In a small apartment room, the television was playing loudly, as if someone had deliberately turned the volume up to drown out the surrounding noise. The television was showing local news about an impending hurricane in the area. The owner of the room lay in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, the news playing as background noise. The man, about 20 years old, looked more like a dead fish sold at a market than someone in the prime of his teenage years. His eyes, devoid of life and long, unkempt hair, gave him the appearance of a homeless man.
GROOWWLLL!!!
A stomach growl loud enough to rival the excitement of a television news reporter, jolted the man out of his reverie. The sound, combined with his disheveled appearance, was enough to make anyone mistake him for a homeless person who hadn't eaten in days rather than someone who could afford to live in an apartment. Fortunately, there was no one else in the room, and the noise from the television was more than enough to drown out his stomach's rumbling.
"Damn, when was the last time I ate? I can't even remember."
Getting out of bed, the man walked to the refrigerator and opened it to get some food. Unfortunately, there was nothing inside but spoiled milk, so he immediately threw it down the sink.
'Sigh... This is the worst, I even forgot to restock on food and now I have to go to the grocery store hungry. Hahhh... I hope my stomach can hold out long enough to buy everything I need.'
To be honest, the man wasn't as careless as he seemed. He'd simply given up on everything, on other people, on his surroundings, and even on himself. He'd grown so fed up with his life, filled with boredom and constant regret about his own life that he'd stopped caring about it.
'Sigh.... I'm bored. I want to do so many things, but I feel like it's too late to start. Where did everything go wrong? I can't remember. I'm so sick of living like this, I just want to end it all. But I'm too cowardly to even attempt suicide. If I could redo all my life choices or start anew, I would be very serious about living my life and work hard to achieve the things I want. I'll make sure that I never give up or give up half-heartedly.'
"Of course, something that seems like a novel wouldn't happen in real life."
The man quickly tidied himself up before stepping out of his apartment. Breathing in the dusk air, he began walking towards the nearest convenience store. After walking for five minutes, he finally arrived at the convenience store and began buying all the ingredients he needed for cooking. There were reasons why he didn't immediately buy the food already in the convenience store. One was because it didn't taste very good, and the other was because cooking was the only thing he had left that he could enjoy and be proud of.
After finishing all his grocery shopping, the man stepped out of the convenience store, only to be drenched by rain within a few steps. He decided to return to the convenience store and buy an umbrella to protect himself from the rain on the way to his apartment.
'Sigh.... Just why does it have to rain now when I'm outside? I shouldn't have gotten so lost in my thoughts that I ignored the news. It was pointless to turn the volume up so high if I couldn't even catch a single piece of information while lost in my thoughts. I hope the rain won't get any heavier, at least until I get back to my apartment.'
Despite all these hopes, the man was only met with disappointment as the rain began to rapidly increase in intensity. Due to the intensity of the rain, it was difficult to see or hear anything around him until it was too late. As the man turned his head slightly to the side, from the edge of his vision, he saw a bright beam of light speeding uncontrollably towards him. Frozen in shock, the man didn't even realize that his body had just been hit hard by the out-of-control truck, sending him flying several meters away. When he registered the pain, he didn't even have the ability to scream or complain as his vision began to flicker faintly. Only a few fragments of thought managed to form through his struggles.
'Ahh... So, this is how I die. I just wish I could have a second chance at life. Please, if there is a God up there, please grant this pitiful little wish of mine. I wish I could have a second chance at life, and I will make sure with all my heart and soul that I take it seriously.'
Just seconds after that thought came to fruition, the man breathed his last in a sea of regret. He thought he was dead, only to find himself opening his eyes and seeing an unfamiliar scene around him.