Solo Clear Chapter 1

The leaves of the trees that decorated the campus has changed colors to match with the changing season.
Many people say that Autumn is a very lonely season.
For me, it actually puts me in a good mood.
It’s like living in solitude, which makes it seem cool.
People will think that the pa.s.sion that I had when I was a teenager hasn’t gone out.
Who cares? Each man for himself.

“It’s been awhile since I’ve woken up early on a day where I don’t have cla.s.s.”

Although there was no one there to hear me, I was feeling frustrated so I started mumbling to myself.
The only reason why I would go to school in the middle of the afternoon despite of not having any cla.s.ses.
This world was forcing me to do unnecessary work.
Even if it was something that I didn’t want.
For those that are beginners in society, there’s always requirements to having a great start.
It’s the ability to build your spec.
Whether it’s your studies, club or community service, there were numerous possibilities.
And for most of those, it requires you to work with others instead of by yourself.
To add to that, if one lacks in community service, the school will exclude them from receiving scholarships.
Even if I don’t like it, I have to do it.

Since I’m not from a wealthy family, if I didn’t get any scholarship for next semester…
My parents would have to work extra hard to help me to attend this famous private university in Seoul.
Because of that, I was forced to take up on a part-time.

“Oh…I think that’s him.”

At the park where we were meeting, I saw a group of five people.
They were the ones I would be working with for today’s community service.
I approached them and greeted the new faces.

“h.e.l.lo.”
“Are you Kang Jinwoo?”
“Yes, that’s me.”

Suddenly, a man with round gla.s.ses asked.

“Oh, there’s a soph.o.m.ore who’s rumored to have an average look and acts like an outsider. Are you…?”
“Yeah, that’s probably me.”

My stern answer actually intimidated the man.
Within the school, including myself, there are a couple of people that are considered outsiders.
Due to the herd life, becoming an outsider is a natural occurrence within the school.

“What’s wrong with that? Anyways, let’s get going.”
“Since I have a car, I’ll drive.”
“What? You have a car? Awesome!”

A guy that seemed to be from a rich family said it with such confidence.
A college student owning a car? I just thought of it as a waste of money.
On top of that, the two female students that acted cute and linked arms with him.
They wore a deep V-cut shirt to a volunteer work, meaning they were here for a different reason.

"What? You changed your car again?"
"Yeah, I was getting tired of it. I told my parents and they changed it right away."
"Dude! I'm jealous."

It seemed like the guy that was trying to act like the leader of the group was from a rich family.
No matter how hard I try, I'll never experience the life that he's currently experiencing.
Unlike me, he never had to worry about what he was going to eat the next day.
Truthfully, a guy like him probably doesn't need to do community service.
It was just a performance to show off.
As soon as we arrived at the parking lot, a shiny, famous German car was waiting for its owner.

"Wow!!"
"Amazing."

Seeing him open the car door made me feel envious.
At the same time, I pondered on how long it would take until I would be able to drive that car.
I couldn't find the answer.
If I were to really think about it, the darker the future seemed, making it meaningless.

"Oh, but my car can only fit up to five people. One person is going to have to either ride a taxi or a bus."

Ha. I laughed awkwardly to myself.
They didn't specifically say who, but it definitely sounded like they meant me.
Also, the look that everyone was giving off was cold, as if telling me to b.u.t.t out.

"I'll go. Do I just need to go to the location mentioned earlier?"
"Oh, will you do that? Thank you. I'm sorry about this. If I knew this would happen, I would've brought a bigger car."

You sure know how to say things you don't mean.
Seeing his cunning smile, this isn't the first time he put on that kind of act.

"We'll see you there."

Seeing the car drive off, I thought this was actually better and headed for the streets.
From there, I caught a taxi that looked as lonely as me and informed the driver of the address.
The driver nodded his head in understanding.
Since I had to spend time in the car, I pushed my body towards the window and looked outside.
I got the feeling that if I were to continue spending my time like this, I won't be able to achieve the lifestyle that I dreamed of.
The life of those that weren't born in a rich family are meant to walk on the same path.
Those without any connections will reach the wall sooner or later.
The car arrived near the destination.
After paying the driver, I stepped out of the car and walked towards the Community Hall.
The Community Hall was located at the place they informed me.

"What's going on?"

Despite of the group leaving 10 minutes earlier than me, I couldn't see them anywhere.
Not only that, but there wasn't anyone here, causing me to get gooseb.u.mps.
It's possible that they were having trouble finding this place.
Or they're just late because of the traffic lights.
Wanting to wait, I leaned against the wall.

Just like that, 30 minutes had pa.s.sed.
I even sent them a message, but I haven't received any replies.
I could've just thought them as being ill-mannered.
The ones that wanted to do this volunteer work and then say they missed the road didn't make sense.

"Huh?"

Behind the village, there was a small mountain and a tunnel could be seen.
I decided to walk up the mountain since I came all the way out here.
From there, I was able to see the rich guy's parked car.

"Did they suddenly want to do some training?"

If I didn't talk to myself, it felt like I would freeze up due to the chilly atmosphere.
The tunnel in front of me was pretty creepy that if a ghost popped out, I wouldn't be surprised.
d.a.m.n.
Looking at the situation, it seems like they went through the tunnel.
How could they change the plan all of a sudden when they're here to help the elderly?
No matter the situation, isn't this a bit much?

"Let's just go."

There's no reason for me to stay any longer.
It's not like this is the only volunteer work available. I'm sure I can find something else to fill it.
I hope the people that are hanging out there do meet a ghost.

[Please enter.]

When I was about to exit the tunnel, I heard a voice.
I ignored it and continued walking in the same direction.

[Please enter!!]

Not sure if I was hallucinating, but the voice got louder.
What does it want me to do?
To see if someone was calling, I checked my surrounding.
But no one was there.

"Oh…have I been working too hard?"

Seeing as I have to work part-time and study, my body must be really tired.
I shouldn't push my sleep schedule for the time being so that I can maintain a good condition.

[Come back!]

Crazy.
It seemed like this voice was real.
In that case, where was it coming from?
I turned around.
It was probably a sound coming from the tunnel.
On top of that, there was an unexplainable force within the tunnel.
It was as if it was tempting me.
I stood still while holding my breath.

"I'll fall for it just once."

Feeling angry, I ended walking through the tunnel so that I can punish the person that was playing tricks on me.
From there, I used the light on my phone and continued walking.

[The world will change.]
[Humans needs to prepare.]
[A time where only the strongest will survive. Will you be able to survive?]

"s.h.i.t!! Stop it."

I couldn't help but start cursing.
It wasn't something I could just stand by and listen.
I was at my limits on how much more I could listen to this nonsense.
On top of that, due to the bad experience in middle school, I was getting even angrier.

Was it because I was yelling at the voice?
I started feeling dizzy and lightheaded.
It was getting difficult to balance my body.

[The thing you wanted. The dream that you've wanted ever since you were young. It's here.]

That was the last message that I heard.

Translator: Jen
Proofreader: Pawelosek