NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1
As I closed my eyes, faint memories of a distant past emerged.
Now, those memories have faded entirely, tinted in sepia tones.
In my early elementary school years, when my parents were away, my only companion was, of course, the TV.
The computer was too low-performing for gaming, and having frequently transferred schools meant I had no friends to play with at the playground.
From that shoddy TV came a game with an interface that looked like it was made with Flash.
The host’s humorous voice echoed through the room.
“Oh no, friends! At this rate, our hero will lose! You need to cheer for the hero by calling right now!”
And the number he always repeated twice.
060~ ****~ ***~
060~ ****~ ***~
“Call 060-****-*** right now and hit ‘3’ repeatedly! If there are no friends around, the hero won’t have the power to press on! We’ll randomly select one of the participating friends to gift the latest gaming console, so don’t miss this opportunity!”
060-****-***.
I was so used to that number that it felt like a part of me. Without a second thought, I picked up the phone and hit ‘3’ repeatedly, alongside the protagonist on the screen, as I had no real friends to speak of.
“Great! Thanks to all of you hitting ‘3’, the hero was able to overcome the ordeal safely! Hahaha! It’s all thanks to you, young friends!”
After that, there was a time to announce the prize winners based on the last digits of the phone number, but—
Honestly, I didn’t care much for the prizes.
The mere act of joining the hero through his trials was enough for me. Just the fact that my repetition of ‘3’ meant he found strength made me happy.
Looking back now, it seems like a type of hero complex or self-affirmation. I believed other friends surely shared this feeling.
—Of course, being a hero for that brief moment came with a steep price.
“Uh, Mom! I’m sorry! I messed up…!”
“What kind of a thing has you ringing up such a huge phone bill! You’ve got to be kidding! We might need to cancel cable TV!”
“But… but if I don’t cheer, the hero can’t get through the trials…”
“Those are all scams! And did you think you were anything special? If you don’t, others will step in, so why make it your problem!!!”
That day, when my behind felt like it was on fire from being punished, the innocent desire to be a hero inside me was wounded.
I didn’t blame my mother. She was merely carrying out what had to be done in a thorough manner.
After all, it didn’t take long for me to realize that repeatedly hitting ‘3’ in a predestined process was just a cruel trick played on unsuspecting children by that nefarious trash of a show.
So why then, am I recalling this bitter memory?
It’s because—
* * *
[If you don’t sponsor us, this family’s fate will be a total mess ㅠㅠ Please, support the Family of Milia right away!!]
“Goodness.”
Scrolling aimlessly through the challenge manga corner, I scoffed.
Asking for support? What era are we living in for this kind of comic to be drawn?
Not even something profound from a famous author; just a family on the brink of being killed by bandits, begging for support.
Naturally, there were hardly any comments to begin with.
[Mern Dallonia: Is the author an idiot? ㅋㅋ Go back and rethink your storyline.]
[skxm7888: I’m definitely not sponsoring this begging nonsense. If it’s a tune, downvote it, lol.]
[Hangbum’s Mom: Came for the pretty art but found a kid’s begging comic…..]
[Raeipa: Is this your drawing pad? If you want sponsorship, don’t make garbage like this!]
Honestly, that was mild.
The real problem was the following episode.
The scene of the family being slaughtered by the bandits was drawn in excruciating detail for absolutely no reason.
‘Yikes…’
Just a string of discomforting scenes.
Not even enough quality to satisfy gore fans, nor necessary for the storyline.
The kicker was the author’s words at the bottom.
[Not a single person sponsored, so this poor family was annihilated ㅠㅠ So unfortunate…!!!]
Naturally, the comments were a complete disaster… not even that.
Just a couple of comments dripping with disdain.
It wasn’t even a comic that would attract considerable interest. My stumbling upon it was almost pure chance.
‘A whole new level of trolling is needed in this world now.’
With the ability to view comics just from simple web surfing, I figured it wasn’t odd to catch attention.
But what’s the point of engaging in a contest of wits with readers?
I thought maybe I should leave a sharp remark about the mindset creators shouldn’t hold… but quickly dropped it. There was nothing in it for me anyway.
‘…’
Normally, I would just close the page and switch to YouTube or go play a game.
