NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1: Literally 9 to 5
A few days ago, I was browsing the internet, looking for something to do. That's when I found a novel. The reviews weren't great—most people said it was just okay—but I decided to give it a try anyway. At least it was finished, so I wouldn't have to wait for updates.
"I'm so bored," I sighed, opening the first chapter.
Seven minutes later, I was done with the chapter, and my face froze in confusion. I wasn't sure what had just happened. The first chapter wasn't amazing, but it was... interesting. Somehow, it grabbed my attention, even though it had some silly or awkward moments that made me roll my eyes a little.
After that, reading the novel became a habit. My job was a typical 9-to-5, so I didn't have a lot of free time, but I still read whenever I could.
Hours passed like minutes. A few days later, I noticed dark circles under my eyes from staying up too late.
"This arc is so bad," I muttered, scrolling through the screen.
I didn't have much experience reading novels. Usually, I just watched anime. This was actually the first novel I'd ever picked up, so everything felt new to me.
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A few months later.
"Chapter 3462… here I go," I whispered, a sad smile forming on my face. This was it—the last chapter. My eyes were burning like crazy, but I couldn't stop myself from reading.
The final scene was just as wild as I expected. The main character had beaten up every enemy and was finally chilling like they had all the time in the world.
Finishing that last chapter felt incredible. It was the kind of satisfaction I'd been chasing for so long, like I was floating in heaven.
The second I was done, my eyelids gave out. They slammed shut, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get them to open again.
"Meow... Meow..."
I slowly opened my eyes, turned off the alarm, and lay on the bed for a few more seconds.
"I didn't reincarnate?" I thought, a wry smile appearing on my face. All the anime and novels I'd gone through these past months had drilled the same old cliché into my head: reincarnation.
The main character always gets hit by Truck-kun or works so hard that they drop dead.
"I feel so droopy." I muttered, pushing myself off the bed.
It was only 7 a.m. right now. I lived alone, far from my family, so I couldn't afford to slack off or wake up as late as 8:30 a.m.
I got ready quickly and, for the first time in a while, ate my breakfast without holding my phone.
"This doesn't feel nice at all," I muttered, glancing at my empty left hand while I hurriedly ate a sandwich.
After fully getting ready, I grabbed my car key. It wasn't anything fancy—just a regular car. My job as a software developer paid well, but I sent more than half of my pay to my family.
"A 21-year-old guy with a car but no wife... Am so pathetic man..." I muttered, staring at the side mirror as I drove.
"Should I search for novels like Super Gene on Reddish?" I thought, unlocking my phone and opening the app while still handling the wheel.
'This novel really packed quite a punch. Author-san, we want a sequel!!'
'Me too!!'
"Hell yeah, me too." I said aloud as I checked people's reactions on a post.
As I was scrolling through posts, I came across a work from the same author who wrote Super Gene.
"There's a work from the author other than Super Gene?" I said, surprised and amused, staring at the screen.
But as soon as I tapped the post to open it, something happened that I really didn't want to.
Bang!
There was a loud scraping sound, followed by a big bang. My eyes snapped forward, but before I could fully react, my car was already swerving to the side.
During the crash, my head jerked forward from the sudden force, slamming into the steering wheel.
"Ahhh!" I cried out in agony.
"Fucking help me!" I shouted with all my strength, trying to open the door, but it wouldn't budge—whatever had happened to it.
"This fucking door, at a time like this?" I cursed, struggling to open it again and again.
This car was an old model, which is probably why there were no airbags and the door was stuck.
"Can you hear me? Are you okay, sir?" A young guy suddenly appeared at the door.
The window was slightly cracked, so I could hear him clearly. Without thinking, I quickly replied, "Do I look okay? Please get something to break this window!"
I didn't care if he was the one who crashed into my car. All I cared about right then was surviving, no matter what.
After a while, the guy returned, holding a big stone in his hand. He didn't say anything, but I slowly slid over to the other side of the car.
With a loud shatter, the window broke open, and a hand reached in. I quickly grabbed it, then carefully moved out, trying to avoid getting cut by the mirror shards.
What I saw outside didn't really surprise me. A crowd of people had gathered around, taking photos and even recording videos.
But my vision was starting to blur, probably from losing so much blood.
"Quickly... call an ambulance, please," I said to the guy who helped me, still gasping for air.
"Ah, okay," he replied, dialing the number.
At this point, my vision was so blurry that it was hard to even stand. Blood kept dripping from my head, and I was still panting heavily.
"Is this how I die?" I thought, staring at my bloodied hand.
The next moment, everything started to tilt in front of my eyes. I collapsed to the ground, not caring anymore. All I wanted was to sleep, though a part of me was still hoping for a miracle.