146 Ji-Hos Story Part Two (1/2)

Amidst the depressing hospital life, the world I eventually turned to was the internet.

Locked behind the walls of the hospital, confined by my illness, the only way that I could escape this h.e.l.l was through the screen of my computer. Online, I was not an orphan or the sick kid waiting to die, I was another normal human being. It was like being reborn. I experienced the freedom that I never had.

In fact, it was better than the life I had in the hospital. In this world, I did not need to speak. By just tapping my fingers, a message could be sent. It was perfect.

And as I began to explore the web, I discovered coding. In the real world, the people with power are businessmen and the wealthy. Online, the people who reigned above everyone else were the coders. The ones who could create whatever they wanted in the online realm and find all secrets with just a simple hack.

It was a place where I felt like I belonged in.

I was powerful.

And eventually, it took over my life.

As time pa.s.sed, my coding skills only increased. Every waking hour of my life was invested in the online world. It was my escape. In fact, my first paycheck came from a small coding job and eventually, I would get more people asking for my services. I began to learn about the online market and used it to my advantage.

However, as my online presence grew, reality was different.

As time pa.s.sed, my hair turned white from the medication. Due to my illness, my chubby body became skinny. But since it did not affect my coding skills. I didn't care about the state of my body. In real life, I was dying, but in my other world, I was only getting stronger.

Ultimately, I was abandoning reality.

Why?

The difference between the two was like heaven and h.e.l.l. The hospital had turned into the very place I wanted to escape from. When I would turn my eyes away from the screen, I would be hit with the cold truth that I was still dying. The sheer fact that I was lying in my bed, waiting to die, was frightening.

Every day, there was at least one person in the hospital that would pa.s.s away. My headphones weren't enough to block the sound of wails coming from the deceased's family.

In the end, the hospital was a reminder of my impending death. Every day, was a countdown until my fingers wouldn't be able to move.

With a target on our backs, Fate, one by one, would kill us. n.o.body was able to escape its clutches.

Eventually everyone would die.

And I would too.

But the only thing that helped me keep my sanity was my virtual escape. The illusion that I was able to live freely.

Eventually, through my accomplishments, I was able to make a name for myself in the online community under the alias White Mask. I was able to gain the power and respect I had never gotten throughout my life. People wide and far talked about my coding skills And with that, the money in my bank account grew. One day, I was finally wealthy enough to be able to pay to leave that h.e.l.lhole and hire my own personal nurses to care for me. It was great.

Because I moved out, when I would wake up, go to the washroom, or take a break from coding, I wouldn't be reminded of my cruel fate. I further clung to living in my own delusions.

But there was still a empty feeling in my heart.

Over the course of my entire life, I still haven't made any friends. At this point, the only people I talked to were the doctors and my personal nurse. But those people did not really care about me. They only cared about the money that they were getting from keeping me alive.

I preferred the silence. Talking was such a nuisance. But after finding out about my limited time, there was a sense of regret within me. When other people at the hospital died, their family cried for the loss.

But if I died, n.o.body would cry for me. Even though I talked to some people online, they didn't know the true me. Eventually, everyone would forget about me and move on with their lives.

As if I never existed.

That was how I thought, until I got the email that changed my life.