23/10/2030

The weekend is quiet. Where Han Juho was curled up on his apartment's sofa, comfortably absorbed in reading a novel he'd been curious about for a few weeks but hadn't had time to start. Now, he was finally able to do it, free from his middle school teaching duties. His expression shifted frequently, confusion, curiosity, then confusion again as he tried to make sense of the story.

With a sigh, he had to put his phone down for a moment and stare at the ceiling, the room silent as it usually is.

What kind of story was this? The plot had taken such a strange turn, and he felt completely lost. "Damn the writer," he muttered under his breath. But almost immediately, he felt a pang of guilt and offered an unspoken apology to the author.

After all, there was something oddly fascinating about the story, or maybe he just hadn't figured out what that was yet.

Juho wasn't much of a reader anymore, though he used to be in his youth. Lately, he had been feeling lonely and missing his family, who he hadn't visited in years since they live in a small town compared to the city where he worked. To pass the time, he found himself browsing a light novel site. That's when he came across a fantasy novel called Villain Overkill.

Such a fancy name, he thought at the time. Out of curiosity, he finally decided to read it today. He hadn't expected much, but things took a dark turn, making him feel a bit pity for the protagonist.

How could he even put it into words? In the story, one of the protagonist's closest friends, the person he trusted the most, betrayed him at the worst moment possible. After going through so many hardships together, his friend turned against him to gain power, leaving the protagonist abandoned and alone, surrounded by enemies, along with a wounded heart that accompanies him.

Juho's chest tightened as he read. How could anyone betray a friend so easily, especially in such a dangerous world? Yet here he was, in a reality that felt just as cruel.

Juho sighed, a little deeper this time. Novels like this always brought up his old dream of becoming a writer. But he knows better now. Making a living from writing wasn't easy. It took talent or hard work, luck, and years of work with no promise it would pay off. Especially after watching his family struggle financially in his youth, that dream felt more distant than ever.

He shook his head, pushing the thought away, it was all in the past now, he shouldn't dwell on it. As he reached for his phone again, a sharp sting suddenly shot through his hand. He hissed, reflexively throwing it across the room, instantly regretting it as it hit the floor with a thud.

"Great," he muttered, wincing as he imagined the damage on his phone right now. "Just what I needed."

Shortly after, the television, which he had not turned on, suddenly came to life without warning. The screen displayed a government warning that stated a massive portion of data on the internet had been corrupted in an attack by an unknown force. This wasn't just happening in Korea, it was happening everywhere.

This couldn't be real, he thought. But there it was, right in front of him. Juho's anxiety grew along with the reality.

He tried to calm himself down and went to pick up the phone on the floor. He brushed it lightly to make sure it was okay and turned on his phone.

He should still be on the novel's page. But somehow, it's now back to the home screen, he opened the website and sighed in relief when it was still functioning. Fortunately, the network is running just fine.

But... It was empty, there were no recommendations for various novels like he had always seen before, only a blank page, but there's still a search bar. Hesitant, he types in the title that has been on his mind: Villain Overkill

As he hit enter, the website loaded, and what appeared next made his heart race...

The novel you are looking for... is unavailable? This means what was broadcast really happened. His body shook slightly, it hurt... After all, he'd only read a hundred chapters, it has potential, he knows it. But now, here he was, stuck at a cliffhanger.

He clenched his fists, nails digging into his palms as frustration welled up inside him. Basically, this is the worst cliffhanger at the worst time possible.

"If only I could read the next chapters..." he whispered, breaking the silence of the room.

He was trapped in the middle of that story, a story where the pages wouldn't turn, and no hidden author could write an ending to save him.

His mind raced, recalling moments, pages, and words he could barely remember. Could the novel hold the answer to all this problem? Or was he just fooling himself, clinging to something that wasn't real? Or maybe this situation had nothing to do with the novel, and he was just imagining it all?

...A few minutes later, he caught himself, embarrassed by his own thoughts. Not this nonsense again. Remember, you're not the main character of a story, Juho...

The government said that a large portion of data on the internet has been corrupted, the novel seems to be affected too. He hoped that was all that happened, but the question is... What sane person would dare to do such things on such a large scale?

———Boom

Juho was snapped out of his thoughts and cursed under his breath. What else is that? He briefly closed his eyes, then moved to the window and opened it.

It looks like there's a riot out there, a lot of people are desperately screaming for help, but of course no one will come to save them.

He swallowed hard, stepping back slowly. His breath caught as he saw bodies collapsing in the distance, some of them struck down by a figure in a black robe.

A frown slowly formed on his forehead as his mind struggled to process the scene before him. "What the...?" he muttered under his breath, his heart quickening, wondering if that person would notice him next.

As Juho had predicted, suddenly the individual wearing a black robe abruptly turned their head towards him. Their gazes were cold and piercing. The startled Juho immediately crouched down and looked at his hands, which were trembling because of the mere glance alone.

Oh my goodness, his heart nearly almost fell out. He shouldn't have jinxed it in the first place.

Juho stiffly changes his position to sit on the floor and stares at his room in disbelief.

He gave his cheeks a few hard slaps to make sure that this was just a dream, but all that remained was the pain on his cheeks, which showed that all of this was not a dream but a reality.

He looked at his phone in his hands and remembered what was happening now, which is written at the beginning of the chapter in the novel, even the person in the black robe was in that novel. Void Hood, isn't that the name?

Juho closed his eyes tightly and thought really hard, didn't the protagonist in Villain Overkill also read a novel that became reality, with the exact same circumstances as what was happening now? Meaning, he was reading a novel about someone else who read a novel that also came true?

He's confused by the words that seem to be spinning in his mind. Taking a deep breath, he decided to step outside to see things for himself. As he opened the door, he was met by the sight of people running in fear.

A suffocating feeling of anxiety enveloped him. Juho closed the door behind him and took his time walking in the direction of the stairs.

He only walked on the edge, a bit worried as people ran from the upper floors, pushing each other. Their footsteps filled his ears, deepening his unease.

He walked from the seventh floor down to the first floor, each step feeling heavier as chaos happened around him. By the time he reached the bottom, almost fifteen minutes had passed. He didn't dare to rush, especially after nearly falling down the stairs when someone bumped into his shoulder.

What happened next hit him hard. A person crouched on the floor, shaking, holding their friend's lifeless body with bloodstained hands. Another cried, choked with terror, while a man desperately searched for somewhere to hide.

Juho's chest tightened, but he forced himself to keep moving, trying not to let the panic fill his mind. How did it come to this?

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To Be Continued...