From Past To Present, I Still Love You 146 Ji-ho's Story Part Two

Locked behind the walls of the hospital, confined by my illness, the only way that I could escape this hell 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 passed, 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 passed, 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 hell. 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 pass 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. Nobody 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 hellhole 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, nobody 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.

The sender wanted me to find out about the Moon Group. They emphasized that the reward was going to be at least a few million dollars.

First, I didn't care about the job offer because I didn't need the money. All of that would go to waste once I died.

But I decided to do some digging anyways. The fact that millions were at stake meant that there was someone big behind the project. It may catch my interest.

Once I did a little hacking, I found out that the sender of this email was Secretary Kim, Choi Minhyun's right hand man. Shock filled my body. Who didn't know the MH CEO? If he was involved, then this meant that my role would be big in the project. This was my chance of doing something huge before I died.

Besides, The Demon King wanted my help. Why? What was so special about this Moon group?

From my gut feeling, I knew this was going to be full of drama and suspense. In my boring life, this was the chance to make it fun.

And when else would I be able to communicate with such a powerful person?

Eventually, as I dug into the depths of the Moon group, I found out about the terrible things that they did. Although I didn't know the purpose of finding this information, I assumed it would be used to blackmail or bring the Moon group down. It was exciting. I was going to bring down a multi-billion dollar company.

But still, I needed something more.

And then, I found out about Moon Jihee. Interest fired in my heart. Since I never had a family, it was fascinating to see the Moon group cover the case about their deceased daughter. There was clearly something wrong here. The siblings were definitely suspicious, I could feel it in my gut.

At the hospital, families would do anything to make their children survive. Yet, the Moon group tried to cover up that their daughter was killed brutally.

This was perfect. Before I passed away, I would be able to obtain justice for the poor girl who was killed by the very people who should've protected her the most! I would play detective and become a hero! Maybe Jihee would thank me once I went to heaven. If it existed of course.

And I would be able to make my mark on Earth.

My last breaths would be spent helping someone else.

On top of this project, I had another goal in mind. Since I was going to die, I wanted to try to talk as much as I can during this project. To make up for the times I had stayed silent. Maybe even make a friend.

Perhaps it was silly to pick my target as Minhyun. He was known to be cold and brutal. He even threatened to kill me the first time I met him Although I tried not to act like it, at one point, I was scared out of my wits.

But since I was going to die anyways, I knew that there was nothing to be scared of. If anything, it would be a quicker and painless death.

Therefore, I continued annoying him. And due to my genius skills, Minhyun was able to put value in me, and helped me relieve my physical pain through special pills made by MH. Something I would've never been able to get a hold of.

Soon, I was able to meet Yoona. She was different from anyone I had ever met. She even made The Demon King smile.

And without even me realizing, I found out that I loved talking.

But it was not the act of talking, but the fact that I was talking to you guys.

It was so sudden, but this small goal I had, it turned out to be the best decision I have ever made.

I was finally able to find people that felt like family to me.

And now, I will be able to die.

Smiling.

With no regrets.

Chapter end