Growing up living with my older sister might be the reason why I've always been particularly fond of internet novels since I was young. Even now, well past my twenties, I occasionally seek out the internet novels I used to read, particularly the one known as "Inso."
That day was truly no different from any other day. While walking down the street, a message popped up from my sister on KakaoTalk, recommending an Inso titled "This Kind of Ending" as a masterpiece. As I opened the link she sent and began scrolling...
Bam―.
A clacking sound, reminiscent of something from a drama, filled my ears before I could even register the pain that was about to strike. The phone, flying away before the pain could fully hit, came into view.
Thud!
As the phone hit the ground, my body followed suit. Amidst the dizzying sight, amidst the shattered screen, floating characters swam before my eyes, and a noisy buzz filled the air.
The throbbing pain that arrived a beat too late faded out like a faded scream.
"Kang Sihyun."
Blurry eyes held onto a single name. It was the last sight Sihyun witnessed before closing his eyes.
***
The face in the mirror felt unfamiliar. Sihyun, scrutinizing his face reflected in the flawless mirror, faced a boy within the walls, wearing a somber expression.
The skin covering his face was fair and clear. Every blink revealed thin, lush eyelashes gracefully sweeping up.
His original body wasn't unattractive, but this younger version of Kang Sihyun, barely six years old, was far more exceptional, to the extent that even an insult couldn't critique his appearance.
A face that could lend credibility even to celebrities or idols on the streets. Sihyun, pinching his face, narrowed his brow at the sharp pang of pain.
It wasn't a dream. That statement meant the current situation was real.
Being possessed in a novel.
Experiencing something straight out of a fantasy novel wasn't something he had ever imagined would happen to him.
From waking up on a strange bed on February 7th until it turned into March. Sihyun, who had wasted the past month in denial, only accepted that this wasn't a dream when the day he was supposed to start high school, a day after his graduation, drew near.
Despite hitting his face dozens of times, he hadn't returned to being 'Yoo Sihyun.' No matter how many times he woke up from sleep, the ceiling didn't change. There was even a moment when, in a fit of madness, he contemplated leaping off a building, only to be stopped by an unknown man on the rooftop giving him a sermon.
The last memory seemed to be a car accident...
He wondered if he had died and come to heaven or if, due to excessive immersion in "Inso," he was trapped in an "Inso hell."
Ignoring people knocking on his door for a week, suspecting he might be dead, Sihyun's parents, about to report him missing to the police, finally persuaded him to come out, only for him to sigh and ruffle his black hair as he entered the bathroom.
The light-blue eyes in the mirror sparkled. No matter how many times he faced them, they were unfamiliar and eerie.
Despite all his efforts and attempts, his body remained unchanged, and time passed. Now, forced to accept the truth, Sihyun, with a resigned gaze, scrutinized the figure in the mirror, elements that were indistinguishably similar to the secondary male lead and the female protagonist of the internet novel "This Kind of Ending."
"...It would have been better if I were crazy."
If he were hallucinating due to madness, he might have rejoiced at the sight. However, he had felt sharp and clear over the past month that it wasn't the case.
Tomorrow was Sihyun's first day at high school, his entrance day. Sihyun, gripping his fist over the hand clinging to the sink, pressed his lips together, looking at his reflection.
He had read internet novels for over ten years, believing that knowledge accumulated over ten years could give him an advantage in this situation.
However, the problem was that he knew very little about "This Kind of Ending." It was frustrating to be bound to an internet novel with only eight pages' worth of content.
Characters who transmigrated into fantasy novels usually knew the ending of the novel they transmigrated into, but Sihyun had no such cheat codes. He only knew the main characters through the information from the character descriptions he had read before starting the novel and the clichés from his ten years of experience with "Inso."
What should he do?
Knowing elements and the whole are two different things. Understanding specific elements of a particular genre didn't mean he understood all the works within that genre.
Lost in thought, Sihyun rolled his blue eyes.
One clear thing was that he knew only the main characters from "This Kind of Ending." So, perhaps, if he didn't get involved with them from the start, it might work out.
If he didn't fall for the female lead, Jeong Daun, and avoided entanglements with the supreme beings, there was a chance to avoid troublesome situations.
As an old saying goes, 'Do not look at a tree that you cannot climb.'
Sihyun, recalling the wisdom of ancient sages, turned on the water at the sink. After splashing his face with the refreshing cold water, his overheated mind cooled down.
