The age range at a coding boot camp is diverse.

From teenagers who decided on their career paths early, to people in their fifties slowly coding with eagle-typing.

Of course, the largest group is people in their twenties and thirties who have been pushed onto the front lines of the job market.

No matter where you look on the promotional posters, the four words ‘Guaranteed Employment’ stand out.

“Hey, did you see this yesterday? Hunter Boss Yeom Huiseung solo play?”

“Of course I saw it. Seriously, his footwork is on another level. He doesn’t get hit even once.”

“He moves like he’s reading everything. Arachnesia’s eight leg-attack patterns, the venom tail sting, even the web-spitting pattern. Look at this part, isn’t this insane? He dodges the front-leg slam by going airborne, plants six crossbow bolts into the crown of its head, instantly switches weapons and slices off the rear leg with a sword. Holy shit, that’s chills. So damn cool.”

At the conversation between the two men leaning by the window, I couldn’t help but glance at the smartphone screen they were watching.

Yeom Huiseung, an A-grade Hunter, tall and handsome, with a fluid combat style, had amassed many self-proclaimed fans.

“When am I gonna awaken?”

“You think you even will? They say the awakening probability is 0.25 percent.”

“I do awakening acceleration methods every day.”

“Pfft, idiot. You actually believe that? That shit’s just a scam to farm YouTube views.”

“No, it makes sense. Most Awakeners awakened during mental collapse or extreme situations. The data says so. You’re learning coding and you don’t believe the data?”

“That data’s fake too. So what do you even do?”

“I wake up at 4 a.m. every day and run like hell.”

“Moron.”

“You’re the bigger moron, wanting to awaken but doing nothing.”

“Wanna bet on who awakens first?”

Pointless banter went back and forth.

And yet, I was a little jealous of them.

No, I was jealous that they had friends to be with right now.

Back in middle and high school, my father worked as an interior carpenter, so we moved frequently between newly developed cities full of construction sites.

From lease to lease.

Sometimes even monthly rentals.

Because of that, I don’t really have a hometown and I don’t have many deeply bonded friends either.

Even those few ended up scattered—some got jobs, some worked part-time, some went to graduate school, some were preparing for employment.

With everyone in different situations, contact gradually faded.

To me, they were best friends.

To them, I wasn’t.

At this rate, we’ll probably only meet again at weddings or funerals.

While I was cooling my head like a computer cooling fan,

♬

A ringtone rang.

[Mom]

The moment I saw the name on my phone, I pressed the call button.

Out of relief and guilt toward my mom.

“Hello? Mom. I was just about to call—”

“This is Dongbu Hospital Emergency Center.”

At the unfamiliar voice, my heart dropped with a thud.

“What? Where?”

“This is Dongbu Hospital Emergency Center. The phone is saved as ‘My Everything.’ Are you the son of patient Lim Hanbyeol?”

Lim Hanbyeol… my mom’s name.

Patient?

It felt like being punched in the nose.

Something heavy clogged my nose and throat.

“Yes. Yes, that’s right… is my mom okay?”

“It was a traffic accident.”

“Is my mom okay?”

“She’s critical. It would be good to inform other family members as well.”

Thud.

My vision went dark, my legs gave out and I collapsed to the floor.

“Are you okay?”

As my vision cleared, the same men who’d been laughing and calling each other idiots moments ago were now looking at me with concern.

Of course I wasn’t okay.

What should I do?

They helped me up and I rushed down the stairs.

Mom, mom…

If only I hadn’t answered her so coldly this morning and stayed on the call just a little longer.

If only I hadn’t gotten cocky about useless coding studies and worked at construction sites instead…

If only I hadn’t failed the civil service exam like an idiot and actually passed…

It’s my fault.

My mom became a Yakult delivery woman, working from dawn every day, because I was useless.

“Taxi!”

I flagged one down and pleaded with the driver the moment I got in.

“Dongbu Hospital emergency room. Please. Hurry. Please...”

Hearing my trembling voice, the driver didn’t ask many questions.

Near Gangnam Station, traffic is always bad.

The driver did his best, weaving through roads to get there even a little faster.

♬

[Dad]

“Answer… why aren’t you answering...”

I called my dad.

My mom’s legal guardian should be my dad, but the hospital called me instead.

That meant he hadn’t answered.

They even said to inform family members.

“Hello.”

He answered.

Did I wake him up?

My dad’s groggy voice came through.

“Dad. Dad...”

“What?”

His blunt, dry response made anger surge, even though I knew it shouldn’t.

If only he hadn’t lost his finger.

Even after losing it, if only he’d done something...

Blaming others really is the easiest solution.

“Mom was in an accident. A traffic accident.”

“...”

No response.

“She’s at Dongbu Hospital ER! They called me. Come quickly.”

“...”

Silence again.

Instead, I heard rustling sounds.

He must’ve snapped awake.

Wondering what the hell was happening.

It’s all Dad’s fault...

“They said it’s critical. What if Mom dies?”

“Why would Mom die? Dusik. Where are you?”

His voice was clear now.

“I’m in a taxi. About 40 minutes away…”

“Thirty minutes.”

The taxi driver, who’d been listening, turned into an alley and spoke.

The taxi rattled as he ignored speed bumps and sped up.

“Go ahead and stay with her. I’ll be there soon. Stay by Mom’s side.”

I was about to blame him…

But his voice sounded just like the old days—solid, reliable, like Superman.

Tears burst out.

Guilt. Regret. Self-loathing. Fear. Sadness.

All emotions twisted and crushed together.

“Don’t cry. Mom won’t die. She’s stronger than anyone. You know that, right?”

