Life had always been unfair.
Al Jiyun understood that better than anyone.
Since childhood, hardship had been his constant companion. His father died when he was still in middle school, and not long after, his mother fell seriously ill. To survive, he had no choice but to take on whatever work he could find—working as a construction laborer during the day and a warehouse worker at night.
For most people, youth was a time to chase dreams.
But for Al Jiyun, youth was simply about surviving.
"Jiyun! Carry those steel bars up to the second floor!" the site supervisor shouted, pointing at a pile of long steel beams.
"Alright, sir!"
Al Jiyun tightened the grip of his worn gloves and began lifting the steel bars one by one. His body was stronger than most people his age, but even so, the work was exhausting.
Amid the dust and the constant roar of machinery, he continued working without complaint.
He had no other choice.
His life had always been an endless struggle.
Yet who would have thought that on that very day, his life would end in the most tragic way possible?
While he was moving steel to the upper floor, a sharp cracking sound suddenly echoed from the scaffolding above. Al Jiyun's eyes widened.
CRACK!
"WATCH OUT!!" someone shouted.
Too late.
A steel beam weighing hundreds of kilograms fell from the third floor. All he could do was watch the massive shadow descend toward him, accompanied by the violent rush of wind.
Time seemed to slow.
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
Is my life really ending here?
Was all my hard work for nothing?
He wanted to move, but his body refused to respond.
BOOM!!
A searing pain spread throughout his entire body. Blood flowed across the concrete floor, staining it red. His vision slowly darkened.
Before his consciousness completely faded, only one thought remained in his mind.
I… don't want to die like this.
And then everything ended.
Or so he thought.
Al Jiyun woke up with a strange sensation.
His body felt light… far lighter than before. The pain in his back and shoulders was gone.
He slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was not the gray, polluted sky of the city.
Instead, a vast forest stretched before him beneath a clear blue sky.
He tried to sit up, but his body felt small and weak.
That was when he realized something shocking.
"Why… is my body like a baby's?!"
Panic filled him. His hands were tiny, his legs short, and his body was wrapped in ragged cloth. He tried to recall what had happened, but the only thing he remembered was the massive steel beam crashing down on him.
Did I… reincarnate?
Before he could think further, the sound of flowing water reached his ears. Looking down, he suddenly realized something even more alarming.
He was floating on water.
Am I drifting in a river?!
The current was strong, and his small body could barely move.
Am I going to die for the second time?!
But before that could happen, a pair of strong hands lifted him out of the water.
"Oi! There's a baby in the river!"
Al Jiyun looked up and saw an old man with a long white beard staring at him in shock.
"Good heavens… who would abandon such a tiny child like this?" the old man muttered with concern.
He wrapped Al Jiyun in a worn blanket and carefully carried him in his arms.
"I don't know who your parents are," the old man said gently, "but from now on… you're my child."
The old man smiled warmly.
"Your name… is Al Jiyun."
And just like that, his new life in a strange and unfamiliar world began.