Bab 1: The Day the World Changed [1]

Author note: The story begins in chapter 0, the one before this one. The prologue introduces the MC and his background. Of course, if you aren't interested, feel free to skip it. But as the author, I'll recommend you read it to completely understand the story.

With that said, Let's begin the chapter, shall we?

* * *

[December 31, 2023.]

Around this time, crowds would gather in Hongdae. It was inevitable since it was a popular holiday and all. While I would have liked to join in the celebrations, I found myself in a bit of a bind.

I was stuck in the hospital, yes, that's right. I was stuck in the hospital while others were enjoying themselves, perhaps spending time with their family or friends.

It was really unfortunate but there's no way I could attend even if I wanted to. Besides, I don't exactly have friends or family to celebrate with.

As for how I ended up on this hospital bed, I can't recall the specifics. But I can explain my story from what I can remember.

Jakga Kim, 25 years old, single, a citizen of South Korea, Seoul. A recent graduate of the Seoul National University.

My father dedicated 27 years of his life to the military as a sergeant before he tragically lost his life during an operation. His savings enabled me to attend a private school, excel academically, and secure admission to university.

My mother, a renowned actress at a prestigious studio (the name of which escapes me), passed away in my final years of high school, just before graduation.

I was an only child with no other siblings or relatives. Despite our small family, we managed just fine. Occasionally, it did get lonely as my parents were often away due to work commitments, but I coped.

As for how I supported myself financially, I've established myself as a successful horror writer, earning a monthly salary of approximately ₩50,000,000 after taxes. I began my writing career at the age of 15.

After being inspired by a popular novel, I decided to write a story of my own creation. Since I was new to the world of writing, I received a lot of criticism from the readers. The abuse was so unbearable that I was left with no choice but to abandon my first novel and delete it.

But that was not the end. I didn't give up. I persisted through writing, listening, researching, and repeating the process until I noticeably improved.

When I thought about it, it was a funny memory. Every writer has that first crush. I was also the same. Unfortunately, I have already forgotten the name of that story. After all, It has been a long time.

As for how I ended up in this hospital, I was on my way to a job interview. But I ended up getting hit by a truck driven by a reckless driver.

It was really an unfortunate accident but I had recovered from that incident. Apart from my blurry memory, I was relatively fine. In fact, I felt so healthy that I already wanted to leave the hospital.

Of course, the doctors did not allow me. They said they wanted to run tests on me to ensure I was not suffering from any mental damage. They must have thought I had amnesia because of the accident.

Sometimes, the doctor would check up on me and ask me questions from time to time and I would nonchalantly answer. It was tiring and I wanted to go home.

I sighed before opening my smartphone and began going through a list of novels. At moments like this, I would normally continue writing the chapters of my ongoing novels, but I didn't want to think much. Besides, one of them were already completed.

Clak!

A few moments later, the door swung wide open.

Someone stepped into the room and the atmosphere changed.

The woman was tall in stature with a slender figure and her chest could only be described as 'very plump'. Her facial features were delicate yet striking. She had sharp, expressive eyes framed by long, elegant lashes. She wore subtle makeup that enhanced her natural beauty without overpowering her facial features.

Her long, wavy, platinum hair cascaded down her back and her porcelain skin was flawless as though meticulously sketched without any flaws. She wore a light brown button-up jacket over a crisp white shirt, paired with dark tailored trousers, a sleek belt, and pristine white shoes. It would be strange to call her a korean beauty since she was a foreigner.

I sighed. Unfortunately, she was someone I knew. This girl was really hopeless.

"Angelica, you are back again? Aren't you supposed to spend time with your friends?"

"If I did, wouldn't you be all alone for the new year?"

"I don't mind, really."

"Sigh... This is why I can't leave you alone."

"I don't know what you are trying to say, but..."

Reflexively, my eyes landed on what she was holding. A basket of apples.

"You bought apples?"

"I picked them up on the way. Here, take one."

She sat next to me and gave me an apple. I took a bite out of the apple and took glances at her from time to time while looking at my smartphone.

Her father was American while her mother was Korean. Thus, she was an existence from both worlds.

There were rumors going around the campus that her father was the department head of a big industrial company. I couldn't remember the name, though.

"Hmm?"

She cocked her head to the side. She was looking at the LCD screen of my smartphone.

"By the way, what are you looking at?"

"Um... Well."

"Is it a novel?"

"You read novels?"

"Of course, I love reading novels. Though I haven't been able to read because I have been busy lately."

It was a surprise. She always liked reading novels.

"Which novels have you read?"

"Emergency Contact, Shine, Flip the Script... There are more, but I can't remember their names."

My expression dropped.

Honestly, what was I expecting? All the novels she just listed belonged to the romance genre. I haven't read those novels, but I was able to immediately tell.

As an experienced novel reader, I was able to tell the genre of a novel from just hearing their names once.

"Anyways, which one is your favorite novel?"

"You won't know even if I tell you."

"I read a lot of novels, so tell me."

You couldn't even remember five novels, you know?

But I didn't tell her that. I glanced at the title of the novel displayed on the webnovel platform.

