Skeleton Lord
The age range at coding boot camps is as diverse as it gets.
From the teenagers who made up their minds about their future in a flash,
to the fifty-year-olds who slog through it like slow-motion eagle eye tracking,
there’s someone for every pace.
Still, the twenty- and thirty-year-olds pushed to the front lines of employment outnumbered everyone else by a mile.
Every recruitment poster screamed the same two words: guaranteed employment.
“Hey, did you see that yesterday? El Heeseung Hunter Boss solo clear?”“I saw it already. The guy’s playstyle is straight fire. He didn’t take a single hit.”
“You gotta watch this. He reads all eight Arachne leg-attack patterns, plus the web-spitting and tail-whip moves, then spins mid-air, drops the front paws, swaps weapons mid-rotation, and slashes the rear legs clean off. It’s insane. That front leg smash and instant follow-up? Whoa.”
I caught myself peeking at the smartphone screen the two guys were leaning against the window.
El Heeseung. A-rank hunter. Tall, good-looking, and his combat style was so fluid that half the forum called themselves his fans.
“When am I gonna awaken?”
“You ever gonna awaken? They say the chance is only 0.25 percent.”
“You’re always doing the activation techniques.”
“Pfft, bullshit. You actually believe that crap? That’s just a YouTuber milking views.”
“No, there’s some truth to it. Most awakeners wake up in the middle of a mental breakdown or some life-or-death situation. The data backs it up. You really think a newbie coder’s gonna ignore the numbers?”
“Data’s all bullshit anyway. So what, then?”
“Every single morning at four, you gotta get up and run like hell.”
“Asshole.”
“You’re the bigger asshole for not doing anything even though you say you want to awaken.”
“Wanna make a bet on who awakens first?”“Silly conversation, yet… I felt a little jealous.
Not really jealous of the awakening itself.
Just that right now I had friends to be with.
Back in middle and high school my father worked as an interior carpenter, so we moved around a lot to new cities that were still being built.
From rented apartment to rented apartment, sometimes a monthly lease.
I never had a real hometown and didn’t make deep friendships either.
Even after graduation everyone went in different directions. Some got jobs, some part-time, some grad school, some were still prepping for exams.
Our situations were too different, so the calls slowly faded out.
To them I was the best friend, but to me they were just… not.
I told myself I’d catch up at the next family event or holiday.
While I cooled my head the way a computer cooling fan cools itself,
♪♪♪
A bell rang.
[Mom]
The second I saw the number on my phone, I hit the call button.
There was guilt in my chest because I was so happy to hear her voice.
“Hello? Mom. I was just about to call you anyway…”
- Hello? This is the emergency room at Dongbu Hospital.
My heart dropped like I’d been punched in the stomach.
“What? Where?”
- Dongbu Hospital emergency room. Your phone says ‘Mom’ as the contact, right? Is this the son of patient Lim Hanbyul?
Lim Hanbyul… that was my mom’s name.
But a patient?
My vision blurred as if someone had punched me in the nose.
A thick lump clogged my throat and nose.
“Yes… yes. I’m her son… Is Mom okay?”
- It’s a traffic accident.
“Is Mom okay?”
- It’s critical. It might be better to let family know.
Thud.
The world went black.
My legs gave out and I collapsed onto the floor.
“Are you all right?”
When my vision cleared a little, the two guys who had been laughing and calling each other idiots just moments ago were now staring at me with real worry.
There was no way I was okay.
What do I do?
I let them help me up and almost ran down the stairs.
Mom… Mom…
If I had taken the call this morning with a gruffer tone…
If I hadn’t been the lazy one who kept talking about studying code instead of working my ass off…
If I hadn’t failed the civil service exam on purpose…
If I had just passed…
It was all my fault.
Mom worked double shifts as a Yakult lady from dawn because I was too worthless.
“Taxi!”
I flagged one down and told the driver the moment I got in.
“Dongbu Hospital emergency room. Please, hurry… please hurry…”
The driver didn’t ask any questions.
Gangnam Station traffic was always a nightmare.
The driver did his best, weaving through the cars in a desperate attempt to get me there faster.
♪♪♪
[Dad]
“Pick up… why aren’t you picking up?”
I called my dad next.
The hospital listed the husband as the guardian, yet they’d somehow called me first.
Dad wasn’t picking up.
Not to mention they weren’t supposed to contact family at all.
- Hello?
He answered.
Just woken up?
Dad’s sleepy voice came through.
“Dad… Dad…”
- What.
His flat, dry answer made my blood boil.
If only Dad hadn’t lost a finger…
If he had lost it, maybe he would’ve done something…
Pointing fingers is the easiest fix, they always say.
“Mom had an accident. A car crash.”