“Mm…”

I forced myself to swallow back the tears.

“Mom’s probably the most scared right now. Get to her side quickly and stay with her. Dad’s coming.”

I heard the front door opening through the phone.

“Yes. Please… hurry.”

[Call Ended]

Even with tear-blurred vision, the weather was painfully clear.

I envied the ordinary lives of the people passing by outside.

After that, the hospital called once more and asked for consent for emergency surgery.

I consented.

* * *

[Dongbu Hospital Emergency Center]

The moment I got out of the taxi, I ran to the reception desk.

“I’m Lim Hanbyeol’s son!”

Perhaps used to situations like this, the receptionist calmly checked the list.

“Patient Lim Hanbyeol is currently in emergency surgery. The operating room is that way.”

My head was blank, but my feet carried me quickly toward the operating room.

At the end of the hallway, I saw a door lit with a red In Surgery sign.

The cold smell of alcohol filled my lungs, but anxiety made it hard to breathe.

There was nothing I could do.

I collapsed in front of the operating room, clasped my hands tightly and prayed to someone—anyone.

Please, listen.

Please save my mom.

The ticking of my wristwatch’s second hand sounded deafening.

After some time, I heard someone running from behind.

“Dusik!”

It was Dad.

He came straight to me without even catching his breath and I threw myself into his arms.

I’d grown bigger than him, but he was still my dad.

With trembling hands, he stroked the back of my head and held me tight.

“It’s okay. Don’t be scared. Mom’s okay. She’s the strongest in the world.”

I couldn’t speak, only nod.

He was talking to me, but his gaze was fixed on the tightly shut operating room door.

That morning’s call with Mom came back to me.

“I met Jinsu’s mom and got a Yakult delivery contract. The world’s really small, right?”

I was terrified I’d never hear that cheerful voice again.

It was 8 a.m.

Mom had started her day earlier than most—she must’ve been tired.

Dad and I were both unemployed.

Mom always smiled, worrying only about us, never once showing how exhausted she was.

“Dusik, you’re studying hard, right?”

She always worried about me.

She wanted me to do well, to stay healthy, to get a job and live properly like everyone else.

“Dad, I… I was awful...”

The tears I’d tried to hold back poured out like a waterfall.

I couldn’t say another word and lowered my head.

Dad wrapped an arm around my shoulders without saying anything.

In that moment, I knew he felt the same regret and guilt I did.

After what felt like an eternity, the operating room door opened and a doctor came out.

He looked exhausted, but approached us with a serious expression.

Dad and I jumped to our feet.

The doctor looked at us briefly, then spoke slowly.

“For now, the emergency surgery has been completed successfully, but she is still in very critical condition. She has entered a stabilized state, but the next few hours will be a major turning point. It would be best for family to stay by her side.”

“She can… live, right?”

“I can’t guarantee it.”

She’s alive.

That thought barely held me together, but every word from the doctor tightened my chest.

Being alive alone wasn’t enough comfort.

The thought that the coming hours would decide her fate felt like my heart was being torn apart.

I managed to stand and walked with Dad to the ICU.

Inside the room, Mom lay unconscious.

The sound of the ventilator filled the room and the irregular heartbeat displayed on the monitor only deepened our anxiety.

“Mom…”

Her body was wrapped in bandages.

How much pain had she been in?

How scared must she have been?

I held her hand.

Rough hands, calloused.

My own hands, which had never known real hardship, felt shameful.

“Mom, I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”

Tears dripped down.

If she left me like this, I might have to live with this regret forever.

* * *

“Dusik.”

“Mom!”

It was a flower field.

Mom stood beneath a rainbow and behind her was a terrifying skeleton holding a reaper’s scythe.

Beside such a horrifying presence, our old friend—Hodu the golden retriever—wagged his tail, panting happily.

Mom was smiling too.

An intense sense of wrongness surged up.

“Mom!!”

I charged at the skeletal reaper.

“Get away!!”

Boom—

A circular barrier surrounded the reaper, Mom and Hodu.

I couldn’t even get close.

“Mom!! Run away!”

I pounded the barrier and screamed.

But Mom kept smiling.

“Dusik. Mom found someone who’ll protect our Dusik. I heard he’s an incredible person! So I begged and begged and brought him here. Come on, say hello!”

Mom cheerfully pointed at the reaper behind her.

She looked excited.

That thing, radiating a terrifying aura, was unmistakably a grim reaper.

The dissonance was unbearable.

“Mom, it’s dangerous. Come here, now!!”

I shouted, pounding the barrier.

But—

“Dusik, Mom’s okay.”

“What do you mean okay, you’re always saying that!!”

Mom was always ‘okay.’

Her favorite phrase.

“It’s okay, Dusik. Even without Mom… you can do well, right? Always stay positive. You know that.”

“Why would you not be here?!”

“Teacher. Please take good care of our Dusik.”

Mom bowed politely to the skeletal reaper behind her.

“What are you doing, Mom?!”

The reaper nodded lightly and slowly… walked toward me.

I stepped back in instinctive fear, but couldn’t escape.

Whoosh.

The skeletal reaper entered my body.

[‘Skeleton Star’ grants its blessing.]

[‘Skeleton Star’ appoints you as the Skeleton Lord.]

“Dusik. Mom’s okay. So be strong.”

“Woof!”

“Mom was so happy to have you as her son!”

“Mom! Mom! Don’t go!”

But Mom and Hodu drifted farther and farther away.

“Son, I love you.”

“No!”

* * *

When I opened my eyes, it became immediately apparent that it was a dream.

“Dear! Dear!”

Dad’s scream echoed together with a sharp beeping sound.