3/3/2030
The weekend is quiet. Han Juho sits on the sofa in his apartment, alone at home, phone in hand, his eyes are fixed on the small screen.
Currently, he is rereading his favorite novel, Villain Overkill, which he discovered four years ago, back when he was still a middle school student.
It was one of the most exciting and promising fantasy stories that he had always been waiting for every week. But one day, the updates stopped suddenly, leaving him and other readers on cliffhanger.
"Four years..." he muttered, scrolling past 363 chapters, finally stopping at the last update. "If only the author were still active, maybe the novel would have an ending by now."
To him, four years was more than enough to finish a full length novel, that is, if one were consistent enough.
Then, his gaze fell on the author's note at the very beginning of the first chapter. His expression grew a little more thoughtful. It was a line he had read countless times, and yet, each time he revisited it, an ache always bloomed in his chest. No matter how much time had passed.
"Even if no one reads this, I'II still write. Because maybe, someday, someone will need this story. Even if that someone is... me."
- 무명¹
When he reread the line for the umpteenth time this month, Juho stared at it in silence for a moment. Before he closed his eyes, letting out a quiet sigh.
Back then, perhaps the author thought their work wouldn't attract much attention when they first started. Just a quiet hope written at the beginning of the story.
But if only the star had known. Someone, although it's just one, is still waiting for the continuation of their story, even now.
For years, Juho had the hope that someday, the story might update again. He frequently scrolled through the comment sections for news, checked the site regularly just in case it suddenly updated, and reread each chapter to reignite the excitement.
But with each visit, his disappointment seemed to deepen. The author went on hiatus, with their last update explaining that they were struggling with real life issues, so they then decided to take a temporary break.
They also promised to return once things settled, but to this day, there had been no updates from them.
Yet it wasn't the first time this had happened. The same author had written a virtual reality themed novel a few years before this one.
How had that one ended again? Oh, right, it didn't. Some time after Villain Overkill was published, the author stated they wanted to remake and continue their previous work once that story was finished, but... it never came true.
He had thought about that one from time to time, though not as much as his favorite. It seemed writers had a talent for disappearing on their audience, didn't they?
Juho let out a soft sigh and leaned back on the couch, eyes fixed on the ceiling. He tried to be understanding. It's okay, he told himself. Even amazing writers had their own lives.
Still, it was unfortunate to see such incredible work abandoned, especially considering how deeply a story can leave a lasting impression on its readers.
And yet, no matter how much he told himself to move on, he couldn't.
The world building was rich, the characters were flawed and complex, qualities that only made them feel more human in the readers' eyes. The protagonist's struggles were also written so vividly that one couldn't help but feel immersed in the story.
Juho also remembered one particular scene, somewhere in the final chapters before the story stopped updating, where Seo Seonwoo, the protagonist of Villain Overkill, was betrayed by someone referred to in the novel as the woman in a blue dress. Somehow, it felt too sudden and... cruel.
She had accompanied him through a significant part of the story, so sometimes he thinks, why would she abandon Seonwoo in the middle of the trial? There was still no clear reason, and perhaps, there would never be one.
"Tsk." Juho clicked his tongue, his forehead furrowing as he dwelled on the thought. It bothered him, that lack of closure.
With a deep sigh, he set his phone down on the coffee table, his mind drifting toward his own dreams, buried beneath the harsh reality.
"Writing a novel..." Juho whispered bitterly to himself. He had once dreamed of being a writer, inspired by his love of reading.
Unfortunately, life always had a way of pushing his dreams further out of reach. His parents wanted him to be a lawyer, a stable, respectable future, and as a good son, he tried to follow that path.
Writing? That was always something for later, and with each passing day, that later felt more distant than ever.
'But what if he had pursued writing back then?' Juho wondered, eyes fixed on the ceiling. Maybe somewhere in another timeline, things would've turned out differently.
