James Park sat alone in his small, dimly lit apartment, the faint hum of his refrigerator the only sound accompanying him. At 28, he had a steady job as a marketing analyst, lived in a decent neighborhood, and owned a modest car. By most societal standards, he wasn't doing too badly. But as he scrolled mindlessly through TikTok, watching couple after couple share romantic moments—holding hands, laughing at inside jokes, sharing sunsets—James felt like a loser.
He sighed, tossing his phone onto the couch beside him. "Am I really going to die alone?" he muttered to himself, staring at the ceiling.
James wasn't unattractive—at least, he didn't think so. His brown eyes were ordinary, his face passable, and he had a decent build for someone who spent most of his time sitting at a desk. But it wasn't his looks that were the problem. It was him. He lacked confidence, the kind of easy charm that seemed to come naturally to others. Talking to women felt like navigating a minefield—every step an opportunity for disaster.
High school had been a disaster in the romance department. He spent years crushing on girls from afar, imagining grand romantic gestures he never had the guts to act on. College hadn't been much better. Every time he mustered up the courage to talk to someone he liked, the words stumbled out of his mouth like a train derailing at full speed. "Uh, hi, I—uh—your notes are nice. I mean, uh, can I borrow your notes?" Smooth.
When he graduated and started working, he thought things might change. He was older, wiser—surely, he could handle a little small talk with a cute coworker. But the pattern repeated itself.
There was Melissa from HR, who smiled at him every morning. James spent months trying to figure out how to ask her to lunch, only to overhear her gushing about her fiancé during a team meeting. Then there was Clara, his cubicle neighbor, who laughed at his jokes and occasionally brought him coffee. He thought he might finally have a chance, only for her to drop the bomb that she thought of him as "a really sweet brother."
A brother.
"Maybe it's me," James said aloud, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "Maybe I'm just not built for this."
The loneliness weighed on him more heavily these days. It wasn't just about wanting someone to share his life with—it was about wanting to feel wanted. To have someone look at him like he mattered. He glanced at his phone, still sitting beside him. TikTok had been his escape for months now. A few minutes of mindless scrolling and he could forget about his problems.
He picked it up and opened the app. The algorithm was uncannily accurate these days, feeding him endless videos of happy couples. One showed a guy surprising his girlfriend with a trip to Paris. Another featured a young woman talking about how her boyfriend planned an elaborate proposal. James groaned. "Even the damn app is mocking me."
Just as he was about to close it, an ad popped up.
"Are you tired of reality?" a sultry female voice asked. The screen showed a young woman sitting on a park bench, tears streaming down her face. "Do you wish for a world where love always finds a way?"
James raised an eyebrow. "What is this?"
The ad shifted to show a man and a woman standing under a cherry blossom tree, their hands inches from touching. The voice continued, "Dive into stories that will make your heart race and your soul soar. Webnovel: A World of Endless Possibilities."
The ad ended with a short snippet of a romance novel. The female protagonist, a headstrong journalist, was confessing her love to a stoic billionaire. "I don't care about your money!" she cried. "I love you—the real you!"
James found himself oddly intrigued. "Cheesy as hell," he said, but he couldn't deny the excitement stirring in him. Romance novels weren't exactly his thing, but… why not? It wasn't like he had anything better to do.
He tapped on the link in the ad, downloading the Webnovel app. The interface was simple and clean, with categories like "Fantasy," "Romance," and "Slice of Life" displayed prominently. He hesitated for a moment before clicking on "Romance."
The first recommendation was titled Billionaire's Secret Obsession. The cover featured a dark-haired man in a tailored suit, gazing intensely at a shy-looking woman. James laughed. "Of course it's about a billionaire."
Curious, he clicked on the preview. The first chapter was cliché but oddly captivating. The protagonist, a struggling artist, met the mysterious billionaire at a gala she was catering. Their chemistry was electric, their banter sharp. James found himself reading faster, caught up in the drama.
Before he knew it, he'd read three chapters. He blinked, realizing he'd lost track of time. "What the hell?" he muttered. "This is actually… good?"
For the next few nights, James dove into the world of webnovels. Each story was like an escape from his own mundane life. He read about star-crossed lovers, forbidden romances, and happy endings that always left him smiling. It wasn't just the romance that drew him in—it was the hope. The idea that no matter how flawed or broken the characters were, they always found someone who saw them as enough.
One night, while browsing for a new story, he stumbled upon something different: a BL novel titled The Prince's Heart. The cover showed a regal-looking man with golden hair, his piercing blue eyes staring into the distance. Standing beside him was a dark-haired knight, his expression unreadable.
James hesitated. BL wasn't something he'd ever considered reading. But the summary intrigued him: In a kingdom on the brink of collapse, a beloved prince and his loyal knight must navigate political intrigue, betrayal, and forbidden feelings.
"It's just a story," James told himself. "What's the harm in reading a chapter?"
And so, he did.
To his surprise, the story pulled him in immediately. The prince was charming yet insecure, unsure of his ability to lead. The knight was stoic and fiercely loyal, his every action driven by his love for the prince. Their bond was intense, their chemistry undeniable. James found himself rooting for them, eagerly turning page after page.
By the time he reached the final chapter, he was hooked. But then, just as the story was reaching its climax, he saw the dreaded words: This novel is currently on hiatus.
"No way," James groaned, staring at his screen in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me."
Frustrated yet unable to let the story go, James spent the next few days thinking about it constantly. He tried reading other novels to distract himself, but nothing quite hit the same way. The characters, the emotions, the tension—it all lingered in his mind.
As he sat on his couch one evening, staring at the ceiling, he muttered, "Maybe I really am a loser. Who gets this hung up over a book?"
Little did he know, his life was about to change in ways he could never have imagined.