"I've always hated talented people."
"No matter how much effort I put in, I was always overshadowed by someone born with talent."
"I remember pulling an all-nighter to finish an art project, only to be utterly crushed by someone who effortlessly painted a masterpiece."
"I remember spending weeks buried in textbooks, only to score lower than someone who barely studied."
"I also remembered that time joining a chess competition, only to be beaten by a kid."
"Hard work? Effort? It only got me "decent" results at best. And sometimes, not even that."
"It must be great, living with a golden spoon or blessed by fate."
"That's why..."
Sitting inside his room, Jin Chae began to read whatever was on his monitor screen.
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User2910:★★★★★
I love this author, he's so good at making stories like this. I especially like how the main character appears... see more.
User1102:★★★★☆
God, I hate Karen so much! Thank God she died most horribly. I recommend this novel to everyone... see more.
User 0178: ★★★★★
Thanks for the chapter, author! I really hope Yuki and Dae-hyun get married in a side story, hehe.
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User Gaia???: ★☆☆☆☆
Dog shit story, just another cliché plot with Savior mc having op skills, and a harem tag. The early chapters are amazing, but the author just wants cash, so he resorted to a cliché plot. It's not worth my time. I hope the author gets creative in his work smh.
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Jin Chae's grip on the mouse tightened.
No matter how many five-star reviews filled the page, his eyes refused to move past that single one-star rating.
He knew he shouldn't care.
His novel was doing well. It wasn't at the top of the charts, but it was steadily gaining traction. Wasn't that proof enough that it was good?
A great author would take constructive criticism and grow from it.
A wise author would ignore it and move on.
Most authors would just delete the comment altogether.
But Jin Chae?
Nah, it would be...
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[ Log in to new account ]
[ Start trashtalking. ]
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UserJenChaeeer: Don't judge someone without knowing how hard they worked. Lol why are you even reading this if you hated the story then? Btw is that your only purpose in life? Go touch some grass you stupid ass-.... (see more)
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"Phew..." Jin Chae leaned back with a sigh, cracking his fingers as he stared at the six paragraphs of rage he just posted.
For a moment, he felt satisfied.
But then... after a few seconds, he began regretting his actions.
"Seriously... What am I even doing in life..."
On second thought as he read that review once again...
He recognized the name: Gaia.
Gaia had been there since the very beginning, back when Jin-Chae's first web novel barely scraped together 100 views. Every update, every paragraph — Gaia would read and leave a comment almost at light speed.
For a long time, that unknown reader had been Jin-Chae's only reason to keep going. Yet after Chapter 180, Gaia's comments stopped.
At the time, Jin-Chae hadn't been too bothered. By then, his novel had exploded in popularity, and new viewers flooded in.
Money followed soon after. Four-digit monthly earnings became routine, numbers he had never dreamed of.
Golden Castle? Yeah breeze it, four times a day is just a normal day.
The truth, though? Jin-Chae never expected his work to succeed. It hadn't been meant to.
His novel only started gaining traction when he rewrote everything.
He remembered an early critique from another reader, back when he was just starting out:
[Your novel is good. But I don't think it'll do well... You know, people like certain things.]
It had stung at the time, but they weren't wrong.
Desperate to understand what "certain things" meant, Jin-Chae dove into research.
He learned what the algorithm favored, what readers craved, and the marketplace of the platform.
And slowly, his views soared.
He cracked the code:
01: Readers love smart, nearly omniscient main characters. They need to be decisive, rarely making mistakes. Because readers hate it when protagonists fail most of the time.
02: Romance? Even better if it's a harem. Save a woman, and she falls in love? It doesn't have to make sense; it just works.
03: Add tension; forbidden love? Drama sells.
04: System mechanics, cultivation and reincarnation themes? Always trending. If you want clicks, use them.
05: And if you're writing fantasy? Male leads dominate unless romance is the focus. Female protagonists in action fantasy just don't pull the same crowd.
Jin Chae followed those rules religiously. Not because he wanted to. But because it worked.
And it worked damn well.
Originality? Who cared?
Clichés? As long as the prologue hooked them, the rest didn't matter.
Jin Chae stopped writing for himself a long time ago.
Now, he wrote for the views. For the money.
His characters, his plot, his passion? none of it mattered anymore.
As long as he kept feeding the machine, the numbers would keep rising.
And he had fed it well.
But tonight, he was done.
Sitting at his desk, fingers hovering over the keyboard, Jin Chae began typing the final chapter of his most successful novel.
His golden goose.
The endless cash grab he had milked dry.
And now, he was ending it.
And with it, he planned to end his life at the same time he ended this novel.
Does the reason matter to tell? Not really.
