I blinked my blurry eyes. The sight before me was like looking through a window on a rainy day, but what was clear was that I could see in front of me.

Wondering what was going on, I looked around.

Here and there, dusky mold flourished amongst the worn wooden furniture. Empty liquor bottles littered the floor, alongside black trash bags tied up carelessly.

A cold wind that felt like it could slice through flesh blew through a broken window, and from somewhere, angry shouts and screams could be heard.

I stared blankly at my surroundings before turning my head. In that corner, I saw insects busily scurrying about.

A stench wafted into my dull nostrils. It was a revolting smell created by dozens of filthy scents that were hard to describe.

The scene, noise, and stench were all too familiar.

‘Ah.’

I blinked absentmindedly. Now that I thought about it, it had been a while since I last blinked. Ever since I entered the game world, I had just kept my eyes closed.

This was my old home.

Then this must be a dream.

As soon as I realized it was a dream, the moments before I passed out came flooding back.

The tackle from Hong Yeon-hwa and her apology.

Baek Ahrin, whose smirk was frightening.

The freshman welcome party that had somehow started.

The countless attentions I received.

The petty jealousy and envy.

The duel between Hong Yeon-hwa and Yusai… the supporting characters.

The synergy effects of spatial perception, Jack of All Trades, and magic affinity.

The electrifying exhilaration and the flickering spatial perception.

And lastly, Yusai’s body, launched like a baseball, crashing into me…

‘Ugh…’

I was dumbfounded. A sigh emerged from deep within.

Of all the unlucky things, to have Yusai flying at me. And just when I was concentrating on spatial perception…

I felt like I was on the verge of some enlightenment. And to pass out at that moment. It felt like the world hated me.

Or maybe it’s Hong Yeon-hwa who hates me. Either way, it’s a situation that only makes me sigh.

What’s even worse is, I’m dreaming about this crap.

‘Ah, screw it.’

Is this the only kind of dream I can have? Aren’t there other episodes? I’ve heard that dreams are usually about stimulating memories.

…Now that I think about it, the most powerful memories were from my childhood, so it was indeed the stuff of nightmares. Although there were some spectacular memories afterward, nothing compared to childhood.

“Cough, cough…!”

Just as I was about to let out a deep sigh, my throat felt like it was blocked, and a dry cough burst out. Through the hazy vision, my skinny arms and legs came into view.

It seemed to be my childhood body, with its scars and marks still present. And along with that, my bony outlines were starkly visible.

But there was no burn on my right arm, so it must be before the fire incident.

‘…So, how do I get out of here?’

The strangely familiar scene was fleeting.

I tilted my head, looking around.

Usually, when you become aware it’s a dream, don’t you get thrown out? I remember reading stories on the internet about people who realized they were dreaming, only to have every character in the dream turn to look at them, giving them the creeps and waking them up.

– Boom! Boom!

Just then, the door shook violently.

– Boom! Boom! Boom!

The rusty iron door screamed with a stupidly loud knock, as if it was about to fall off its hinges, sounding like castanets being played.

“Ah, dammit. Hey! Come out! It’s been days past the deadline.”

Judging by the ruckus outside, it seemed to be a loan shark. Since my biological parents borrowed money left and right, visits from loan sharks were almost like regular events.

At first, the loan sharks would turn back after dropping a warning, as my biological parents would kowtow at a right angle. But as their patience wore thin, they started to become increasingly rough.

“Hey, this won’t do. Break the door.”

“What? Do we really have to, boss? Breaking is easy but fixing is hard.”

“Why should we care? They’ll figure out how to fix it themselves.”

– Bang!

The knocking ceased. But not long after, a noise twice as loud followed, and the doorknob shook crazily.

‘Really…’

How much did they have to eat up before they resorted to breaking in? Technically, they were my parents, but they were idiotic, stupid, and vile people.

And I was an even bigger fool for hoping for their affection.

It was too late when I realized that.

– Bang!

“Wow, they sure picked a solid house. It’s damn sturdy.”

Crash! I always hated the sound of knocking from my childhood. Whenever someone knocked on the house door, it meant bad things for me.

– …Huh?

I hated the worn-out door. It couldn’t protect me from the outside world at all. Instead, its creaking and groaning instilled a deep fear in me.

– Ouch…

Crash! The vibes were strong enough to make the walls tremble. A tower of beer cans on one side collapsed with a clatter.

