What is life?

A very simple yet profound question.

This…..

This is a question that many people have pondered, yet they have never found the answer to.

For some, life is just a routine. Living the life according to their routines. You can see such people on the Internet, in offices, in the fields, and on your way to your home.

Even now, I can see them.

People who are lost in this struggle of life.

Their eyes are somehow dead.

And to me, it feels oddly weird.

Aren't there a lot of things that we can enjoy in life?

Like video games, books, music, sports, novels, manga, anime…..

In this age of the internet, how come people look this dead?

'Or, maybe they are just tired?'

At the end of the day, I am not a philosopher or anything. I am not a grand thinker, either. Just a young high-schooler who likes to read web novels.

"Hey, are you listening to me?"

At that moment, a voice woke me up from my thoughts. The same voice I had been hearing for a while now.

"Shut up. Your voice is ugly."

"Tsk. It must be genetically, then."

A bitchy voice.

She was not like that in her youth, but somehow, she became that way at the age of fourteen.

Her once innocent demeanor had morphed into something more sarcastic and biting over the past couple of years.

I rolled my eyes, not bothering to hide my exasperation. "Seriously, can't you find something better to do than annoy me?"

"Better than annoying, my dear brother? I doubt it," she said with a smirk, leaning against me on the bus. Right now, it is already hard to hold my balance, and with her leaning on me, it was even harder to do so.

'Should I just let her go down?'

I pondered for a second but then discarded the idea. After all, imagining what would happen if I were to do so made me immediately drop the idea. It is not like I am some sort of idiot who acts without thinking.

"Why are you even here? Don't you have friends or something?" I asked, trying to get back to my phone.

I had already stacked a lot of chapters for the novel I was reading, and it was a good moment to pass the time.

Though reading while standing still can be annoying, at one point, you get used to it.

"Oh, don't worry about my social life. It's thriving, unlike someone else's," she retorted, emphasizing the 'someone' with a mocking tone.

"Yeah, yeah. Keep telling yourself that," I muttered, trying to focus on my novel.

She looked at me from the side. I could feel her gaze, looking at my phone screen. After spending this much time on public transportation, at some point, you would become someone who was sensitive to such gazes.

People somehow love peeping on other people's private lives, especially elderly people. And, somehow, it is creepy.

"Tsk. Men and their harem fantasies."

She clicked her tongue with a blatant criticism. Her words made sense.

I mean, they would at least make sense.

If she was not an Otome game addict.

"Coming from a reverse-harem lover like you. It is not like you are that different." I simply shrugged.

People had every right to fantasize about things they liked, and nobody had any right to judge them just for their likes and preferences. 

That is just my opinion, but those who judge people about the things they like are generally the ones who need to be careful about it.

I recently saw some keyboard activists on social media who tried to cancel a show just because a certain character looked underage, stating it was a PDF file situation, even though it was officially stated that was not the case.

Yet, after their whole account was investigated, it was revealed that those were the ones who liked the real PDF file things.

But, well. That is just an opinion.

But that opinion certainly depicts this girl.

"I'll have you know, reverse-harem books are a lot better executed. At least they have more than one-dimensional characters, unlike those shallow harem stories you read."

People like her.....they always try to justify themselves. That is why I hate the hypocrisy that they show all the time. It is just annoying.

And most of the time, their claims are baseless. Once you ask for an example or proof, you can find holes in their argument.

Just to do that, I raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? How come? Show me proof."

She was about to answer me, but she couldn't as right at that moment, two people left their seats, and we immediately had to take them without even considering the elderly or others.

Comfort was a rare commodity on a crowded bus, especially if you would be traveling for at least more than an hour.

If you stand on your feet all the time, once you reach home….

You will feel the real pain, at least.

Not on your feet as you might think, but on your back.

But well, that is not my problem.

Even now, I could feel the piercing gazes of some old people around us.

'Hey, old hag. Don't look at me like that, you know? You are already riding this bus free.'

For some reason, the government lets old people use public transport for free.

They also have all day as most of them are retired, yet they choose to board the busses when it is time for students to leave their schools.

For me, they just deserve to stand on their feet if they can't even manage their time well.

Anyway, let's not ramble too much. It will trigger your ADHD.

As soon as we sat down, my dear sister(!) pulled out her phone and opened up a romance fantasy novel. "Here, read this. It's called Shattered Innocence. You'll see what I mean."

'Wow…..What a dramatic name…..'

I couldn't help but roll my eyes immediately. Somehow, when books had such names, they tended to become disappointing. That was from my own experience.

Shattered Innocence began with a young noblewoman named Elara, who was an innocent young girl.

'A classic female lead, huh?'

It was just your typical female lead.

A naïve, childish, but somehow good-natured noblewoman. Of course, she has a beautiful face adorned with elegance.