- …
No answer.
“She’s at the emergency room at Dongbu Hospital right now! She picked up. Please, hurry…”
- …
Dad was silent.
Instead I could hear rustling around him.
He must have snapped out of it.
He must be thinking, “What the hell is going on?”
Everything was Dad’s fault…
“It’s critical. What if Mom dies?”
- Why would Mom die? Doo-sik, where are you?
Dad’s voice came through clear and steady.
“I’m in a taxi. It’s taking forty minutes to get there…”
“Thirty minutes is enough.”
The taxi driver, listening quietly, turned the corner into a back alley and spoke up.
Clank-clank. The driver ignored the speed bump and gunned it.
- I’ll go ahead. I’ll get there as fast as I can. I’ll stay by Mom’s side.
I wanted to blame Dad…
But Dad’s voice sounded exactly like it used to back then.
Strong, like Superman.
Tears poured out.
Guilt. Sorry. Self-loathing. Worry. Sorrow.
All the emotions twisted together and smashed into one big ball.
“Yeah… yeah…”
- Don’t cry. Mom’s not gonna die. Your mom’s the strongest person I know. You hear me?
“Uhn…”
I forced the tears back down my throat.
- Right now Mom must be the most scared she’s ever been. Go to her side quick. I’ll be there soon.
The sound of the front door opening came through the line.
“Yes… hurry… please come.”
[Call ended]
Even through tears-blurred eyes, the weather outside looked too perfect.
The ordinary lives of people walking past the window felt like a cruel joke.
After that, I got another call from the hospital and had to give my consent for emergency surgery.
I consented.
* * *
[Dongbu Hospital Emergency Room]
The second I stepped out of the taxi, I sprinted to the reception desk.
“Lim Hanbyul patient. I’m her son!”
The receptionist looked through the list with tired eyes, as if she’d seen this scene a thousand times.
“Patient Lim Hanbyul is in emergency surgery. Head down the hall to the operating rooms.”
My head was spinning, but my legs moved fast toward the OR.
At the end of the corridor, a door with a red light saying “In surgery” glowed ahead of me.
The smell of cold alcohol filled my lungs, but anxiety made it impossible to breathe properly.
All I could do was sit in front of the door, clench my fists, and pray to anyone who would listen.
Please listen… please let Mom live… please.
The second hand on my wristwatch sounded deafening.
How much time had passed? I heard footsteps running up behind me.
“Doo-sik!”
It was Dad.
He ran straight to me without slowing down, and I wrapped my arms around him tight.
I was bigger now, but he was still Dad.
He stroked the back of my head with shaky hands and held me close.
“It’s okay. Don’t be scared. Mom’s gonna be fine. She’s the strongest person in the world.”
My throat was too tight to speak, so I just nodded.
Dad was talking to me, but his eyes stayed fixed on the closed operating room door.
That morning, the call with Mom came back to me.
‘I met Jin-su and signed a Yakult delivery contract. The world is really small, huh?’
I was terrified I would never hear that cheerful voice again.
It was eight in the morning. Mom must have been exhausted starting her day so early.
Dad and I were both unemployed. Mom never complained about her hard life.
‘Doo-sik, study hard, okay?’
That had always been her only request.
She wanted me to do well, not get hurt, and live like everyone else once I got a job.
“Dad… I was such a failure…”
The tears I was forcing down poured out like a waterfall. I couldn’t say another word and just bowed my head.
Dad wrapped an arm around my shoulders without a word. I knew he felt the same regret and guilt I did right then.
How much time passed? The OR door opened and a doctor stepped out.
He looked tired but his expression was serious as he walked over to us.
Dad and I shot to our feet.
The doctor looked at us for a moment, then spoke slowly.
“The surgery went as well as could be expected under the circumstances, but the patient is still in extremely critical condition. She’s stable right now, but the next few hours are going to be the hardest. It would be best if family members could stay by her side.”
“She… she’s gonna make it, right?”
“I can’t make any promises.”
Mom was still alive.
That thought held me up, but every word from the doctor tightened around my heart.
Just knowing she was alive wasn’t enough comfort.
The thought that the next few hours could decide her life made my chest feel like it was splitting.
I somehow got up and walked with Dad to the ICU.
Inside the room, Mom lay unconscious.
The sound of the respirator filled the entire space, and the irregular heartbeat on the monitor made everything feel worse.
“Mom… Mom…”
Mom was wrapped in bandages from head to toe.
How much pain had she been in?
How scared had she been?
I took her hand.
Calloused, rough hands from years of hard work.
My hands, which had never done a single day of real labor, felt ashamed.
“Mom… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”
Tears kept dripping down. If Mom left me like this, I might be stuck in regret forever.
