The sunlight poured through the half-open window. It made a warm light spread across the simple room. Little dust bits danced in the gold sunbeams, making everything look quiet and peaceful.
The light showed the simple furniture. The walls were just a plain, light color and looked a little old. There was a single bed that was made neatly with a blue blanket. A small wooden desk was pushed in a corner. Everything was clean, but you could tell things had been used a lot here for a long time.
On the bed lay a young man. He was sleeping quietly, looking peaceful. His brown hair fell softly on his forehead. His skin looked very pale under the light. He looked calm, like nothing in the world was wrong. He was breathing slowly and evenly.
His everyday clothes, a simple shirt and comfortable pants, were a little messy. They looked like clothes he wore yesterday, showing he didn't sleep perfectly all night before falling into this deep sleep.
Suddenly, his eyes popped open wide. It was like a shock. His face filled right away with confusion and panic.
He quickly sat up in bed. His breathing was hard and fast, like he had just run a long race or woken up from a very scary dream. He looked around fast, his eyes jumping everywhere.
His hands were shaking a little. He brought them up in front of his face. He looked at them with big, scared eyes. He turned them this way and that, wiggling his fingers. They looked smooth and young. Not like the hands he remembered.
"I'm… I'm okay," he whispered to himself. His voice was shaky, like he didn't believe it. "How is this even possible?" He shook his head a little, trying to think clearly. But he was just more confused.
He looked around the room again, his eyes going from one thing to another. The desk was neat. The old rug was on the floor.
The paint on the wall was peeling a little in one spot. It all felt weird, like it shouldn't be this way. But at the same time, it looked exactly like his old room. The room where he grew up. He hadn't lived here for many years.
He felt a little sick to his stomach. This wasn't right. He shouldn't be here. Where was he supposed to be? His mind raced, trying to remember what happened before he fell asleep.
There was pain, bright lights, loud sounds… a hospital? That seemed right.… The other idea was too scary to even think about.
"Wait a minute," he whispered again. His voice sounded worried and scared. "Why am I at my parents' house? I should be in the hospital… or…" He stopped talking, but the next thought was a very scary one he didn't want to say. But he wasn't in pain. He wasn't hooked up to machines. He was just… here. In his old bed.
He swung his legs off the bed. His bare feet touched the cold wooden floor. The cold felt real. It made him feel a little more steady. But it also made things feel even stranger.
His body felt different, too. Lighter, somehow. Stronger. It felt like his body when he was in his early twenties, full of energy. But his mind was a mess, full of confusion and a strange, impossible idea that was starting to grow.
He stood up and turned without thinking towards the wall on his left. There, on the wall, was a tall mirror. It was old and simple, and the glass was a little dirty. He had put it there years ago.
He glanced at it quickly, seeing something move, and what he saw in the mirror made him stop breathing for a second. The person looking back wasn't who he thought it should be.
In a fast, almost crazy move, he spun around to face the mirror fully. His hands went up to his face again, but this time he was touching himself.
His fingers felt his chin, his cheeks, his forehead. It was like he had to make sure it was really him, that he was solid and real. He leaned closer, looking at himself hard.
The face looking back was definitely his face, but it was a face he hadn't seen in a really, really long time.
"How… how am I this young?" he whispered. His voice was very quiet. It was hard to believe.
The person in the mirror looked back – it was him, but from ten years ago. His skin was smooth. There were no little lines around his eyes or on his forehead that he had gotten over time.
His eyes looked full of life, not tired like he expected. It was him, for sure, but from years ago, looking young and not knowing the hard times and things he would regret later.
Next to the mirror, on a chair, he saw something else that looked familiar. It was his old computer. The computer case was big and looked old compared to the computers he knew from the future.
This computer was super good when he was a teenager, but now it was just an old machine. He hadn't seen it in years, not since he left it at his parents' house when he moved away.
Seeing the old computer, looking young, and being in his old room all at once sent a shock through him. The pieces, even though they seemed impossible, were starting to fit. The idea hit him really hard and fast.
"Could I have…" He stopped, his voice shaking. The thought was almost too much. "…somehow gone back in time?"
The idea was crazy. Like something from a science book or a movie. But everything he saw around him showed it was true. His heart was beating super fast now. He walked quickly to his desk.
On the desk was his old phone. It was a kind he hadn't used or even seen for years. He picked it up with shaking hands.
The phone felt real and very familiar, like a real link to this strange time. He pressed the power button. He waited nervously for it to turn on. It took a while, like old phones do.
The screen finally lit up. His heart jumped as he saw the date on the front screen: January 1, 2025.
His eyes felt wet for a second. He wasn't in 2035. He wasn't ten years older, with all his problems and worries. He was here. Right now. January 1, 2025. The date was clear. It was true.
"I'm… ten years back?" he whispered. His voice was very quiet, full of surprise and not believing it.
His mind was spinning. He started remembering everything that happened after that date.
Ten years of his life. Gone. Or, the future ten years were gone, and the past was here again. He remembered the choices he made, the mistakes, the chances he missed, the things he wished he could change.
His eyes moved to the computer again. He remembered things about that computer – staying up late playing games, winning, losing. And one bad choice: the time he decided to delete his Row Online account.
That day, sometime early in 2025, felt like the start of something new. He was going to start at a big university called National University to study. He thought he needed to stop acting like a kid.
He remembered clearly how it felt to make that choice. Deleting his account in one of his favorite games felt like saying goodbye to the old him and getting serious about his future, about studying and getting a job.
But he knew now, looking back, that one small thing led to a lot of other things he never thought would happen.
Only two months later, in March 2025, the game, Row Online, released a totally new and amazing version.
