A dizziness akin to falling from the sky without a parachute overwhelmed him. His entire body screamed, feeling pain that felt as though his entire body was broken apart. The eyes of his family members becoming ever so distantâŚ
âAh⌠shit.â
Jae Woo lost consciousness.
* * *
Upon awakening, the first thing he saw was his little sisters.
âBig brother!â
Their faces trailing with tears.
âEuh.â
He was about to ask them why they were crying, but he couldnât open his mouth properly.
âDo you recognize me?â Yura asked.
âHuoh.â
âOf course I do. Youâre my little sister.â
âBig brother! Big brother!â Mina said anxiously.
âMina.â
When they heard him say, âMinaâ, they were overjoyed and hugged him.
âYou finally woke up, big brother.â
âWhat a relief. Seriously, what a huge relief.â
He had miraculously come back to life.
* * *
A week had already passed since Jae Wooâs awakening.
He was still bedridden, but he didnât have any problems communicating.
Until just now.
âWhat did you say?â Jae Woo asked.
âYouâve been in a coma for the last 2 years,â the Doctor said.
âExcuse me?â
Jae Woo couldnât believe it.
âItâs not true⌠right?â Jae Woo asked, as he looked at his little sisters.
âPlease tell me itâs not true!â his eyes seemed to cry out.
His little sisters grabbed his hands.
âBig brotherâŚâ
âItâs ok. You managed to wake up.â
They said, squeezing his hands tightly.
However, their consolation had no effect on him at all.
â2 years?â
It was neither 2 days, 2 weeks, or even 2 months. 2 whole years!
Jae Woo just stared at the ceiling. He couldnât accept this at all.
ââŚâ
But because his little sisters were beside him, holding his hands, Jae Woo was narrowly able to get over his shock.
âWhat happened to me?â he asked, wanting to ascertain why heâd been in a coma for so long.
âYou were hit by a truck,â Yura said.
âA truck?â
Once she said âa truckâ, Jae Woo recollected an image.
A white truck that had driven onto the sidewalk, the carâs light that made him dizzy, and his body, which had frozen in panic!
And the âkwangâ!
âUgh!â Jae Woo shivered and retched.
âBig brother!â
âAre you ok?â
His little sisters came rushing over, but he put a hand up to motion that he was fine.
âWhat about the driver?â Jae Woo asked, his face ashen.
âThey said he died. Right on the scene,â Yura replied.
âApparently, he was asleep at the wheel,â Mina added.
âWhat about compensation?â
Jae Woo was curious about compensation. Compensation for his 2 years in a coma.
ââŚâ
Yura and Mina kept their mouths shut.
âDidnât you hear me?â Jae Woo asked.
ââŚâ
The two couldnât answer easily. If they gave the wrong response, then Jae Woo might go into shock again.
But based on their reactions, Jae Woo could tell what had happened.
âWe werenât properly compensated for the accident! Then, my hospital billâŚâ
âHow far are we in debt?â Jae Woo asked.
Since they werenât properly compensated, they mustâve taken out a loan to pay for his medical bills.
âWeâll tell you next time⌠You still need to rest,â Yura said.
She sounded really concerned for him.
âItâs fine, just tell me,â Jae Woo said as softly as he could.
It was a sign saying that, âIâm ok, so just tell me.â
âIâm not really sure, but we sold the house,â Mina said in lieu of Yura.
âYou sold the house!?â Jae Wooâs face contorted instantly.
âYou know how valuable that house is!â
In his 3rd year of middle school, Jae Woo lost his father in an accident. Theyâd lost their breadwinner, so things got progressively tougher.
Thus, Jae Woo forwent school and decided to become a progamer to make money.
And it went well.
He used to be the best of the best in âWarlordâ, the top virtual reality game for the past 5 years.
He was called the âHuman Dragonâ in-game. As in, he was so strong that people compared his skill level to that of a dragon.
Because of that, heâd made a ton of money by selling expensive items and in-game currency.
Heâd taken out a lot of loans, but he had managed to buy a two story house.
Heâd wanted them to live safely in that house!
But because heâd undergone such a random accident, that house had gone up in smoke.
âHaa,â Jae Woo sighed deeply in frustration.
Then, he saw his little sisters looking at him.
âYura, youâre in your senior year, right?â Jae Woo forced himself to smile and changed the subject.
If he kept bringing up the house, then the mood would sour.