* * *
“Doo-sik.”
“Mom!”
It was a flower garden.
Mom was there under the rainbow, and behind her stood a terrifying skeleton holding a scythe.
Next to that terrifying figure, my old friend Hodu the Golden Retriever wagged his tail and panted happily. Mom was smiling too.
An overwhelming sense of dread hit me.
“Mom!!”
I ran straight at the skeleton reaper.
“Stay back!!”
Thud.
A circular barrier formed around the reaper, Mom, and Hodu, and I couldn’t get any closer.
“Mom! Run!!”
I pounded my fists on the barrier and screamed.
But Mom was still smiling.
“Doo-sik, Mom found someone who can protect you. Apparently it’s an incredibly amazing person. So Mom persuaded her to come. Come, say hello!”
Mom pointed to the reaper behind her with a cheerful laugh, eyes sparkling with excitement.
The thing radiating terrifying energy looked exactly like a grim reaper.
Terrifying dread.
“Mom’s in danger! Come here right now!!”
I shouted, pounding on the barrier again.
- Doo-sik, Mom’s okay.
“Okay? What do you mean okay?! She’s always okay!”
Mom had always said she was okay.
That was her mantra.
“It’s okay, Doo-sik. Even without me… you’ll be fine, right? Always stay positive. Got it?”
“Why would Mom disappear?!”
“Teacher. Please take good care of our Doo-sik.”
Mom bowed politely to the skeleton reaper behind her.
“What the hell is this?!”
“Doo-sik, Mom’s gonna be fine. So stay strong.”
“Meow!”
“Mom was so happy because you’re her son!”
“Mom! Mom! Don’t go!”
But Mom and Hodu were getting farther and farther away.
“My son… I love you.”
“No!!”
When I opened my eyes, I was dreaming.
“Dad! Dad!”
Dad’s scream echoed through the ringing sound.
* * *
“Skeleton Lord.”
“Mom!”
It was a flower garden again.
Mom was there under the rainbow, and behind her stood a terrifying skeleton with a scythe.
Next to that terrifying figure, my old friend Hodu the Golden Retriever wagged his tail and panted happily. Mom was smiling too.
An overwhelming sense of dread hit me.
“Mom!!”
I ran straight at the skeleton reaper.
“Stay back!!”
Thud.
A circular barrier formed around the reaper, Mom, and Hodu, and I couldn’t get any closer.
“Mom! Run!!”
I pounded my fists on the barrier and screamed.
But Mom was still smiling.
“Doo-sik, Mom found someone who can protect you. Apparently it’s an incredibly amazing person. So Mom persuaded her to come. Come, say hello!”
Mom pointed to the reaper behind her with a cheerful laugh, eyes sparkling with excitement.
The thing radiating terrifying energy looked exactly like a grim reaper.
Terrifying dread.
“Mom’s in danger! Come here right now!!”
I shouted, pounding on the barrier again.
- Doo-sik, Mom’s okay.
“Okay? What do you mean okay?! She’s always okay!”
Mom had always said she was okay.
That was her mantra.
“It’s okay, Doo-sik. Even without me… you’ll be fine, right? Always stay positive. Got it?”
“Why would Mom disappear?!”
“Teacher. Please take good care of our Doo-sik.”
Mom bowed politely to the skeleton reaper behind her.
“What the hell is this?!”
“Doo-sik, Mom’s gonna be fine. So stay strong.”
“Meow!”
“Mom was so happy because you’re her son!”
“Mom! Mom! Don’t go!”
But Mom and Hodu were getting farther and farther away.
“My son… I love you.”
“No!!”
When I opened my eyes, I was dreaming.
“Dad! Dad!”
Dad’s scream echoed through the ringing sound.
“Skeleton Star grants protection.”
“Skeleton Star has appointed you as Skeleton Lord.”
“Doo-sik, Mom’s gonna be fine. So stay strong.”
“Meow!”
“Mom was so happy because you’re her son!”
“Mom! Mom! Don’t go!”
But Mom and Hodu were getting farther and farther away.
“My son… I love you.”
“No!!”
When I opened my eyes, I was dreaming.
“Dad! Dad!”
Dad’s scream echoed through the ringing sound.
“Skeleton Star grants protection.”
“Skeleton Star has appointed you as Skeleton Lord.”
“Doo-sik, Mom’s gonna be fine. So stay strong.”
“Meow!”
“Mom was so happy because you’re her son!”
“Mom! Mom! Don’t go!”
But Mom and Hodu were getting farther and farther away.
“My son… I love you.”
“No!!”
When I opened my eyes, I was dreaming.
“Dad! Dad!”
Dad’s scream echoed through the ringing sound.