Yet, for some reason, watching this comic brought back memories of a faded past.
The memory of dialing 060 and pulling off a similar stunt that cost me a fortune, leading to a thorough beating on a rainy day.
There were still plenty of episodes left.
Should I check how it turns out?
With that, I hit the ‘Next Episode’ button.
* * *
The content of the comic was just absurd.
Besides the Family of Milia, various characters appeared, yet the pattern remained unchanged.
Using the request for sponsorship as a pretext, they showed characters in danger, and by this point, no hateful comments were even seen, so obviously no sponsors would be found, making for a vicious cycle of everybody brutally dying.
Amidst the carnage, the sole survivor, a girl named “Erin,” was shown desperately trying to survive.
Of course, as expected, there were no meaningful developments. It felt like the author was intent on getting the most out of the misery, as scenes where she starved continued in a painfully repetitive manner.
I called it ‘exactly copy-pasted,’ not because it truly was but because every scene depicting Erin’s distress from hunger was in a completely different frame, different positions drawn meticulously.
From the moment every character’s brutal death was illustrated distinctly… it became apparent that a level of depravity must be in play to create something like this.
That wasn’t all. The author obsessively begged for sponsorship in the ‘Author’s Note’ each episode.
[With so many dislikes, if we don’t remove the energy of those dislikes through sponsorship, Erin might not eat today!]
[Last time, due to lack of sponsorship, Erin had no choice but to starve for a day… please support Erin right now!]
[Oh no… nobody sponsored, and Erin is about to hit day three without a drop of water. She might die soon; please help save her with your sponsorship!]
‘Even seeing the latest episode looks this pathetic.’
The author never changed that pattern.
Begging for sponsorship, subtly shifting the blame to “it’s your fault,” and then showing another character while begging for money again.
It wasn’t until I clicked on the latest episode that I realized the view count was at ‘1.’
‘This guy has no views at all, yet clings to this concept with all sincerity.’
Putting everything else aside, I had to admit he was tenacious to carry it this far.
It made my mood a little sour seeing all the pointless gory scenes, but I figured I’d soon forget about it in three days. That was all the weight this work held for me.
Had I seen it at a younger age, I might have reacted more explosively – but I was already in my late twenties. There was no time for me to feel moved by such performances anymore.
Just as I was about to close the window, something made me pause momentarily.
Something inside me kept whispering.
——Hey. What if we try donating once? Isn’t it curious what will happen if we do? And look at Erin. She’s pitiful, isn’t she? It wouldn’t hurt to at least let her drink water, right?
‘…What?’
I tried to push down the curiosity bubbling inside me…
…But honestly, I was curious. With such begging for support, what kind of plot would unfold if I did actually donate?
‘…’
After a while of sitting still, I set my hands on the keyboard, typing away.
[Igguoqueden: ㅋㅋㅋㅋ What happens if I donate? Do they give water?]
By the time I was done typing, I didn’t think much of it. I thought maybe I’d forget by tomorrow.
‘Oh?’
—Not even three seconds later did I get a speedy reply to my comment.
ㄴ [Please give me money (Author): If you donate 1,000 won, we will provide Erin with a drink! The plot will vary depending on the donation amount!]
What? Were they lurking around the site?
I figured commenting would get a notification, so it wouldn’t be weird for them to be online…
‘1,000 won…’
Far less than the phone bill I had previously paid to rescue the hero from his trials. Considering it, it was basically chump change.
Sure. This much was reasonable respect for the author who kept up this concept.
I hit the ‘donate’ button to process my 1,000 won.
[Payment has been completed.]
[Igguoqueden(Donor / 1,000 won): Going to get Erin some water ㄱㄱㄱ]
Once again, the reply to my comment came at lightning speed.
[Please give me money (Author): Thank you! The next episode is scheduled for next week! Erin being able to drink water is all thanks to you, Igguoqueden! Thank you for supporting Erin!]
“Great! Thanks to you hitting ‘3’, the hero was able to overcome his trials safely! Hahaha! It’s all thanks to you, young friends!”
‘Brings back memories.’
Feeling the bittersweet scent of nostalgia in my mouth, I closed the window.