It had much better graphics, new things to do, and the most important thing – it worked with a new kind of headset that let you feel like you were inside the game, called a VR-Set. The game became super popular with everyone really fast.
Millions, then billions, of players started playing. It wasn't just a game anymore. Everyone was talking about it and playing it. And soon, the money you made in the game started to be worth real money.
He felt bad for a long time about deleting his account. He had watched other people get rich and live amazing lives just from playing the game.
Adam moved closer to the desk. He moved carefully now. He pulled out the chair and sat down. The chair made a familiar creak. He felt how important this moment was. His fingers paused above the computer's power button for a second before pushing it.
The sound of the computer starting up filled the room. Then the light from the screen came on. His heart was beating fast as the main computer screen showed up.
And there it was. The little picture for Row Online. It was right where it used to be.
He took a deep breath and clicked on it. His fingers were shaking a little. The game loaded.
The pictures and the music he remembered so well hit him. It made him remember the past a lot, but it also hurt because he messed up so badly. He just sat there for a moment, worried about what he would find. Had he already deleted his account, even in this timeline?
The screen asked him to put in his name and password. His hands seemed to know what to do even though he thought he forgot. He typed in the name and password he used a long time ago.
The computer took a long time to check his name and password. It felt like forever. But then, the welcome page showed up.
His character's name was there. His level. His game money. His account was still there!
He felt a huge wave of relief. He leaned back in the chair and let out a breath he had been holding. For the first time today, he smiled a little.
This was his second chance.
Adam sat still in front of the computer screen. The quiet sound of the machine was the only noise. He looked at the bright screen of Row Online, the game that used to be a big part of his young life, and now he knew would be a big part of the whole world's future.
Memories started coming back, very clear. He remembered how the money in the game and real money got mixed up, changing everything for so many people.
He remembered the crazy time after that. So many people quit their regular jobs to spend all their time in the game.
What started as just a game for a small group became something big all over the world. Billions of players were filling up the game, making it feel like a real second world.
Adam leaned back in his chair. His fingers touched the edge of the desk as he breathed out slowly.
He thought about when he tried to get back into the game later,2 years from now. It was after he finished university. He used all the money he had saved to buy a VR headset, hoping he could still join the fun.
But by then, it was already too late. The game world had changed a lot. All the easy places for new players and all the valuable things there were taken over by big groups called guilds.
Getting started as a new player was almost impossible. He felt left out, annoyed, and he had that bad feeling of wishing he could change things for a long time after that.
Closing his eyes for a second, Adam felt how upset he was back then.
"Nobody knows yet how much this game will change the world," he murmured. His voice was quiet but strong.
He looked at the screen again, his eyes set on his goal. People now thought it was just a popular game, something fun.
But he knew it would become the most important thing in the world for making money and living a different kind of life. And this time, he was here at the very start.
Suddenly, he heard a voice break into his thoughts. "Adam!" It surprised him. It was his mother, Rachel, calling from downstairs.
Her voice sounded just like her, making him feel good and remembering home. But it also sounded worried, reminding him of the difficult things from his past life.
He remembered how his parents had problems and owed money later because of his choices. That thought made him feel really bad all at once, like a heavy weight.
Adam stood up from his chair. His face looked set and determined now. This time, things would be different. He had made his choice.
As soon as the new, amazing version of the game came out (he remembered it would be in March), he would put all his effort into becoming really, really good at it.
He wouldn't let anything stop him. He wouldn't care about school or other things. He would focus only on the game. This was his plan to make things right.
He walked downstairs and went into the living room. His parents were busy getting everything ready for him to leave for university.
His dad, Ricky, was walking back and forth by the coffee table, looking at a train ticket. Two suitcases were sitting neatly by the sofa. They were full of his things, packed for going away to school.
"Adam," Ricky turned to Adam and said, "I've got your train ticket. It leaves this afternoon."
Adam smiled a little. He looked at his dad. "Dad, I want to go alone," he said calmly. "You don't need to come with me."
Ricky stopped for a second. He looked a little surprised. "What? Why not?" he asked. His voice had worry and wonder in it. "You don't need to worry about me. I have the day off anyway. I can come with you and help you get settled."
Adam shook his head gently. He looked strong, but he spoke kindly. "No, Dad. I want to do this myself," he explained. "I want to start this new part of my life and explore things on my own.".
Rachel, who was putting some things on the dining table, turned around quickly. She looked clearly worried. She kept moving her hands because she was nervous. "But Adam," she said quickly, "it's a new city. What if you get lost or something bad happens?"
Before Adam could answer, Ricky put a hand on her shoulder to make her feel better.
"It's okay, Rach. If he wants to go alone, let him," Ricky said. His voice was quiet but strong, showing he trusted Adam. He turned back to Adam. His eyes were serious, but also showing he understood and supported him.
"Just remember, son, if you ever have any trouble, even a little bit, you call us immediately, okay?"
Adam nodded. He smiled a little to show he was thankful. "Thank you, Dad. I promise." He knew he had to go alone. He wasn't going to sign up for university.
He knew the future – how fast the world would change and that his school degree wouldn't be as important later. He knew the game was where he needed to be.
He couldn't let his dad find out what he was really planning to do. He looked at the two suitcases again. "That's… a lot of stuff," he said quietly, looking at all the things packed for a life he wouldn't live.
Rachel and Ricky looked at each other, worried. Ricky quietly looked at her in a way that made her feel better.
Adam watched them. He felt a little guilty that they were worried, but he also felt even more determined. He would make it right this time. Not just for himself, but for his parents, who gave up a lot for him. He would make sure they had a good life, without worries.