I was a complete loser.
I had no friends, and because I couldn't communicate properly… I got bullied throughout high school.
Every day felt the same.
Laughter behind my back.
Whispers I pretended not to hear.
Eyes that looked at me like I didn't belong.
Eventually…
…I stopped going.
I dropped out.
My mom was the only one who stayed by my side.
She didn't yell at me.
She didn't force me.
She just… supported me.
Even when I didn't deserve it.
"You can try another school," she would say gently. "Take your time, okay?"
But I didn't listen.
I didn't even try.
I locked myself in my room…
…and shut the world out.
Days turned into months.
Months turned into years.
Even though we lived in the same house…
We became strangers.
I knew it.
I felt it.
The distance.
The disappointment she never said out loud.
"I'm… really the worst…"
I muttered to myself one night, staring at the ceiling.
I was twenty now.
An adult.
But I hadn't changed at all.
"…I should fix things…"
For the first time in years, I thought about moving forward.
About apologizing.
About trying again.
But—
Life doesn't always wait for you to change.
As I lay on my bed, scrolling through my phone…
A sudden pain struck my chest.
"…Ah—?!"
It felt like my heart was being crushed.
I dropped my phone as my body curled in on itself.
My fingers dug into my chest, desperate to stop the pain.
"…It hurts…"
My breathing became uneven.
My vision shook.
And in that moment—
I understood.
I'm going to die.
"…No…"
Tears filled my eyes.
Not from the pain—
But from regret.
"…Not yet…"
My voice trembled.
"…Please… not yet…"
There was something I still needed to do.
Something I should have done a long time ago.
"…Mom…"
She wasn't home.
She was at work.
Like always.
Which meant—
She wouldn't hear this.
But still…
I forced the words out.
"Mom… ahh…!! I'm sorry…"
My voice broke as tears streamed down my face.
"I'm sorry for causing you so much pain… for being such a horrible son…!"
My chest tightened even more.
"I'm sorry I didn't listen… I'm sorry I shut you out… I'm sorry for everything…!"
I knew she couldn't hear me.
I knew these words wouldn't reach her.
But if I died without saying them—
…I would regret it forever.
"…I'm sorry…"
The pain grew worse.
My body started going numb.
My fingers lost strength.
My vision blurred.
The ceiling faded.
"…Mom…"
Darkness.
Silence.
"…Huh?"
Light.
A vast white space stretched endlessly around me.
No walls.
No floor.
No sky.
"…Am I… dead?"
"Correct."
A voice answered.
Calm.
Emotionless.
Not human.
"…W-who are you?!"
"Your life has ended."
"…So I really died…"
A bitter laugh escaped me.
Of course I did.
A loser till the very end.
"I didn't even get to say it properly…"
My hands clenched.
"…I couldn't do anything right…"
Silence.
"…Do you regret it?"
"…Of course I do!"
My voice echoed into the endless white.
"I regret everything! The way I treated my mom, the way I ran away, the way I wasted my life!"
My breathing grew heavy.
"If I had another chance…"
My voice shook.
"…I wouldn't be weak."
Silence.
Then—
"Understood."
The space around me began to crack.
A strange pressure filled the air.
"You will be granted another life."
"…What?"
"However—"
The white world shattered.
"You will be evaluated based on your 'worth.'"
Before I could ask anything—
Everything went dark.
Cold.
Tight.
Small.
"…Wah—?!"
A cry escaped my mouth.
High-pitched.
Weak.
"…No way…"
"You're awake."
A gentle voice.
A woman.
"…My child…"
My vision slowly focused.
A beautiful silver-haired woman looked down at me, tears in her eyes.
Behind her stood knights… and people in robes.
"A healthy birth, Your Highness."
"…Now, let us measure his magical capacity."
Magic?
A glowing crystal was brought near me.
It shimmered softly.
"…Reading confirmed."
Silence.
"…Value: 1."
"…What?"
"The royal bloodline… with magic level 1?"
"…Impossible…"
"…A defect…"
That word again.
My thoughts went blank.
Even now…?
Even in a new life—
"…Am I really that weak?"