11:03
God it h*rts.
My head is aching.
What time is it?
Its blk.
Theres no sound.
Maybe it isnt 6 yet?
Should check to be sure.
I dont wanna move tho.
Sooo annoying
If I could jus
11:26
Did I fall asleep again?!
Its still d4rk.
Wheres my phone...?
“11:26?!”
And the screens too f/ing bright.
“Sh!t
11:29
What idiot falls off the bed after waking up...
Its really past 11.
Im not seeing things right???
Nonononono
“Did I miss the alarm?!”
But I heard nothing.
Well thats how you miss ur alarm duh.
Must get up right now.
Too late for work damm!t.
Unsuccessful.
sudden symptoms of heavy body
Gotta try again.
But it refuses.
11:44
“Finally!”
Why is it so silent anw?
At least the music should still be on.
Failed to 4n4lyse the problem...
And its still blk!
??? Whys the room this d4rk at noon?
Ohh my curtains are closed.
automatic curtains stop working
Lets just open them myself.
What is going on...?
skyscrapers appear overnight
That cant be...
What am I looking at?!
I dont belong here!!!
11:57
...Ok so Im not at my place then?
Maybe thats why its so quiet?
I examined the room.
Moderate visibility.
There isnt enough light.
“Turn on the light.”
Really no response.
This is getting frustrating.
...Is that my desk?
“I know those books!!!”
THIS IS 100% MY ROOM!
“Where are all the machines then?!”
The h4ll is happening???
12:01
How can I verify this?
Mirror...?
Right, a mirror!
If its truly my room then the bathroom should be...
Pitch blk.
automatic light broken
“Ouch!”
Stup!d sill, its always there?
Or it it not my room?
12:03
Why do pp even need light switch?
The mirror...
Here is it!
“Great, its still me!”
Thought Id be looking at a strange face
I deducted some differences tho.
sudden pale complexion, eye bags, acnes
Did I cosplay a homeless or what...?
IS THAT BEARD IM SEEING?!
OMG thats disgutsing!!!
I cant go to the studio like this!
12:09
Fck the water is cold!
Is the boiler not on?
Something is wrong.
This is my house and Im still myself.
But...its too quiet.
12:24
Even the kitchen light is off...
Dead silence fills the room.
Chill runs down my spine.
“Turn on the light!”
Theres no response.
lighting system broken
Its just the light...right?
12:27
Thanks god my coffee machine is here!
Huh? Theres nothing.
“Start brewing the coffee!”
No one responses.
automatic coffee machine broken
It has to be the coffee machine
It has to be
But what if...
12:30
“Activate the TV.”
Theres still no response.
“Turn on the TV!”
No response.
“Turn on the light!”
No response
“System activate!”
No response
automatic system error
I want to throw up
home automation stop working
“Clank clank!”
I cant find it.
No sign of any automatic devices here
NONONONONO
Calm down I need to breathe
My fingers cant stop shaking
Theres absolutely no way
I cant do this
ICANTICANTICANTICANTICANTICANTICANTICANT
12:47
Its cold.
And still horribly silent.
Should have at least made that coffee...
I need to stand up.
Unsuccessful.
12:53
Found the TV remote.
Cant believe there are pp who use this.
Loads of things are mentioned in the news.
Sound like a bunch of statics.
I cant focus.
Is there no AI in this place or what???
What now?
What am I even going to do without it?
living without AI
No I cant. Not me. I cant live like this!
“...buzz...”
...A notification?
Even in this quietude it still sounds so small.
It doesnt use face ID.
******
Wrong password.
******
Wrong again.
If its me then must be...
******
A mail from my studio?
Sir,
I hope this message finds you well. It is with a heavy
heart that I must inform you of a difficult decision that
affects your position with our studio. Due to the rising
demands, we require faster speed in the production
with a more reasonable price. Unfortunately, we find the
products of AI better at meeting our requirements; as a
result, your position will be affected. Your last working
day with us will be this Friday, until then, you are expected
to perform your duties as usual.
