The murmuring of the office cafeteria was a familiar backdrop, blending the clatter of trays, and the aroma of fresh chatter of colleagues. Office lunch break, Sungho marketing associate, sat in the far corner of the cafeteria, lazily stirring his cup of coffee. Across the table, his friend and colleague, Joon, was scrolling through his phone, occasionally showing him memes in an attempt to break his perpetually disinterested expression.
"I will sleep tomorrow; don't dare disturb me. Got it." Joon sighed and took his cup of tea.
A group of women at a nearby table burst into laughter, their voices carrying over the din.
"Hey! Did you guys read that novel?" Sol Hee asked, her tone excited. "Best harem novel I've ever read in my life. And I saw somewhere in social media soon to be that will mahwa adoptions,"
"Which one, babe? You recommended me lots of novels." Sol Hee's friend laughed and replied to her.
"You know, Illegitimate Princess' Love Harem."
"Oh, that one! Yeah, I read it. It's really good, babe." Sol Hee's friend was overly excited when she said.
"Good?" a third woman cut in. "Have you seen the reviews? Half the readers think it's the worst thing ever written."
"And I heard someone review that 'wrist novel' because the plot makes him break his wrist." One of them joked. Earning a round of laughter.
Sungho, sitting a few feet away, frowned as he listened in. he muttered under his breath. "How do people even waste their time in such trash?"
Joon, however, Sungho's friend, heard his whispering and clear voice, and he raised his eyebrow and said. "Oh, like you're one to judge, weren't you up all night reading that 'trash' last week?"
Joon was Sungho's childhood friend and colleague or roommate too; he knew all about it.
Sungho glared at him, his ears turning red. "Shut up. That's not true."
"Liar, I know you better than anyone." Joon teased, grinning.
*Beeep…Beep*
Sungho's phone was ringing; a message came from the office. Sungho checked the message and standup.
"Anyway, we've got a new assignment, and our client was waiting for us in Pudong District." "If we're late, the boss will kill us."
With a reluctant sigh, Joon got up and followed out of the cafeteria. The chatter faded behind them as they made their way towards Pudong district.
The duo stepped out into the busy streets of Shanghai's Pudong district, where towering skyscrapers and futuristic architecture dominated the skyline. It was a bustling hub of corporate offices, sleek shopping malls, and elevated pedestrian pathways.
Their assignment was to meet with a potential client at one of the high-end complexes near the iconic Shanghai Tower. The area was alive with the hum of city life—commuters in tailored suits, tourists taking photos of the skyline, and even families enjoying the public spaces.
As they approached a long, wide staircase leading to a pedestrian bridge, Joon groaned. "Why couldn't the meeting be in a building with elevators? Who designs these places?"
Sungho Chuckled. "Stop whining, you could use The Cardio."
They were halfway up the stairs when a little girl playing with a ball, her laughter ringing out like a bell. She chased after the ball as it rolled toward the edge of the staircase.
Her phone distracted the girl's mother and looked up just in time to see her daughter teetering on the edge.
"Ji-Ah! Stop!"
"Ji-ah! Watch out!" The mother screamed, her voice trembling with panic and fear of losing her daughter.
Sungho didn't think. His body moved before his mind could catch up. "Watch her!" he shouted to Joon as he sprinted up the stairs, his heart pounding in his chest.
The girl let out a frightened cry as her foot slipped, her small arms flailing wildly in the air. Time seemed to slow as Sungho lunged forward, his hand just barely catching her arm.
"I've got you!" he gasped, pulling her close as his heart thundered in his ears.
The little girl clung to him, sobbing, her tiny frame trembling in his arm. "It's okay, you're safe now. Don't cry." He whispered, his voice shaking more than he wanted to admit.
But life has a cruel sense of timing.
The moment of relief was short-lived; as he stepped back to steady himself, his own foot slipped on the edge of the step.
"Sungho, watch out!" Joon's voice rang out, but it was too late.
