Chapter 0 : Prologue. Life is…

At the age of 27, on a winter day, I realized that life rarely goes according to plan.

On the way home from enrolling in the elementary school I chose because it was close to the apartment I’d lived in since childhood, the car my whole family was riding in collided with a taxi driven by a drunk driver.

My father and I were unharmed, but my mother was left with lifelong aftereffects in one of her legs.

In middle school, the first friend I made revealed the pocket money in my pocket to some senior delinquents we encountered in an alley, and our relationship fell apart right there.

Looking back, it wasn’t a big deal, but naive as I was, I spent the rest of middle school holed up in the library in protest, graduating without a single friend.

In high school, I achieved decent scores on the mock exams and dreamed of entering a prestigious university. I also saw my father and mother smile for the first time in a long while.

The next day, we found out that a severe illness had been discovered in my father’s body.

After returning from the hospital, it was my father who comforted and lifted up the family that had been sitting in silence for a while.

“It’s okay. Everything will be alright.”

My mother and I believed those words and stood up again. And true to those words, happiness seemed to return to our family as we got back on our feet and started walking again.

“The surgery went well, and the CT scan came out clean. We’ll keep monitoring from here on.”

“Thank you, doctor!”

My father successfully underwent surgery.

“The apples Hyeonwoo’s mom sells are the most delicious, hoho.”

“Oh, thank you so much! Please come again!”

My mother’s fruit store became established in the neighborhood and is known for its generous hospitality and meticulous product management.

“Hey, Hyeonwoo, remember that senior from the club? He started a company and needs someone for an office job, so I recommended you.”

“Really? Thank you so much!”

I finally graduated from a decent university while juggling cram school and part-time jobs. Through an introduction from a senior who graduated before me, I set up an interview appointment at an office.

And the next month, my father passed away.

The illness had been discovered too late, so although treatment was barely successful through multiple surgeries over a long period, they say my father’s heart wasn’t healthy enough to withstand the prolonged surgeries and vital medications.

“…”

The sight of my mother’s back as she sobbed at the funeral was utterly pitiful.

The scratchy feel of the borrowed black suit pants from the funeral home.

The smell of greasy beef soup wafting from the kitchen pot.

The notification sound of my senior’s message confirmed my decision to give up on the interview.

My dry eyes, no longer able to produce tears.

All the sensations felt through my five senses didn’t feel real.

A despair so deep that everything felt like a floating dream.

“Father…”

And a few months after my father’s funeral.

Screech—!

A flash of light encountered while coming out of an alley.

Pain felt throughout my body.

Gradual numbness spreads through my entire being.

Barely breathing while lying on the cold ground.

The breath of the driver checking on me.

A faint scent of alcohol on that breath.

As my consciousness faded while hearing the sound of the car driving away.

All I could worry about was my mother.

“Mo…m.”

On that cold winter day, my first life ended like that.

And on a hot, rainy summer day…

I woke up in a shabby room, reborn as the silver-haired girl from the light novel world I had read when I was young.

Life truly… rarely goes according to plan.