My mom believed in one thing above all else: being number one.

To achieve that, she created a strict daily schedule and even developed a monitoring app that required us to submit reports every day.

Anyone who failed to rank first according to the app's evaluation would be tied to a chair and severely punished.

No matter how difficult the task was, my younger brother, Jason Hunt, could always complete it and receive a perfect score.

Even when he actually ranked last, the monitoring software would still display him in first place.

As for me, a single misspelled word was enough to trigger a failing warning from the app, followed immediately by my mom's harsh punishment.

At first, I tried to explain.

Later, I stayed silent.

In the end, I could only kneel and beg.

My mom remained unmoved.

"Trash doesn't deserve sympathy," she said coldly. "You'll thank me when you become successful in the future."

On the first day of the New Year, my mom took Jason out to visit our relatives and exchange greetings.

I, meanwhile, was burning with a high fever and could not even finish the day's assignments.

Ignoring my illness, my mom dragged me into a bathtub filled with ice.

"If you're trying to escape studying, you don't deserve to live," she said. "Pretending to be sick? If you've got the guts, then just die already."

She forced my head underwater and raised a rod, smashing it against my skull again and again.

I begged desperately for mercy, but it was futile.

My mom left with Jason, and I curled up alone on the floor.

She was right. Only those who work hard deserve to live.

"Mom…I'm so cold."

My entire body was submerged in icy water. My skin had taken on a blue hue from the cold, and I trembled uncontrollably.

Suddenly, there was a sound outside the house.

I opened my eyes and, using every bit of strength I had left, climbed out of the bathtub and staggered toward the door.

It must be my mom. She must have changed her mind and come back for me.

I had worked so hard this year. Surely she would forgive me.

"Don't forget to take the gifts! The traffic's bad today. We'll be late if we have to come back for them!" she shouted.

"Mom…I'm sorry…"

I crawled across the floor with difficulty, kneeling in the living room as I whispered my apology.

"I'll work even harder next year. Please…just let me take some medicine."

However, my mom only glanced at the phone on my desk. Her expression immediately turned furious.

She strode over and kicked me hard in the face.

"I told you to finish memorizing 500 words on those flash cards while you're in the bathtub! And you dare disobey me? Didn't you say you have a fever? I prepared all that cold water to help bring your temperature down. That should've been enough for you to recover!"

My younger brother stood at the doorway, sneering impatiently.

"Mom, Erwin just likes to play tricks. He thought he could slack off without getting caught. If we hadn't come back to grab something, he'd definitely have snuck back into bed and wasted the whole day."

My mom's expression darkened even further.

Without another word, she grabbed my hair and dragged me back toward the bathtub, forcing my head into the icy water again.

"A worthless brat like you will only learn through punishment!"

As if afraid I might escape again, she reached behind the door and grabbed a rod, smashing it hard against the back of my head.

"You want to sleep, don't you? Then, you can sleep right here. When you wake up, you can come out. If you haven't finished memorizing those words by tonight, I'll deal with you again when I get back!"

My dad, hearing the commotion, walked in from outside.

When he saw the scene before him, he quickly shut the door, afraid that passing neighbors might notice.

"Honey…isn't this a little too much for Erwin?" he asked.

"What's there to be afraid of? Talents are forged under the rod. If I'm not harsh on him now, he'll be the one suffering in society! They're both boys. Why is Jason able to complete every evaluation perfectly every time? It just proves Erwin isn't trying hard enough!"

However, I had already tried my best.

In the final exams this term, Jason's ranking had dropped by five, yet his monitoring software still reported that he had passed with a perfect score.

Meanwhile, I had placed in the top three, but the software said I had been seriously slacking off.

So my mom dragged me out into the snow and forced me to kneel there for an entire night that time.

She threw the rod aside and turned to leave.

The door slammed shut again.

I lost consciousness.

I did not know how much time had passed before I suddenly realized I could no longer feel the cold.

Staggering out of the icy water, I crawled toward my desk and opened the software.

I had to finish memorizing today's words.

If my mom came back and saw the big 'Failed' warning on the screen, she would be furious again.

As long as I completed her requirements, she would treat me well.

She would let me take medicine.

I forced myself to open my English textbook.