Sincerely.”
13:06
Even on the balcony theres little light.
“Its really quiet.”
I cant stop thinking about that mail.
There is no way.
AI taking human jobs
Absolutely ridiculous.
AI over me?
AI over ANYONE???
What are they thinking???
Of course generative AI is a fucking scam!
How can a machine do human works?!
This is irriating.
As if a centipide is crawling inside my throat.
God...look at all the pp down there.
Are there those with similar situation?
“Ugh thats cold...”
There was a breeze just now.
“Creak...”
The door is closing behind me.
Until it covers the gloomy room inside.
Six o’clock.
“Hello, time to wake up. It’s now six o’clock. Today is Thursday, May 7, 2026. Current temperature is ten degree. Wake up. Wake up.”
From the depth of slumber, a strange voice pulled me
away from pleasant dreams. I let out a small groan,
sinking deeper into the soft mattress to hide away
from it. Quite difficult to make out the words when
one was still sleepy, though I reckoned that must have
been some vendors. Who else could be this
bothersome first thing in the morning?
“Curtains will open in thirty seconds. Please prepare
to adjust to the brightness.”
I was hardly drifting off when the voice came up again,
this time a bit clearer. Then it was soon followed by a
rattling sound. My brows furrowed at the mixture of
noise as I yanked the pillow over to cover my ears.
“It’s now six oh-five. Start playing Après Midi. Wake
up. Wake up.”
Enough! No matter how much I tried to ignore, the
sounds kept appearing one after another, as if testing
my patience. I threw open the duvet, slammed my
fist against the wall in hope that whoever made those
rackets would just take a hint. It was so strange, not
just the sound but the fact that I could not ignore
it. Normally any noise would merely be background
lullaby to another round of nap, yet my body felt
rather lucid today. Even without the alarm, I might
have gotten up just fine.
Held on. Alarm? I grabbed my phone from the bedside
table, which displayed a big ‘6:06’ on its screen. Was
it possible? I had no reason to awake early these days.
In fact, those sounds from before were not even my
alarm. I could not be so drowsy I hardly differentiated
between my ringtone with some voices! Where did
they come from then?
More and more questions circled my mind while
music was playing in the back. All of a sudden, a hazy
glow caught my attention. To the right of me hanged
an azure canvas ornamented with cotton-white
clouds. Had I not drawn the curtains last night? No.
What was the voice saying again? Something about
curtains.
I glanced outside the window, expecting the usual lines
of high-rise buildings — an infuriatingly monotonous
yet familiar view — but my eyes reflected only
a vast blue sky, untainted by neither thick smoke or
white dust. The sun slowly sneaked out from faraway
horizon. Such magnificent sight had seemingly taken
away my breath, returned me a realisation. I did not
belong to this place.
Ten past six.
“Six ten. Six ten. Don’t forget to brush your teeth.”
It took a while before I snapped back to reality. Well,
not that there was a choice. The ghostly voice was
too much of a startlement to focus on anything else.
Seriously, from where did it even emerge?!
I stood up and looked around the room with curiosity.
Rarely could I see a bedroom under full daylight like
this. In one corner was my working desk, and in the
other was a shelf stacked with familiar books. Except
for some weird machinery, it was still the interior I
knew by heart. So far the one striking difference had
been the view outdoor. That information only made
me even more puzzled!
Instinctively, I entered the bathroom without realising.
My feet had just crossed the sill when the light
abruptly turned on. My heart leapt from the shock.
I was not aware the house held such a function! …
Though I was hardly certain if this was my house.
Hell, I was hardly certain if I was still myself. There
could be only one way to find out. Anticipation
weighted my steps whilst I sidled to the mirror.
...It was really me, the thought struck as I traced
my reflection in the mirror. I would be alright even
if it was not though. And yet it was still me, despite
numerable changes in my appearance. A healthier
complexion, smooth skin, eyes shone with clarity.
Not to mention the clean look! I could not remember
the last time I had shaved my beard. The habit just
naturally slipped away now that I was not required at
the studio anymore. I forgot how good it had felt to
have it all gone.
