Another world....?

They say if you get hit by a truck, you get sent to another world—or—that's at least the case in most Japanese media.

Here in Korea, South Korea to be specific, in web novels and webtoons the most common case is towers, dungeons suddenly appearing with hunters, and of course, the system.

Most of them end up with the fantasy world coming to them, or they go to the fantasy by means like possession, transmigration, and reincarnation.

Honestly, at this point, I was kind of hoping for getting transported to another world, but...

There's no absolute possibility that I will get overpowered skills like someone who has played a game, and the game world came into reality, or same with a novel, and webtoon, or a system suddenly appearing and saying that I have a second chance in life, or just a tower appearing, and I become an irregular.

And even if I do, then what if I end up with nothing? Then, I would have to work really hard, and I don't like that. I would give up and live the same boring life instead of doing that.

If dungeons were to appear, there's no way I suddenly die in an S-Rank dungeon that was supposed to be an E-Rank, and then get the system, and I am doing Solo Leveling.

"Hah..."

I sighed, as I remembered if I don't hurry up I will get late.

What even am I doing? I just recently got into high school, and being late on the first day...

Well, I'd be screwed.

I stepped to the side where the street was making a turn...

Then, I heard the unmistakable growl of a diesel engine.

I looked up.

Ah. There it is, truck-kun.

Has my time come?

It was speeding toward me like destiny itself. I took a breath and closed my eyes.

My mind had completely gone blank.

As the truck reached towards Seo Jinhwan, he took a breath, his mind was in turmoil.

As the truck was a point away from him, he dashed to the side, barely getting hit by the truck. The truck driver was late to notice and pushed the brakes, and ended up stopping.

Jinhwan opened his eyes and looked back. The truck was suddenly halted in the street, and the truck driver came out.

"Aw. I missed my chance."

He muttered as he walked away, ignoring the truck driver.

My heartbeat was still racing due to being so close to death.

I kept walking, one step at a time, my thoughts slowly drifting.

What if I had really died just now?

Would it hurt? Would it be fast?

Would I just close my eyes and open them somewhere else—someplace with floating islands, magic swords, elves with political issues?

"Heh..."

I let out a shaky laugh.

No, that’s just escapism.

There's no way something like that even exists. In the end, it's just fiction.

Still, I dreamed of it, imagined it, but that's all I can do...

Again, there's no way I will get isekai'd.

I stepped forward.

Hmm?

The sound of my step was that of grass rustling. It was like I was walking on grass.

I looked down. The ground was grass.

"N-No way...?"

I looked ahead. Beyond the plains was a huge island floating in the sky, with water dripping to its side. On the right, though it was far away—like very far away—it was still barely visible. In the distance was a giant tower...

My eyes fully opened. The drowsiness that was within me was gone.

I was standing in a field of translucent glass under a shattered sky, and a dragon was flying above me.

Wait, glass!? Wasn't it grass?

I checked down, and yet again I was in a white space. It was like liminal space—there was no end in sight, like it stretched out infinitely.

My body froze. A feeling of dread encapsulated me.

My heart was pounding so fast that I feared I would die of a heart attack before anything.

Ah, the floor is translucent. It was like a shallow water that reflected the blue sky.

"Wh-why am I so calm?"

That was strange. I was so nonchalant about this that it scared me...

Was this a dream?

"No, this isn't a dream."

Suddenly, a voice reverberated in my ears, and in front of me appeared...

With long silver hair that reached below her waist, a slender figure—yet the most beautiful person I had ever seen. If I was a woman, even then I would have fallen for her. The charm she carried could seduce anyone.

Eyes that contained the universe within them—sorrowful, cheerful, yet no hint of emotions. Devoid of life, yet so full of life—that there is no one I had seen...

She was the most pretty, beautiful, cute, you name it...(I ran out of adjectives).

And yes, her beauty was so much that I can't even describe it.

She opened her mouth to speak.

"Dear—"

Before she could say anything, I enthusiastically cut her off and started rambling.

"Wait, before you say anything, let me get this straight: I was brought here by an accident, or maybe possibly killed, and now that I am here you are going to give me cheat powers and send me to another world—Wait... you could just send me with no powers at all, don't do that, I will appreciate it. Well, if you are planning to send me to another world, then I would certainly hope that you send me to a world where I won't have to work too much. Also, let there be the internet... wait, that might be a bit too much... I don't know how I will pass my time there... maybe being a normal human being, just passing time normally, like talking to others. But a loner like me... has no friends. And it's not like I can't have friends, it's just I don't want to, okay? And if you give me a harem, don't bother, because it sounds like a drag. It's not like I want anyone close to me or anything! I'm alone enough. Just to make sure, if it's a medieval fantasy, let me have a cheat alchemist skill and give me knowledge about all that stuff so I can make the internet myself... there needs to be some entertainment, right? I mean, we... otakus, if you may call it that, have a deep, profound connection to entertainment and have been chronically addicted to the internet... however, now that I think of it, if there's magic, there is certainly a lot to do, so I won't get bored... thus, if you can't give me a cheat skill, then you can just give me... just like a little infinite mana, and exponential talent in magic. But it's not like I want to or anything, just so you kno—"

"Enough!!!"