However, after reading only two words, a sharp pain suddenly tore through my chest.

Clutching my heart, I looked helplessly toward the camera.

"Mom…I really tried my best. But no matter what I do, the software says I failed. I'm so tired… I don't have any strength left."

Before I could finish speaking, my arms suddenly went limp, and the phone slipped from my hands, crashing to the floor.

I tried to pick it up in panic. Instead, I felt myself falling, my body collapsing straight to the ground.

Then, suddenly, I was floating.

When I looked down, I saw myself lying on the floor, my face deathly pale.

The software's countdown reached zero.

A sharp notification sounded, saying, "Evaluation failed."

I muttered, "Mom…I'm sorry. Even until my death, I still couldn't meet your expectations."

It was not until late at night that my parents and Jason returned, laughing as they walked in.

"Dinner was really good today. That hotel was nice. We should go again sometime, just the three of us," my mom said cheerfully.

I stood in the living room, my heart filled with a tangled mix of emotions.

When she said 'the three of us,' she had completely left me out of the picture.

As I watched her take off her shoes, I instinctively stepped forward, ready to hang up her coat.

It was my duty in this family.

Standing before her, I spoke softly, "I was wrong. I'll work even harder in the future. Will you forgive me?"

However, my words faded into the air.

My mom did not hear a thing.

Instead, she frowned slightly in irritation.

"My ears suddenly feel itchy. Am I getting sick?"

I stood there awkwardly, lowering my head to look at my own transparent body.

I had almost forgotten.

I was already dead, and no one could hear the words of the dead.

"Why hasn't Erwin come out yet? Go check on him. Something might be wrong."

My dad mentioned it with a frown.

I looked at my mom hopefully.

Would she worry about me?

Would she realize that her punishment had gone too far?

She rolled her eyes.

"What could possibly be wrong? It's just a cold bath. It's not like he could die from that."

After changing into her pajamas, she slowly walked to my room.

When she pushed the door open, she saw me lying face down on the floor, completely motionless.

It looked as if I were asleep.

"Lying on the floor to slack off, huh?" she asked, clearly displeased.

"You think pretending like this will make me go soft? You're such a useless child. Stop playing dead!"

I rushed in front of her, shaking my head desperately.

"Mom, I'm already dead! Please come closer and have a look! Please, save me!"

However, she did not move.

She was convinced I was just pretending to be sick.

Jason walked over, looking at me with a provocative smirk.

"Erwin, pretending won't help you. The software doesn't lie. Whether you passed or failed, Mom will know. Just get up already. Don't make her angry."

My mom let out a cold laugh.

"Jason, you're my only good son. Since Erwin wants to slack off so badly, let him lie there. Let's see how long he can keep this up."

My dad looked uneasy.

"Wasn't Erwin running a fever? Maybe we should let him sleep in the bed."

"No!" my mom shouted firmly. "He's just a lazy brat. I'm not letting him off that easily. He couldn't even memorize 500 words, and now he's lying on the floor pretending to be dead, hoping we'll feel sorry for him!

"Look at today's evaluation... He didn't memorize a single word. This is absolutely ridiculous!"

After saying that, my mom glanced at the wet marks on the floor and frowned in disgust.

"You can call yourself my son again when you're done cleaning up these disgusting stains of yours!"

She turned and left.

I stood there, a deep ache filling my chest.

'Mom…'

If she would just step inside and take a closer look, she would see that I was already dead.

Yet, she despised me so much that she would not even listen to me.

In the middle of the night, I saw Jason sneak quietly into the room.

He stole the homework I had already finished a few days earlier.

In the past, I would have tried desperately to stop him.

At that moment, I could only float silently in the air, watching as he swapped it with a blank notebook.

"You won't fool the software like this," I said softly.

However, he did not see me.

He simply turned and walked away.

I crouched on the floor, looking at my body lying there.

"It's okay. After all, I'm already dead. From now on, I'll never have to try so hard again. I can take a good and long rest."

Early the next morning, my mom hurried everyone in the house to get up and prepare for a visit to my grandmother's house.

She deliberately raised her voice and said, "Grandma’s giving Jason a gift today. Lazy trash doesn’t get one."