“It’s six fifteen. The boiler will be activated. Let’s take
a quick shower.”
Once again, I could not help but jumped at the voice.
It was the one thing that raised my skepticism over
the relief of seeing my own house and self. I turned
the valve and closed my eyes, let the water poured over
these thoughts, regardless failed to wash them away.
Twenty-five past six.
“Six twenty-five. Good morning. It’s now six twentyfive.
Your coffee will be ready in five minutes.”
No sooner had I walked into the kitchen than the
voice echoed. It did not matter how many times it had
appeared, the sudden voice coming out of nowhere
still crept me out. I studied the house with caution,
everything was almost the same. Filling the air was a
rich aroma of newly brewed coffee.
“Six twenty-eight. I will reheat your breakfast. There
is leftover congee from yesterday.”
The voice stopped me as I was about to open the
fridge. How long would it last?! My mind was racing
to predict the next time another voice might shout
out. Things had gone beyond my comprehension. I
could not do this. Bluish fingers clutched tightly to
the steel handle. It had to stop!
“Six thirty now! Six thirty. Today is Thursday, May 7,
2026. The TV is activated. Would you like to switch
to the news?”
Despite my plead, the mechanical voice kept going on
and on. The house I knew of had never been this rowdy.
The muffled dialogues from some morning drama on
the television. The sizzle of the coffee machine. Clank
clank. The lid danced as the congee was boiling. Hiss!
The mini-sprinklers started watering my plants.
And among all of them, the voice asked again in an
innocent, robotic tone.
“Sir. Would you like me to switch to the news?”
My heart was pouncing against my ribs. The faint
beating seemed to be lost amidst this chaos. It was
impossible to focus on one thing. Anything! Without
realising, I heard the words escaping my mouth.
“...Yes, please.”
Sixteen to seven.
The news was still playing even now. I rubbed my
fingers against the cold porcelain cup. Though the
coffee had already cooled off, its intense flavour had
stayed the same.
“Six forty-five. Six forty-five. I will start ironing your
clothes for today.”
At this point, I had become unfazed by the voice.
Not even my skin could bother to crawl at its hasty
emergence. To my surprise, these noises did make the
house peaceful in a strange way. One would not be
able to drown in the pool of thoughts with this kind
of liveliness around.
“Six fifty! Ten minutes break with advertisement
before the seven o’clock show.”
Some of the ads were identical to what I remembered,
while some of them were unheard of, especially...that.
I raised my head to have a better look at the video
explaining about household virtual assistant. At this
moment, everything had become clear to me.
...Considering the potential of a different place, it
made some sense indeed. But still, I could not imagine
myself getting involved with AI, not after it took my
job! Irritation only swelled up as the memory faded
in. Stupid AI. No! It was the stupid company that
believe they could just fill their pockets by using AI
instead of real humans. Regardless, if this whole AI
had not been a thing in the first place…
Buzz! A notification drew my attention away from
growing rage. What was it this time?! I lifted the little
device to check — which was all it took since the
phone opened immediately with face recognition —
and lying neatly on the screen was a simple message,
sent from my old studio:
"Announcement: The latest AI-assistant has been
installed to your devices. Test it out today. Contact the
admin for any questions.”
Ten past seven.
“Your train will leave at seven twenty-five. Estimated
time from here to the station is ten minute. Hurry up.
Hurry up.”
I was still in disbelief when I put my hand on the
door knob. Was it true? I really got my job back? No,
it was not like that. From the look of it, I had never
lost it from the first place. Of course, how could that
be possible! AI taking over humans’ roles must have
been a bad dream of mine. But this, this was reality.
Yes, that was it. They all were just nightmares! I finally
awoke now. And it was time to to put them behind
my back.
Sunshine was sneaking in through the gap on the
floor. I turned the knob, its rusty metallic sound
blended in with my thundering heartbeats. The door
slowly opened, and opened, until my excitement was
swallowed by the warm light.