Creator’s Favoritism

The morning of my middle school graduation was truly strange. As I opened my eyes under the blanket, a peculiar feeling washed over me; I had already lived through a day like this before.

“Have a good graduation ceremony. You can manage on your own, right?”

Just as I was about to step out the front door, I turned at the teacher’s greeting behind me.

The words struck me with such a strong sense of déjà vu that I unconsciously looked back. The teacher, however, misinterpreted my expression and gave me an apologetic look.

It had only been a few months since I started living at the child welfare center after my grandmother, my only family, passed away. Yet, the arrangement of the furniture, the faces of the children living there, even the groove on the leg of the living room piano—all felt as familiar as if I had lived there for years.

On the subway heading to school, I pondered the reason while pulling out my mobile phone. Even the news headlines on the portal site felt like ones I had read before.

[Small gate occurred in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province last night… 13 dead and 9 injured.]

[Swallowing 4 billion won every week… Operators of illegal hunter gambling site arrested.]

[68 days without hunter awakening… Authorities say, “We will take measures” amid worsening hunter shortage.]

“I’m sure I’ve read these news stories before,” I muttered, dismissing my bewilderment as I headed to school.

The school, adorned with a graduation banner at the gate, was packed with self-driven cars filled with graduates and parents, their faces flushed with excitement.

As I entered the classroom, I realized I couldn’t remember where my seat was. Standing in the center, I made eye contact with a girl who awkwardly peeled herself away from the desk she had been leaning on.

Only then did I recall that this desk was mine.

As I made my way to my seat, brushing past a group of boys, I noticed hunters activating their skills in a dazzling video on their mobile phones. Every time a blue flash flickered, the boys’ eyes sparkled with admiration.

In any country, powerful hunters enjoyed a popularity that surpassed even celebrities.

Not for me, though.

Sitting in the corner seat of the back row, I took out my mobile phone, keeping an eye on the homeroom teacher.

Soon, the graduation ceremony began, but I had no intention of watching the TV mounted on the classroom ceiling. My morning routine was to browse various platforms and read the web comics uploaded daily.

When I was young, my grandmother worked from morning till evening. As a result, I didn’t attend any after-school academies and spent my free time reading webcomics.

After indulging in countless stories, I had developed a knack for understanding the writing techniques of most web comics. To me, webcomic artists were more impressive than top idols or S-class hunters.

I was deep into reading webcomics on my phone under the desk when I heard the scraping sound of a chair being pulled out in the empty seat next to me.

Casually taking the seat was a boy so strikingly handsome it was almost eerie. Though he wore our school uniform, I was certain I had never seen him during my three years of middle school.

The pale-faced boy stared at me with an oddly persistent gaze, holding it even when our eyes met.

In an instant, the air around us turned cold; not just because of the strange seatmate who had suddenly appeared.

The students chatting via group text during the graduation ceremony, the parents pressing their mobile phone cameras against the classroom window, even the stack of graduation certificates precariously piled on the teacher’s desk; everything filled me with a sense of déjà vu, as if I had witnessed it all before.

As I looked around, overwhelmed by an anxiety that felt like a nightmare, the boy next to me spoke up.

“Doesn’t it feel like you’ve already been through a middle school graduation ceremony?”

“What?” I replied, startled by his sudden words.

I noticed that the name tag that should have been on the unfamiliar boy’s uniform was missing.

The pupil at the center of his black eyes flashed red for a moment.

“Actually, you’re right. You’ve already graduated from middle school before. Heck, you even graduated from high school.”

“…Who are you? Are you really in our class?”

Instead of answering my question, the boy ran a hand through his curly bangs.

“Don’t you remember high school? It’s only been a few hours since I turned back time. You’ll gradually recall more of your past memories as time goes on.”

His voice was sweet and soft, as if soaked in sugar—so much so that it instinctively aroused a sense of rejection.

“Maeng Sun-woo. You’re going to commit suicide on the day you graduate from high school.”

Those words resonated with a chilling depth, yet no one in the classroom turned to look at the back where the boy and I sat, as if they couldn’t hear his voice at all.

