Is Karma True?
I never believed in karma my entire life.
Not once.
No matter how many people told me that good deeds always come back to you and bad deeds never go unpunished, I simply couldn't believe it.
But now...
Now, I don't know what to believe anymore.
Because right now...
I am standing here, staring at my own dead body.
A crowd has gathered around me. Some people are panicking. Some are whispering to each other. Others are simply standing there, watching as if this were just another ordinary accident.
My body lies motionless on the cold road, surrounded by blood that refuses to stop flowing.
For a long moment, I just stand there.
I blink once.
Then again.
No...
This can't be me.
It has to be a dream.
It has to be.
Yet no matter how many times I look, the body lying there is still mine.
Strangely, dying isn't what hurts me the most.
The thing that hurts me the most is what I see next.
A young couple is standing a few steps away from my body.
The boy gently wipes away his girlfriend's tears and pulls her into his arms.
"It's okay," he says softly. "Don't cry. These things happen. It wasn't your fault. She just didn't see the red signal."
My eyes widen.
Not... her fault?
My anger rises so quickly that I don't even have time to think.
I storm toward them and reach for the boy's collar.
My hand passes straight through him.
I stare at my hand before trying again.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Every single time, my hand slips through him as if he is nothing but air.
"What...?"
I scratch my arm.
Nothing.
No pain.
I grip my hair tightly.
Still nothing.
I slowly look back at the couple, my anger burning even hotter.
I scream with everything I have.
But no one hears me.
Not a single person.
Helpless Me i just stand there, surrounded by people...
Yet I have never felt so alone.
Even then, I still don't believe this is karma.
I thought my story simply ended here.
At least...
In my final moments, I managed to save someone's love story.
Or at least, that's what I believed.
Because everything became far more complicated the moment I met my Grim.
---
Everything started that morning.
I was sleeping peacefully in my apartment. My bed felt softer than ever before, and for once, I was having a wonderful dream.
I was walking down a red carpet while people called my name.
“Kyara, look here”
“Kyara look here”
“ Kyara”
“ look here”
Bright camera flashes lit up every corner around me.
Reporters excitedly shouted for my attention, asking me to turn their way so they could capture the perfect picture.
The endless sound of camera shutters echoed like beautiful music.
I smiled happily, striking my best poses and turning in every direction so every camera could capture me.
Every flash made my heart race with excitement.
Then...
Everything suddenly went silent.
I could still see everyone's mouths moving.
I could still see the cameras flashing.
But I couldn't hear a single sound.
It was as if someone had pressed a mute button on the entire world.
A strange feeling settled deep inside my chest.
I looked around in confusion.
I could see everything.
But I couldn't hear anything.
Fear slowly crept into my heart.
Without thinking, I started running.
My legs moved on their own.
"Hello? Hello! Can anyone hear me?"
I tried to scream.
But no words came out.
No matter how hard I tried, my voice simply refused to exist.
I kept running until—
Bang.
I crashed into something.
Rubbing my forehead, I looked up.
My eyes widened.
There was nothing there.
But I clearly remembered hitting a wall.
Slowly, I reached out my hand.
My fingers touched empty air...
Yet I could feel a hard surface.
An invisible wall.
It reminded me of a game where an invisible boundary keeps you trapped. You can see the world beyond it, but no matter how hard you try, you can never cross it.
Then I noticed something on the other side.
My breath caught.
I saw myself.
The same red carpet.
The same flashing cameras.
The same smiling girl...
Me.
A cold chill ran through my body.
I slammed both hands against the invisible wall, trying to make someone notice me.
No one did.
I stumbled backward.
Then I turned and ran as fast as I could.
Bang.
Another invisible wall.
I placed a trembling hand against my forehead, desperately trying to think of a way to escape.
But my My mind completely blacked out.
Everything happened so fast that I couldn't even understand what was going on.
Then, I suddenly remembered the people standing in front of me.
The reporters.
I quickly walked toward them until I reached the invisible line between us. Slowly, I stretched out my hand.
For a moment, I hesitated.
The way they moved... the way their mouths opened and closed without a single sound reaching me... it made my heart race with fear.
Still, I had to get out of this place.
I took a deep breath and reached forward.
Just before my fingers could touch one of the reporters...
*Thud.*
My hand hit something hard.
The same invisible wall.
I stumbled backward, my legs suddenly feeling weak and numb.
"No..."
I whispered to myself.
I reached out again.
The wall was still there.
I turned around and tried to walk the other way.
*Thud.*
Another invisible wall.
I spun around in panic, touching every direction around me.
Front.
Back.
Left.
Right.
Everywhere.
Invisible walls surrounded me.
I couldn't see them, but I could feel every single one.
It felt as though someone had poured a bucket of ice-cold water over my body.
My breathing became uneven.
I couldn't think.
I couldn't understand.
Nothing made sense anymore.
Unable to stand any longer, my knees gave out beneath me.
I collapsed onto the ground and lowered my head, desperately trying to make sense of everything.
What was happening?
Where was I?
Why couldn't anyone hear me?
Why couldn't I leave?
My thoughts tangled together until they became impossible to understand.
Then...
A sharp sound echoed through the air.
It was painfully loud.
An alarm.
The ringing grew louder and louder with every passing second.
I covered both ears tightly with my hands, but it didn't help.
The sound pierced straight through them.
I slowly lifted my head.
Standing in front of me was the biggest alarm clock I had ever seen.
It was taller than any human.
It had two arms.
Two legs.
Two blinking eyes.
And a wide, creepy smile.
