Seoul.
No—
The whole world was as it should be every day. People were living their lives as usual. Working in offices, laboring, begging—some dying, while others were just coming into the world for the first time. It was just like every day.
The neon lights of Seoul buzzed faintly, bzzzt… bzzzt… competing with the fading sunlight that dipped behind the skyline. Crowds surged across crosswalks, shoes tapping in chaotic rhythm—tap tap tap—while the endless hum of cars filled the streets with their impatient horns.
In a cramped alley, a homeless man coughed harshly, hack, hack, clutching his thin blanket as businessmen in polished suits passed by without sparing him a glance. In a hospital ward across the city, a newborn's first cry echoed—Waaah! Waaah!—a sound of fragile life entering a world that carried both hope and despair.
Office towers glowed with tired figures working late into the night. Fingers struck keyboards with mechanical precision—clack-clack-clack—as if the weight of their lives depended on each report, each number. Meanwhile, on the streets, laughter spilled from bars and restaurants, students celebrating freedom for one more evening before another cycle of classes.
Yes, everything was normal.
Or at least, it appeared that way.
The world spun on as if today were no different from yesterday. People didn't know. Not yet.
Their fate was about to change.
–––
In a thick, shadowed area of Seoul, near an overflowing dustbin that stank of rotting leftovers, a little girl in torn clothes reached with trembling hands. Her eyes lit up as she spotted a half-eaten piece of bread wedged between scraps. She pulled it out, brushing off dirt with her sleeve. Hunger gnawed at her belly like a beast. She brought it close to her lips—
Snatch!
A rough hand yanked the bread away. The girl stumbled back, eyes widening. Standing before her was a man in his forties, his face unshaven, clothes torn and stained. His eyes were sharp with desperation as he clenched the bread like treasure.
"Please, I'm so hungry." She begged, tears streaming down her face. "Please don't take it. I'm really starving."
The man's lips curled, voice low and ragged.
"I'm also hungry, you little brat. Go somewhere else. This area is mine." He raised the bread, ready to bite.
Thwack!
A fist slammed into his jaw, the impact echoing through the alley. The man staggered back, spitting blood.
From the dim light, a young man in his mid-twenties stepped forward. His hair was messy, his T-shirt torn at the seams, but his eyes carried a firmness that the darkness could not swallow. Without a word, he snatched the bread from the man's hand.
The man groaned, clutching his face, but the young man ignored him. Instead, he crouched in front of the little girl and gently placed the bread in her tiny hands. A faint smile curved his lips.
"T-Thank you, big brother." She said, tears glistening in her eyes as her voice quivered.
The young man didn't say anything—he just smiled.
In that moment, the alley that reeked of despair felt just a little less cold.
Somewhere else in Seoul—
"I'm Jun."
Whenever I introduced myself like that, people laughed.
"Oh, like 'June' the month?"
"Yes… but that's not why I was named that."
"Then why?"
"I don't know. Maybe my parents just wanted me to be ordinary."
Ordinary— that was the best word for me. Sung Jun Young. Twenty-five years old, unmarried, living alone in a shoebox apartment, and my only hobby was reading serialized stories on my phone.
Clap clap clap.
The soft sound of my hands brushing dust from my pants echoed in the small office cubicle. I had just submitted my last bit of work for the day. My back cracked as I stretched—pop!—and I let out a sigh before stepping away from the desk.
I pushed open the exit door, the faint creak of its hinges following me as I walked down the corridor toward the cafeteria.
The moment I entered, the smell hit me—savory broth, fried oil, freshly steamed rice. My stomach growled, grrrk, betraying my hunger. The cafeteria was crowded, a sea of workers packed tightly together, voices blending into a chaotic hum—
"Did you hear about—""Ah, this project's killing me.""Hahaha, cheers to the weekend!"
The clatter of trays and dishes rang out, clang-clatter, as cooks shouted orders from behind steaming counters.
I got my lunch—something simple, lukewarm, but filling enough. With my tray in hand, I scanned the room. Groups of coworkers clustered at tables, laughing and sharing stories. I walked past them and sat at an empty table, like I did every day.
Alone.
Pulling my phone from my pocket, I tapped the screen, the familiar glow lighting up my face. My thumb hovered for only a second before instinctively opening my favorite novel—
The Endless Scenarios.