Feeling trapped in a terrible prank, I asked, “What did you just say?”

“I said you’re going to commit suicide. Three years from now,” he replied nonchalantly, slightly raising his black eyebrows.

I averted my gaze as he leaned back comfortably in his chair.

He was clearly mentally disturbed. Ignoring him seemed the best course of action.

As if reading my thoughts, I heard a giggle beside me. The boy continued, unable to hide his amusement.

“Unfortunately, the process of committing suicide took quite a while. Long enough that you couldn’t bear it anymore and called for me.”

I couldn’t help but turn my head again at those horrifying words. The boy’s eyes met mine once more, and he smiled, revealing his perfectly white and even teeth.

“I tend to be a bit soft-hearted. I couldn’t ignore a little lamb begging me to turn back time, promising to do anything.”

As he spoke, the boy’s pupils gradually lost their round shape and collapsed, narrowing vertically like those of a feline. Witnessing this, my body stiffened.

Although I had never firmly believed in gods or demons, I was certain he was not human.

“When you’re in too much pain, you might consider making a contract with a demon. Don’t you think?”

His smile was tinged with both boyish mischief and demonic cruelty.

This must be a dream.

I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again, but the demon’s gaze remained intently fixed on me, flickering all too realistically.

To calm my confusion, I rubbed my face with my palms and stumbled to organize the words swirling in my head.

“So, three years from now, I try to commit suicide, but I fail… and make a contract with you? And you’re a demon?”

“That’s right. You have a talent for summarizing.”

The demon nodded briefly, a satisfied smile lingering on his lips.

“W-why do I commit suicide?”

“That’s something you need to remember on your own.”

The demon answered indifferently, resting his chin on his left hand. As I felt my eyes tremble slightly in shock, he made a pitying expression and added a halfhearted comment.

“Don’t worry. You’ll definitely remember eventually. I could explain everything, but if I did it all at once, your head might explode.”

Even with just this much information, it was enough of a major event to make my head feel like it might burst.

Amid my wildly pounding heart, a thin thread of suspicion toward the demon took root.

In novels and movies, demons were always portrayed as beings skilled in deceit.

“…Do you have any proof that you really turned back time? How can I believe we actually made a contract? You could just be playing with my mind.”

“Right. You wouldn’t be human if you didn’t doubt…”

The demon muttered as if he had expected this, his voice indifferent. He propped his legs up on the desk and began rocking the chair leisurely.

“Hey, directly manipulating humans is impossible for demons. There’s no way to do that, so let’s stop wasting time on such ridiculous conspiracy theories.”

His face was full of irritation, as if the topic wasn’t worth discussing.

At that moment, the homeroom teacher’s voice rang clearly from the front of the classroom.

“Alright, let’s wrap up the graduation ceremony here. You’ve all worked hard for three years. Keep up the good work in high school, too.”

It seemed the graduation ceremony was concluding, even though it felt like I hadn’t been talking with the demon for long.

As the classroom suddenly grew noisy, the demon grumbled, “Hey. How much more time are you going to waste on this insignificant event? The prologue is about to begin, you know.”

Prologue?

Before I could ask what he meant, the demon swiftly grabbed my wrist like a hawk. The chair toppled over with a clatter as I was suddenly pulled along.

After breaking through the crowd and slipping out the back door, the demon grabbed me by the collar. He snapped his long, white fingers with a sharp ‘click’ right in front of my eyes.

The moment his pale fingers glowed red, I felt as if the ground beneath me was sinking.

The entire school corridor plunged into pitch-black darkness, and I felt myself being turned upside down, immersed in thick jelly.

Terrified, I flailed my limbs wildly, trying to suppress the urge to retch.

The end of the fall was as abrupt as its beginning. I found myself sitting against a street tree.

“That was close. We almost missed it,” the demon said, his hair slightly disheveled as he crouched in front of me. He let out an ostentatious sigh of relief and flashed a detestable smile.

“Do you know where this is?”

I glanced at the blue signpost that read ‘Mapo Station’ along with a straight arrow. In the direction of the strong river wind, I could see a bridge crossing the Han River.

The demon had brought me to Mapo Bridge.

