Life didn't just suck.
It felt personal.Like every single morning, something out there woke up…Paused…And chose him.
The alarm rang at 6:00 AM.Sharp. Loud.
He didn't move.
He stayed glued to the bed, buried under the blanket.
It rang again.
And again.
And again.
By the fourth time, his hand slowly reached out from under the covers.
"Ugh…"
His eyes barely opened as he slammed his phone.
Silence.
He stared at the ceiling.
Blank.
Cold.
Endless.
"…another morning, another day of misery."
It came out flat. Tired.Like he already knew how the day would end.
He grabbed his phone.
12%.
No signal.
No notifications.
Still… he opened social media.
Big mistake.
Couples.
Smiling. Laughing. Perfect.
Matching outfits. Fingers intertwined like letting go wasn't an option.
One post read:"Three years together and still not tired of you 💕"
He stared.
Too long.
Then locked his phone and tossed it aside.
"…must be nice."
It sounded like a joke.
It wasn't.
Silence filled the room again.
Heavy.
Unmoving.
He lay there for a while… just thinking.
Or maybe not thinking at all.
Then...
"OHH SHIT I GOTTA GO TO SCHOOL"
Reality hit.
Hard.
"…oh yeah… school…"
School wasn't better.
It never was.
Not for someone like him.
He walked through the gates like a ghost.
People brushed past him.
Didn't look.
Didn't care.
Didn't notice.
Voices filled the air—laughter, conversations, jokes—
None of them for him.
He existed.
That was about it.
First period.
Math.
Names were called.
Answers given.
He wasn't one of them.
Of course not.
He wasn't good at schoolwork.
He wasn't the smart one.
Or the funny one.
Or the interesting one.
He was just…
There.
By lunch, he already felt drained.
He sat alone, as usual.
Poking at his food.
Not eating.
Across the cafeteria...
Laughter.
Loud.
Easy.
A group of girls.
And at the center of it—
A guy from his class.
Same age.
Same uniform.
Different life.
He said something.
Nothing special.
They laughed anyway.
One of the girls lightly hit his arm, smiling like he was the most interesting person in the world.
He watched.
Quiet.
"…what's the difference?"
No answer.
He tried before.
He really did.
The first time—
"Hey… do you have a pen?"
"Yes."
"Can I—"
"No."
"…oh."
The second time—
"I like your—"
"I have a boyfriend."
"I was going to say your bag though."
"…still."
He looked down at his tray.
"Sigh…"
Food untouched.
Appetite gone.
"…yeah. That sounds about right."
After school, he didn't rush home.
There was no reason to.
Home wasn't bad.
It just wasn't… anything.
Quiet.
Empty.
Same walls.
Same silence.
So he walked.
Hands in his pockets.
Head lowered.
No destination.
Just moving.
Anything was better than sitting still with his thoughts.
That's when he noticed him.
An old man.
Sitting on a bench.
Still.
Watching.
"…he's probably homeless or something."
He checked his pockets.
Nothing.
"…right. I'm broke."
A small breath left him.
"…I'll probably end up like him."
He kept walking.
"…please don't talk to me…"
Too late.
"You look like someone who's ready to give up… like life rejected you personally."
He stopped.
Eyes closed for a second.
Then turned.
"…what?"
The old man smiled.
Not kind.
Not cruel.
Just…
Knowing.
"…you always start conversations like that?"
"Only when I'm right."
"…wow…"
He almost walked away.
Then—
"Tell me something."
"…what now?"
"What do you want?"
He blinked.
"…what kind of question is that?"
"A simple one."
He scoffed.
But stepped closer anyway.
"…you really want the honest answer?"
"Yes."
Silence.
Longer than expected.
Then...
"…I don't want to feel like this anymore."
"Like what?"
"…like I don't matter."
His voice dropped.
"…like I'm just… a background character."
A pause.
"…like I could disappear…"
Another.
"…and nothing would change."
Everything felt still.
Like the world stopped to listen.
The old man reached into his coat.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Two pills.
Resting in his palm.
One red.
One blue.
"…what is that?"
"An opportunity."
"…yeah, I'm leaving."
"One of them can give you what you want."
He stopped.
"…what do you mean?"
"I mixed them up."
"…that doesn't sound safe."
"One makes you irresistible to women."
His heart skipped.
"…you're joking."
"No."
"…and the other one?"
The old man looked at him.
Really looked.
"…it will make all men fear you."
Silence.
"…fear me?"
He laughed.
Actually laughed.
"…yeah, okay."
But—
What if?
He looked at them again.
Red.
Blue.
Simple.
"…which is which?"
"I told you."
"…you're serious?"
"Very."
His chest tightened.
Not fear.
Something else.
Hope.
"…so it's a guess?"
"Yes."
"…and you're just giving this away?"
"I'm curious."
"…about what?"
"Maybe one day I'll tell you."
A pause.
"But this is your chance."
"…from zero."
That didn't help.
At all.
He looked at his reflection in the window.
Same face.
Same tired eyes.
Same life.
"…if it's fake, nothing changes."
"Correct."
"…and if it's real…"
"Then everything changes."
His hand moved.
Before he even realized it.
"…fine."
He grabbed one.
Didn't think.
Couldn't think.
Red.
"…you're really doing this."
"…yeah."
He stared at it.
One second.
Two.
Then—
Swallowed.
Nothing.
No feeling.
No change.
"…wow."
Dry.
Flat.
"I feel exactly the same."
"Not everything happens immediately."
"…sure."
He turned.
Started walking.
"…thanks for nothing."
Behind him—
"…that boy…"
"…is going to cause problems."
He kept walking.
Kicking a small stone.
"…yeah… definitely fake."
Nothing changed.
No power.
No confidence.
Nothing.
"…of course."
Then—
A group of guys approached.
Loud.
Laughing.
Normal.
Until—
"…yo, why'd you stop?"
"I…"
One of them stared.
At him.
"…hey?"
"…you good?"
He raised a hand slightly.
The guy stepped back.
"…what?"
Another frowned.
Then hesitated.
Now all of them were looking.
Not annoyed.
Not judging.
Afraid.
"…did I do something?"
No answer.
"…let's just go."
"…yeah."
They walked past him.
Faster.
Silent.
"…okay…"
He stood there.
"…that was weird."
He kept walking.
Watching now.
A man glanced at him
Then looked away.
Fast.
Another bumped into him.
"S-sorry."
Shaking.
"…it's fine?"
The man didn't stay.
Didn't wait.
Just left.
His steps slowed.
"…what is going on…"
He stopped at a window.
Looked.
Same face.
Same body.
Same everything.
"…nothing changed."
But it had.
He could feel it.
For the first time
People noticed him.
Just…
Not the way he wanted.
"…don't tell me…"
His stomach dropped.
"…I picked the wrong one."
A pause.
"…of course I did."
Far away—
The old man smiled.
"Enjoy your new start…"
"…I'll be watching."
And then—
Gone.
He ran home.
Fast.
Didn't think.
Didn't stop.
Burst through the door.
Straight to his room.
Collapsed onto his bed.
Breathing heavy.
"…what is happening…"