"Well, this day can officially go to hell."

Ethan let out a long sigh as he pushed his broken bicycle down the sidewalk. The rusty thing squeaked in protest every few seconds, as if mocking him for expecting it to survive one more trip.

Today had been a disaster from the very beginning.

The first blow came early in the morning when he received an email containing the results of the entrance examination for one of the most prestigious schools in the city. Despite studying harder than he ever had before, despite sacrificing sleep and enduring countless lectures from teachers and relatives alike, he hadn’t made the cut.

To make matters worse, nobody in his family blamed him.

His mother comforted him.

His father told him that failure was only a stepping stone toward success.

His sister even tried cheering him up by drawing a stick figure version of him being crowned "King of Second Chances."

Honestly, that somehow made him feel even worse.

Now he was stuck with a difficult decision. Should he settle for a less prestigious school nearby, or should he apply to another school in a different city and leave his family behind?

For Ethan, family had always been everything.

His mother had raised him with endless patience while his father spent most of his time working. Though often absent during Ethan’s childhood, his father remained a constant source of motivation and encouragement.

Then there was his little sister.

Her cheerful laughter could brighten even the darkest day. Most of the time she was also responsible for creating those dark days in the first place, but Ethan loved her anyway.

Naturally, the disappointing result had left him in a thoughtful mood.

His mother noticed immediately.

"Hey, Ethan."

"Yeah, Mom?"

"Would you mind picking up some groceries? We’re running low on a few things."

"Sure," Ethan replied in a flat voice. "I’ll head out in about an hour."

After washing up and getting dressed, he grabbed his bicycle and set off toward the local shopping center.

Or at least, that had been the plan.

Halfway there, his bicycle chose violence and broke down completely.

Now he was pushing it through the streets under the afternoon sun while wondering whether life was secretly keeping score against him.

Eventually, he reached a traffic signal and stopped to wait for the light to change.

That was when he noticed her.

Standing on the opposite side of the road was a beautiful young woman holding a baby stroller. The sunlight danced through her hair, and for a brief moment Ethan found himself admiring her appearance.

Unfortunately, while he was busy appreciating her beauty, the traffic signal turned green.

Ethan snapped back to reality and prepared to cross.

Then he noticed something.

A car.

A very fast car.

A very fast car that seemed completely uninterested in the existence of traffic laws.

His eyes widened.

The woman hadn’t noticed it.

Neither had anyone else.

"Ehh?"

His brain froze.

There wasn’t enough time to shout.

There wasn’t enough time to think.

There was only enough time to act.

Ethan had never considered himself a hero.

He wasn’t particularly brave.

He wasn’t particularly strong.

And he definitely wasn’t the type of person who ran toward danger.

Yet somehow his body moved before his mind could object.

His feet carried him forward.

The next few seconds became a blur.

The screech of tires.

The horrified screams of pedestrians.

The terrified expression on the woman’s face.

Then—

Impact.

The world spun.

Pain exploded throughout his body.

And suddenly Ethan found himself lying on the road.

A growing pool of blood spread beneath him.

Most of it was probably his.

"...Well," he thought weakly, "that’s unfortunate."

When he forced his eyes open, he saw the woman’s face hovering above him.

At this moment, with tears streaming down her cheeks and panic written across every feature, she looked almost ethereal.

Like a fairy.

A very distressed fairy.

Her lips were moving frantically.

Ethan couldn’t hear a thing.

His hearing had already given up and resigned from existence.

"Sorry, lady," he thought. "I appreciate the concern, but I can literally feel my organs negotiating their resignation letters."

A strange laugh echoed in his mind.

Honestly, what a ridiculous way to die.

Failed an entrance exam in the morning.

Broke his bicycle in the afternoon.

Got hit by a car before dinner.

Life really believed in finishing a job properly.

His vision began to blur.

Through fading eyes, he saw a car stop nearby. With the help of several pedestrians, the woman carefully lifted him into the vehicle.

Darkness slowly crept into the corners of his vision.

His consciousness drifted.

Yet even then, his thoughts weren’t focused on himself.

He thought about his mother.

His father.

His little sister.

How would they react when they heard the news?

How would they move forward without him?

The thought hurt more than any of his injuries.

Still, one final thought brought him a small measure of comfort.

’At least the mother and her child are safe.’

A faint smile formed on his lips.

Then the darkness swallowed everything.

And Ethan closed his eyes, never to open them again in this life.