"A cruel fate awaits you.'

From the title of the book, it was not that hard to understand what was going to happen either way.

But the prologue was well executed. The writer was pretty skilled in terms of constructing the main character.

In just one chapter, we would have a grasp of her character and the family dynamics between her and her family.

Of course, this also included her fiancée, the prince of the country.

As I continued reading, I could feel my sister's eyes on me, waiting for my reaction.

Elara's world was turned upside down on the eve of her fifteenth birthday and blessing ceremony. Betrayed by her beloved sister and her unfaithful fiancé, Elara was stripped of her dignity and cast out. The scene was intense, filled with vivid emotions and heart-wrenching betrayal.

"See, I told you it's good," my sister chimed in, her voice triumphant.

"Yeah, yeah," I mumbled, focused on the story. 

The reason for that was not because the book was good or anything, don't get me wrong.

There are many places where it could be executed a lot better, and many plot points felt rushed as well.

The reason for my focus was simple. Since I had started something, I would need to see the end of it.

Regardless of how stupid a decision is, I am someone who sees the end of it.

Yes, you are right.

I am stupid.

But that is who I am.

In any case, let us return to the topic. 

Throughout the book, Elara faced numerous challenges. Each character she encountered, whether friend or foe, was richly developed and added layers to the story.

Of course, there was also an academy life; if not for that, how could the writer add the reverse-harem details anyway?

The academy novels have already become cliché, haven't they?

But well, at least the academy life was depicted in great detail, showcasing Elara's growth and the complexity of her relationships with other students, including her sister and former fiancé who also attended the academy.

Of course, with it being a romance-fantasy book, there were many supernatural events alongside the history of the book.

And eventually, I reached the end of the published chapters.

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Please wait for the writer to publish more chapters.

You can send gifts to the writer if you want.

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Seeing as it read like this, I couldn't help but feel a little bit disappointed.

Somehow, in just one hour, I finished all fifty chapters that could be read. But well, that is my specialty as well as my curse.

"She really grows on you, doesn't she?" my sister said, breaking the silence.

"I guess," I mumbled. "The character development is impressive."

"You….Don't lie…." She said. "Just tell me your honest feelings."

I looked at her, considering. "Do you really want my opinion?"

She nodded her head eagerly.

"Alright, don't say I didn't warn you." I decided not to hold back. "Firstly, the writing style is too shallow. Even though the character development is good for some characters, that's not applicable to all. Many of them have their motives left out, and from the reader's perspective, this makes them one-dimensional. That's especially the case for the male characters. They all seem to be operating solely according to their emotions, which doesn't make sense. Almost every one of them is a person with a higher standing, and their positions require logical thinking and ruthlessness as traits. But, those traits do seem to completely evaporate when they somehow interact with the protagonist."

She listened, her expression turning more thoughtful. "Go on."

"Take the prince, for example," I continued. "He's supposed to be this cunning, strategic figure, yet his actions are driven by whims and shallow emotions. It's inconsistent. And the way the academy life is portrayed, while detailed, falls into too many clichés. The supernatural events are interesting, but they feel tacked on rather than integral to the plot."

She sighed. "I guess I see your point. But don't you think you're being a bit harsh? It's a romance fantasy, after all. It's supposed to be a bit... exaggerated."

I get that," I replied. "But exaggeration doesn't excuse poor character motivations. Especially at the first turning point of the novel. The time when the protagonist, Elara, gets caught by the prince. That part... It was supposed to be the most important part of the novel, yet I don't get it. Who in the world cheats on their fiancée on their second most important birthday when everyone was attending the banquet?"

"Ah.....That part.....I can see what you are trying to say...It is like shouting I am dumb while you are taking the SAT exam...." 

She somehow seemed to agree with me in this part. 

"Exactly!" I continued, getting more animated. "And the scene where Elara was framed—it's so contrived. How can people be so stupid as to believe such an event? Can't they use their brains to speculate more? The whole thing feels forced. It's like the author just wanted to create drama without thinking it through logically."

My sister suddenly smiled, a knowing look in her eyes. "In this world, people find it way easier to believe what they see rather than think."

I blinked, taken aback by her response. "What do you mean?"

Somehow, her smile looked a bit pained. Just as she leaned back and started to talk, suddenly, my world began to spin as if the very fabric of reality was warping around me. Her voice grew more and more distant with each passing second.

An immense headache struck me down, a piercing pain that felt like my skull was being split open. I clutched my head, trying to steady myself, but the sensation was overwhelming. My vision blurred, and the familiar surroundings of the bus faded into an indistinct whirl of colors and shapes.

After what felt like an eternity, the pain began to subside. I slowly opened my eyes, my vision clearing.

Only to find myself in a peculiar situation.

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