Sim Jin-Ho

My name is Sim Jin-Ho, and up until yesterday I was just a normal dude trying to get through high school.

It all started like this...

I was going to school as per usual, and I heard faint, distant screams coming from my neighbor's house.

Naturally, I investigated, considering the woman living there is a good friend of the family. She even tutored me in math when I was younger.

I creeped up to the door of her apartment. That is when I heard a loud bang coming from the room next door, I knocked on the door of her apartment. I had received no response, so I had assumed the commotion had come from the next apartment over.

I went down the wooden stairs leading up to the series of rooms in the old, crooked building I had called home. My family wasn't ever well off. Always struggling with paying the next bill, always struggling with surviving. I wish I could provide for them... That is why school is important to me. Even though I had never seen myself as an overachiever or a hard-working individual, I had decided to do my best to do well so that my children wouldn't live the same way I had.

I love my family. even though I am unsafe in my own house. Dad's an alcoholic, and Mom's an addict. They try their best to make money while satisfying their addictions. It's not the best environment to live in. However, I wish I could help them. Besides, they are the people who brought me here, to where I am. I wonder how I would have been if the circumstances were different...

As I was walking to school, I was engulfed. Hmm... rather fortunate! with the pleasures of the fresh air and green visuals. It really is a luxurious experience. This is the year 2072, which marks 3 years since the nuclear detonation that killed my younger sister, Deungjeong. She was only 12 years old when she... As her older brother (2 years older), I should have...

Sim looked up at the yellowish-red sky with hopeful eyes. Unaware of his surroundings and the series of misfortunes he was about to face. Tearing up with thoughts of his dead sister,

"THIS IS SO UNFAIR!!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, "WHY COULDN'T IT HAVE BEEN ME?!"

On the day his sister died, Sim was supposed to take her to a local amusement park. Deungjeong loved playing; she was a playful spirit. He was devastated that he had cancelled their plans so he could study. He didn't even need to study. But he wanted to be ahead of the curve, and this is a decision he regrets to date.

Wiping away his tears, Sim continued on his walk to school. The time is 7:42 am and his first class is in 18 minutes. "Another boring day" - he thought.

He was just about to arrive when he received a notification.

[Mother sent you a message! (1)]

He disregarded it and continued going to school after muting his phone. I will respond later. For now, I have to go to room 210 for homeroom.

The school day went by just fine, and Sim had met up with his friends Ban and Jeong after school, and they were going to eat at a fast food restaurant. However, Sim picked up his phone and saw that his mom had messaged him and tried to call him all day.

[Mother sent you a message! (63)]

[Missed call from Mother! (9)]

Sim didn't care much about the count as it wasn't anything special. His mom, being an addict, explained her potentially very sudden changes in mood, which would cause her to stress over things sometimes. Therefore, Sim didn't think it was out of the ordinary. Sim then unlocked his phone {PIN: 9904}

**********COLLAPSE**********

Sim's eyes went dark, and he seemed unresponsive to his friends. The 63 messages consisted of 2 words on loop. "HELP ME!"