He didn't know the way back or when it would happen.
Hence, if he wanted to quietly live and seek a way back to his original world, avoiding major characters like the female protagonist seemed to be the best plan. After all, in internet novels, the supreme beings were usually entangled only with the female lead. That was the rule of internet novels.
The names of the rude, cold, affectionate, and cute characters mentioned in the character descriptions flashed through Sihyun's mind as he pursed his dry lips.
Although avoiding Daun, who had knocked on his door every day for the past week threatening to kill him if he didn't open, seemed difficult, he had no other choice.
With a resolute gaze, his determined eyes blurred once again.
Although he had resigned himself to endure until he found a way back to his original world, the future seemed bleak and uncertain.
***
The sun rose, morning arrived, and it was the day of his entrance.
Living as a third-year high school student in South Korea should have been enough once. But experiencing that life twice over, feeling like he had to redo everything from freshman year, made him wish he had already graduated even though he hadn't yet started.
The hellish academic competition and numerous mock tests made him shudder just thinking about it, and an urge to escape surged within him, but there was no fleeing from it.
Stealthily, Sihyun in front of the mirror tidied his school uniform, which seemed like something an idol might wear. Perhaps it was because of "Inso," but the combination of a white shirt and ivory vest looked quite appealing.
Well, even if it's "Inso," it should be okay to take it easy with studies, right?
Yoo Sihyun's school life was a hell submerged in studies. Remembering the time he had studied tirelessly to secure a top university admission
, Sihyun retrieved his prepared crossbody bag, making a mental note that it was at least one aspect that was reasonably fine, considering that a crossbody bag was allowed instead of a school backpack.
However, apart from that, everything else felt unsatisfactory.
He wanted to return to where he originally belonged, with or without the crossbody bag.
Uttering a habitual phrase that wouldn't come true anyway, Sihyun cautiously approached the door before hesitating and stealing a glance back into the living room.
Even though it was the first day of the illegitimate son's high school, Kang Sihyun's parents hadn't come out to see him off. It was only natural.
The once lively and affectionate Kang Sihyun was now acting coldly, even to strangers, as if he were a different person.
Despite inhabiting Kang Sihyun's body, his inner self being Yoo Sihyun made it nearly impossible to interact warmly with Kang Sihyun's parents. The bond between parents and children didn't form overnight just because their bodies had switched.
"Sihyun..."
Suddenly, Sihyun recalled the voice he had ignored last night, and shook his head as if feeling guilty for no reason. He didn't want to treat someone else's parents as his own just because he was possessing someone's body.
And right now, what mattered wasn't Kang Sihyun's parents.
It was about avoiding getting caught by the female lead, Jeong Daun.
Over the past week, he remembered Daun banging on his door, shouting for him to come out so persistently that it felt like his door might actually break. He stared at the firmly closed door, feeling his hair stand on end.
Though he had never met her face-to-face, there was something he instinctively knew from the aura outside the door. If he were to encounter Daun, he had a premonition that Kang Sihyun's parents might lose not only their only son but also his body.
Sihyun tightly gripped his bag strap and cautiously took a few more steps, reaching out towards the closed door.
How would it feel if someone, a childhood friend, suddenly changed their attitude overnight, ignoring and turning away from you?
At that sudden thought, Sihyun's gaze sank. His mind turned slowly, contemplating calmly.
From Daun's perspective, it might be strange and disappointing, but it had nothing to do with "Yoo Sihyun." After all, this was a world in a novel, and these were people unrelated to him.
They were clearly strangers from the start. There was no need for guilt. Sihyun cautiously opened the door and stepped out, his heart pounding. He checked for the sound of footsteps and glanced back.
The wide-open space relieved him. He took out his phone, intending to find his way to school.
"Kang Sihyun."
A chilling voice pierced Sihyun's ears. Startled, he glanced at the source of the voice.
A girl with blue eyes, even though she had unremarkable brown hair and brown eyes, stood at the end of Sihyun's gaze. Even without anyone's explanation, her appearance made it clear that she was Daun.
She was beautiful, but there was no fluttering. He was originally twenty-three; being fluttery at seventeen would be absurd. Yes, he didn't feel fluttery. Fortunately.
He felt like he could die right then.
Sihyun, who had turned into a 23-year-old at the brink of seventeen, stared at Daun who approached him like she might devour him. The confidence to casually greet her, the calm face – that might be Kang Sihyun's, but it wasn't present in Yoo Sihyun who inhabited this body.