Sungho lost his footing, sending the world tilting violently. His arms flailed, searching for anything to grab onto, but there was nothing. The girl's screaming echoed in his ears as his body slammed into the stairs, his back and shoulders taking the brunt of the fall.
"Ahh…!" someone in the crowd shouted, their voice thick with fear.
"Help him!" the girl's mother cried, clutching her daughter tightly.
"Boom!"
"Crack!"
"Thud!"
Sungho tumbled to the bottom of the stairs, his head hitting the ground with a sickening crack. Pain exploded through him, hot and blinding, and for a moment, everything went silent.
"Ugh....."
"Sungho!" Joon's voice pierced the haze as he skidded down the steps, panic etched across his face.
Sungho blinked slowly, his vision swimming. Blood pooled beneath his head, warm and sticky. He could barely make out Joon kneeling beside him, his hands shaking as he tried to keep Sungho awake.
"Hey…. Don't close your eyes… stay with me, man." Joon's voice cracked. "Please… please… Sungho," desperation flooding every word.
"Oh, my god. Someone call an ambulance!" The girl's mother shouted, her voice shaking.
"Don'… yell" Sungho managed to whisper.
The surrounding commotions blurred into a muffled hum. Sungho's chest felt heavy, his breaths shallow and uneven. He tried to speak, but his lips wouldn't move.
Sungho's thoughts were slipping away. Is this it? He wondered. Is this how I die?
His eyes locked onto Joon's terrified face, a childhood friend who was always by his side. He forced himself and gathered his strength to whisper, his voice trembling with emotion.
"I didn't think… on my last day …. You'd be with me, Joon." Sungho's eyes fell tears as he whispered.
Joon's face twisted in anguish, tears streaming down his cheeks. "No! Don't say that! You're going to be fine! You hear me?"
But Sungho's vision was already fading, and the darkness was creeping closer. His lips twitched in the faintest smiles, and then silence.
The last thing he saw was his best friend's tear-streaked face, and the last thing he felt was peace.
And there is nothing.
'Clear Blue sky….'
When Sungho's eyes opened, he found himself in an entirely unfamiliar place. The first thing he noticed was the sky—clear, cloudless, and impossibly bright. It stretched above him in every direction. So wide and vivid that it almost seemed unreal. He blinked, disoriented, as he lay on the cool, damp ground.
'I'm alive?'
His last memory was his terrifying staircase accident. Giant trees surrounded him; their trunk was impossibly tall and thick. The air was crisp. 'And where Joon, that brat? One minute, why am I here in the forest?' Sungho wandered. He was dead in front of Joon, but if he was alive then why was he in the Forest not in the Hospital?
"Swquwk!"
The chirping of birds reached his ears. Sungho attempted to move his arms to stand up, but his body didn't obey him. They felt heavy and unresponsive as if they weren't his at all. His mind quickened in confusion; "squawk.. Kankakee.. Keeeke?" [What the hell is this?]
A bird's voice came into his mouth; Sungho was shocked, 'Why is my voice…Bird's like?' Sungho thought; he instinctively tried to push himself up with his arm—but they wouldn't budge. Panic rose in his chest, and he gasped as his attention shifted downward. What he saw sent his heart racing.
As his eyes widened in horror, Sungho realized something utterly; instead of his arms, he saw wings—feathers, bright green and iridescent, covering his entire body. He tried to move again, but the fluttering sensation of his wings made his balance unstable. He gasped, or rather squawked, his voice high-pitched and strange.
"Squawk…Squawk!" [What the fu*k]
'W-wait---no way! What the--!?' 'What the hell is going on?' he was now a bird's body and the bird of body flew in the sky. The flapping of his wings. But before he could even process what was happening, he crashed back down to the ground with a clumsy thud. The sudden jolt of through his body flailing in an uncoordinated mess of feathers.
'This isn't really right, that's right, I'm dead in front of so many people. How is this possible?' It was the most ridiculous thing, his thoughts screamed in disbelief, but his bird's body could only mimic the panic with frantic, movements.