Love for Love's Sake [Bonus Story]

Episode 1

<Love Supremacy Zone> Bonus Story

Episode 1

1. My worst nineteen

If life is a book, then what would be written in it?

How does the first chapter begin and what sentence does the last chapter conclude with?

I wish there was love.

***

This character has died.

An announcement appears on the monitor. The game character lies in the center of the screen.

"It's not working well today."

I let go of my mouse in frustration. The cursor shook and then stopped.

When I took off my headset, I began to hear the sound around me: the slurping of ramen next to me. People spitting profanities while playing games. The noise accumulates.

On weekday afternoons, I recognise about half of the people sitting in the PC room. Many of them were here yesterday and today.

They have nowhere else to go.

Still, time flies when you're gaming, so thats why I'm in and out of the PC room.

I got up from my chair and checked my phone, it's almost dinner time.

[Tae Myeongha?]

[Are you alive?]

There was a message from the boss of my part-time job. I didn't want to answer, so I shut off my screen.

My pockets are empty now. I don't want to add insult to injury, so I have to go home. I don't borrow money, thats my one rule.

Once you start owing someone, theres no end in sight. It's scary to be indebted.

Once I grow up, I'll be able to do everything myself, so it's fine. I just have to hang in there a little longer. I have to take responsibility since I don't have a grandmother.

But when the hell do you become an adult?

It's not well accepted that you become an adult after your birthday.

Even after I left the PC room, the stale air didn't completely disappear. The smell of cigarettes and food wafted around me

I felt like I was trapped in a dark place behind the glass door. I purposely avoided the elevator and took the stairs, but the feeling didn't go away. Down, down, down.

The sun blazed down as I came out of the building. I made my way to the crosswalk, gesturing with my hands.

"...."

For some reason, I always feel anxious when I approach a railroad crossing with layers of white lines. This time was no different, and as I looked at the traffic light, I wondered nervously about when I would be able to cross the street.

The sun sweeps the asphalt. The traffic light's color narrowly changes as I try to step out following the color change. Green. Red.

Just as the light blinks red, I stopped and someone rushes out from beside me.

"Danger...............!"

I stretched out my arm, but it was too late. The child who was running because he didn't know the signal would change was already crossing the street. Before I knew it, I ran into the road, body first.

I did it. There was no time to think back and forth. It was an instinctive response.

I pushed a child about half the size of me to the sidewalk. A small part of his back touched the palm of my hand. Just when I thought I had pushed him out of the way, my knees buckled and gave out.