Ains were born with mutated genetics, twisted by the influence of Gates and monsters.
Because of that mutation, their DNA didn’t match their biological parents.
That’s why people feared and rejected Ains.
After all, how many parents could truly love a child who looked nothing like them and whose very blood defied their own?
To make things worse, Ain’s eyes resembled those of monsters—glowing, uncanny.
It was no wonder they were often referred to, even if not openly, as “children of monsters.” Most people instinctively avoided them.
Many Ains were abandoned at birth.
Yeon-ha-neul had been no exception.
Everyone in our grade knew she lived in an orphanage.
In some ways… It’s no surprise she becomes the Witch of Calamity in the game. She must’ve lived her entire life being shunned.
I remembered a particular cutscene from the game.
Yeon-ha-neul, broken by her circumstances and despairing at the cruelty of the world, stood in the middle of a ruined city as she awakened as the Witch of Calamity.
「Yeon-ha-neul」
“A world like this… I’ll burn it all to the ground.”
Her skin was sun-darkened, her once-blue hair dyed pitch black, and tears of blood rolled down her cheeks.
The story branched depending on the outcome of the battle against her.
If protagonist Kang Han-byeol defeated her, the story continued in a scorched city surrounded by ruins.
If Kang Han-byeol lost…
A bad ending would trigger.
And that ending had seared itself into my memory—even in this life.
[Yeon-ha-neul multiplied exponentially, until she consumed the entire world.]
[The world has ended.]
[All living beings have perished by Yeon-ha-neul’s hands.]
[No humans, no animals, no monsters remain.]
[After annihilating everything, Yeon-ha-neul turned on herself—and vanished.]
—BAD ENDING—
One of the game’s infamous 44 endings.
In this one, Yeon-ha-neul splits endlessly, devouring all life, only to erase herself in the end.
And now she’s in my class?
The game never mentioned that we went to the same elementary school.
As I watched her finish her introduction, I found myself lost in thought.
That girl over there might very well destroy the world one day.
Thankfully, she hadn’t awakened her power yet.
She wasn’t the Witch of Calamity—not yet.
That meant I still had a chance.
If I wanted to survive in this world…
—I could kill her now.
It was the cold, calculated, brutally efficient solution.
But I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
It hadn’t even happened yet. She was still just a girl.
And more importantly, I had a principle.
Let’s think about this differently.
If the future hadn’t happened yet, then it could still be changed.
Killing her now wasn’t the only answer.
In fact, since her role hadn’t been locked in, she could still go either way—villain or ally.
She clearly had incredible potential.
And if I could somehow guide her toward the right path…
She could become a powerful ally.
This game wasn’t known for its forgiving difficulty.
But if Yeon-ha-neul joined me as an ally, I could shift the odds.
That meant I needed a way to get close to her.
And then—like fate handing me a chance:
“Alright! Now that introductions are done, let’s decide where everyone sits! Girls can choose their seats first. Boys will then pick seats next to them!”
A perfect opportunity.
A chance to sit next to Yeon-ha-neul.
(2) – The Cruelty of Seating Charts
Once the girls had all picked their seats, the homeroom teacher continued explaining.
“Now, boys—you’ll take turns choosing where to sit, based on the order you drew lots. The girl beside you may reject your choice up to three times.”
“….”
“You can keep picking until someone accepts you. But if you go around the whole class without success, you’ll be moved to the end of the line.”
“Teacher! Doesn’t that mean it’s always the boys being judged by the girls?!”
“Don’t worry—this month, girls pick first. Next month, boys will get first pick.”
Some might say this seating system was romantic. Like something out of a drama.
But to be honest, it was nothing of the sort.
“Alright, boys—draw your numbers!”
After all, what were the chances that the person you liked also liked you?
It takes two hands to clap. You might pick someone, but that didn’t mean they’d pick you back.
Number 9, huh. That’s me. I’ll get to Yeon-ha-neul before anyone else, so no need to rush.
Still, you had to be prepared.
You might be rejected.
You might not even get the chance to be chosen at all.
Some boys might mistake this for their big romantic moment, only to be crushed.
“Number 1! Go ahead and pick a seat!”
The first boy got up, eyes filled with naïve excitement.
“Hmm… where should I sit?”
“….”
He tried to look like he was thinking it over, but it was obvious where he was going.
His voice, his stride, his glances—all gave it away.
If I noticed from the back of the room, surely the girls could too.
“Yeah… a window seat sounds nice.”
“….”
He circled over to a specific desk and placed his hand on the seat beside a girl.
That’s Kim Su-ji.
Not from a top-tier clan, but still a family with some prestige.
Pretty, smart, athletic—she was fairly popular.
Clearly, he was aiming high.
But as I mentioned before, just aiming wasn’t enough.
“Is it okay if I sit here?”
“Sorry.”
“…Huh?”
“Teacher, I’d like to reject this seat.”
“B-but why…?”
He was stunned.
Rejected in front of the whole class, his cheeks burned red.
…Oof. That’s rough. Can teachers even be this cruel?
