Chapter 01
When I Opened My Eyes, I Was in Another World
Snow fell heavily from the white sky.
Christmas carols echoed through the streets, and young couples walked past him arm in arm, laughing cheerfully.
Today was Christmas Eve, a day when everyone—especially lovers—was happy.
“Haah, damn it.”
Kim Juhwan pulled his coat tighter and lowered his head. His nearly two-meter-tall frame shrank awkwardly inward.
He was swept along by the tide of people, carried into the crowd.
While everyone else seemed happy, Kim Juhwan—taller than most by a head or two—stood out, looking gloomy.
Like an ostrich burying its head in its wings, he lowered his gaze even further. Not wanting to see the happy faces around him, he walked while staring only at the ground.
After walking for a while, he arrived at a familiar subway station. That was when something he hadn’t seen yesterday caught his eye—a flash of red.
A man dressed as Santa was kneeling at the entrance.
It wasn’t that he wanted to look. He was simply staring at the ground, and it naturally entered his view. A crookedly written sign lay on Santa’s knees.
[Please tell Santa your wish.]
Santa’s red outfit was slightly dirty with mud. Trembling, Santa held up the paper as Kim Juhwan passed by, stretching it out as if it might brush against his leg. Amid the noise, Santa’s stomach growled loudly.
‘That’s quite a sound.’
Kim Juhwan had been about to walk past, but he stopped at the top of the stairs leading down to the subway. A sigh escaped him.
On a day when everyone was happy, there were two people who were unhappy—though in different ways.
Santa, and himself.
Him, who had lost his parents when he was young—and Santa, who had grown old and was begging alone on a day like this.
Who was more unfortunate?
Normally, he would have ignored him and walked on, but today was Christmas Eve—the day his parents had died in an accident.
Thinking of it as an offering to his parents, Kim Juhwan turned around and stood in front of Santa. His white breath drifted into the air like smoke and scattered.
From the plastic bag in his hand, he took out five triangular kimbap he had planned to eat as snacks with alcohol and placed them in front of Santa. Three still remained in the bag. It wasn’t much—no, far from enough—but it couldn’t be helped.
He also took out a 10,000-won bill from his wallet and placed it down, pressing it under the kimbap.
As he straightened up, Santa suddenly grabbed his hand.
“Kind sir! I would like to repay you. Please tell me your wish.”
“…”
“I beg you. The Santa business is declining because there are no customers. Without human wishes, we cannot survive. Please, think of it as doing a good deed on this wonderful Christmas and tell me your wish.”
“…”
He had thought it was just someone begging in a Santa costume. But apparently not. The man seemed a bit unhinged.
Trying to pull away, Kim Juhwan grabbed Santa’s wrist with the hand holding the plastic bag—but it didn’t budge.
“!”
Even though he didn’t show it, he was startled.
He was not only tall but also big and strong. To exaggerate a little, he was strong enough to knock most people down with a single finger.
In high school, he had been quite rough. Though now an ordinary office worker, back then he wouldn’t avoid even gangsters—he would fight them head-on. He had even taken on several at once. His strength and fighting skills were far above average.
And yet, he couldn’t move at all. This was the first time something like this had happened.
Could this Santa actually be dangerous?
Kim Juhwan instinctively took a step back. His instincts flashed a red warning signal.
But Santa didn’t let go. Instead, he grabbed his other hand too and spoke more urgently.
“Kind sir! Please, tell me your wish. I came here to grant people’s wishes. If I don’t hear one, I can’t return to Santa Village. Please, I beg you.”
Santa’s eyes were bloodshot red. He definitely looked insane. Kim Juhwan just wanted to get away from him quickly.
“If I tell you, will you let go?”
Without thinking, he said it. Santa’s eyes lit up, and he nodded enthusiastically. His white beard and red hat bobbed up and down wildly.
“Then… I want to win a billion-won lottery—”
“Lies! I smell lies. That won’t do. Please tell me your true wish.”
“…”
How did he know it was a lie? Or maybe anyone could tell.
Kim Juhwan tried again to pull his hand free, but it still wouldn’t move.
Santa stared intently into his face. A strange unease stirred inside him, swirling like a storm.
There was something dangerous about Santa’s eyes.
And at that moment, his true feelings slipped out, as if someone had forcibly pulled the wish from his mind.
“I want a wife as gentle as a rabbit and a daughter as cute as a mongoose.”
As soon as he said it, Santa grabbed his hand and shook it excitedly.
“That’s easy—such an easy wish! Kind sir! I will fulfill it, even if I must wager everything my colleagues and I have. Ah, what a relief. Your wish has been ripening for a long time. It’s perfect for us.”
Santa closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, as if smelling something. His nose came so close it almost touched Kim Juhwan’s skin.
“Ah, the scent of this desperate wish… I can tell you’ve lived a lonely life for a long time. You’ve lived the same kind of life over and over. To meet a soul like yours—today is truly a lucky day. Thank you, thank you.”
Santa’s nose twitched.
“To change the trajectory of your lonely life, an ordinary person won’t do. If handled poorly, they’ll be dragged into your fate and fall into the same unhappiness. But don’t worry. Santa can grant any wish. Your wish has been properly received.”
Santa suddenly opened his eyes wide and stared into Kim Juhwan’s.
“I will find you a wife with a heart as pure as snow, and a lovely daughter who deeply respects her father. Please, live a joyful and happy life.”
