Why Do People Only Realize the Value of What They Have After It’s Too Late?

This question has always echoed in my mind whenever I read a novel…

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Scene: Train Station – Evening

"Train 04, bound for 049, is now departing."

"Passengers, please proceed to your seats."

Dim lights flicker throughout the station as Sarino stands motionless before the train car. His expression is vacant, detached. The distant hum of the train fills the air, and hurried passengers rush past him, but he remains oblivious to their presence.

Sarino (to himself):

"Who would have thought I’d die soon… of cancer?"

"A wealthy wife who married me without love?"

"A father-in-law who sees me as nothing more than a stray dog adopted by the Surion group?"

"The elders of Surion, who will discard me the moment I lose my worth?"

Suddenly, his phone vibrates. He glances at the screen, and a familiar name appears—"Mom."

He takes a deep breath before answering. "Hello."

Mother: "Are you okay? I’m not calling to ask for money, so don’t hang up. Have you eaten?"

His voice falters. "I… I’m… fine… food…"

Mother: "My God, why do you sound like that? Did you have a rough day?"

A pause.

Mother: "Are you still so busy these days?"

"No," he answers, staring at his reflection in the train’s window. What he sees is not the man he once was. A hollow, exhausted, gaunt figure stares back at him, his eyes brimming with unshed tears.

"No, Mom…" His voice carries a weight of pain, as if struggling to contain emotions long buried.

Beyond his reflection, two high school boys in uniform chat animatedly, their laughter filling the air.

‘I… what have I been living for?’

And in that moment, it all becomes clear.

Some joys in life…

Are more important than money.

Memories, once sealed away in darkness, begin to resurface, flooding him with warmth.

Some things matter more than success…

Mother: "Sarino? Are you sure you’re okay?"

Sarino: "Yeah… I’m just a little tired. I’ll be down soon…"

Just then, a drunken man stumbles onto the tracks.

Without thinking, Sarino lunges forward, dropping his phone in the process.

Mother: "Sarino?… What’s that sound?… Sarino?!"

He shouts, shaking the unconscious man. "Hey! Are you okay?"

"Look at me!"

"Damn it, he’s completely out of it!"

He grips the man’s shoulders, desperation taking hold. "Wake up, you fool!"

But it’s too late.

Sarino lifts his head—

The train is now only one meter away.

---

May 2034, Sunday

"I should have told my mother about the cancer… It would have been better than dying suddenly in an accident."

"I should have been honest with my father-in-law—I was never interested in politics."

December 2027, Thursday

"It would have been better to be with someone I truly loved, instead of living for others."

April 2024, Tuesday

"I should have lived with honesty and integrity."

October 2020, Monday

"On my graduation day… it would’ve been nice to take a picture with my father."

---

"Why do people only regret things after it’s too late?"

If only I could go back…

"I wouldn’t live such a meaningless life again."

---

Life waits for no one. We must make our choices.

The End.

---

I clutched my head, shocked and frustrated. "What?! Is this really the ending?!"

Running my hand through my hair, I groaned. "Damn it… I wasted my study time on something this ridiculous? I’m such an idiot…"

Leaning back in my chair, I sighed. "Another weak ending. Can’t authors create a satisfying story without these terrible conclusions?"

Silence.

…Damn. I think I’ve lost my mind.

…

…

…

Ugh… my head hurts from this nonsense. I wasted way too much time reading this novel…

With a deep sigh, Icarus glanced at the clock—2:47 PM.

"It’s late… I should sleep early to wake up for university."

Sluggishly, he moved from his desk to the bed in the corner of his room.

"There’s no better friend than you, my dear bed." He buried himself in his blanket. "If only I could sleep forever and do nothing… That would be perfect."

As Icarus closed his eyes, sleep took hold of him…

---

In Another World—Atop a High Building

"Stop right there, Red Mask! This is the end! There’s no escape now—surrender yourself!"

Surrender? Me?

The man scoffed, his voice laced with contempt.

"I, the Red Mask, surrender?" He let out a bitter chuckle.

"How arrogant. I am the one whom no kingdom in the West has ever captured. And you think I’d surrender now?"

"Yes," the girl declared coldly. "If you wish to keep living—surrender. Unless, of course, you’d rather die."

Her piercing gaze never left him.

"Raphael, Vandran—prepare to activate your abilities if anything goes wrong."

"Yes, ma’am." The two men at her sides nodded in unison, shifting into battle stances.

Raphael wielded a pair of Western pistols, each embedded with a shimmering golden gemstone at its center.

Vandran held a massive spear, its crimson shaft contrasting against the gleaming white blade at its tip.

Their leader gripped a short sword, one that emanated a dangerous aura.

The Red Mask observed them silently.

"This is your last chance. Surrender."

"Surrender?" The masked man’s voice darkened with rage. "You seem so confident…"

His hand rose to his mask, fingers tracing its surface.

"You leave me no choice but war."

"Raphael, Vandran—attack now! Don’t let him use the Legendary Weapon!" The girl’s voice rang with urgency.

"Yes, ma’am!"

Raphael and Vandran lunged forward, encircling the Red Mask from both sides.

Wasting no time, they struck.

But the masked man only smirked.

"You’re far too slow."

His hand darkened to a deep crimson, and from it, he drew forth a sword pulsing with veins and arteries.

"You leave me no choice but to kill you."

---

Vandran unleashed his ability, coating the rooftop in razor-thin, transparent threads.

He swung his spear toward the Red Mask.

"This is your end, you monster!"

With a single swift motion, the Red Mask was cleaved in two, blood splattering across the rooftop.

Vandran grinned in triumph.

"I did it… I killed the man no one in the Western Continent could defeat!"

"Vandran, you fool! What have you done?!"

His commander’s voice roared with fury.

"Why did you kill Raphael?!"

"...What?" Vandran’s smile faltered.

He turned—Raphael was supposed to be behind him.

But instead, the Red Mask now stood where Raphael had been.

Slowly, the realization sank in.

No…

Memories flooded his mind—

The moment he swung his spear—

The moment he struck down Raphael instead.

No…

His voice trembled. "How… how did this happen?"

---

Meanwhile, in Another World…

"Mmm…"

Icarus groggily awoke, rubbing his eyes.

Yawning, he dragged himself toward the bathroom.