A massive explosion echoed.
But in the end, the only thing destroyed was Ji Hoon's apartment, reduced completely to dust.
And with it… Ji Hoon himself disappeared from this world.
At the center of the destruction, a deep crater had formed. Dust floated in the air, slowly settling down.
At the very heart of that crater stood a transparent, golden prism-like pyramid, glowing faintly.
At its peak rested a dark crown, releasing a strange and unsettling aura.
Then everything changed.
There was no light. No darkness.
No sky, no ground, no space.
Only… nothingness.
A place beyond description. A void where even existence felt meaningless.
And within that endless nothingness, a small golden flame flickered.
It burned quietly—fragile, alone, yet still resisting the void around it.
"What is this…? Where am I…? What am I…?"
"Where is my body…? Why can't I feel anything…?"
The voice trembled in confusion.
"Why can't I think properly…? Why am I alone?"
"Father… Mother… Sister… Brother… Seori… where are you all…?"
No answer came.
Only silence.
Only nothingness.
The flame began to weaken. It felt as if the void itself was swallowing it, consuming its existence piece by piece.
"Am I… dead? Or is this a dream…?"
"My memories… they're fading… Am I forgetting everything…?"
A pause.
"…So this is the end."
"I never believed in this kind of thing. But maybe this is what happens after death."
"A world of consciousness… before everything disappears."
A faint, hollow laugh echoed.
"I had nothing to lose anyway."
"I was thrown under a bridge right after I was born. Saved by strangers… raised in an orphanage."
"My whole life… just surviving."
"I worked day and night. Finally got a small apartment. Thought about building something… creating something…"
"…But nothing ever really happened."
"Maybe those were regrets."
"But I was never obsessed with them."
"I didn't have dreams. I didn't have desires."
"I just lived… like a robot in this society."
Silence filled the void once again.
"But now… this feels peaceful."
"I accepted death… happily."
"Maybe this was the best moment of my life."
The flame shrank.
From a dazzling blaze to a tiny, transparent spark.
The nothingness pressed in harder, like an endless ocean swallowing a single drop.
Then suddenly—
"No… wait…"
"I don't want this."
"I don't want to disappear like this."
"I still have things to do."
"I want to see the world… I want to live…"
His voice trembled.
His true desires surfaced.
"…So pathetic."
"They're destroying my so-called 'regretless life'… just because I'm human."
A weak laugh escaped.
"…Fine."
"I accept it."
"I have regrets."
And then, slowly, he spoke—
A Life That Flows Without Regret
Everyone carries something unspoken, a quiet ache hidden behind their smile.
Regret lives in every heart, like dust that never fully settles.
There is no soul untouched by it… or so the world believes.
But I stand a little different.
Not because I am empty, but because my desires burn too fiercely to let me look back.
I walk forward, even if the path cuts my feet, even if the fire I chase leaves scars.
If regret comes, I choose to live with it—not beneath it.
Still… I wonder.
I want to ask the river, you who never turn back, who give yourself endlessly to the ocean—do you regret the shores you leave behind?
I want to ask the light, you who burn alone in endless darkness, fighting a war that never ends—do you ever grow tired of shining?
I want to ask the moon, you who move in silent devotion, bound yet beautiful—do you ever wish to break free?
And if they answer… I think I already know.
The river would say, "Flowing is my purpose."
The light would whisper, "Burning is my existence."
The moon would stay silent—because even in longing, it still shines.
So I choose—
To be like the river, moving forward without fear.
To be like the light, burning even when unseen.
To be like the moon, quiet, constant, unbroken.
Not a life without regret,
but a life where regret never holds me back.
As the final words faded, the tiny flame was swallowed completely.
It vanished.
For a moment, nothing existed.
Then—
A sudden burst of golden light erupted.
From the void, the golden pyramid appeared once again.
Inside it, a small flame reignited.
Slowly, it grew stronger… brighter… fiercer.
Within seconds, it turned into a massive golden blaze.
The pyramid itself was consumed by the flame.
At the top, the dark crown remained.
Then the flame began to change.
It took shape.
A human figure formed—made entirely of golden fire.
And upon his head rested the crown of darkness.
In the next instant, golden flames spread everywhere.
Nothingness itself began to burn.
And soon… it disappeared.
Completely erased.
In its place—
Only golden fire remained.
And within it stood a being reborn.
No longer weak.
No longer nothing.
Something… far beyond human had awakened.