NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1.2
“Excuse me, Warden. I think you gave me the wrong key. Narae-dong is the girls’ beastman dorm!”
“And?”
“I’m a guy! I should be assigned to Maru-dong, not Narae-dong!”
A guy in a girls’ dorm? That’s a recipe for disaster! One wrong move, and I could get accused of something I didn’t do. My life would be over!
Wait a second. Could this be intentional?
Am I being set up for racial discrimination from beastmen and a false accusation right after arriving? Just the thought had me frozen in place, trembling with paranoia. The warden, clearly unimpressed, let out a long sigh.
“You don’t get it, do you? Male beastmen are hot-headed and aggressive. If you, a weak little human, shared a dorm with them, they might… let’s say, show their ‘brotherly love’ a bit too freely during mating season.”
“Oh. Right. Got it.”
Without another word, I quickly accepted the access card and exited the warden’s office.
On the back of the card, a sticky note listed my room number: Room 503.
“Room 503? Why does that number sound familiar? Isn’t that the number associated with the bread-eating princess? …No way. This isn’t foreshadowing that I’m about to be imprisoned, is it? Nah, couldn’t be.”
Beep.
I swiped my access card and entered Narae-dong.
“Oh, not bad. Pretty clean.”
Given that it’s a dorm for beastmen, I had braced myself for torn wallpaper, urine stains, and corners littered with fur-covered poop. But wow, these beastmen were surprisingly civilized. Maybe it’s the education. The cleanliness was far beyond what I’d expected.
Even better, despite the chill outside, the building was warm and cozy. Definitely a plus.
Ding!
[5th floor.]
The elevator arrived at my floor, and I stepped into the hallway, which was eerily quiet. The wide-open doors and empty corridors made it clear—I was the only new arrival so far.
“This is Room 503. My room. Oh, they already moved my stuff in!”
Beastmen are known for their strength. Did they use it to move my luggage in early? How thoughtful.
Stepping into my dorm room, I finally felt like I’d officially arrived at university. It felt surreal—too surreal. I still couldn’t believe I’d been accepted to Beastman University.
“Still, this isn’t half bad!”
From the moment I walked in, I noticed the dorm looked practically brand new. The shiny interior, the private bathroom in every room—it felt less like a dorm and more like a studio apartment.
First things first—time to unpack. Clothes, personal toiletries, my laptop, charger…
Before I knew it, three hours had flown by.
Grumble!
“I’m starving!!!”
The sun was already high in the sky. Lunchtime!
“They said the cafeteria would be open the day before classes start!”
With that, I bolted out of the dorm and headed straight for the cafeteria! …Only to immediately stop in my tracks.
“What the hell?!”
Isn’t this still the day before classes start? Why are there so many students here already?! Are all of these people dorm residents?!
The sight of beastmen lining up in the cafeteria was overwhelmingly unfamiliar. Not only was this the first time I’d ever seen so many beastmen in one place, but their human-like appearances—paired with animal ears, tails, or patterned markings—created a strange sense of dissonance.
“Actually, the strangest part is that I’m the only human here!”
It’s like staring into the abyss, only to realize the abyss is staring back. As I hesitated at the entrance, the beastmen’s gazes gradually turned toward me.
“Is that this year’s freshman?”
“Didn’t the human students from last year and the year before drop out before finishing even one semester?”
“I wonder how long this one will last….”
“Excuse me, what?!”
If the human students from the past two years both dropped out, and this is a three-year school, then… I’m the only human here.
“Should I just drop out too? Maybe retake the exams and go somewhere else?”
I was seriously considering it when my phone buzzed in my pocket.
[Mom]
[My dear son, are you doing well? It must be tough adjusting to a new and unfamiliar place, but I believe in you! I love you, sweetie! Fighting~^^!!]
“Mom…”
My eyes grew misty.
That’s right. I’m Joo Ji-hyuk, a flaming filial son. Ignoring my mom’s wishes? Not a chance. Dropping out and retaking exams? Absolutely not. No matter what, I’ll graduate. I have to graduate.
While I had my phone out, I decided to check my messages.
Amidst the flood of app notifications, there was only one message asking how I was doing—and of course, it was from the most infuriating person imaginable.
[Na Min-seo: Hey, how’s that sweet college life treating you? LOL.]
“This freaking brat!”
Na Min-seo. Unlike me, who mains ADC in the Rift, she’s a top-laner—and the very person responsible for me ending up at Beastman University.
“If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t be here!”
Granted, I could’ve refused the bet. But no, Na Min-seo just had to poke at the one thing no guy can ignore—his pride.
-“How about this? Loser writes Beastman University as their second and third choice on their college applications.”
-“Come on, no one’s actually going to write that down.”
-“Huhuhu. What’s wrong? Scared?”
-“Fine! Let’s do it.”
How could anyone resist that? Seriously, how?!
“You should’ve resisted, Joo Ji-hyuk! Damn it!”
[Me: You brat. I don’t even know if I’m at a university or a zoo right now.]
[Na Min-seo: LOL. Bet the cafeteria’s full of beastmen too, huh?]
[Me: 100% accurate.]
Unsurprisingly, Na Min-seo was right. Beastmen—both male and female—were casually ordering meals and eating off cafeteria trays, all while sneaking glances at me. Even outside the cafeteria, beastmen were whispering and stealing looks.
If I walked inside now, I’d be drawing so much attention I might as well be a walking neon sign.
I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead.
[Me: I’m just heading to the convenience store. Later.]
[Na Min-seo: Chickened out? LOL.]
[Me: LOL.]
And then… I went back in.
I grabbed the cheapest meal on the cafeteria menu.
Sitting down with my tray, I was about to take my first bite when my phone buzzed again. It was Na Min-seo, and she’d sent a photo.
[Na Min-seo: (sent a photo)]
“You… wretched little…!”
The photo showed her already making friends with her dormmates, laughing and eating pizza together like they’d known each other forever. And they weren’t beastman dormmates—they were human dormmates.
“That should’ve been me! I should be in that spot!”
But no. Here I was. Alone. With my tray of cafeteria food. And a crowd of beastmen.
Focus, Joo Ji-hyuk. Now’s not the time for this.
Curious about the lone human freshman, the beastmen around me started tilting their heads and casting glances my way.
Normally, humans don’t concern themselves with other people’s business. But beastmen? Their mix of human and animal traits made them excessively curious. These weren’t just casual looks—they were outright staring.
So, what did I do?
“Time to eat and escape!”
I wolfed down my food as fast as I could. I couldn’t even tell if it was going into my mouth or my nose. As soon as I was done, I bolted out of the cafeteria without looking back.
Is this how I’m going to have to eat from now on?
“Did I really come to college for this? I feel so pathetic… so miserable…”