Original Chpaters (Manwha): 1-8
1: the ruthless beau
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With life, there was death.
With light, there were shadows.
With sane people, obviously, there were bound to be people who had loose screws in their heads. One such example would be finding pleasure in bullying someone. Bullies do it for the sake of entertainment and others do it to vent their own weakness on people weaker than them while some do it just because they can.
Ahn Eun-Byeol knew exactly how far bullies were willing to do just to satisfy their urges. Although, Eun-Byeol himself was not one of the nicest humans in the world. In fact, he shouldn't be criticizing the so-called bullies. It made Eun-Byeol quite the hypocrite.
In fact, compared to his superiors who liked picking on him, what Eun-Byeol could do would probably send him to jail for a lifetime. If he was lucky, it would just be a couple of decades. But by then, Eun-Byeol would have turned into a wrinkly old man. He refused such a future so Eun-Byeol restrained his true self, and decided to play an act for the world to see.
Nonetheless, someone had seen through his act, as if Eun-Byeol was an open book. He had never noticed that person before even though they worked in the same company. According to Eun-Byeol, that person appeared to be ordinary-looking. Nothing seemed special about him other than how his eyes were glued on the screen of the phone every break time.
Kim Dokja. That was his name.
Eun-Byeol had never seen someone so dedicated before. He once took a peek at whatever Kim Dokja was reading but Eun-Byeol lost interest when he saw that it was a webnovel. He thought that it might be something interesting, something like a secret he could blackmail Kim Dokja with...
Anyway, Eun-Byeol still had some documents to work with but figured it would be better to do it tomorrow. Picking up his stuff, Eun-Byeol just locked the door to his office when he caught sight of the very person he once planned to blackmail.
Kim Dokja raised his gaze, startled to find team leader Ahn Eun-Byeol staring at him. "S, Sunbae, good evening."
Eun-Byeol smiled, pocketing the key. "Good evening, Dokja-shi. How come you're late to go home today? Public transport at this time must be crowded. "
"Well, not that crowded. It's still alright around this time. I can still find a seat at least." Dokja mumbled under his breath but since the hallway was devoid of any other living organisms at the moment, the walls amplified his voice, even startling him a bit. When he heard Eun-Byeol laugh, Dokja suddenly felt as if he was walking on thin ice.
Ahn Eun-Byeol.
He was infamous in the company.
And Dokja had heard about him ever since he started working there. Team leader Eun-Byeol came from a poor family, the kind of poor that could barely eat a meal a day. Some of their colleagues used to be team leader Eun-Byeol's classmates so his family circumstances spread in the company. Since team leader Eun-Byeol was pretty, to the point that even beautiful women envied him, team leader Eun-Byeol became a target of bullying.
But this pretty team leader, who seemed harmless outside, retaliated almost instantly. When a woman of higher ranking insulted him during a meeting, team leader Eun-Byeol poured a steaming cup of coffee over that woman's head. Everyone knew he liked his drinks hot, one that would leave a normal person's tongue scalding.
In the end, that woman ended up crying from the pain and was sent to the nearest hospital. Even then, the higher-ups present remained neutral. After all, team leader Eun-Byeol was a very efficient worker.
After that little scuffle, those who disliked Eun-Byeol only retaliated with superficial means. They knew not to mess with him, not only because he wouldn't get in trouble, but also because Eun-Byeol followed the concept of an eye for an eye. They were not ready to get hurt like the woman who got hot coffee poured over her.
However, was that enough for Dokja to be wary of this person? Of course not. It was because although team leader Eun-Byeol was obviously a ruthless person, he still managed to make others feel that he was kind. He pulled in others and made them do what he wanted without the other person realizing.
In short, Kim Dokja realized that Ahn Eun-Byeol was a ruthless, manipulative person.
So, Dokja felt wary around this person.
"Um, anyway, I gotta go, sunbae. Good night."
Ahn Eun-Byeol noticed Dokja's discomfort but he ignored in the end. Picking on that guy made him uncomfortable anyway, as if he was bullying an animal, and he didn't like picking on animals.
Soon, he reached the underground parking lot, only to realize that all four tires of his car were flat. "Hm, could they not destroy my stuff? It's expensive to get new tires." Eun-Byeol massaged his aching temple, wanting to know who had the guts to pick on him today. He thought that after pushing the last one down the stairs that others would leave him alone for a while.
Seemed like they all grew courageous when he got scolded for once.
"Seriously," Eun-Byeol clicked his tongue. "I have to pick up my sister today."
In the end, Eun-Byeol decided to take the train. The school his sister went to was near the subway anyway.
On the way to the subway, he even saw a glimpse of Dokja, Sangah, and that pain in the ass Han Myungoh. But they were people he saw every day at work and he wasn't all that close with them. Eun-Byeol got onboard in a different cabin than them.
Just like what Dokja said, even if this was a busy time, there were still seats available. Eun-Byeol simply stood near the door, leaving the seat for the elderly who just arrived. The old man caught his gaze, smiling brightly at him before taking a seat. Eun-Byeol returned it with a genuine smile before taking out his phone to text his sister.
Beau Byeol
I'm taking the subway today. Wait for me at the station.
It didn't even take his sister half a minute before a reply arrived.
Belle Binna
the subway? you hate the subway!
thats why
you bought a car first!
instead of paying for my school trip!
Beau Byeol
Something came up that's why.
Eun-Byeol still planned on telling her to behave at the station and not act like a wannabe hero when the train suddenly came to a halt. Quickly, he grabbed onto the handrail to steady himself.
A creature appeared floating in midair, wearing a small garment made of patched cloths. Its sudden appearance stunned the people, invoking fear and confusion among the masses. Although it looked cute, this creature that reminded them of a dokkaebi who gave off a sinister and otherworldly feeling.
