"Huh?" Juho was shocked as his eyes darted back to every word on the screen, he clicked the refresh button repeatedly. But no matter how many times he tried, the result remained the same.
His heart pounding as his mind tried to process that Villain Overkill is gone on the website. Is this really happening?
His fingers trembled as he gripped the phone tighter, his gaze sweeping across the screen. He had imagined something like this happening years ago as a dreamer, but never truly believed it would. Now that it had, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Who would have thought?" Juho murmured, his lips curving into a small smile as he continued scrolling through his files. There it was, his carefully maintained copy of Villain Overkill in FDP. A total of over 3,448 pages...
Juho sighed in relief, his shoulders relaxed as a smile appeared on his face. He ran a hand through his hair and chuckled softly. "Thanks to my paranoid self." he murmured, grateful that his favorite novel hadn't disappeared.
Looking back, he couldn't help but feel like a fool. Who in their right mind would go through the hassle of writing everything down manually when copy and paste already existed?
Then again, some people on the internet who have too much free time would argue that writing by hand or typing on a keyboard made them feel more connected to the story, as if they were part of it.
Even so, he doesn't change the larger problem. The continuation of the story was beyond his control, and it depends entirely on the recovery of the broader data system.
So, even if the author decided to come back one day and update the story, it wouldn't be possible until the corrupted data was restored.
The government had already announced that a massive amount of data had been compromised. Juho hoped that was all that happened, but the question is... Who in their right mind would dare to do something like this on a global scale-
—Boom
Juho was snapped out of his thoughts, cursed under his breath. What else is that sound? He adjusted his glasses, then went to the window and peered through the glass.
It looks like chaos has formed outside. He can faintly hear someone screaming, desperate cries faintly reaching him even though he's on the seventh floor. If help was coming, he sure that it didn't sound like it.
For a moment, Juho swallowed and slowly backed away, his breath catching in his throat as he squinted down at the chaotic scene below.
In a split second, his eyes caught something moving among the blurry crowd, a single figure whose movements looked unnaturally smooth.
One by one, people collapsed in the distance after being struck down by someone whose face was hidden by a hood pulled low over their head. Wait... that hood... it looks just like the Void Hood from the novel?
Juho's body tensed, a frown forming on his forehead as his mind struggled to process the bloody scene before him. "What the...?" he muttered, his heart quickening. Was that the same person who appeared on television? Would they notice him next?
Suddenly, the figure snapped their head in Juho's direction, sensing his gaze on them.
They tilted their head slightly, their gaze cold and sharp. Though it was unclear, a faint grin was visible on their lips. They turned toward his location and walked, their footsteps unhurried as if taunting him.
Juho stiffened, a shiver runs down his spine upon realizing that they're aware of his gaze and immediately went to crouches down and looks at his hands, which are trembling at the mere sight.
His heart almost dropped. "I shouldn't have jinxed it in the first place..." Juho whispered, his expression turning solemn as he forced himself to stay calm.
With a careful motion, he stiffly shifted his position to sit on the floor. This was more serious than he had thought, he needed to find a way out, he couldn't just stand here and wait for danger to come to him.
But before that, he gave his cheeks a hard slaps to make sure this was just a dream, but all that remained was the pain on his cheeks.
He stared at the phone in his hands, his mind racing as the realization hit him. The events before him, the chaos outside, the sirens, even the figure in the black hood, were familiar. He was sure about it.
They matched the opening chapter of Villain Overkill. This wasn't just a random attack, it was right out of a story.
Juho closed his eyes to think about the absurdity of the situation. Wasn't the protagonist of Villain Overkill also someone who read a novel that became, just like what was happening now? In other words, was he reading a novel about someone else who read a novel that also became reality?
He become more confused by the words that seemed to be spinning around in his head. The idea was so ridiculous, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry
***
As the sirens outside grew louder, he took a deep breath and decided to step outside to see for himself. When he opened the door, he was greeted by the sight of people running in fear.
His eyebrows furrowed, he couldn't help but become anxious as well. Juho closed the door behind him, locked it first, and took his time walking towards the stairs.
But just as he took a few steps, a hand gripped his shoulder from behind, stopping him from proceeding.
Startled, Juho looked back and saw Seung-ki, the uncle from next door. Panic was clearly written all over his face. His usual calm and stoic demeanor was gone, now replaced by urgency.
"Juho," Seung-ki whispered, his voice cracking. "What's going on? I heard screams, explosions... everyone is running. Is there a riot happening? But on television, they mentioned monsters. What's going on here?" He bombarded Juho with questions he couldn't keep up with.
"That..." Juho whispered, then continued, "Unfortunately, I don't know either." he said honestly, his voice hushed under the commotion. He couldn't possibly tell him that he might or might not know the truth yet.
He glanced toward the stairs. He was supposed to keep moving, but Seung-ki's presence held him in place. After that, Juho asked. "Uncle, you look panicked. Did something happen?"
Seung-ki ran a shaky hand through his hair. "My daughter," he muttered. "She went to a store to get something. I told her to be quick, and now... this situation is happening. I tried calling, but it went to voicemail." He stopped, clutching his phone tightly. "I have to find her."
Juho hesitated. "But the streets aren't safe. Maybe you should wait..."
Before he could say anything else, Seung-ki shook his head and interrupted him. "I can't just wait. What if something happens to her? I..." His voice faltered as he took a step back, his face pale.
Juho wanted to say something to stop him, but in the end, no words came out. He couldn't even convince himself that everything would be fine.
"Just.. make sure to be careful." he finally said.
Seung-ki nodded, his expression still tense but more composed than before. He patted Juho's shoulder and spoke. "Thank you. Remember to take care of yourself too, Juho. If you want, you can come with me to look for Seung-ji. It's dangerous to wander alone in times like these," he offered, tilting his head while waiting Juho's answer.
Juho turned his head sideways to clear his throat and politely declined his offer. "I'm sorry, but I... I have to go somewhere first," he said, avoiding Seung-ki's gaze. He couldn't admit that he was too anxious to run into Seung-ji outside the school, it just felt awkward.
Seung-ki studied him for a moment, sensing that something was off but didn't question it. His expression softened, and he let out a sigh. "Alright. Just promise me to be careful, okay? Your parents would have my head if something happened to you."
"I promise. You too, Seung-ki nim. Don't forget to take care of yourself." Juho smiled slightly.
They exchanged one last word before Seung-ki moved past him and hurried off. Juho exhaled, running a hand through his hair. 'Why does it feel like he just let him walk into disaster?'
He stood there for a moment until hurried footsteps snapped him out of it.
Juho continued to move cautiously, a bit worried as people ran from the upper floors, pushing each other hastily to get out of here.
He walked down from the seventh to the first floor. By the time he reached the bottom, nearly fifteen minutes had passed. He didn't dare to rush, especially after almost tripping down the stairs when someone bumped into his shoulder in their panic-stricken state.
When Juho finally stepped outside the apartment, the scene made him feel sick to his stomach.
A woman crouched down on the ground, her body shaking as she cradled what seemed to be her friend's lifeless body, her hands stained with blood. Another person was sobbed in terror, while a man desperately searched for a place to hide.
Juho's heart ached, he couldn't bear himself to watch the scene, but he forced himself to keep moving, trying not to let the panic cloud his mind.
'This chaos... if it's really based on Villain Overkill, then how is that even possible?' he thought. Narrowing his eyes, he stared at the faint blood on the floor.
The story he knew so well was now interfering with his reality, and he knew it was just the beginning of everything that was going to happen next.
•
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To Be Continued.