âYeah.â Yura knew what he was doing and nodded her head.
âIt mustâve been tough keeping up with your studies and taking care of me at the same time. Iâm really sorry about that,â Jae Woo said.
âYou donât need to be sorry!â
His apology only made her eyes water, which made him choke up as well.
âIâm sorry to you too, Mina.â His voice broke.
âItâs fine, since youâre ok.â Minaâs eyes had turned red as well.
âDonât cry, dummy,â Jae Woo said to Mina.
âBleh. Your eyes are red too, big brother,â Mina said, pointing to his eyes.
âIâm just tired,â Jae Woo bluffed so that he wouldnât look weak in front of them.
âYeah, yeah. Of course you are.â Mina nodded her head exaggeratedly.
âIâm serious!â Jae Woo insisted.
âSure, sure!â
He obviously wasnât able to convince them.
âA manâs only allowed to cry three times. When theyâre born, when their parents die, andâŚâ Before he could finish, Mina cut in.
âRight now.â Mina smiled, even though her eyes were brimming with tears.
âYeah, right now.â Jae Woo followed suit and smiled.
âThey say youâre not supposed to cry and then start smiling right afterâŚâ
Yura wiped her tears and smiled too.
âWho cares!â
Jae Woo thought that he was truly fortunate to be able to be with his younger sisters like this.
* * *
He spent 2 years on a bed.
His body obviously wouldnât move as it once did, so he needed to undergo physical therapy.
Physical therapy was tough and it went by slowly. And pain continued to follow.
âOne more time!â the physical therapist said.
Jae Woo grabbed onto the bars and took a step.
âUgh!â
His face contorted. Whenever he moved, his body screamed.
Despite that, Jae Woo continued his physical therapy in silence.
Day by day.
âIf I manage to walk today, then Iâll be able to run tomorrow!â
Jae Woo grit his teeth and concentrated on his physical therapy. Because of that, he was discharged earlier than planned.
âYou can leave the hospital now.â
âThank you very much.â
Jae Woo and his little sisters took a taxi to their new residence.
He disembarked from the taxi and was supported by his sisters on both sides. They then led him towards their new house.
âThis is it.â Yura pointed towards the staircase that lead underground.
An unpleasant aroma seeped into his nose.
âMm.â
Heâd somewhat expected this, but it was a lot different from the two story house that theyâd lived in prior.
First off, it was underground!
Compared to their previous house, where there was abundant sunshine, their current residence was mostly underground. Not only that, but they couldnât really see the sun, due to the tiny windows.
So it was damp and dark.
There were cobwebs everywhere and it was obvious that the place was infested with cockroaches.
There were only two rooms, yet if three or four people laid down, theyâd be cramped. The wallpaper was worn and yellow.
The bathroom was obviously just as small and smelled moist. The washing machine took up at least half the room, let alone the bathtub.
In a few words: it was the worst.
âYou pay monthly?â
âYeah.â
How could you charge rent for this!? They even had to pay rent every month.
âDamn it!â Jae Woo cursed automatically. But because his sisters were with him, he refrained from saying it aloud.
âHow have you been dividing the rooms?â
âMina and mom use a room together and I have my own room. So you can start rooming with me,â Yura said.
âThatâs ok. Iâll just sleep in the living room.â
Yura was a high school senior. She needed to have a room to herself.
He was a guy; he could just sleep in the living room with a blanket underneath him.
It was also better for him; he could search for info, as the computer was in the living room.
âButâŚâ
âYeah, weâre siblings, but itâll be uncomfortable for us both. Well, thatâs that. Where are my goggles?â
âHere.â Mina brought over his virtual reality game goggles.
âIâll tell you if I need anything, so go do what you need to do.â
âOk.â
Once his sisters went to their rooms, Jae Woo laid down in the living room and put on his goggles.
And then, he flipped the switch.
Fortunately, the goggles worked properly.
Accessing the virtual world!
A white corridor appeared before him.
There was a single room within. It was a door that would lead to the world of Warlord.
However, the door was boarded up, and there was a single piece of paper attached to it.
Thank you very much for enjoying Warlord.
Since the average player-base numbers less than 100, we have decided to terminate the service.
[Dreamgate, the Warlord team]
âWhat kind of bullshit is this!?â
Itâd only been 2 years, yet the virtual reality game that topped popularity charts for five years straight had gone out of business!?
