Ever since the day that I was murdered, I've been trapped in a world where nobody has a face.
I die over and over again, each time in a slightly different manner.
It has become quite…dare I say, unpleasant?
The thing about me, is that I don't really have anyone close to me left.
I couldn't save the ones that I did come to care for, yet I still followed my father's path— even once all was said and done, and the blackmailing had ended.
A realm like this is like a door that is always just in my line of sight, yet I can never fully reach it.
Is it a punishment for the lives that I have taken with my own hands?
My name is Choi Eun-ho, Korean alias for Eun-Ho McAllister.
As you can probably guess; I was born to a Korean mother, and an American father.
Specifically…a notorious serial killer.
Even looking back on the day that I was killed, all introductions aside…
All I could think about was the sheer look of disgust on my upperclassmen's face as he spat out his relentless rejection.
"I would rather drop dead than ever look at your disgusting face again."
I couldn't help but wonder what it was that made it so that I was so repulsive to others.
I can't feel emotions in the way that most can.
While most would feel deep agony at those words coming from the mouth of someone that they admired the most, I felt detached entirely.
Despite the tears that slid down my cheeks as I sat in the rain alone afterwards, they didn't feel like my own.
I felt like an onlooker watching someone else's movie.
In a world where I couldn't even save my own mother, what else was there?
Now then, let's not get too ahead of ourselves, shall we?
•••
"Riku!!" A piercing voice sliced through the air, grating against Riku's ears and prompting him to exhale in frustration.
With a swift motion, he yanked his earbuds from his ears, sending them clattering onto the table with an unceremonious thud.
"What, Mom!?" he shouted back, irritation simmering in his tone as he logged out of the site and slammed his laptop shut, the sound reverberating through the messy room.
He had recently developed an intense fascination with Korean thrillers, constantly immersing himself in worlds of suspense and intrigue that kept his heart racing.
A new WEBTOON had just been released, and the buzz surrounding it was electrifying, leaving him perpetually on the edge of his seat, breathless with anticipation as he constantly saw advertisements about it.
As he got sucked into the hype, captivated by the twists and turns, he decided to save it to his library, eager to uncover the mysteries that lay ahead.
Having only reached the prologue, he was already hooked.
The protagonist— Choi Eun-Ho, was a unique case.
He was a villain by any means, and it made the story that much more interesting for people.
It didn't help that he had been made canonically Bi and flirty in the promotions, which got even the hearts of supposedly straight men fluttering.
As for Riku? He couldn't say just yet.
Just before his mom had interrupted, a vibrant welcoming video had materialized in the corner of the screen, introducing viewers to the unique concept of the Webtoon, further igniting his eagerness to explore this thrilling narrative as it directly interacted with them.
Unfortunately for Riku, it had all been cut short by his mother harassing him once again before he could even click into the next page.
"Are you studying?" His mother's voice reverberated through the house again, sharp and insistent, carrying a sense of accusatory behavior that sent a shiver down his spine.
He could've sworn he heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps thundering up the stairs, each heavy thump echoing ominously through the hallway, as if some looming presence was drawing closer.
The WEBTOON he had reading may have been horror, but there was nothing more terrifying than Riku's mother when she was mad.
"Uh… yeah, mom! I've been working hard!" Riku called back, his cheeks flushed with a mix of embarrassment and exhilaration at the audacious lie that had just slipped from his lips.
The thought of studying felt utterly absurd in the face of the thrilling drama that was unfolding right before him.
He could practically feel the pages of the book tugging at his curiosity, urging him forward.
He pressed his body closer to his laptop, yearning to uncover the next twist in the narrative.
The allure of the unknown captivated him, and he was determined to see what would happen next.
He cast a nervous glance at the door, his heart racing as he felt a surge of excitement.
With a swift movement, he plunged his hand beneath the desk, fingers trembling slightly as he grasped a cold, glass object that glinted in the dim light.
The tension in the room thickened, amplifying the gravity of the moment.
He had recently bought a bottle of alcohol from a foreign street vendor from Eastern Europe, and he was excited to feel the buzz.
He chugged the bottle excitedly, quickly flipping open the computer once again before he logged back into his account.
Once he clicked into his library, he tilted his head slightly in a perplexed way.
Something about the thumbnail struck him as subtly different from before, though he couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was.
He leaned in, narrowing his eyes as he scrutinized the image more closely.
To his surprise, he noticed that the eye color appeared to have brightened ever so slightly, almost shimmering under the light.
It was a minimal change, yet it gave the whole visage an intriguing, fresh allure that compelled him to linger a moment longer.
Artist tinkering?
Yet, he couldn't shake a slightly uneasy feeling.
He cautiously guided the mouse across the screen, a familiar rhythm to his movements, before clicking on the animation that danced quietly in the corner.
To his surprise, it seemed as though a new segment had been seamlessly woven into the footage, catching his attention.
With a resigned sigh, Riku nestled his earbuds back in place, the soft padding fitting snugly against his ears.
He pressed play, and the deep, soothing, eerily melodic voice of the protagonist, Eun-Ho, enveloped him like a warm blanket, drawing him once again into the unfolding story.
•••
It's a little hard to leave messages when the connection is dying out like this.
If you've gotten this far, I'm actually impressed.
The system has a habit of withholding information, so the data being relayed may be a little choppy.
Don't be too surprised if there are puzzle pieces left to discover after this.
I don't have much time left, so I urge you to continue on.
You've already come this far, haven't you?
THIS JOURNEY WON'T BE A SMOOTH ONE, BUT WHAT DO YOU SAY?
CARE TO JOIN ME FOR THE RIDE?
•••
Riku's eyes widened in shock as the protagonist's gaze locked onto his, an intense connection sparking in that fleeting moment.
He was captivated by Eun-Ho's lips curling into a sinister smirk, a chilling expression that hinted at secrets only he could comprehend.
Riku's heart raced like a drum beating in his chest, each pulse echoing the rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins.
His lips parted slightly, caught between fear and fascination, as he realized he was ensnared in a trance-like state, suspended in a world where nothing else existed but that charged exchange.
"What's wrong? Was my offer not tempting enough for you, Riku Ishihara?"
That must've been a mistake…
Riku was an exceptionally popular name, and for all he knew, it might have been intended as a teasing nod to the viewers, just to enhance the underlying fear factor.
But the family name…
As Riku attempted to steady his racing heart, an unsettling chill danced along his spine, sending shivers through his body.
An unshakable sense of dread washed over him, tightening its grip on his throat and rendering him speechless.
The world around him felt distorted, as if reality itself had shifted, leaving him trapped in a suffocating silence.
Something was undeniably amiss, lurking just beyond the veil of perception.
"Awh… what a shame. You really did seem like a fun one. I've gotta admit, that look of fear on your face could really get anyone going. I don't think I could possibly let someone like that slip away,"
Riku instinctively parted his lips, afraid to respond as he glanced back at the captions flickering before him, desperately trying to grasp the man's words.
Just as he was about to utter his first thought, a firm hand suddenly grasped his wrist, yanking him forward with surprising force.
The abruptness of the movement sent a jolt through him, pulling him into the unfamiliar space ahead, where the screen began to suck him in.