He kept staring at the ceiling for a moment longer before finally closing his eyes, pushing the thought aside. He reminded himself not to dwell on it too much.
With a quiet sigh, he glanced around the room before reaching for his phone. But just as his finger brushed against it, a sharp sting shot through his hand. He hissed and reflexively threw it to the ground, instantly regretting it as it hit the floor with a loud thud.
"Good grief..." he muttered, shaking his head as he imagined the damage on his phone right now. "Just what's going on?"
He was about to pick up the phone again when he felt a strange vibration outside. His movements halted as he slowly glanced toward the source of the disturbance. What's going on?
Before he could investigate, a loud noise came from his television. The screen flickered to life, making him freeze.
It wasn't a show or a commercial, it's an emergency government broadcast. The emblem of the Republic of South Korea appeared on the screen, followed by a serious looking man in front of the camera.
"Attention, citizens of the Republic of South Korea," the man began, his expression firm.
"This is a national emergency broadcast. A global cyber attack has caused massive data corruption, resulting in extensive data loss.
Online systems, including critical infrastructure, have been severely compromised. The event appears to have been caused by an unknown force."
The camera cut to another location, high above, a zoomed in footage of a large monster rampaging through the city area.
Juho recognized it immediately, Seoul?! Was that the reason why he seemed to hear many strange noises in the distance?
Panicked screams filled the background of the television. The camera flickered again, now focusing on a figure in a black hood, judging by the angle and how windy it is, it seemed to be recorded from a helicopter.
The figure moved like a shadow through the city, dragging a bloody crowbar. Their faces were hidden, yet their presence was unusually calm amidst the chaos.
Despite the violence in their move, there was a strange, almost graceful motion caught on the camera.
"Reports indicate that many areas have been invaded by many unidentified creatures," the man continued, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the edge of the podium. "Additionally, there are reports of a mysterious individual in a black hood, captured on camera earlier. They have been confirmed at multiple locations and are believed to be teleporting rapidly between areas."
"This person, was seen carrying a crowbar, and has been observed attacking innocent lives. Citizens are strongly advised to remain cautious when leaving their homes and to avoid any suspicious individuals."
Suddenly, loud sirens began to wail in the distance. The sound made Juho surprised and he subconsciously clenched his fists, his expression turning worried. At a time like this, he thought about his parents, he wonder if they are safe now?
Juho took a shaky breath, his hands hovering over his chest as he tried to steady himself. In his 18 years of life, he had never heard a siren like this before, and he had to admit, it was terrifying. Meanwhile, the broadcast continued.
"We urge you to stay tuned and wait for further instructions. Please prioritize your safety and cooperate with local authorities. The Republic of South Korea is currently in contact with other countries to address this crisis. Until further notice, keep on the alert, and most importantly, stay safe."
The broadcast cuts to a motionless screen, showing an emergency number and an instruction for citizens to follow.
Han Juho tried to make sense of the man's words and frowned, data corruption? Monsters? Someone in a black hood? This sounded like something straight out of a story. No, this had to be some kind of prank, right?
The blaring sirens outside, however, suggested otherwise. He narrowed his eyes as a sudden thought crossed his mind. 'Wait, what about the novel? The stories... Have they been affected too?'
He tried to calm himself down and bent down to pick up the phone from the floor. Brushing it lightly to make sure the phone's okay, he unlocked it, expecting to find the novel right where he had left off.
Instead, it's now back to the home screen. He frowned and reopened the light novel site, somehow, it loaded slower than usual. He had a bad feeling about this.
After a few moments of waiting... It was empty, there were no recommendations for plenty of novels like he had always seen before, only a blank page, but there's still a search bar. Hesitant, he types in the title that has been on his mind: Villain Overkill
As he hit enter, the website loaded, and what appeared next made his heart race, his worst fear happened before his eyes:
"The novel you are looking for is... unavailable?"
.
.
.
***
Notes:
무명¹: Mu-myeong
Eng translation: Nameless