Everyone knew me.
That's not a brag — it's just true.
Min Jae-hyun. The guy who always showed up.
Student council VP. Debate club captain. The one who filled every group chat but never started them.
They said I had friends in every circle.
And maybe I did.
But no one noticed I was drowning.
Every day, I put on the same smile. The "I'm fine" kind. Polished. Easy. The kind of smile that doesn't need maintenance because it's become your whole damn face.
It worked.
Until it didn't.
I don't know when the exhaustion became silence.
When silence became weight.
And when weight became… inevitability.
The world got louder. But I felt less and less inside it.
Like I was watching from a glass box no one could see.
Sometimes, I'd say something weird just to test if anyone would notice.
"Hey, I think I stopped dreaming."
Someone would laugh.
Someone else would slap my back.
And the conversation would move on.
I didn't leave a note.
Not because I didn't have anything to say — I just didn't believe anyone would read it for real.
Not like, really read it. Not the way I read other people. Not the way I used to care.
So I picked the bridge. Not too tall. Not too dramatic. Just high enough that I wouldn't have to think twice.
The wind was sharp that night. It stung my cheeks like it was trying to keep me here.
I remember thinking:
Let it sting. Let it hurt, one last time.
I climbed over the railing.
My hands were shaking, but not from fear.
It was like my body already knew this was a release. Like it had been waiting for this moment longer than I had.
I looked down.
And I breathed.
Not deep. Not slow.
Just enough to feel the cold fill me up.
That was it. That was going to be the end.
But then—
I saw her.
A girl. Maybe middle school age. Running across the other side of the road. Panic in her eyes.
Headphones in. Oblivious.
A truck was coming.
No one else saw.
No one else moved.
And before I could think—
I jumped.
Not off the bridge.
Off the railing.
Onto the road.
It wasn't heroic.
There was no music. No slow-motion. No sudden clarity.
I just moved.
I didn't know I was even shouting until I heard my voice crack.
She turned. Eyes wide.
I shoved her. Hard.
And then—
Everything went white.
Am I dead?
That was the first thought.
No pain. No sound. Just… falling.
Not the kind that pulls you down.
The kind that rips you away.
And for the first time in what felt like forever…
I felt something real.
Not the cold.
Not the impact.
Not even the fear.
Just…
Relief.
I forgot to die.
I saved someone instead.
Funny.
I spent all that time convincing myself I didn't matter.
That no one would notice if I vanished.
But when it counted—
I was there.
And someone lived because of it.
Maybe that means nothing.
But maybe…
Maybe it's enough to try again.
Wherever this place is.