6 Nickson B. Park

Nickson B. Park's Perspective

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"Phew. I didn't think I would make it back home in time." I can hear myself gasping for air after running just a few blocks away from the university. My body also feels warm, as if something touches me that burns my surroundings.

I slide the door open and greet my room. The couch in the middle and two of the lodges welcome me inside. The rainbow lights at each of the gates flicker upon noticing its owner entering the room. These bulbs also serve as guards for any intruders who schemes on robbing my house.

It checks the identity of the person entering inside. Once the system deems the individual hostile, my lock will activate its trap and send the humans out of the apartment.

"It's a good thing that I have the AC turned on at all times," I murmur to myself while reaching for the remote control near the settee and turning the machine dangling on the wall. "But that does not mean that I can do whatever I want inside this house."

A loud beeping sound confirms my instructions and soon amplifies the breeze. I can feel the icy air running through my skin and entering the holes of my jet-black suit. Soon, the entire place becomes my ice land compared to the atmosphere outside, where it is warmer and dusty despite the night.

Thankfully, the apartment that both of my parents gave me is close to my school, making it less hassle for me to worry about any transportation or the like. And even if I have any problems, I could just open my garage and set up my cars, each with full gas, and drive my way anytime and anywhere.

I go to the kitchen and fix myself a light meal. As I open the rack, instant ramen and Gin-made from thin sheets of dried, roasted, seasoned laver seaweed are ubiquitous for Korean snacks, captivate my eyes. These are the only food left inside my storage as I intend to refill my stock tomorrow.

{Five minutes to prepare the water.} my automated stove announces while pouring boiling water inside the plastic cup.

I dive my body straight on the fleecy bed made of cotton and feather goose combined while waiting for the boiler to cook my noodles. As soon as I rest on the comfortable mattress, my body shuts down and takes a nap.

Fifteen minutes afterwards, I find myself yet again bored and having nothing to do but sit all day and night. But things are different right now.

"I have a manga to work with," I mumble to myself while immediately heading towards my desk, where I store my art materials and gadgets. I also need to prepare my requirements for the university by the end of this week to enrol.

I could have done it a while ago, but those two girls hindered me from coming inside the office. They even included me for their mischievousness and wasted my time.

"Where is it?"

Blood races through my mind as I desperately search for my bag, where I place all of my items inside.

"It should be here somewhere,"

Despite running around inside my spacious room, I could not find any shoulder bag I brought with me when I went to school.

And then it hit me.

My memory enlightens me as I recall leaving my bag on the ground before snatching my lenses back in my hands.

"I forgot my shoulder bag!" I shriek while tracing back and forth, thinking if I should go back to the scene and reclaim my shoulder bag. If worse comes to worst, then I would have to pay a visit to the nearby police station and check for my missing bag; and even file a notice for them to find it.

But I have my second thoughts and think that nobody would care about a missing bag in the middle of the park. There is a possibility that the pair of girls I have met already took my bag and searched for its contents. If I am lucky enough, the bag could be there waiting for me with the rest of the grass and trees accompanying its stay.

Fortunately, I keep nothing valuable with me inside my bag other than my sketches and few art materials I plan on using for tonight. If there is one thing that I might have misplaced, it would be my stash of…

I heave out a sigh and take my eyeglasses off from me, thinking to redo all of my panels at once for today's schedule. I don't want to get left behind because of an accident. The fans and the other readers I have will be furious if they learn I skip a day posting no word about the circumstances or updates.

I rarely have that many fans that support my webtoons. I have worked for dozens of romance manga, yet none of them received that numberless affection.

But this novel that I am presently adapting into a manga continues to turn my life around. It is the very first project that I dedicate all my life to purposely entertaining my readers.

"What a fucking terrible way to lose my drafts," I grunt, while setting my sheets, tablet, and my pencil, ready to design the characters for the story.

I can never work with my glasses still intact on my face. The lens feels more like an accessory than something that fixes my eyesight.

Heck, I don't even have poor sight. It is all for the sake of containing my hidden personality once the glasses cover my face.

A character that I have once thought it's not a part of me.

"This piece of shit never works for me," I utter while playfully twisting the temples before eventually resting it on the side of my desk.

Compared to my usual nerdy look, I also take my clothes off and remain shirtless despite the cold gusting inside my room. This routine allows me to focus and conceptualise more on my work rather than wearing my suit and uniform. This practice inspires me to do exercises such as pushups in the middle of my tasks and keep my body still in ideal shape.

I take four hours to finish all these sketches and roughly another two hours to add its last touches. I glance at the wall clock and know that I will stay up late once more since I am halfway through my work.

After six full hours, I finish the manga on time and hastily post it on the site specifically for comics and other literature. It is a website popular amongst people who enjoy anime and stuff that originated from Japan and later on acknowledged by other countries using their applications.

I avert my gaze from my computer screen and peer through the window at my side. It is the largest aperture designed by the building that lets me peer through the city. Lights from all over the place illuminate through the mirror, creating an otherworldly-like environment inside my room.

"Oh right, my ramen!" I yell while rushing through the kitchen and panicky switch everything off.

My noodles became more like dried noodles than what it actually says from its wrappers. The result is not because of the product but from my ignorance of not taking it out at the right time as soon as it finished.

"Well, I hope Japan sells pizzas this late at night," my stomach and I grumble while I dial the digits for the pizza house recommended by my butler not too long ago.

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The next sun embraces my eyes, together with the banging sounds of wheels and engines coming outside. I have heard nothing like this during the night, and this only happens in the day. It almost feels like something is generating the people outdoors to produce noise unpleasant to the ears.

That is when I also realise that I need to go to school.

"I should be joining them!" I do not even have the time to groom myself or eat any snacks that could fill my appetite. But I need to digest whatever is left to eat inside the fridge or else suffer the consequences later of a rumbling stomach ache.

Thus, I grab the leftover pizza that I left that night and gobble it down in my oesophagus.

"But my documents!" I croak and remember the bag that I lost during my trip to the park yesterday evening. It carries all the application forms that I need to submit to Ms. Ai, the teacher in charge of enrolling students in the first semester.

I cannot barge into her office and enrol myself without the proper documents needed for them to take me in their lectures. It does not work that way.

"Aigo, I'll just head over to the park before going to school." I tell myself while getting my lenses back on my face before leaving the apartment.

Once I go outside, I sprint over the streets and retrace my steps where I last left the shoulder bag. As luck would have it, the park is only a half kilometre away from the academy, allowing me some time and making it on time for the first class.

Even if I miss the early lecture, I would have to excuse myself and join in for the next class.

"Oh, it's you!" A familiar girl walks up to me and tugs the end fabric of my jacket.

She is the girl I met from the orphanage that I regularly meet and donate the payments I receive from the manga I am working on every night.

"Hey there, Himari!" I swivel and wave my hand.

She looks more adorable as usual, chiefly since she has an azure hollyhock clipped on the side of her bow-styled hazel hair.

"Onii-chan's back! ~" Himari playfully pronounces so the other kids behind her would know that I am here.

I also went by the foundling home yesterday and donated some of the cash delivered by an avid fan of the manga. At that time, Himari was talking to some girl who is also a student of the school.

It's a shame that I did not have the chance to catch her name and sprung away from the orphanage. I got too scared about the author meeting me and sending me text messages, claiming she would sue me.