the large stage of the first art hall he had ever been on, Sol made his first and last mistake. When he stood on the stage, the intense light and the tension rising sharply above his head made the faces of the audience invisible.

His mind went blank for a moment, and like a malfunctioning machine, Sol forgot the next move and ended up in the wrong position. In the moment of panicking at his first-ever mistake, from the dark audience seats, only one familiar face caught his eye.

The face of Sol’s mother, looking at him with sparkling eyes, neither mocking nor disappointed in his own mistakes, holding a bouquet ready to embrace him after the performance. As Sol faced her, the trajectory that had briefly lost its way found its place again. After the performance, walking out into the damp, yellow hallway, gasping for breath, Sol could only remember the teacher consoling him, saying it was a mistake any twelve-year-old making their debut on stage could make.

Since then, Sol had not made a single mistake, especially when standing on the pitch-dark stage where nothing was visible. He had always shown only his sparkling self, with his mother’s face full of affection being the only thing he saw. However, now that face was no longer there. Even if he made a mistake, there were no faces to watch over him with affection anymore.

After losing his mother, Sol could no longer stand on the stage. The reason he gave up dancing wasn’t because he disliked it, nor was it because he was severely injured to the point of being unable to perform. It wasn’t due to a flickering memory, either. It was simply because, every time he stood on the stage where only a dark audience could be seen, the fact that he was left alone in the world was engraved deeply in his mind. No matter how significant the mistake was, the bitterness of losing someone who would always be by his side persisted.

With the system’s shutdown came a profound pain, and afterward, there was the silence and breathlessness reminiscent of when he stood alone under the spotlight on the stage.

Blackout.

Thus, the curtain fell on the play called ‘Sung Sol.’

[System reboot]

On the dark stage, a mint-colored border brightly lit up, reminiscent of a neon sign in a deep alley. A translucent notification window shone brightly.

[Taking into account the user ‘Sung Sol’s characteristics and situational awareness, 1 hour of time is reassigned.]

[Last chance. Succeed in the <Tutorial: Dance Initiation Ceremony!>]

[Remaining time: 00:59:56]

Sol’s trajectory, which had deviated, returned once again to its original course. With a “pop,” a blackout occurred, and like electricity returning after a power outage, the pain that contorted his body disappeared, and the world gradually regained its original colors. Sol, clutching his chest, exhaled a rough breath with a “phew.” As consciousness returned, despite the pain being gone, he trembled like a leaf.

‘System shutdown’ was akin to death. The situation he had tried to ignore and deny suddenly became palpable through his skin and senses.

Tears streamed down his face, gripped by fear like that of a frightened child. Unable to make a sound, Sol lay on the floor, endlessly shedding tears. Although the pain was gone, but the body that had once lost power refused to move freely. Like a child unsure of how to walk or a doll with a severed string, Sol knelt on the floor. Approaching the wall, Sol leaned on it for support, using the sink as leverage to lift himself up and stand. Unconscious and devoid of any sense of time, there was no awareness of how much time had passed.

“I’m going to die... When the system shuts down, I will die.”

As if emerging from icy water, a chill seeped through his entire body, making his teeth chatter. Clinging to the sink like a lifeline, Sol struggled to stand, still unable to regain his balance. His body, resembling a falling willow tree, didn’t move properly, but it had to. Experiencing the same events as a while ago was out of the question. He gritted his teeth.

The situations unfolding around him were hard to comprehend, but the pain was more evident than any confusion or resistance. The system shutdown he had experienced a while ago was something no one would want to go through twice. It was truly horrifying. And now, it became clear. Despite his attempts to deny and not acknowledge it, all of this was not just a dream, but a harsh reality.

Sol managed to part his hair and looked into the mirror to see his reflection. More pallid than when he first entered the bathroom, Sol’s face showed the aftermath of his fall with a reddened and swollen forehead, a trickle of blood running down his chin, making him appear even more vulnerable.

His entire body ached, and fear gripped him. He wanted to run away, but now even that was beyond his capability. As strength surged into Sol’s arm, clutching the sink, it trembled as if it might crumble at any moment. A shiver ran down his spine as death loomed closer. 

Sol swallowed back tears and wiped away the trickling blood on his face. The cold water mingled with the blood on his pale face, spreading in various directions, and the blood already soaked into his clothes had taken on a darker hue. The once quiet bathroom was now filled with the sound of sobbing and the rush of pouring water.

With each sniffle, the throbbing pain in his head intensified, and a ringing sound echoed in his ears. The recent experience was too terrifying and painful. Although tears poured down, there was no time to cry quietly. Sol’s mind was filled with tutorial quests.

‘I have to succeed. I have to succeed at any cost.’

Wiping the smeared blood off his face, ruffling his wet hair, he covered his swollen forehead. Despite several deep breaths in front of the mirror to hide the trembling breath and tears, the emotional turmoil didn’t subside easily. Having just faced death, who could remain calm? Sol gritted his teeth and, with trembling hands, pressed firmly against his chest near the heart.

‘I have to. I must succeed.’

When was the last time he vowed to do something so desperately? He no longer remembered. Leaning against the sink, Sol, who had straightened up, took precarious steps forward. His body still swayed like an unstable tree branch in the wind. After a few steps, Sol once again had to grasp the wall.

It was too scary and heartbreaking. Above all, the fact that he could not rely on anyone froze Sol’s mind even more. The clenched fist was damp with cold sweat. Stumbling, Sol retraced the path he came from, as if escaping, and came face-to-face with Tae-oh, who was exiting the practice room. Sol shook his head vigorously. The hair partially covering his face swayed as he shook his head, concealing the reddened marks completely.

“I was just about to come find you.”

“Oh, yes. I’ll dance.”

“Hey, are you okay?”

In response to Tae-oh’s words, Sol nodded his head like a stunned person. Although his head was deeply bowed, and his face was hidden, Tae-oh sensed something strange about Sol. Tae-oh reached out and grabbed Sol’s arm as he passed by, heading towards the practice room. Though Tae-oh didn’t exert much force, Sol swayed as if he had bumped into something. Through the hand that held Sol’s arm, a subtle tremor was transmitted.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. You said dance. I’ll dance.”

Sol kept concealing his gradually fading voice, steadfastly repeating the same words with an unwavering tone. Observing Sol’s uneasy reaction closely, Tae-oh discovered bloodstains on the edge of his shirt.

“Where did you get hurt?”

“Nowhere. I’m fine.”

“...Is this blood?”

“No, it’s not. Just let go of me and let me dance.”

As Tae-oh continued to hold him, preventing him from entering the practice room, Sol impatiently brushed off his questions.

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