The insects that had been moving busily scattered away in the tide of beer mixed with cigarette ash.

– Clunk.

…The doorknob, which had been moving frantically, suddenly stopped. Soon after, the twisting doorknob broke into two, falling to the floor.

– Yula…

Where the doorknob used to be, a hole was now gaping. Through the open gap of the door, I locked eyes with a black marble.

“There’s only a kid here?”

“What? Those bastards run up a debt and now they’re skulking around somewhere?”

Ah, it’s that time.

The moment when, because of the mounting debt and the loan sharks’ visits becoming a daily event, my so-called parents abandoned me and took off.

The black marble disappeared. The rusty hinges cried out.

The door creaked open──

.
.
.

“─Hayul!”

“…! …?!”

A sound that hit my ears hard awakened my consciousness. My body was being gently shaken by someone holding onto my shoulders.

The sensation of a soft bed pressed against my back. As I became aware of the trembling of my mind, spatial perception unfolded, and information flooded in.

Red, orange, white, and green.

‘Ah.’

It was different from before. It was not the black background with green outlines painted over it.

The orange glow of sunset piercing through the curtains outside the window. The white and yellow petals and green stems of flowers bottled in that sunset light. The uniquely white space of a clean hospital room.

The variety of colors was enough to elicit an inward gasp of awe.

And Hong Yeon-hwa, who was holding onto my shoulders and yelling with urgency…

“─Hayul! Are you awake?!”

‘What?’

Right now, I’m lying in a hospital bed, but why is Hong Yeon-hwa halfway on top of me, yelling?

“Hayul-ah! Are you okay?! Breathe! Breathe!”

“…!? …?”

Breathe? What does that mean? Confused, I tried to move, but my body wouldn’t respond. My chest felt tight. Something was wrong…

“Ugh, cough…!”

“Hayul…!”

Ah, I’m not breathing right now.

The moment I realized it, my throat felt choked. I could neither exhale the air filling my chest nor take in new air.

“Ugh…! Ack…”

What’s going on with me? Why is this happening all of a sudden? My stomach churns. My breathing isn’t working properly.

Before I could find the answer to my question, Hong Yeon-hwa, who was looking down at me restlessly, suddenly hugged me.

Her unexpected action made my body stiffen.

“It’s okay! You’re okay… inhale, then exhale…”

“Cough…”

“Right. Once more…”

My body, which had been rigid, relaxed at the touch of her warmth. It was as if I had been submerged in warm water, the heat spreading throughout my body.

Hong Yeon-hwa was supposed to have a high body temperature, according to the setting. But even so, this seems too high.

Puzzled, I realized the truth. It wasn’t that Hong Yeon-hwa’s temperature was high, but rather my own temperature was very low.

“Again, inhale…”

Hugging me tightly, she softly whispered into my ear, guiding my breath. I slowly inhaled.

Then exhaled again.

A behavior that should come naturally, yet it felt so laborious. It was like having a large rock sitting on my chest.

My body was too cold. A fear of being frozen solid and shattering engulfed me.

Without realizing, I hugged the blurry figure in front of me tightly. The soft touch that enveloped me brought a sense of comfort I had never felt before.

“Uh, hmmm…?”

“It’s okay.”

It felt as though, if I stayed wrapped up in this place, I would always be protected. It was a comfort that I had never experienced from the creaking iron door.

“Ugh… hoo… huk, hoo…”

“It’s okay. Everything’s okay…”

As I caught my breath, Hong Yeon-hwa kept whispering quietly into my ear that it was alright. At some point, her hand had carefully moved back to stroke my head.

My body, which felt like it was choking, gradually calmed down. My disjointed thoughts began to connect intermittently.

“Hoo… haa…”

“Are you feeling better…?”

As I managed to regulate my breathing, I observed Hong Yeon-hwa. She was hugging me tightly, looking down with eyes dripping with worry.

‘Ah.’

The hue and brightness.

Things I had forgotten for about ten days.

And even now, at this moment, I’m not truly seeing with my eyes, but through the information gained by spatial perception.

But…

As if I had become delicate fingers, the rich red hair fell gently on my face. The sight of it blending with the orange glow of the sunset was too beautiful to be considered just a painting.

Her eyes flickered, eyes that could be compared to rubies crafted with great care by the world’s finest jeweler.

…The world, restored with color, was incredibly beautiful.