May 31, 2005
The office was filled with the constant clatter of keyboards and the low buzz of fluorescent lights.
Sakthi leaned back in his creaky chair, rubbing the bridge of his nose after finishing his work for the day.
The clock on his screen read 6:47 PM.
Reports filed, emails closed, spreadsheets balanced, another long day done.
He was already mentally mapping the quickest route to the train station when Rajesh appeared at the edge of his cubicle like a desperate ghost.
"Hey, Sakthi… please, machi(Dude),"
Rajesh begged in a low, pleading voice as he thrust a thick stack of blue folders toward him.
"Just these three files. Review and sign off before tomorrow morning? I told my wife I'd take the family out today. The kids are so excited. If I stay back again, she'll kill me for sure."
Sakthi's face twitched with annoyance.
The words of polite refusal were already on his tongue.
"Sorry da(man), I'm wiped out too. It's already late, I can't stay anymore."
Rajesh's shoulders slumped in disappointment.
"Come on, Sakthi, why are you refusing him?" a loud voice suddenly cut in.
Sakthi's fists clenched tightly.
It was Arjun, the team leader, that fatass motherfucker leaning back in his chair with a smirk.
"You're just a lone man with no family waiting at home like the rest of us. What are you even going to do in that empty apartment anyway? Watch TV and eat leftover rice from morning? You should stay back and help the team. You also have that huge debt, right? Better focus on earning some overtime pay instead."
The suggestion might have made sense on paper, but the smug smirk on Arjun's face made it feel like a direct slap.
A few other colleagues chuckled, making Sakthi's blood boil even hotter.
Heat rushed up his neck as painful memories he had tried so hard to bury resurfaced.
His voice came out cold and flat.
"My work is done. I don't care about others."
He grabbed his bag, slung it over his shoulder, and walked out without looking back.
The elevator ride down was silent except for the mechanical hum.
Outside, Chennai's evening traffic roared as he pushed through the crowd toward the suburban train station.
The platform was packed with office-goers, students, and vendors shouting over the loudspeaker announcements.
Sakthi accidentally squeezed into the ladies' coach (no one cared at this hour) and stood holding the overhead rail as the train rattled forward, warm wind whipping through the open doors.
By the time he reached his apartment block in Velachery, the sky had turned a deep orange.
His shoes felt heavier with every step up the three flights of stairs.
The moment he unlocked the door and stepped inside, his phone buzzed.
He pulled it out, already knowing what it would say.
SBI Alert: ₹18,472 deducted towards loan interest. Balance: ₹6,584.
Sakthi's face twisted helplessly.
His entire month's hard-earned money had simply vanished before he could even spend it on himself, leaving just enough for rent and bare necessities.
He tossed the phone onto the small dining table and sank onto the edge of the worn sofa.
Seconds later, three sharp knocks echoed through the tiny one-bedroom flat.
The door opened before Sakthi could even say "come in." Uncle Murugan, the landlord, stood there.
"Sakthi, from next month the rent is increasing by two thousand rupees," he announced without preamble.
"Water charges are also going up. You know how it is, everything is costly these days."
Sakthi just sighed, too tired to argue.
He looked slowly around the room: the faded calendar on the wall still showing last year's picture of a smiling family, the small TV with its cracked corner, the single bed in the corner where the mattress sagged in the middle.
Memories flooded in uninvited.
His ex-wife's laughter used to fill this space.
The sound of their child, not his child, running around with toy cars.
He had been so damn happy once.
Coming home early, cooking simple meals together, believing the lie that this was his family.
Until the day he found the messages.
The hotel bills.
The DNA report that shattered everything.
She had left with the kid and half his savings, leaving him with the debts she had quietly piled up in his name.
He rubbed his eyes and muttered to himself bitterly, "I was really an idiot… Why am I still living in this cursed place…?"
"I should start looking for a smaller single room…"
He decided to find something cheaper, maybe a PG with a shared bathroom.
Anything to reduce the burden.
Then, his phone rang again.
This time it was his cousin, Vijay.
"Hey Sakthi! How are you doing?"
Vijay's voice boomed, loud and cheerful, full of life, the complete opposite of Sakthi's own empty tone.
"I've been looking forward to seeing you again at Kathir's Ear Boring Ceremony next week. The whole family will be there. How are the preparations going?"
"Huh…?"
Sakthi froze, completely shocked.
He had no idea about any Ear Boring Ceremony for his nephew Kathir.
His younger sister hadn't invited him at all.
"Kathir's Ear Boring Ceremony…? What are you talking about? I've never heard of such a thing…"
Vijay's tone changed instantly.
"What?! She didn't tell you anything?!"
There was a brief silence before Vijay exploded over the phone.
"That ungrateful bitch! Is she looking down on you now, after everything you've done for her? You worked so hard for years, borrowed money to send her to college when everyone in the family rejected the idea of a girl studying higher studies. You made her respectable in society! And now she doesn't even invite her own brother to her son's function? Shameless!"
Sakthi felt a heavy ache settle in his chest.
He tried to calm his cousin.
"Please don't get angry. She probably didn't invite me because I have no money to give a proper ceremonial gift for Kathir. She must have not wanted to burden me. It's okay. You all enjoy the function."
Vijay tried to argue more, but Sakthi gently ended the call.
The apartment fell silent once again.
Sakthi dragged himself to the kitchen, heated the leftover rice and sambar he had cooked that morning, and ate it slowly at the small dining table.
After finishing, he moved to the sink to wash the dishes, trying desperately to distract himself from the heavy feeling crushing his heart.
But the more he scrubbed, the heavier it became.
His life felt completely meaningless.
Divorced, drowning in debt, mocked at work, and forgotten by his own family.
Everything he had sacrificed seemed wasted.
A deep sense of emptiness settled over him like a dark cloud.
With a dejected look on his face, Sakthi turned to leave the kitchen and head to the bedroom.
Suddenly,
"...!"
His foot slipped on the wet tiles.
Water had spilled earlier and he hadn't noticed.
He lost his balance completely.
Thud.
His head slammed hard against the sharp edge of the kitchen counter.
Pain exploded through his skull like lightning.
He crashed to the floor, blood immediately pooling beneath him from the deep gash on his forehead.
The world started spinning as his vision blurred as warm blood trickled into his eyes.
Sakthi tried to summon every ounce of strength to move, but his body refused to obey.
Someone help me!
His heart beat wildly in terror as he watched his own warm blood spreading across the dirty floor.
But no one came.
He clearly knows that no one was looking for him.
Tears filled his eyes as consciousness began to slip away.
Even though his life was utter trash with no room for improvement, he still wanted to live.
All this time he had detested his fate and looked down on his miserable existence, but now, facing the brink of death, he desperately wanted another chance.
The human brain really worked in mysterious ways.
Please… someone save me!
Instead of the help he was begging for, a glowing blue rectangular screen suddenly materialized in the air right in front of his fading eyes.
[Emergency Situation Detected]
[Porn Studio System Activated]
[Host Sakthi is critically injured. Free Trial Offer Available. Click to Begin Simulation in Another Dimension.]
***
Author's note:
+18 character illustrations and 10 chapters ahead of the current release are already available on both Patreon and Ko-fi platforms. However, on Patreon, Chapter 8 has been blocked due to platform regulations.
Links to both platforms are provided below on Author's thought.
https://patreon.com/GP_Hitler?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink
https://ko-fi.com/gphitler