He probably learned a valuable lesson.
That the world doesn’t always bend to your desires—and that being with someone you like isn’t so simple.
“Su-ji only has two more chances to reject, now. Number 1, please pick a new seat.”
Romantic? Hardly.
Although… maybe the three-strikes rule was a romantic gesture, in a way.
If it were truly realistic, there wouldn’t be a limit at all.
Number 1, now flustered and anxious, tried again.
“Can I sit here?”
“Sorry.”
“What about here?”
“I don’t think so.”
“H-how about—”
“What? Do I look like I’d say yes just because Su-ji said no?”
Everyone wants to be someone’s first choice.
Nobody wants to feel like a backup plan.
Girls could see through his desperation—his frantic attempts to settle for anyone after getting rejected.
“Number 1, you’ve gone full circle. To the back of the line, please.”
“…Ugh.”
He hadn’t just failed—he had been denied.
He was supposed to be chosen, but no one had chosen him.
“Number 2! Your turn!”
Now the second boy stood up, having clearly learned from the mistake before him.
No way was he going to try his luck with Su-ji. Not after watching Number 1 crash and burn.
He gave her a quick glance… then looked away.
“Mind if I sit here?”
The girl looked him over from head to toe.
Then turned away with a huff.
“Hmph. Sit if you want. Whatever.”
Judging people based on looks might not be fair, but first impressions are important.
It was a new school year. No one knew each other beyond their introductions.
First impressions were all they had.
In this case, Number 2 had passed.
“Number 3!”
“Can I sit here?”
“…Sorry, could you look elsewhere?”
Some failed at the first impression stage, but thankfully, Number 3 found someone else who accepted him.
“Number 4!”
This time, the boy walked straight to Kim Su-ji.
“Mind if I sit next to you?”
“…Sorry. Teacher, I’ll reject this seat.”
“Su-ji only has one rejection left now.”
Number 4 had watched Number 1 get shot down, but still tried. Bold.
Brave—but foolish.
“Number 5!”
Now, Su-ji had only one rejection left.
Whoever came next might actually succeed.
But who would that be?
“Number 6!”
Then—
“Lucky Number 7!”
No one wanted to throw themselves under the bus.
No one wanted to waste their shot just to make someone else’s easier.
“Number 8!”
“Screw it! Whatever happens, happens!”
But someone had to do it.
Just like a tree doesn’t fall unless struck, and a door doesn’t open unless knocked—
Number 8 marched forward with the face of a gambler going all-in.
He approached Kim Su-ji confidently.
And then—
“Sorry. I’m rejecting you.”
“Gah! What’s wrong with me!?”
“That’s it. Su-ji can’t reject anyone anymore.”
“Hey, Number 8! Over here—join our exile row!”
“Watching from the back is peak entertainment!”
Number 8 had gambled—and lost.
Now, with his pride shattered, he slunk toward the rejected crowd: Number 1, Number 4, the other walking tragedies.
And then…
“Number 9, please choose your seat!”
My turn.
I walked forward, heading toward the windows.
“Is he trying to sit next to Su-ji too?”
“Ugh, lucky bastard.”
“Looks like he’s gonna get the golden seat.”
“Wait, isn’t that Do-gyeon-woo? From the Shin Sword Clan?”
“That coward?”
Behind me, the other boys whispered.
So everyone’s watching me, huh?
From the front, I could feel the girls’ eyes too. Everyone’s gaze locked on me as I made my way down the aisle.
Even Kim Su-ji, seated by the window, stared straight at me.
It was obvious—they all assumed I was going to sit next to her.
Yeah, no. That’s not where I’m headed.
In the very last row by the window—
I caught a glimpse of tall, twitching rabbit ears, impossible to miss even from afar.
Yeon-ha-neul.
With her pale blue-white hair and her head hung low, she sat like a shadow at the edge of the classroom.
As if she already believed no one would choose her.
As if she didn’t believe she had the right to choose anyone, either.
She looks like she just wants this whole thing to be over.
There was something so lonely about the way she sat there.
“…”
I took a step toward her.
“…You’re Do-gyeon-woo, right? I know your name. I won’t reject you, so just go ahead and—huh?”
“What? Where’s he going?”
“Wait—what the hell?”
Ignoring Su-ji’s confusion and the classroom’s buzzing disbelief…
I walked right past her.
Eyes wide. Mouths agape.
But I didn’t care. My eyes were on her.
Only her.
And finally
“…Huh?”
I arrived at Yeon-ha-neul’s seat.
She’d kept her head down the entire time. But now that I hadn’t passed her by, she looked up in shock.
Her crimson eyes met mine—startled, unsure.
And I asked:
“Mind if I sit here?”
“…Next to me?”
“Yeah, next to you. If you’re not comfortable, just say so. I hope you won’t… but you can.”
“Why…?”
“What do you mean?”
To survive in this world.
To reach the ending I wanted.
To change the future.
To rewrite her fate.
“…No. You can sit here.”
And so that’s how I became the childhood friend of the mid-boss.
Leave a Reply