"G, Good evening, um, creatures of this planetary system. Today is the day that marks the end of your planet's trial period." The dokkaebi stuttered while reading the script he prepared for today.
"Trial period?"
"Is someone filming a sci-fi movie right now?"
"C'mon, I have somewhere to be so why are you guys filming like this all of a sudden?"
"Yeah, you haven't even informed us!"
"Are you joking right now? When have we consented to play a part in your damn movie?"
The dokkaebi swept a gaze over the people, mentally marking the ones who kept talking back. He cleared his throat and ignored their complaints, reading the script yet again. "Since the trial period has ended, it, it is time to pay your debts. Uh, channel #SA-1134 has now opened. The constellations are now making their appearance—"
"Hey, are you even listening to us?" Someone interrupted, annoyed how the dokkaebi kept talking. "Stop with your bullshit, got it? I'm already late to my appointment as it is. When are you guys gonna stop filming?"
"Shut up."
Blood splattered all over the cabin without warning. The woman who had just been complaining about being late to her appointment died in a blink of an eye. The people near her froze in fear and the complaints that filled cabin 3907 vanished. All eyes then turned towards the dokkaebi.
"Uh," under numerous eyes, the dokkaebi who grew annoyed stammered yet again. "Now, please pay up your debts! Good luck!" The dokkaebi shouted in embarrassment before disappearing.
A status window lit up in front of each person.
[The main scenario has arrived.]
[Main Scenario #1]
[PROVE YOUR VALUE]
Kill one or more living organisms
Category: Main
Difficulty: F
Time Limit: 30 minutes
Reward: 300 coins
Penalty for failure: Death
At first, no one spoke a word.
Not until a person stabbed another with a cutter on the arm. It was then that hell descended in the cabin.
Ahn Eun-Byeol, however, was stuck reading the status window again and again. Kill one or more living organisms, it read.
As mentioned before, Eun-Byeol wasn't a kind person. He was ruthless and manipulative. He would trick others to do things for him and those people would only feel grateful for his kindness. If given enough money, Eun-Byeol would even sell the company's secret to the enemies.
What the dokkaebi wanted everyone to do, to him, it was just another chore. Cleaning blood off his clothes might be a pain in the ass, and the idea of letting the corpse to rot in public sickened him. If he were to kill, he would rather do it where he could bury the body.
Should I assume that this situation is also happening elsewhere? At that moment, he received a message from the government. It was then he knew that the same situation was happening all over, not just in the cabin.
Eun-Byeol grew worried about his sister.
What if by the time he picked her up, she would have already bathed in blood?
That can't do. Her uniform is expensive! I can't afford to buy another set!
On the window of the train door, Eun-Byeol saw someone's reflection approaching with a baseball bat. It was a teen around his sister's age, aiming to take his life. Eun-Byeol barely blinked when he turned around and caught the bat before it could hit.
"Aren't you a little too heartless for a kid your age?" Then again, his sister was even worse.
"L, Let go!" The teen tried to pull the bat back, but Eun-Byeol held it with a death grip. Instead, he snatched the bat from the teen. Horror filled the youth's eyes before changing targets instead. His eyes landed on the old man still sitting amidst the chaos.
But before he could do anything, a bat slammed against his head and cracked his skull open.
With one hit, the nameless teenager died.
[The first kill mission has been accomplished!]
[You will receive 100 coins as a bonus.]
[Time remaining: 13 minutes and 17 seconds]
Ahn Eun-Byeol snorted at the corpse. The kid had the guts to kill someone but lacked the guts to face the consequences. "Old sir," Eun-Byeol faced the old man who had been staring at him quietly all this time. "No hard feelings? I don't suppose you have the means to survive with how things are going along."
The old man suddenly laughed. "You have no qualms killing a kid but you're showing sympathy for an old man like me. You're quite strange, aren't you, young man?"
"Not as strange as you, old sir."
Their conversation was very out of place in the middle of the chaos.
Eun-Byeol chuckled, taking a seat beside the old man. No one dared to come close to them, seeing how Eun-Byeol killed someone with just one hit. "Old sir, make your decision."
"No need," the old man chuckled. "Even if I don't do anything, I'll still die, won't I?"
"... that's true." This made Eun-Byeol glance at the status window again.
[Main Scenario #1]
[PROVE YOUR VALUE]
Kill one or more living organisms
Category: Main
Difficulty: F
Time Limit: 30 minutes
Reward: 300 coins
Penalty for failure: Death
The penalty for failure was death, so even if he didn't offer to kill the old man, the other would have still died. What a shame. There goes the coins.
As time went by, Eun-Byeol and the old man watched as more and more people died. Some died instantly while others bled to death. Blood splattered on the train walls. It made it difficult to see out the window. Puddles of blood formed on the floor and corpses piled up one after another.
Soon, the countdown reached 0:00.
[Your time has run out. Proceeding with checkout.]
The scene in the cabin could only be described as hellish. Those who had yet to kill someone, those who were already on the verge of dying—all of them died instantly.
Ahn Eun-Byeol simply frowned when the old man's blood splattered on him.
He should have gotten away from him before the countdown ended. "What a mess. How am I going to clean all this up later?"
[Main Scenario #1 Prove Your Value has ended.]
[Number of survivors in cabin number 3907 of train number 3434 to Bulgwang: 1]
The only survivor in the cabin... was Eun-Byeol.
"I wonder if my workmates are still alive."
[The constellation Love Me Till Death likes your face.]
[You have been gifted 200 coins.]
[The constellation Spiders Are The Best likes your face.]
[You have been gifted 300 coins.]
"..." These messages rendered Eun-Byeol speechless.
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Your author has something to say, "..."
I'm not updating this yet btw sjkxhdnskxhdndjd I just needed to get this out of my head 😭