Jongin lets out a crooked smile as he looks over the edge of the six-story building he was currently standing on. The people in the streets of Seoul looked like busy ants from this point of view, people streaming from every direction possible. He looked down at his fingertips as if studying them.

Purple, he thought as he noticed how the skin beneath his fingernails shifted colors.

He rocked back and forth on his heels for a bit as he bit his lower lip indecisively. He’d done this plenty of times before, 8 times to be precise. Yet he could never get used to the feeling of the cold wind at his bare arms as he cut through the wind at full speed.

Full speed, huh? As a bystander you would say Jongin looked like he was cutting through time in mid-air before hitting the ground, yet he felt like he was falling in eternity. It was like he alone was falling in slow motion while the world around him moved fast forward.

He squared his shoulders as he once again took a small glance at the people below him before the spot beneath him cleared out.

Go on, he felt the wind whisper as it caressed his cold skin.

Go on, Jongin.

His raven black hair fell to his eyes as he closed them and inhaled slowly.

Jump, it encouraged him.

And so he did.

Jongin woke up feeling as if his head was being ripped apart and his temples being crumpled together. Trembling he stumbled to the nearest wall to support his back as he bit down his lip harshly, sliding down the wall and hitting the concrete rather hard.

Sweat stung his hazel colored eyes as he felt the world around him spinning in circles. He heard himself utter a strangled cry though it was faint. He struggled to take a glance at his black watch that was now covered in crimson red liquid.

The watch was alive, the ticking being its heartbeat. Jongin watched as the metal gear breathed against one another as it made a metallic tick before speeding backwards one hour.

His chest heaved rather fast as he panted, his mind only focused on the sharp pain stabbing his head roughly. He breathed out in relief as the pain subsided slowly, letting his body catch his breath.

The watch strapped around Jongin’s wrist was a so-called  ‘pin’. It certainly did not work as a normal watch as it only had 10 digits. Each digit presented each and every life they have left. For each death, the clock handle will speed backwards by one hour; meaning the individual had lost a life.

In this world, each individual have 10 lives. The time between each attempt you can die or kill yourself is 1 year: This means it would take 10 years to finally go to sleep, for good.

As Jongin felt his body relax, he took his time to view his surroundings. Tall buildings, food stands, children laughing, couples walking, parents loving, and then there was a bleeding Jongin on the pavement. He glanced upwards when the memory hit him; he chuckled. No one even bothered coming to his aid. He had literally jumped from a six-story building and no one even cared to take second glance at him. How nice.

Jongin stretched his limbs before standing up and dusting his black skinny jeans from dirt. Taking one last glimpse of the area surrounding him, he decided to stroll back to his apartment.

He fished out his keys from his jeans pocket and inserted it into the keyhole before pushing the door open. The floor creaked as he took a step inside his apartment, kicking the door closed.

The light flicked on as it detected movement and illuminated the living room.  The apartment wasn’t big nor small, It was the perfect fit for a guy his age. Walls were painted white, as well as all of his furniture. Although Jongin may look like a messy individual, he was rather tidy and liked knowing where his stuff was.

He walked towards the refrigerator and fished out some leftovers from yesterday’s dinner. His eyes wandered around the fridge for a bit before he shut it and turned to the kitchen island.

Jongin's face drained of color as he turned and spotted a white grocery bag on top of the island, thinking it was a person sitting there. He felt his cheeks grow warm, as they were tinted rosy.

Slapping his cheeks lightly he walked over to spill the contents carefully, slowly revealing a cheesecake with the initials KJ on top.

He smiled softly before his smile broke into a bitter laugh.

‘’Happy birthday to me’’