I died.
No, not because of truck-kun making a 'Surprise motherfucker', or because I heroically saved some clueless brat from accident. Heck, I didn't even died because of cancer.
It was just… an ordinary night. I was heading home from cram school, same boring routine. Until I saw a crowd gathering. Naturally, my curiosity got better of me. So I went to check it out.
Turns out, two people maybe little drunk ,were in the middle of a heated philosophical debate—by which I mean, they were throwing the kind of poetry that would put Shakespeare to shame.
"Your mother's a wh—!"
"Oh yeah? Tell that to your sister, the discounted version!"
Somewhere in there, even grandma took a verbal hit.
So, like any sane and rational person would do, I... joined the crowd. Intervene? Pfft. Why would I ? I was getting WWE lite version for free.
Things escalated, of course. From verbal slaps to actual slaps.
'Ah, Finally the main event'
The tension was thick. One guy threw a punch, the other responded with a majestic flying kick… which only succeeded in tearing his own pant at not so welcomed place.
Though....he was wearing a underwear. SAFE!!
A laugh escaped someone's lips, and that was all the permission the rest of us needed. Within seconds, we were all laughing—me included, obviously. Heck, some even took photos.
That's probably when the guy realized he wasn't just losing a fight—he was losing the respect—if he had any.
He pulled out a revolver. Fires a shot in the air to establish his dominance like a gangster.
And just like that—the crowd scatters. Who the hell wants to die?
But alas, Lady luck was sleeping that day. That bullet, the one meant to scare, Came right back down, straight into my head at angle of 69 degree.
One in a million moment, they say.
And just like that, I died.
*****
(Third Person POV)
"Arghhhh…" A groan echoed through the room where a young man lay on the bed, his expression twisted as if he had constipation.
After a few seconds of rolling around in discomfort, he suddenly sat up, gasping.
"Haaah… haaah…"Heavy breathing filled the room as sweat formed on his forehead. His face showed clear fear. But slowly, after a few deep breaths, he calmed down.
"I'm… alive."That was the first thing he said, his voice low and serious.
"So it was all a dr—eh?"He froze mid-sentence as he looked around.
"This… This isn't my room. Where the hell am I? am I kidnapped? For money? Bro, I don't even have enough for a Dramaflix subscription…"
Then as if he had a realization. "Shit! Are they after my organs?! Did I already lose a kidney!?"
He quickly lifted his shirt to check for surgery scars but luckily there were none.
"SAFE!" he exclaimed.
He got out of bed and started scanning the room. It was spacious, but had few things.
"A table, chair, wardrobe, a full-body mirr—?"
He stopped.
Like someone had hit pause on his entire body, he stood frozen in front of the mirror. He turned around, then looked again.
"What the hell happened to me?"
Because staring back at him from the mirror was not his usual self.
He used to be a little above average , maybe borderline handsome, Black hair, black eyes, 175 cm tall, and and a little on skinny side..
but this reflection. It was a young boy, maybe 16 if he had to take rough guess. White hair. Blood Red eyes. Lean, tall build. And… good looking? At least way better than what he was before. He has crossed the border and now lies in handsome category.
Yet After experiencing such cliche moments the first thought he had wasn't transmigration. But
"…Plastic surgery? " he muttered.
Then he shook his head. "Nah, plastic surgery can't make you taller. Or change your whole body like this. Maybe super soldier serum?"
He was still trying to come up with a logical explanation when—
Ding!
A light notification sound rang out in the room.
He looked around for the source but saw nothing—until a glowing pink window appeared, floating in front of him.
[System initiating]
[System binding…]
[System synchronization: 1%... 5%... 100%]
[System online. Welcome, Host.]
"…"
Silence.
Utter, pin-drop silence.
Then, slowly the boy raised his hand to his elbow , his eye still fixed on the pink screen.
And pinched himself.
"Definitely real," he muttered, rubbing his arm where he pinched.
As if waiting for confirmation, the system immediately responded:
[Starting memory transfer…]
The boy instinctively reached out, grabbing the edge of the bed, bracing himself for a wave of dizziness or sudden blackout.
But another message appeared almost instantly:
[Memory transfer complete.]
"…"
Silence again.
"…System?" he asked cautiously.
[Yes, Host.]
"It's done for real?"
[Yeah]
He blinked. "Huh. That was quick. And painless. Way too different from what usually happens in these situations"
He stared ahead, quietly processing. 'So this is what transmigration feels like. Honestly… pretty normal, aside from the different face and surroundings. Maybe it just hasn't hit me yet.'
'Or maybe,' he continued in his head, 'it's because I already died. From a bullet meant to scare but it hit me right in the head. What a one in million way to die.'
He snorted softly at the memory. Then his thoughts turned serious.
'And it's not like I feel sad. No deep grief or loss either. Why? Two reasons.'
'First, my body definitely died. Brain damage, bullet through the skull, that's pretty final. Even if I wanted to return, there's nothing to go back to. Even if i can reincarnate in other body , why bother so ? I prefer experiencing this world.' During transfer he has experienced some fragments odf memories indicating that this world was different.
'Second, you only feel loss when you're attached to something.'
His inner voice turned flat.
'My parents? Divorced. Their marriage was arranged—forced by family. The moment they found someone they actually liked, they left and put me in hostel. At least they agreed to give money every month for my survival until i get a job.'
'I was thirteen at that time.'
'Not gonna lie but the first few days were Worst. Full of self blame and all . But I got used to it. Time doesn't heal but make you used to it. Eventually, getting money every month became enough. I try to live like any other normal kid. "
'People come and go in life. Some leave early. Some leave late. Some will leave you. Some will be left by you. People change over the time, so do their relationship with others. I just learned this a bit earlier than most. '
He gave a small shrug to himself.
"Anyway." He shook his head as if clearing away dust, letting go of thoughts about his old life. "Let's check this body's memories now."
With that, he sat down on the bed and closed his eyes, breathing deeply, ready to dive in.