The Endless Scenarios was a novel no one gave any attention to. I was the sole reader. I didn't know why, but a story abandoned by everyone else became my favorite.
And the author… he was something else.
Despite having only one reader, he never stopped updating. Day after day, week after week, the chapters kept coming. For me. For me alone.
I wanted to support him somehow. But what could I even do? I wasn't a permanent worker at my company—I earned barely enough to pay rent and eat. So instead, I tried to recommend the novel to others.
The result?
People laughed.They said, "What could be good about a story no one reads?"Some even joked that I was the author myself, desperately pushing my own work.
After that, I stopped recommending it.
So it became my secret world. My escape.
As I opened the app, the familiar title blinked at me. The Endless Scenarios.
Chapter 3199.
I dove right in.
"Hey Jun, eating alone like every day?"
A girl's voice pulled me out of the screen.
Startled, I looked up.
It was Yoo Shin-Ah.
She was our office beauty, the kind of woman people whispered about. But to me? She had always been distant, existing in a world completely separate from mine.
Why would someone like her come to me? And actually talk to me?
"Oh… Miss Yoo Shin-Ah."
She tilted her head, smiling lightly."Why do you eat alone every day?"
Before I could even answer, she pulled out the chair across from me and sat down.
The cafeteria noise seemed to fade. Or maybe it was just my paranoia. Because suddenly, I could feel dozens of eyes staring at me.
Why are you all looking?I didn't do anything.She came to me.
It wasn't surprising, though. If someone like her sat with someone like me, it would draw attention.
But I hated attention. It was best to keep my distance.
"I like to eat alone."
I lowered my gaze and returned to my phone, pretending to be absorbed in the novel.
"What are you doing on your phone?" she asked, leaning forward slightly.
"Nothing. Just reading Wenovel."
"Oh really? I also like to read novels. Which novel is it?"
My thumb froze.
If I told her, she would laugh. Just like the others.
"It's not a good one," I muttered. "You probably haven't heard about it."
"I see…" she said, her expression unreadable.
I let the silence settle and focused back on the screen.
Line after line, sentence after sentence, I devoured Chapter 3199. And when I reached the last word, I casually scrolled down for the next.
But instead of Chapter 3200, a single phrase appeared.
[THE END.]
"…Huh?"
My breath caught.
W-What? The End? Are you kidding me?
A strange emptiness filled my chest. Like someone had scooped out a piece of my life. My pulse quickened.
Then—
Ding.
A notification popped up in my email.
[I'm the author of The Endless Scenarios.][Thank you for reading the story until the end.][The novel will be removed from the site today.][So, I gave you the full draft of the story.][Good luck on the future new world.][Attachment-1: The Endless Scenarios.]
"…What?"
Future new world?How did he even get my email?
Questions tangled inside my mind.
"Hey, Jun. Are you alright? You don't look good," Shin-Ah asked, her tone suddenly worried.
But I didn't answer. I frantically reopened the app, refreshing the page.
And there it was—blank.
The novel was gone.
A sharp bzzzzt suddenly cut through the cafeteria air. At first I thought it was a faulty lightbulb. But then the hum grew louder—ZZZZZT! CRACK! BOOM!—until the ceiling itself seemed to split apart.
Gasps erupted. Trays and chopsticks clattered to the floor."What's happening!?""Is it… an earthquake?"
No. This wasn't an earthquake.
Right there, in the middle of the cafeteria, space itself was tearing open. Sparks like blue lightning crackled in midair, burning holes through reality. The temperature dropped, a chill crawling up my arms as a rift widened with a sound like rrrripppp.
And then—he appeared.
A figure stepped out, floating effortlessly in the air, his form radiating an unnatural pressure that pressed against everyone's chest. His eyes glowed like shards of a dying star, his silhouette sharp and alien—neither human nor beast.
Screams erupted around me.People scrambled from their seats, chairs overturning with crash!Some covered their heads, others bolted for the exits, only to slam into invisible walls of force that sealed the cafeteria shut.
My heart pounded so loud it drowned out everything else.
There was no mistaking it. The name carved itself into my mind, as if I'd always known it—
Nokrae.
The cafeteria fell into a horrified silence. No one dared breathe too loud. Nokrae floated above us all, expression unreadable, watching.