The apocalypse-themed fantasy novel Never Ending Story was one of the most popular releases in South Korea. From the character development to the plot, the story constantly dragged readers through a whirlwind of emotions—especially because of the male lead.
Exactly one week ago, the final chapter of that famous novel was released.
That day, fans from all over the world unleashed massive criticism toward the publisher. Most of them were female readers who refused to accept the ending.
Some even put up giant billboards outside certain companies. It became known nationwide as The Great Fan-Reader Riot.
To calm the chaos, the publishing company held a special event where selected fans could decide their preferred ending—and even have a chance to win a special reward.
And today was the day the winner of that week-long event would be announced.
"I can't wait!"
A long-haired girl in a blue sweater and black jeans stood by the edge of a crosswalk, staring intensely at her phone with her lips pressed together. As soon as the traffic light turned red, everyone waiting to cross began walking forward—so did the girl, without tearing her gaze away from the screen.
—View event announcement?—
Click—!
—Congratulations! You are the one and only participant who has won the 'Best Ending' event!—
Her steps stopped instantly the moment those words flashed on her screen. She froze, staring silently for several seconds, trying to process what she had just read. She rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't misreading.
"I… won?"
She couldn't believe it. Out of millions of participants, she alone had been chosen. Only her. Overwhelmed with joy, she couldn't speak, couldn't even move.
"Hey, Kim Sohyun! What are you doing?!"
A girl shouted from across the street.
Sohyun lifted her head, tears welling in her eyes, and cried out, "Kang Luna! I won the event!"
Luna's entire expression froze—eyes wide, jaw dropped.
"Whaaat?!"
"I won the event!" Sohyun shouted again, then ran toward Luna in pure delight.
She didn't notice the traffic light had already turned green. She didn't notice the vehicles that were now moving. Too absorbed in her phone, she failed to realize she was the only person still on the crosswalk.
Honk! Honk!
Sohyun was only a few steps away from Luna. Just a little more and she'd reach her. But the deafening horn of a truck caused her to turn her head on reflex.
The joy on her face vanished instantly.
A large truck was speeding straight toward her.
Crash—!
Everything went black. Her body hurt everywhere—far worse than the accident she had five years ago. Her head burned; her mind throbbed.
"Huh? I got hit by a truck? Am I going to die? Here?"
Her eyes grew heavy. Through her fading vision, she saw Luna running toward her, screaming her name.
"Don't joke with me! I just won the event—how can I die now?!"
Sohyun cursed internally as her consciousness faded. Even the surrounding noise slowly disappeared.
"No way. There's no way I'm dying this easily. Impossible!"
Her vision turned completely dark, but her awareness remained—as if her soul were trapped inside the void.
"I don't want to die!"
Ding—!
A blue holographic screen suddenly appeared before her.
[Soul synchronization complete!]
[Activating Space-Time System]
"What is this…?"
[Preparation 97%]
[Preparation 98%]
[Preparation 99%]
[Preparation complete!]
[Selected World: 'Never Ending Story']
[Start transferring to another world]
"What—?"
She couldn't move. She couldn't speak. All she felt was overwhelming fear as her body plummeted downward at terrifying speed.
Wind tore past her, painfully sharp. She had been falling for so long, yet she saw nothing but darkness.
Ding—!
[Transfer complete!]
[Welcome, Reader]
[You have been chosen to create the ending you desire!]
[The System will always assist you. We hope you can witness the ending you truly want!]
"What the hell--?!"
[Good luck.]
"H-Hey?!"
The holographic screen vanished. The darkness around her was suddenly replaced by a blinding white light. Sohyun closed her eyes instantly, waiting for the harsh brightness to fade.
When it finally dimmed, she opened her eyes—and immediately coughed violently. After several breaths, she managed to pull herself upright and look around.
The first thing she saw was destruction.
A sight so grim it nearly broke her.
Corpses of civilians lay scattered like discarded trash. Some were missing limbs—torn off or bitten by something.
The ground was drenched in red, a sea of blood. The thick metallic smell made her gag and vomit several times.
This wasn't a battlefield—there were no knights, only ordinary people. This looked like—
"An apocalypse…?"
She flinched when she realized she could speak again. Her hand flew to cover her mouth as the pungent smell overwhelmed her senses.
"Where am I…?"
Before she could think further, the ground shook. Not like an earthquake—but like footsteps. Massive footsteps. A deafening roar echoed so violently that Sohyun's entire body trembled.
Slowly, she turned around.
Then she looked up.
A massive creature towered over her—skin dark red, body enormous, two horns jutting from its head, and giant fangs protruding from its jaw.
It felt strangely familiar.
The creature roared again, and Sohyun finally recognized it.
"Isn't that… an orc?"
The orc roared once more and swung its huge arm toward her.
Fear surged through her—the same fear she felt when the truck was about to hit her. Somehow, by instinct or sheer luck, she leaped backward just in time to avoid getting her skull crushed.
"Damn it! Dying twice is NOT funny!"
The orc snarled angrily.
"Wait—hey! Why are you attacking me?!"
The creature charged toward her.
"S-shit!"
Sohyun sprinted for her life, not caring which direction she was running. Thinking could come later. Staying alive came first.
She wasn't stupid enough to die immediately in a nightmare like this.
But of course, nothing went her way. The orc chased her, roaring every few seconds.
"Why am I so unlucky?! Aaaarrghhh!"
Her breath soon became ragged. She was exhausted. But her will to live kept her running.
"Stop chasing me, you damned orc!"
She kept running, fueled purely by adrenaline and panic.
Ding—!
[Do you require our help?]
"Huh?!"
[I'll ask again. Do you need our help to escape the monster?]
"Yes! Help me! I'm literally dying here!"
[I don't think our help is necessary right now.]
"What?! What do you mean?! DO YOU WANT ME TO DIE?!"
[That's not it.]
"Then what?!"
[You'll see.]
"What—? NO! COME BACK!"
The screen vanished.
Sohyun was ready to explode with all the swearing she'd been holding in. But she could barely breathe now—yet the orc still chased her relentlessly.
"Anyone! HELP ME—!"
A figure suddenly flashed past her like the wind. Her feet stopped on instinct. She turned around.
A man was fighting the orc—alone—effortlessly.
"W-wow… I… I almost died…"
She watched in amazement as the man swiftly defeated the massive orc.
"Liam!"
Two more people appeared out of nowhere, joining the fight to kill the other orcs approaching.
"Lady, are you alright?"
The voice came from a beautiful woman who approached from behind, kneeling to help Sohyun stand.
"You must be terrified. Don't worry, we'll take them all down."
The entire scene was surreal for Sohyun.
But one thing was certain—she had indeed entered the novel she loved, just as the holographic screen said.
[Welcome to the novel world, Player Kim Sohyun!]
______________
To be continued...