Life? Death?

"Ahh... shit"

Yassin tore at his hair with annoyance. He was a slender and tall pale-skinned man with messy black hair that partially hanged in front of his face and half-opened black eyes. He had a worn-out appearance, appearing as if he just rolled out of bed. His facial hair was unkempt and his eyes looked tired and flat.

Trash was littered everywhere around him.

The desk was a sight to behold with all the mess.

The Empire of cup noodles was fighting a massive war with the republic of beer cans in a bid of conquering the continent—his room. They were having their world war while the boundaries were defined with cigarette buds.

"Inspiration... Inspiration... shit fuck it. I've got no idea what to write anymore. AHHHH... NO... On the contrary, it's like I have countless ideas but I just can't fit them in the story. I don't know where to start."

"MOTHERFUCKER"

Bang-

Yassin dropped his head down in the desk.

"Is this the so-called <writer's block>?" He chuckled.

"No... Fuck... Writer's block is a lie. It's just a shitty excuse of incompetent writers." He said with a groan.

"My loyal readers are waiting for the update. I have to meet my readers' expectations."

"AHHHHHH"

Yassin stood up with a shout.

'Inspiration... Inspiration... Inspiration' Yassin muttered while pacing back and forth in the room.

"Okay" He sighed

'Jack London said- You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.'

"So, let's go get some inspiration." Yassin locked the door of his apartment and headed out.

-

Yassin roamed the streets while sucking on a popsicle. The scorching heat of the summer made him feel like a roasted chicken. Sweat was trickling down his forehead as he constantly moved his head in search of something.

'AH... God, Give me something... hell'

'The grandma is feeding the pigeons.'

'The pigeons is bobbing its head up and down while walking.'

'Ah... It flew away.'

'A cute girl is running with her dog.'

'Ah... shit... What am I thinking, she should just be a middle schooler. GOD' An exhausted sigh escaped his lips.

'I want to bang my head'

'Damn, even the ice-creams finished. Ahh... and this motherfucking heat'

Yassin groaned while heading towards the nearest supermarket.

'Which flavor should I have next?' Yassin thought with sparkling eyes and drooling mouth.

As Yassin entered the supermarket, someone suddenly shoved him to the ground. He didn't even have the time to comprehend what happened when a muzzle was directly pointed at his forehead. Seeing a loaded gun pointed at him Yassin was in disbelief. He couldn't believe what was actually happening and where part of him wondered whether he was dreaming or had somehow been transported into the middle of some action movie. But the vicious expression of the man in front of him made Yassin realize that all of it was real not some action movie.

He nervously gulped and tried to calm himself.

"Put all the money in that bag." A scrawny man pointed his gun at the cashier and threw a bag over. With fear apparent in his face, the cashier nervously started to put the money in the bag.

'Calm down, Yassin calm down. They will not dare to kill. They are just gonna rob this place and go away. Just co-operate and they will leave you alone.'

While comforting himself, Yassin suddenly felt coldness in his hand. He didn't even need to turn his head to know that it was the popsicle of the girl.

"AHHHHHHH"

The girl shouted, her voice full of fear. If she kept shouting like that, he knew the robbers would shoot her. Yassin suddenly felt the coldness on his forehead disappear. The man moved his muzzle and pointed it towards the girl. With an annoyed expression, he shouted:

"Shut up, Bitch."

Yassin wanted to comfort the girl but his hands were paralyzed with fear. Not even a single sound escaped his lips. His heart was on his mouth.

Seeing the gun pointed at her, the girl started to shout more loudly. Hearing her, Yassin knew she was gonna get herself shot.

'Ah... Fuck it.' While cursing in his mind, Yassin started to run towards the girl. Time seemed to slow down. Yassin could see the man pulling the trigger in slow motion, and his own body automatically sheltered the girl. All of it happened so fast that even his brain couldn't process it.

Bang-

All he heard was a gunshot and the massive pain in his chest made him groan. He was unexpectedly calm at this moment. He knew he was dying but he didn't feel any fear or other emotions. All he had was a tiny bit of regret for not completing his novel.

The bullet had penetrated his back and pierced his heart. Time seemed to stop and his powerless body fell to the ground with a thud. Seeing the girl safe and sound, Yassin couldn't help but smile.

'Was it worth it?' He questioned himself.

"Boss, he's dying." Said the scrawny man while pointing his gun at the cashier.

"Fuck, let's go."

The vicious man fired his gun at the ceiling and ran away.

Blood started to trickle down and formed a pool on the ground. Yassin could feel power leaving his body, the girl's crying voice, her teardrops in his cheek, and her shaky hand trying to nudge him awake.

With all the remaining in his body Yassin extended his hands and wiped her tear while saying:

"Don't... worry"

"... It's... okay..."

"This is... quite... a... good... scene.. for... a-

Without completing his sentence Yassin's extended hand fell powerlessly to the ground and his eyes lost their color.

Silence descended.

Blood pooled beneath Yassin.

His body losing all signs of life.

The girl's tear-stained his cheek.

And her crying voice seemed to bring a heart-wrenching sorrow.

It painted an indescribably beautiful picture.

-

Yassin stared at the Japanese styled two-story house in front of him while carrying his father's urn. The house was a moderate size and had a small garden along with a shed.

Yassin extended his hands and tried to feel his way in the space above the door. It was a bit dusty as his hand felt a small, cold metal there. he caught the key and opened the door. The furniture and electronics had accumulated a bit of dust. He placed his father's urn at the table and started to clean the place.

This was the house his mother and father bought with their effort. It was his first house as well. He used to visit this place quite a lot. When feeling depressed, he used to come here for consolation. When feeling happy, he used to come here to share his joy. Every inch of this house made him remember her.

While wiping the glass, Yassin stared at the dogwood tree planted in the backyard.

It was the tree his father planted. There were his mother's ashes buried underneath, he always used to sit under the tree and to tell her all the things that happened.

The dogwood tree was a symbol of renewal, rebirth, resurrection, and new beginnings. Its special meanings also include loyalty, safety, kindness, fertility, stability, determination, wishes, and protection.

The memory of the childhood days where he used to play with the tree flashed before him. The hand wiping the window glass stagnated a bit.

'I am Yassin, not Yun Long, Yassin not Yun Long.' While reciting this in his mind Yun L- Yassin started to wipe the glass again. But the feeling of closeness with the tree still plagued him.

After cleaning the living room and the kitchen, Yassin went to his mother's room.

When he opened the door to his mother's room, the room was clean and looked the exact way it did when he saw it in his childhood. There wasn't even a speck of dust and all the items were arranged in the same manner as he saw years ago. He gulped his saliva with great effort and closed the door.

Even though he had transmigrated for quite a while, he still couldn't get used to the supernaturals. What could he do? He was just an ordinary author living an ordinary life just a month ago.

After finishing all the works Yassin took a chair and sat on it while watching the dogwood tree. The dogwood tree now had a turned soil beside it. That was the place where he planted his father's ashes and an oak acorn.

Yassin took out a cigarette pack and lit up one. Suddenly a powerful gust of wind came out of nowhere and blew his cigarette away. The petals of the tree fell with the wind.

Yasiin gave a nervous laugh while looking at the dogwood tree