Listening to her words, I took two steps forward, unable to hide my longing.

In the past, every New Year, my grandmother would give both Jason and me gifts and pocket money.

I always hoped I could freely spend that money to buy something I actually needed.

However, my mom always said that lazy people did not deserve money, so I never had any.

Unfortunately, it was also my only chance to get some pocket money.

If it were before, hearing my mom say that would have made me rush over immediately, admit my mistakes, and beg her to take me along.

I could not do that anymore.

"Erwin still hasn't come out?" my dad asked as he adjusted his clothes.

"No. He probably thinks if he keeps this up, I'll eventually soften."

My mom slipped on her shoes impatiently.

"Does he think being my son makes him special? Someone who doesn't work hard might as well be dead!"

Jason walked to the doorway of my room and looked around.

He covered his nose and pointed at the wet stains on the floor, frowning in disgust.

"Mom, Erwin smells awful. He's lying on the floor and has made your floor so dirty. It's disgusting!"

I floated in midair, watching his performance.

I had been so cold that I could barely crawl back into the bedroom. I had not even had time to clean up the water.

My mom walked over and frowned in irritation.

"Erwin Hunt!"

She sniffed the air, her expression darkening further.

"How can you be this lazy? Didn't you say you were sick? You can't even maintain basic hygiene, and now you're ruining the house, too! You're so lazy, you're practically a pig!"

Suddenly, I remembered something from when I was younger.

To make us finish our tasks, my mom once set a rule: anyone who did not complete them was not allowed to bathe.

I tried my best, but I still could not finish them.

In the scorching summer heat, I smelled so bad that my classmates refused to sit next to me.

My teacher called my mom to take me home so I could wash.

Instead, she dragged me to the school field.

"This lazy piece of trash doesn't deserve a bath. He stinks!"

Everything I had gone through…had been caused by her.

My dad frowned and spoke hesitantly, saying, "Erwin isn't that kind of child. Maybe we should go inside and check. What if something has happened?"

He stood up and began walking toward my bedroom.

I watched him expectantly.

I hoped he would open the door.

If he would just take one close look, he would see my stiff, lifeless body.

I followed closely behind him, silently praying.

Just then, my mom's phone rang.

She glanced at it and immediately grabbed my dad's arm to stop him.

"Why bother with him? Mom's already calling to rush us. Let's go."

Under her urging, he eventually turned around and left with the others.

I stood there in a daze.

He had been just one step away from opening the door.

If he had been just a little more determined, he would have discovered what had happened to me.

Then, I would not have been the lazy child they thought I was.

My parents and Jason spent the entire day at my grandmother's house.

That evening, they returned home carrying bags full of things.

The moment my mom stepped inside and saw the mess still outside my bedroom door, she was furious.

"Erwin! Are you planning to play dead in there and slack off for the rest of your life?"

When I did not respond, she simply found the key and locked my bedroom door from the outside.

"Since you like pretending to be sick and dead, then keep pretending forever! Let's see how you'll survive in there!"

She clapped her hands in satisfaction before turning away to watch television with the rest of the family.

Watching their cheerful expressions, a chill spread through my heart.

To my mom, whether I was alive or dead did not matter.

The only thing she cared about was that her authority could never be questioned.

So, my life meant less than her pride.

The next morning, my mom woke up early.

As soon as she stepped outside, she smelled a foul odor drifting from my room.

In her mind, my illness had been a lie, and my motionless body was just an act, something I was doing to perform for her.

So, she immediately assumed that, in my stubborn refusal to apologize, I had even chosen to relieve myself inside the room.

"Erwin, you filthy pig of a brat! You actually dared to defecate in your room?"

She screamed and rushed into the bathroom, grabbing the iron rod.

She stormed toward my bedroom door.

Like a madwoman, she smashed the door open and charged inside.

Seeing me still lying on the floor, her eyes burned with rage.

"Today, I'll teach you a real lesson! Let's see how long you keep pretending!"

She thought I was challenging her.

With a loud thud, the iron rod came crashing down.

My body made a dull sound like a sandbag.

However, I never struggled.

I never made a sound.

She grew agitated and kicked my head.

There was a sickening crack.

My neck twisted into an unnatural angle.

"Ah!" she screamed.