I had no idea whether he had teleported me here instantly or knocked me out and carried me. Either way, he undoubtedly seemed to be a demon.

More shocking than the fact that I had made a contract with a demon without remembering it was the revelation that I had committed suicide.

I couldn’t fathom why my future self, three years from now, would choose such an extreme option.

As I got up, still confused, another question suddenly occurred to me, and I asked the demon, “What do you want from me?”

“Explaining that is quite complicated. We need to help you understand the structure of this world first.”

It was an enigmatic answer. I frowned as I looked at the demon. With both hands shoved in his uniform pants pockets, he continued speaking curtly.

“If there are demons in this world, what do you think exists on the opposite side?”

There must be gods.

My tightly closed lips parted slightly as the demon expanded his logic step by step, like a patient teacher.

“And who do you think created this world? It must be a god, right?”

The demon shrugged after examining my face, his expression suggesting that humans often look like they’re about to explode when confronted with something difficult to accept.

“If you don’t understand, that’s fine. You’ll be able to see for yourself soon enough,” he said, tilting his head leisurely and grinning.

The moment he snapped his fingers loudly again, my life changed completely.

[SYSTEM: Hidden Skill has been activated!]

[SYSTEM: The status window has been unlocked and can be viewed!]

The system message that appeared before my eyes contained content that was hard to believe.

How could I, who hadn’t even awakened, see the status window that only hunters could access?

At the same time, a status window I had never seen before automatically opened before me. The interface resembled the holographic system window that appeared when gates opened.

However, its contents were completely unfamiliar to me, a civilian just moments ago.

Name: Maeng Sun-woo

Age: 15

[Hidden Skill]

Corrupt Character (S-class/Always Active Skill): Captures the cut work of and observes the world creator.

What is this?

I pointed at the ‘S-class Hidden Skill’ with my finger, unable to articulate my disbelief. The demon smiled, as if he knew exactly what I was thinking.

“Just wait a little. This is the best spot of all best spots.”

The demon, who had been staring blankly at the blue sky for a moment, broke into a fresh smile. In his boyish form, he pointed toward Yeouido, visible across the Han River.

“Now, let me introduce you to your god.”

The demon’s expression couldn’t have looked more excited, as if he were arranging a blind date.

I stared blankly in the direction the demon was pointing.

-Bang!

That’s when it happened. A flash of light burst forth from the middle of the forest of buildings in the distance in Yeouido.

I turned my head toward the source of the sudden light. Immediately, a white glowing rectangle appeared above the National Assembly building, its green dome-shaped roof illuminated.

Before I could look closely enough to infer its identity, another flash of light erupted, blinding like a giant camera flash.

Beneath this light, a differently shaped rectangle materialized in the air. I couldn’t help but voice my confusion.

“What is that…?”

“What else? They’re drawing the background cuts for ,” the demon replied.

Before I could grasp what he meant, one rectangle clearly appeared before my eyes.

「The webtoon artist, ‘Tito’, takes a deep breath while holding a tablet pen in his hand.」

“Huh…?”

A bewildered sound escaped my lips. It was like seeing a narration box straight out of a comic.

The white narration box, outlined in black, was unlike the translucent hologram messages displayed by the system; it felt more like 2D graphics suddenly inserted into a 3D world.

「Tito mutters that if he just works diligently, he will surely get an official serialization.」

I struggled to read the contents written in the narration box, frozen in shock. In contrast to my stillness, the demon’s face radiated excitement.

“The prologue is finally starting!” he exclaimed.

With a smile that stretched from ear to ear, the demon jumped up and down, overflowing with excitement as if he couldn’t control his limbs.

「Tito adjusts the angle of his dual monitors with a tense expression. The background of the second monitor is filled with documents detailing the character settings for .」

The demon turned his back to me, gazing out at the Han River. The collar of his school uniform fluttered as he spread his arms wide, embracing the winter river wind with abandon.

“Introducing for the first time! The creator of this wonderful world, webtoon artist Tito!” he proclaimed.

-Bang!

As if responding to his ambitious introduction, light burst forth once more from between the tall buildings of Yeouido.