[Song of Nightmares]

Author: Unknown.

I showed her my smartphone, and she looked at the screen.

"What's that?"

"See. You don't know."

"I'm sorry for being arrogant. So what's it about?"

"It's a fantasy novel. It's about survival."

"Survival?"

"Yes. It's similar to ORV And has some horror elements."

"ORV? I see. If that is the case, Is it a popular novel?"

"I wouldn't say it's a popular story. Since the author used that novel as inspiration, most people dislike it and labeled it as a cheap copy."

"So, it's plagiarism?"

"It's more complicated than that. Song of Nightmares is genuinely different from ORV, but most people don't realize it."

Exactly. Most people read only 100 chapters of the Song of Nightmares and quickly labelled the book as a fraud. Initially, I felt the same way until I read further and my perspective changed.

Great main cast, realistic side characters, smart/strong villains and amazing storytelling. Overall, it was a good story. But sadly, most people did not share the same view.

"..."

The silence dragged on, making the atmosphere increasingly awkward.

As a loner, my social skills were lacking, leaving me unable to break the tension. Why did she bother visiting me every day?

Angelica Thomson. She was one of the most admired girls at Seoul National University, a fellow member of the Literature Club like myself. In fact, she held the title of one of the top ten beauties on campus throughout her time there, right up until she graduated. It was no surprise—her delicate features, porcelain skin, and elegant figure was envied by many women and made her the epitome of everything a man could dream of.

I'd even heard rumors that she was working in an industrial company. I also heard that some of her co-workers constantly hit on her from a few friends. Looking at her up close, I could understand their feelings. Even I felt the same way.

However, there was no hope for me. Both of us lived in two separate worlds that couldn't be measured by the concept of distance or any numerial values. That was just it, plain and simple.

Maybe if the genre of my life was different. If only I was the protagonist. Then maybe, just maybe...

Angelica seemed to have become busy with her phone. Maybe she was chatting with her friends. Then I also returned to reading the novel.

Everything had returned to normal. But strangely enough, I stopped reading. It was because I couldn't scroll down anymore.

Wait.... Could it be?

I scrolled and scrolled again but it was the same story. It was only then that I finally noticed.

There was no epilogue.

The story had reached its closing act but there was no epilogue. Perhaps the author forgot to write the epilogue or decided to abandon the story altogether.

I sighed as I checked the reviews. Some were bad while others were good. It was a good story if you ignored the beginning phases but the proper of a ending was the final hit to the gut.

"Jakga!"

I was suddenly bought back to reality. Apparently, Angelica has been calling my name for a while. I completely forgot about the author for the moment.

"Geez! I have been calling you all this time and you are not answering."

"Ah! Sorry, what did you want to say?"

"Ah well..."

As if her annoyance had been nothing but a facade, her cheeks flushed lightly and she began twirling her hair. Then, seemingly out of the blue, she asked a question I never would have expected in a million years.

"Since it's almost time for the new year, I was wondering if you had anyone you liked?"

My eyes opened wider.

'What the f*ck?! Where did that come from?!'

It felt like someone had punched me in the gut and my heart was beating faster and faster with no signs of stopping.

"Well, I..."

As I tried to speak, I fumbled over my words as if something was stuck in my thought.

Undoubtedly, it was just a simple question. But I had no way of answering that simple question.

I could easily say 'no' by I found myself unable to do so and if I said 'yes', I would have to tell her who that person was which I could not do.

After all, there was no way I could actually tell her that the person I liked was her.

'Wait, isn't this the perfect opportunity?'

Both of us were alone in this hospital room so I could freely express my thoughts. There was a risk I could get rejected and that would make the atmosphere between us even more awkward.

'But I might never get this chance again?'

There was no telling what would happen in the future. I might never get this chance again. If I wanted to act, then I have to act now.

Therefore, I slowly began to say the words that may cause my destruction.

"Actually, the person I like is y..."

Riiing! Riiing!

My smartphone notification interrupted me and I soon realised my mistake.

'What the hell was I thinking?'

I narrowly escaped that blunder. Thankfully, I was saved by my smartphone.

"Jakga, what did you..."

"Sorry, I have to check this."

I opened my smartphone and saw I had a new notification. Coincidentally, the time was 11: 55 pm right now.

Perhaps I should count down for the arrival of a new year.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1... The seconds slowly ticked by and then.

"What?" I exclaimed.

It was because all the lights in the building went off. It wasn't just the hospital, the lights in the neighbouring buildings also went off and the place became dark.

"Huh? What happened? A blackout?"

"Relax, hospital's backup generator will be come on anytime now."

As I finished speaking, the lights in the hospital came back on.

I sighed and opened my mouth again. I was scared for a moment.

"See, it isn't a big deal. Maybe the lights went off because the government is working on a new project. Really now, they should make an announcement before they..."

I didn't get the chance to finish my sentence. Suddenly, an unexpected announcement filled the room, but it wasn't from the hospital.

[Initialisating the assimilation process...]

[Assimilation confirmed.]

[The 287th World has been registered into <Soul Link>]

[The Narratives will begin... Prepare for the First Fable...]