He was clearly insane. But perhaps he was the type to keep his word, because Santa released his hands and laughed loudly in delight.
Kim Juhwan quickly turned away and fled, as if escaping. He just wanted to get away from that crazy man.
From behind, Santa shouted:
“Dear customer, be happy! I will pour all of Santa’s power into granting your wish. All the Santas in Santa Village are cheering for you!”
Santa’s voice seemed to follow him from behind. It felt strange.
Only after boarding the subway did Kim Juhwan look at his wrist. The spot Santa had grabbed was red. The man had incredible strength. It gave him a chilling feeling.
It was late at night, so the platform was nearly empty. After waiting for a while, a light approached through the dark tunnel. Kim Juhwan boarded the nearly empty train and moved to a corner.
Inside, on the opposite seats, sat a couple. They whispered to each other and burst into laughter. They looked happy. Next to the woman was a small cake box, as if showing off their happiness.
Kim Juhwan crossed his arms as he sat down. The plastic bag on his lap rustled softly. It would be a long time before he got home.
He didn’t want to see that couple.
He decided he might as well sleep until he arrived and closed his eyes.
The announcement for the next station echoed in his ears.
“Be happy.” Santa’s voice mixed with the couple’s laughter and lingered in his mind.
I want to be happy.
Beneath his tightly shut eyelids, a faint trace of moisture gathered.
A strange smell filled the air. It was a foul stench, like excrement left to rot for a long time. Even in his sleep, the smell made his head throb.
Kim Juhwan suddenly jerked his head up as his body shook violently. It was so intense he wondered if it was an earthquake.
Only now noticing it, he realized he must have been deeply asleep. The thought that an accident had occurred made his body tense instantly.
“Uh… huh?”
But that wasn’t it. It wasn’t even a train. No—this was beyond that.
The moment he opened his eyes, his mouth fell open in shock.
Where… is this?
He had fallen asleep on an empty subway—but now he was sitting cross-legged in a crowded wagon filled with people.
And he was completely naked. Not even underwear.
“Achoo!”
He sneezed violently from the cold. His entire body was covered in goosebumps, like a plucked chicken. The cold felt like thin blades slicing his skin. He began to shiver uncontrollably.
Before he could even understand the situation, it felt like he might freeze to death.
Hugging himself tightly, he curled up. Beneath him, the ground felt sticky, damp, and cold.
Looking down, he saw puddles of mixed feces and urine. Half of it was frozen; the rest remained thick and sludgy.
Parts of the wooden floor were rotten and blackened. If he stayed seated, it felt like his skin would stick to it and freeze solid. He awkwardly lifted himself.
Looking around, the first thing he noticed were iron bars. If he stood up straight, his head would hit the ceiling. The wagon was enclosed on all sides by wooden bars.
What…?
The wagon, barely about ten square meters, was packed with men wearing shackles on their feet.
Their beards and unkempt hair were greasy and matted, as if they had never been cut or washed. Their clothes were filthy and gave off a rotten smell. The entire wagon reeked.
Dark red stains marked their clothing. Perhaps… blood.
Fear gripped him.
Who were these people? They clearly looked like criminals—but why was he among them?
Kim Juhwan swallowed nervously.
This is…
There wasn’t a single Asian among them. They were all Westerners.
Their clothes were simple, like shirts, unlike modern clothing—like something straight out of a medieval film. Some even wore animal skins over them.
Every single one of them had dead eyes.
“…”
There were no people like this in modern Earth. Unless it was a movie set—but it couldn’t be.
He looked out through the bars. There was no asphalt anywhere. No roads, no apartments—only barren land and leafless trees in the cold wind.
Several wagons like his moved in a line. Other wagons also carried men who looked like prisoners. There were even carts filled with goods.
Around them, about a dozen soldiers walked alongside, holding spears.
Their voices drifted in through the open bars. It was a language he had never heard before—not English, nor German, nor French.
No way…
Kim Juhwan stood up and looked around again. There was nothing familiar.
He was in a strange place, surrounded by strangers. It felt like he had come to the distant past—or another world entirely.
“….”
Santa’s voice echoed faintly in his mind: Be happy.
Could it really be because of that Santa?
Maybe this was just a dream—one that felt incredibly real. If it was, he wanted to wake up quickly.
Above all, it was too cold.
His fingers felt like glass—completely numb. He rubbed his skin, trying to generate heat, but it didn’t help. Instead, the frozen skin only hurt more.
At this rate, he might really die. Panic set in.
Kim Juhwan looked at a man sitting a short distance away.
The man sat hunched forward, completely motionless. Frost had formed over his half-closed eyelids. He was barefoot, and his feet looked stiff, like a mannequin’s.
He hadn’t moved at all.
Is he… dead?
Kim Juhwan swallowed hard.
Stripping a dead man of his clothes was something he would never have imagined doing before.
But when faced with a crisis, things like morality and reason disappear in an instant.
Cold, hungry, and on the verge of death, his hand moved on its own.
The man was already dead. The clothes were more necessary for the living.
That thought suppressed his guilt.
He forcibly removed the frozen man’s upper garment. The fabric was stiff from the cold. Rustling, he rubbed and softened it before wrapping it around himself.
Taking off the pants was even harder.
Inside the shaking wagon, he struggled and stumbled, barely managing to strip the clothes and put them on.
By the time he finished, he was completely exhausted.