As his fingers moved across the keyboard, his thoughts drifted.
'What kind of ending would the readers want?'
A happy ending, of course. Something clean and satisfying, tied up with a neat little bow.
But then a new question surfaced.
'What kind of ending do I want?'
...
...
...?
???
Jin-Chae stared at the screen as he finally snapped out.
'Why should my thoughts matter? I'll just write the ending that makes the most sense!'
He began typing again, typing on what his storyboard supposed to be.
But as his hands hovered over the keyboard, his fingers suddenly froze.
'On second thought...'
'This isn't my story...'
'This is... the story created by my viewer's demands...'
'If this story were mine... it would be—'
Without hesitation, he hit Ctrl + A and then Delete.
He started anew.
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The system fails.
The last boss seizes the opportunity and drives his sword straight into the protagonist's chest.
The remaining party falters, screaming the hero's name.
But they're useless without him.
Just like the audience wanted them to be.
Predictable.
Helpless.
One by one, they died, unable to save themselves.
[ End. ]
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With that, Jin-Chae smiled genuinely.
And hit Publish.
Ding...
....Ding.... Ding...
..Ding.... Ding...
One comment and another appears flashing in his screen.
The message follows:
User 0123: What the hell?!
User 3479: No Fucking way did the author just killed all his characters!
User 8201: Die Die Die! What's up with this plot! Trash!!
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Seeing the wave of massive hate pouring in, Jin-Chae couldn't help but laugh.
It wasn't a bitter laugh or something like despair kind of thing laugh.
It was just a genuine childish laugh.
When was the last time he'd laughed like this? Probably back when he earned his first hundred dollars from writing. Back when it all felt new and exciting.
He never imagined that such a small act, ending his story the way he wanted — could set him free.
But wasn't it tragic? If Jin-Chae had known that writing something true to himself could feel this liberating, he might have done it from the beginning.
"If only I could rewrite it from the start."
Rising from his chair, Jin-Chae took in his surroundings.
The room was a mess. Papers scattered, empty cups piling up, and dust clings in every corner. Not the kind of space you'd expect from a successful author.
His bank account wasn't much better. Nearly drained, just enough left to cover his bills. At least he'd finally paid off his last debt.
His gaze drifted to the rope hanging from the ceiling. It swayed gently, almost mocking him.
Standing over the small stool, he curled the loop of the rope around his neck.
He took one final breath.
And then, Jin-Chae leapt.
The rope snapped taut around his neck, biting into his skin like fire. The coarse fibers dug deep, scratching and bruising as they tightened.
He'd imagined suffocation would be the worst of it, but nothing prepared him for the violent pull from his neck.
His body began jerking against gravity's relentless grip. It felt as though his head might tear away entirely, a horrifying realization that made him wish, for just a moment, that he'd chosen a different route instead.
The air refused to enter his lungs, a heavy, choking silence enveloped him.
His fingers clawed instinctively at the rope, nails digging into the raw, bleeding flesh of his neck.
His legs kicked wildly. Saliva dribbled from his gaping mouth, the scream he wanted to release trapped somewhere deep inside him.
It's painful.
Very painful.
He wanted to agonize over it, but even his tears wouldn't leave his cheeks.
Seriously, he truly regrets his choices.
But now he'd come this far; he couldn't back out now.
Or even if he could, He wouldn't.
If he survived this, he was sure he'd have no strength to try again.
Just a little longer.
Just a little more...
His vision blurred, and dark tendrils crept in from the edges.
The pain began to dull as numbness crept through his body, and Jin-Chae's flailing slowed.
'Almost there' he thought to himself.
And then everything went still.
'Ah finally...'
His arms hung limp, swaying gently.
His eyes began to close as acceptance washed over him like a cold tide.
But just as the silence embraced him, a voice echoed.
Not in his ears, but rather... deep within his mind.
"Are you done? I'm getting impatient."
Jin-Chae's eyes snapped open, confusion overriding his fading consciousness. He was certain he had died.
The rope still bit into his neck, and the world still swayed in uneven, rocking motions.
Though he grew numb over the pain, he could feel the suffocating tightness in his chest.
Every sign pointed to death.
And yet, he could move. His eyes shifted, his lips parted, and his body... it still obeyed.
"Huh?" The sound left his mouth like a whisper, felt disjointed and wrong.
Slowly, he cast his gaze downward.
There, on the floor below, was a child.
They knelt, staring up at him with an expression that was equal parts curiosity and amusement.
Dark blue hair fell in messy waves around their pale face, while sleek, black wings fanned out lazily behind them. And two sharp horns curved upward from their head.
But what caught his attention was the child's ocean eyes, showing his reflection.
"Are you... a devil?"