"It... is... time... to... wake... up."
The giant alarm said each word slowly, its voice echoing all around me.
I didn't understand what it meant.
All I wanted was for the terrible ringing to stop.
I screamed as loudly as I could.
"Someone... please wake me up!"
The moment those words left my mouth—
I shot upright in bed.
My chest rose and fell rapidly as I struggled to catch my breath.
It felt as though I hadn't breathed for hours.
I lowered my head, trying to calm my racing heart.
Even after waking up, the sound of the alarm still echoed inside my ears.
For several moments, I couldn't even find the strength to look around.
I simply sat there, breathing.
Slowly...
My heartbeat returned to normal.
My breathing became steady.
Only then did I lift my head.
The alarm clock beside my bed was still ringing.
I reached over and switched it off.
Silence.
I let out a long sigh.
"What kind of shitty dream was that?"
I muttered to myself.
Trying to forget the nightmare, I climbed out of bed.
After taking a cold shower, I changed into a blue T-shirt and a pair of gray jeans.
Standing in front of the mirror, I tied my hair into a messy bun before applying a little sunscreen.
After giving myself one last glance, I walked over to my study table.
My notebook was lying exactly where I had left it.
I picked it up and opened the pages of the novel I was currently writing.
As I read through my latest chapter, I marked the parts that needed editing and wrote down a few new ideas before closing it again.
Then I headed downstairs.
Mom and the rest of my family were already sitting around the dining table, waiting for me.
I sat in my usual seat and quietly started eating breakfast.
Even while eating, my eyes kept drifting back to my manuscript.
I was already thinking about what I should edit and which scenes I wanted to add next.
Once I finished breakfast, I walked over to my mom and kissed her on the cheek.
"Are you done? Are you going to college today?" she asked with a warm smile.
"Yeah. I'll be back soon. I don't have many classes today."
"Okay, then. Be safe... and watch the road, alright?"
"I will. Bye, Mom."
With that, I left the house.
As soon as I stepped outside, I slipped my headphones around my neck, turned on my favorite music, and started walking.
The morning air felt cool and refreshing.
It had rained before sunrise, so the streets were still wet.
Now the clouds had begun to clear, and the warm sunlight gently shone across the road.
It felt peaceful.
As I walked toward college, minding my own business, I noticed a couple arguing on the side of the road.
I couldn't hear what they were saying because of my music, but their expressions said enough.
The girl looked furious.
The boy was trying his best to calm her down.
For some reason, I smiled.
Maybe I could use a scene like this in one of my novels someday.
I walked past them and continued toward the traffic signal.
The light was red.
Twenty-nine seconds remained.
I took out my phone and opened my friends' group chat.
Me:[Hi! What's going on, girls?]
One of my friends replied almost immediately.
Friend: [Good. What about you?]
[Me:[Everything's good. I'm just on my way to college.]
I was busy typing my next message when—
The same girl who had been arguing with her boyfriend walked past me.
She didn't even look at the traffic signal.
She simply stepped onto the road.
My eyes widened.
A truck was speeding straight toward her.
I didn't think.
My body moved before my mind could.
I grabbed her wrist and pulled her back with all the strength I had ...but she was much stronger than me.
The moment I pulled her, the force threw me forward.
She stumbled safely back onto the waiting area.
I stumbled into the road.
Right in front of the truck.
Everything happened so fast that I didn't even have time to move.
I slowly closed my eyes.
"So... this is it."
My mind went completely blank.
A loud horn echoed through the air.
Then...
Silence.
The truck passed.
My body trembled.
I kept my eyes tightly shut for several seconds.
I was too scared to open them.
Slowly...
Very slowly...
I peeked through one eye.
Morning sunlight.
The familiar sounds of the busy road.
I looked down at myself.
No blood.
No pain.
Confused, I touched my arms.
My neck.
My face.
Nothing hurt.
A relieved smile slowly spread across my face.
"I... I'm alive?"
I couldn't understand how, but I felt unbelievably lucky.
That happiness lasted only a few seconds.
Almost without thinking, I lowered my gaze.
My smile disappeared.
My eyes widened.
My body...
My real body...
Was lying on the road.
Blood surrounded it.
My head was badly injured.
My eyes were still open, staring into nothing.
The sight was so horrifying that I couldn't even recognize myself.
My heart sank.
I stumbled backward in panic and looked around.
People had gathered in a circle around my body, keeping just enough distance so they wouldn't step into the blood.
Nobody moved closer.
Nobody tried to help.
I stood there with my mouth hanging open, unable to understand what I was seeing.
"No..."
I whispered.
"This... can't be real."
I rushed toward my body and reached out to touch it.
My hand passed straight through.
I froze.
Then I ran to one of the people standing nearby.
Again...
My hand passed through them as if they weren't even there.
One after another, I tried touching everyone around me.
Every single time...
Nothing.
No one could feel me.
No one could see me.
Panic completely took over.
"Please!"
I screamed.
"Can anyone hear me? Please! Call an ambulance! Take me to the hospital! Please!"
My voice cracked as I begged.
No one listened.
Some people looked at my body with pity.
Some quietly whispered to each other.
Others were busy recording videos on their phones.
Not a single person called for help.
Not even the girl I had just saved.
She was crying in her boyfriend's arms while he gently comforted her.
It took me a long time to accept the truth.
Maybe...
Maybe I was still breathing for a few moments after I hit the road.
Maybe I was still waiting for someone to save me.
But no one came.
And somewhere during all that waiting...
I stopped breathing
End of Flashback.
