Prologue
He was thirty-two years old and felt as if his life had already reached its end.
Every morning he woke up at the same time, put on the same gray shirt, and left his apartment without even knowing why he still bothered. He was an employee—replaceable, unremarkable, invisible. In his boss's eyes, he was a mistake that should never have been hired. Every workday was a sequence of condescending looks, passive-aggressive comments, and the constant fear of being replaced.
At home, things weren't any better.
His family laughed at him.
"You didn't achieve anything in life," they would say, half joking, half serious.
Sometimes he laughed with them—not because it was funny, but because pretending it didn't hurt was easier.
He had no friends.
No one he could explain his emptiness to.
No one who would listen.
No one who stayed.
And then there was his wife.
Or at least the woman he believed he knew.
After a particularly exhausting shift—overtime, accusations, and yet another public scolding from his boss—he walked through the city absentmindedly. Rain had started falling, but he barely noticed. His shoulders were heavy, his gaze empty.
He just wanted to go home.
Sleep.
Forget.
As he passed a restaurant, he suddenly stopped.
Inside, behind the glass window, sat two people he recognized instantly.
His wife.
And his boss.
She was laughing. A genuine laugh. One he hadn't heard from her in months. Then she leaned forward—
and kissed him.
The world around him fell silent.
His heart started racing, his hands trembling. Without really thinking, he took a step forward.
Then another.
He wanted to go inside.
He wanted answers.
He wanted to scream.
He wanted to end everything.
---
He stopped.
His foot refused to take the next step.
His hand never reached for the door.
Something inside him simply… collapsed.
Not with a loud crash.
Not with anger.
Not with tears.
Just with a quiet, exhausted realization.
He couldn't do it.
Not today.
Not like this.
The voices inside the restaurant blurred behind the glass. His wife's laughter, the clinking of glasses, the muffled voice of his boss—it all felt distant, like he was watching a scene from a stranger's life.
Slowly, he turned around.
The rain had grown heavier, but he barely noticed it. His steps felt heavy, mechanical, as if his body was simply following a routine it had repeated thousands of times before.
Go home.
Take off your shoes.
Sleep.
Life never asked more from him anyway.
---
The apartment was quiet.
Too quiet.
He placed his wet shoes in the hallway, tossed his jacket carelessly over a chair, and walked into the living room. He didn't even bother turning on the light. The gray dusk from the city outside slipped through the windows, bathing the room in a cold blue glow.
He collapsed onto the sofa.
For a long time, he said nothing.
Then he rubbed his face with both hands and let out a bitter laugh.
"What a shitty life…"
His voice sounded rough.
"My boss hates me… my family thinks I'm a joke… I don't have any friends… and my own wife…"
He swallowed.
"…is cheating on me with my boss."
He leaned his head back against the couch and stared at the ceiling.
"Honestly… universe…"
He laughed again, emptier this time.
"If you want to screw me over, just say it."
His fist clenched.
"What did I even do wrong, huh?"
No answer came.
Of course not.
There never was one.
After a while, he stood up. The apartment suddenly felt smaller, as if the air itself was pressing down on his shoulders.
He walked toward the balcony.
Cold night air hit him as he opened the door.
The rain had slowed, but dark clouds still hung above the city. Cars passed below, their headlights reflecting on the wet streets.
He stepped toward the railing.
"Thirty-two years…"
he murmured.
"And that's it?"
He looked down from several floors above. People passed by without ever looking up. Everyone was living their own lives.
No one knew he was standing there.
No one would have noticed.
A tired sigh escaped his lips.
"Maybe… everything would've been easier if I had never been born."
And then—
CRACK.
A dry, ominous sound.
He frowned.
"…what was—"
KRRRRAAACK.
The balcony beneath his feet suddenly gave way.
His eyes widened.
"W—"
The concrete broke apart.
The ground vanished beneath him.
For a single moment, he felt weightless as the world spun and the cold wind rushed past him.
The city rushed toward him.
One final thought flashed through his mind.
…Of course.
Then—
Darkness.
---
And suddenly—
Light.
Warm.
Blinding.
Confusing.
His body felt… wrong. Small. Weak. As if he had no control over his own limbs.
Voices echoed around him.
Excited.
Joyful.
But one voice drowned out all the others.
Loud. Clear.
"He is born!"
---