Chapter 1: Awakened in Another World

Shin Soobin blinked sleepily, as sunlight streamed into his room, filtering through the blinds. He sat up, rubbing his eyes, and feeling the familiar comfort of his bed beneath him. His black hair, rumpled from sleep.

"Yawn" ....He stretched out his arms, feeling the slight pull in his muscles. It was just another ordinary day in his life.

'Another day, another routine,' he thought, yawning again . He dragged himself out of bed, slowly going through his morning routine—brushing his teeth, grabbing a quick breakfast, and then pulling on his casual college attire: a black hoodie and jeans. Just as he was about to leave he glanced in the bathroom mirror—a typical Korean boy, perhaps slightly prettier than most with his sharp features and sharp eye and fair skin but nothing too out of the ordinary.

"Alright, let's get this over with" Soobin growled to himself as he slung his backpack over his shoulder and out the door. The busy streets of Seoul greeted him with their usual din. 'Ughhh.how people can look so alive in this rush,' he thought, sidestepping through the crowd of people.

On the metro, Soobin was able to snag a seat, sighing in relief. 

'Finally.' 

With a habitual movement, he took out his phone.

The first thing he did was open kakao and see if his favorite webnovel was updated or not. Echoes of the Spiritbound. The title alone gave him a jolt of excitement. This was his only happiness right now in his lonely existence.

'ah lets see what's going on in the new chapter,' he thought, reading through the latest chapter. He had been reading the novel devoutly for months, addicted to the story of heroes, ghosts, and flashy abilities.

The train rumbled along, and Soobin was immersed in the novel, completely absorbed. Just as the mc was about to unleash a skill, the lights in the train flickered. Soobin frowned, looking up. 'What the hell?' The train jerked violently. He blinked, dazed as a foreboding silence fell among the passengers.

Abruptly, a fantastic crash—a deafening boom—rang through the air. The lights went out, and Soobin's body slumped forward, the world around him shattering into darkness.

---

Soobin gasped for air, jolting awake, his heart pounding wildly in his chest. 'What the f.… just happened?' His breathing was harsh as he sat up, trying to shake off the feeling of confusion. He blinked wildly, his vision gradually coming into focus.

'was it just a dream?' he thought, his lips dry..

He stretched out to grab the bottle of water which was usually positioned on the table by his bed.

But then he realized suddenly, 'Wait… this isn't…' His eyes looked around the room. The bed he was lying on was soft—way too luxurious for his dingy apartment. The room was decorated with glowing, luminescent plants, and the walls were decorated with glowing orbs, casting soft light around the room. The air was different—lighter, fresher. It smelled like… pine?

'Where the hell am I?'

Soobin leaped out of bed, his head reeling. 'Okay, okay, think. What the hell happened? One minute I'm on the metro… and now I'm in some strange, expensive room?' He scanned the room wildly, yearning for something familiar. But everything was alien—the expensive furniture, the fluorescent plants, the outrageous futuristic equipment.

"Where's my phone??" he nervously started searching through his pockets,

A terror gripped his chest at the sight of a mirror in the distance. He took a few stumbling steps towards it, his reflection catching him off guard. His face was the same—his black hair, his chiseled jawline—but something was off. His clothes were strange. He was dressed in expensive, unfamiliar fabric, better than anything he owned. 'What is this? since when did i wear clothes like this?'

He swallowed hard, staring at the reflection. "This. this can't be real. what the hell is happening"

Just when he was about to lose it altogether, a soft voice called downstairs. "Soobin! Breakfast is ready!"

He stood stock still. 'Thats.....my name. and thats .....not my moms voice.'

Shivers ran down his spine as he tried to make sense of what was happening. 'Whose house is this? And who the hell is calling me?'

His legs moved on their own as he moved out of the room and down the stairs,. At the bottom of the stairs was a woman, smiling warmly at him. She looked familiar, as if he had known her for years, but Soobin had no idea who she was.

"Soobin its not nice to sleep till so late," she said, her voice stern but warm. "I was just about to come wake you.".

Soobin stared at her, his throat dry. "Wh-who… are you?"

The woman's expression faltered slightly, concern flickering in her eyes. "Soobin? What's wrong? Are you feeling okay?"

'Soobin? She called me Soobin again?.' He blinked, trying to process. 'Wait. This can't be…'

Suddenly, his head throbbed violently. Pain surged through his mind, and memories—memories that weren't his—began flooding in, like a dam bursting open. Images flashed before his eyes. The room. The woman. His life… but not his life. He clutched his head, trying to fight it, but the memories kept coming.

'This body… this person… is Soobin too. But he's not me. He's… someone else.'

His chest tightened as the realization crashed into him.

He was in a different world. he was inside "echoes of spiritbound".

"This… this is the world of the novel," he whispered, the words barely leaving his lips.

The woman's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Soobin? You're scaring me. Are you alright?"

'I'm not alright! I'm trapped in a damn novel!' his mind screamed, but he forced a shaky smile. "I… I'm fine, just… a little tired, I guess."

The woman nodded, though her expression was still laced with worry. "Come, sit down and eat. You'll feel better."

Soobin's legs felt like jelly as he made his way to the dining table, his thoughts a chaotic mess. 'This isn't real. This can't be happening. How is this even possible?' He picked up the utensils with trembling hands, pretending to eat, though his mind was far from the food in front of him.

"So I'm stuck being this random nobody in the world. not even a side character? How the heck am I supposed to get by here? How am I getting home??"

The deranged reality of his circumstances hit him like a ton of bricks. He wasn't the main character, or some uber powerful hero with a cool fate. He was just a nobody—completely unimportant, ignored, never even mentioned in the story.

"What the heck am I supposed to do now?"