âThen what about my character!? What about my items!? My money!?â
There was nothing remaining of Jae Wooâs character, heralded as the strongest character in Warlord.
âDamn, Iâve lost such a huge source of income!â
Is this what it felt like when your stock no longer had any value?
âUgh.â
Jae Woo grabbed the back of his neck and fainted.
* * *
âWhy!?â
Once he awoke, he reassessed his situation.
How did Warlord go bust!? He couldnât believe it.
So, he went on the internet for answers and soon figured out why exactly it had failed.
âArthâŚâ
Warlord was no longer the most popular game. It had tanked.
But in its steadâDreamgate, the creators of Warlordâhad come out with a new game, Arth, which had become a hit.
âGod mustâve created this game.â
That was what Wilson Jacob, a game reviewer known for infrequently complimenting games, had said.
Arth!
Thatâs how amazing the game was.
Even when compared to other virtual reality games, it was exceptionally well designed, and was also considered overwhelmingly fun in comparison.
A masterpiece!
An immortal work!
A virtual reality game worthy of all those titles.
It had been more than a year since its release, yet people were going wild for it worldwide.
The rankers in Arth were celebrities, and they could set the price on good items.
Thatâs not all!
There were even employees who threw resignation letters in their bossesâ faces! School had begun, but the classrooms were empty! Kids would feign illness to avoid going to school!
It was all so they could play Arth.
It was truly the age of Arth.
âTo think that such an amazing game came out while I was away.â Jae Woo felt like he was a gold miner whoâd struck gold.
âArth. This is a moneymaker!â
It would yield so much more than Warlord. And what if he was successful?
âOur debt or the house wonât be a problem. Our lives will change.â
He felt his blood as a progamer begin to boil.
However, Jae Woo didnât immediately install Arth. It was still too early for that.
For now at leastâŚ
* * *
The clock pointed at 12:00.
His mother had returned, with sapping shoulders and heavy footsteps.
âWelcome back.â Jae Woo had been waiting for his mother.
âJae Woo!â
Once she saw him, tears began gushing from her eyes.
âMom.â
Jae Woo choked up, seeing how much his mother had aged in 2 years.
They embraced for a while and eventually went to the living room.
âMom, howâs the family doing?â
âYou let me worry about that. You worry about yourself first.â
âIâve finally come back, so donât take everything upon yourself.â
Jae Woo grabbed his motherâs hand.
His motherâs hand was rugged, so much so that it was unrecognizable. He could feel how much sheâd been through over these past 2 years.
âBut you still have to worry about yourself firstâŚâ
âPlease.â
âHoo, fine. Iâll tell you everything.â
She began telling him what had happened thus far, and what their situation was like.
His mother had heard from a doctor that patients could wake up from a coma if they underwent medical capsule treatment.
However, it was an expensive treatment, one that would cost millions of won for just one treatment.
Despite that, his mother had worked hard so that her son could receive that treatment for 2 years.
Ultimately, they were forced to sell the house, and had accrued over 50 million won in debt. Fortunately, they were indebted to the bank, rather than a private lender.
âMedical capsule treatment⌠So thatâs why my physical therapy progressed so much quicker.â
The medical capsule had maintained his muscles and organs, keeping them from critical condition. Because of that, his physical therapy hadnât taken much time.
Jae Woo felt thankful to his mother once more, as she had done everything to ensure that he received the medical capsule treatment.
âTrust me. Iâll make a lot of money from now on.â He looked fervently at his mother and said with confidence.
When he really started playing Arth, he would be able to amass a ton of money.
After all, Jae Woo was confident that he was better than anyone at virtual reality games.
âWorry about money later. You need to worry about yourself first.â
Of course, his mother worried about his health more than money.
âAlright.â
âGood.â
His mother went to her room and Jae Woo laid down in the living room, and began to think.
Ever since heâd lost his father in his 3rd year of middle school, Jae Woo had been the breadwinner.
Thus, it was his responsibility to provide for his family.
âIsnât that right, dad?â
If he could, he would provide for them immediately.
ButâŚ
âWith this body⌠I canât do anything, whether it be taking responsibility or making money.â
Muscles? Ha, he was just skin and bones at this point!
It was clear-cut proof that he wasnât healthy.
âI have to build myself up first.â
There was a certain order to things!
If he wanted to be a progamer again, then heâd have to focus on his health first.
Of course, Jae Wooâs primary goal was Arth! Amass a fortune through Arth and turn his life around.