Before I could say anything more, she shouted.

And that made me snap back to reality.

Ah, what have I done?

I talked too much...

Suddenly, a wave of embarrassment hit me, and my face turned slightly red.

I turned my face away, and what came into view was a white space with nothing in sight.

Nothing in sight, there was nothing beside me and her.

"...."

It's kinda... lonely...

"...."

"Ahem."

I cleared my throat as an attempt to clear the awkward atmosphere.

"You have been brought here due to an accident, and I will send you back."

Huh? You're just going to continue speaking like nothing happened?

Also, what was that about me being sent back to Earth, eh?

"Haha... I know, you're just going to send me to a different world to beat the demon king, right?"

I scratched my back as I said that.

"No."

Wow, straight-up refusing me, huh.

"So I'm not the protagonist?"

"No...?"

Ah... that one hurts.

So you're going to be like that...

"But I don't wanna!"

I started sulking.

She just stared at me strangely...

Okay, stop looking at me like I'm going to start speaking like there's no end to it...

"I want compensation! Look, you suddenly tried to kill me with a truck—that's vehicular manslaughter! And then, I was suddenly transported here, with the world shifting before I could even comprehend it!"

I paused for a second...

"Look, I've been traumatized!!! I can't even continue my school life like this!"

I fell down, clutching my throat.

"I'll erase your memory,"

she spoke in an emotionless voice.

"Wait, no—!!"

I grabbed her legs, as I whined even further.

After throwing a tantrum for a little longer, she finally spoke.

"I don't even get paid enough for this!"

"Wait, you get paid!?"

She sighed.

"Ugh, enough already! Go back to your world!"

"Wait!? No... I apologize for everything, please... You're the best, you are magnanimous, you wouldn't do this... please!!"

She just stared at me blankly as she watched me disappear, with me clinging to her leg.

"Fine. Soon... I will bring you back here. So you can go now."

So she says...

And I finally let go of her... and I was standing in the street...

I blinked.

I was back.

Same street. Same cracked sidewalk. The casual rustling of the leaves, chirping of birds. The morning dew on the plants.

My hands were empty. No sword. No magic ring. No glowing status window welcoming me back like “Welcome, Hero.”

No goddess. No floating islands. No dragon.

Just... a pigeon staring at me like I was the weird one.

I looked down at my hand, half-expecting it to shimmer, or maybe start glowing with mana.

Nothing.

No magic. No cheat skill. No floating AI companion calling me “Master.”

Just trembling palms, and a feeling of emptiness...

For a moment, I just stood there blankly staring ahead, until I saw someone running in their high school uniform.

"..."

Aren’t I forgetting something?

Hmmmmm...?

I checked my phone and looked at the time.

Suddenly, a flash of realization came to me, and I started running as if my life depended on it.

Oh... I’m going to be late...

There’s only five minutes left until the entrance ceremony.

Well, it's not like I'm the freshman student representative or anything important like that, but if I’m late on the first day, it will give a bad first impression and I’ll naturally end up alone...

"Haha."

If worse comes to worst, then I’ll end up alone, that’s all.

But let’s not be too negative!

Just like in webtoons, the main character is a loner... yeah.

Soon, I reached the school building and walked in. The principal had started the overly long speech or so.

No one was paying attention to me, and naturally, I had quite the experience of hiding my presence, so I slipped into an empty seat in the back.

Everyone was either sleeping or wasn’t listening as expected. Some of the diligent students listened quite attentively.

"Hah."

Now I finally have some time to take a break and think about what the hell just happened.

First of all, a truck almost killed me, but I evaded it. Then I was suddenly in a fantasy world.

Secondly, the fantasy like world was gone before I could even register what happened, and I was in a void-like area.

Thirdly, the goddess—I think that's what she is—came and started speaking, Being the loner I am, I started rambling like an idiot and ended up annoying the goddess so much that she kicked me and said she would bring me back there supposedly 'soon'.

Okay, I admit it was my fault... but what can I do when suddenly a fantasy world appears out of nowhere in front of me?

And most of all, how can I be so sure that wasn’t a dream?

Let’s look back at the situation: I was standing still, after avoiding death. Maybe the shock had me faint and I fell asleep standing?

But that was too real to be a dream...

The sensation was too real, the feeling of being desolated when I gazed into the oblivion.

The creeping fear, the consuming loneliness I felt at that moment when I was alone—before she appeared—that feeling of being isolated from everywhere and anywhere, was too real.

"...."

Okay, that was not a dream. So what comes next?

Well... all I can do now is wait.

And hope for the best, even though hope is a cruel lie.

※※※

It’s been 2 years since that, and yet I am still here. The memory of that moment is getting blurry and fading away. I barely hold on to fragments of what remains of the past.

Suddenly, everyone except me disappeared, and I was left alone.