"Finally crawling out?"
"......"
From the girl who was clearly smaller than him, a fierce energy emanated. While he vaguely thought that he might die if they collided, he never imagined that his doorstep would become his grave.
"I've been shouting myself hoarse for a week, and now you finally crawl out."
Well, you have to go to school too, right?
Despite the ominous words, Daun's voice still sounded cunning. It didn't seem like her throat was sore, but her tone felt clearly irritated.
Sihyun clutched his bag strap as if his life depended on it and glanced around.
Did Kang Sihyun excel in running?
He vaguely remembered reading something about track and field in the character description.
Rolling his eyes, Sihyun secured a rough escape route while still eyeing Daun, who seemed determined to kill him.
"Uh..."
As Daun finally spoke, Sihyun's eyes widened. Awkwardly smiling at her with an expression asking for an excuse, Sihyun took a step back and swallowed hard.
"Sorry."
"Hey!"
With at least a bit of conscience, he muttered a brief apology and bolted. If the description about track and field was true, his body was incredibly light, rushing at a speed he hadn't exhibited before.
Surprised by the unexpectedly quick legs, Sihyun turned back to look at Daun.
As Daun rushed toward him as if to kill, she seemed like a ferocious beast. Yet, while Sihyun thought Kang Sihyun being in track and field would be fine, he realized Daun was in the volleyball team. One was in track and field, the other in volleyball. It was like dealing with two childhood friends at once, in a way.
"If I catch you, just wait."
Though there was quite a distance between them, Sihyun heard the words distinctly, prompting him to sprint with all his might. The thought that he wouldn't be mercifully killed if caught urged him on.
How long did he run? Despite a considerable distance, Daun's silhouette was still visible when he turned his head. Suppressing his breath, he continued running to maintain a safe distance.
If he could just escape Daun's sight for even a moment, he could change his route and outrun her.
His mind raced. Unintentionally, going to school was completely forgotten.
Thinking only of escaping, Sihyun urgently turned his body toward a side street. Turning the corner, he saw a crossroads. Hesitating, he dashed left, then at the next corner, there it was again.
If he could turn the corner over there, he might survive. With that thought, Sihyun put more effort into his steps.
"......!"
Suddenly, from the alley where he thought no one was, a person emerged.
Startled, Sihyun's eyes widened like a rabbit's as he stared at the boy in front of him. It was a dazzling platinum-haired boy.
Without a moment to react, the distance between them closed rapidly. For Sihyun, who had never shown such speed before, there was no chance to stop and avoid the collision.
"Danger—!"
His belated warning fell flat as the boy appeared right in front of him. Just as he thought they were about to collide, Sihyun, widening his eyes, unexpectedly met the boy's gaze. As he braced for the impact, the boy, too, widened his eyes and reached out towards him.
Wham! The collision was imminent.
"Ugh!"
Sihyun, who had been pushed back, staggered, leaning backward.
Thud!
The sound of their fall wasn't reassuring. Due to him being on top and using him as a cushion, the impact was absorbed by the boy. With a gasp, Sihyun quickly stood up, staring at the boy with astonished eyes.
He couldn't help feeling sorry for the unexpected collision, especially since he'd received the impact as he fell.
"I'm sorry. Are you hurt anywhere—?"
Looking into the platinum-colored eyes, Sihyun began to speak but, unconsciously, his gaze lowered, and he froze.
"......"
Forgetting to continue speaking, he stared blankly at what appeared in his sight.
Three letters were engraved on a white name tag.
'Yoo Seowoo.'
It was the name of the most affectionate among the four heavenly kings.
Thank you for reading this far! You can access more chapters from HERE by joining my Patreon community. You'll gain exclusive early access to the COMPLETE NOVEL.
As a member of my Patreon community, here is what you'll get:
For $5
- Early access to 100s of chapters before they go public.
- You also get access to all the novels I'm translating, you can find them here HERE.
- Your name will be featured on the "Wall of Gratitude".
- The power to vote on which novel I translate next.
- You Get Ad-free Chapters.
For $10
- You get to suggest a Novel for me to translate.
- You get access to Digital art.
- Your name featured on the "Wall of Gratitude" (in gold).
For $20
- You get to recommend a Novel and I will immediately start translating it.
- Your name featured on the "Wall of Gratitude" (in blue).
Plus, you can Cancel your membership at any time.
Don't let this amazing opportunity slip through your fingers!
