What Is a Dating Sim?
I already knew what a dating sim was. Unlike RPGs where you level up characters, farm gear, and grow stronger, dating sims are games where the main goal is to flirt and get cozy with the various heroines, following the story until you reach their ending scenes. To put it more simply, it's a game built around a massive central story trunk, with branching sub-stories that spread out like limbs as you pursue different sub-heroines. And among all those heroines, the one with the strongest presence who stands at the center of that giant storyline… we call her the main heroine.
"You don't have to worry anymore. I already called the police. That crazy convenience store bitch is going to rot in jail. Even if she somehow avoids a prison sentence, she assaulted a man, so she'll be forced to wear an ankle monitor and live the rest of her life as a registered criminal."
Her expression was overflowing with confidence. Her height easily cleared 180 centimeters, and her body was as long and sleek as a model's. While we chatted before the police sisters arrived, I learned she was a physical education special admission student—and it showed. Even through her thick turtleneck, I could clearly make out her sculpted eleven-pack abs, and her healthy, toned legs strained powerfully against the tight jeans clinging to her lower body. To top it all off, her face was so stunning it turned every woman I'd seen since arriving in this world into a squid. Well, except for Kim Arin and Kim Seon-a.
Yeah. She's definitely the main heroine.
Whether viewed from the front or the side, she was the textbook definition of a flawless beauty who screamed "I am the protagonist!" without a single flaw. I was certain that Han Seol-a, the third capturable heroine standing before me, was the main heroine of this world.
Reason: This bastard is clearly just saying that because she's his type.
Libido: He's already scanning her face, bust, and ass with his eyes while his dick assumes sniper position. Why don't you just admit you're the one getting horny?
Survival Instinct: What is another word for survival? Reproduction! Yeah, let's be honest—setting aside whether she's the main heroine or not, Han Seol-a's appearance was piercing straight through my personal tastes!
To be blunt, the developers hadn't outright labeled her with a big sign saying "This girl is the main heroine lol." So how could anyone decide if someone was main or sub based purely on looks and vibe? If she snipes my tastes, then she's the main heroine. Simple as that!
Just like how everyone has different preferences, Kim Arin—who occupied the little cousin position—would be the main heroine for guys who love cute girls. Kim Seon-a, in the aunt position, would be the main heroine for those who prefer a sexy mommy type. In that sense, for me, Han Seol-a was...
"Thank you so much, Seol-a noona. You really saved my life~! I'll treat you to something next week when I see you at school!"
I was genuinely grateful, and since I'd already marked her as a capture target, it would be a shame to just say goodbye here. So I made plans for our next meeting. Hehe~ Seol-a jaaaang~ From now on, you're my main heroine!
By the way, while talking with her I learned that she was also starting as a freshman at the same university I'd be attending next week. In other words, even though she was twenty-three—two years older than me—she was a late bloomer who had delayed her college life because of military service and personal circumstances. She was basically my senior classmate at university.
"It's only natural for a woman to help, but it feels weird to be treated by a guy younger than me..."
On top of that, when I offered to treat her—the kind of approach that other women in this world would eagerly accept—she looked genuinely troubled. Kyah~ So this is the charm of a sweet girl!
I'd been worried that since all the heroines were yanderes, she might be hiding a dark, psychopathic side behind that kind exterior. But from what I could see now, that didn't seem to be the case. Most people assume yandere heroines are all like Kim Arin—violent types who stab you with sharp objects while going stab stab stab!! But that's not true for every yandere.
There are pure love yanderes who are so devoted that they're satisfied just receiving a glance from you, even if you're dating someone else. There are angel-type yanderes who embrace and comfort you like a saint even when you hurl insults and curses at them, claiming it's all part of your love. The overarching frame of "obsession" is the same, but the contents inside that frame can differ quite a bit.
Of course, among yandere types there's also the most vicious kind—the 'stalker'—but our dear Seol-a is...
"Then I feel bad just taking from you. Want to grab a meal together? As you can see, starting university at twenty-three basically guarantees I'm a total loner. Eating alone is a bit embarrassing, so just sit with me, Seulgi."
Not only did she have the exact appearance that sniped my tastes, she also had this warm, sweet personality that made a virgin's heart flutter. I didn't know what would happen once our favorability rose over time—she might turn yandere eventually—but how much could a girl like this really change?
Thirty minutes had passed since the police were called, yet they still hadn't shown up. Maybe she felt awkward about it because she said,
"Seulgi, it's cold out. You should head home first. It's not that far to your house, but if it gets any later it might get dark since it's winter. I'm worried, so go inside. I'll take care of this woman!"
She even offered to handle the cleanup herself and gently pushed me to leave. Her sweetness moved me all over again.
"Then I'll see you at university. Seol-a noona~"
I waved and headed home.
...But how did she know my house wasn't far? Well, if I said I was stopping by the convenience store, it's common sense that I'd go to one near my house. She must have just assumed that.
I sensed something off for a brief moment, but then I told myself there was no way Han Seol-a—who I'd just met—would be like Kim Arin. I figured I was just being overly sensitive after dying twice in one day and let it go.
"Then I'll see you at university. Seol-a noona~"
Kim Seulgi waved his hand and walked away, promising to meet again later. She kept waving back with a warm, kind smile until his figure completely disappeared from sight…
"Haa~♡ I almost lost it trying to hold back from pinning you down right there and making you pant like a dog♡"
The gentle smile that had made Seulgi register her as a "sweet girl" in his mind vanished completely. In its place was a sticky, criminal smile that Han Seol-a now wore openly.
And then…
"Hey. Did you just try to lay your hands on my man?"
GRAB!
"Aaaagh~?! My hair, my hair's being ripped ou—"
She grabbed the convenience store clerk—who had been cowering on the floor—by the hair and yanked her up as if she were going to tear her scalp off.
CRUNCH!
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAGH~!!!!!!"
She stomped down on the clerk's wrist. The force was so brutal that the clerk screamed loud enough to shake the entire convenience store, her wrist twisting into a grotesque, dangling shape. But Han Seol-a, her face now splattered with bright red blood from the shattered wrist, simply…
Lick~
"Hey hey, don't be such a baby~ This is just the beginning. What are you going to do if you act like this already~ Hmm?"
It was a grotesquely twisted, eerie smile she'd never shown to Kim Seulgi, paired with a thuggish, arrogant tone. The extreme change left the clerk trembling in terror.
"Y-you crazy bitch! The police you called will be here any minute! Then they'll hear about what you just did and all the sexual harassment and dirty shit you said to that guy earlier—"
"Said to who? Why'd you stop talking~ Oh, is it because of this? Kkukuku~"
This. Han Seol-a waved a smartphone in front of the clerk's eyes, who was clutching her mangled wrist and shaking. The screen clearly showed the recent call log…
"W-why isn't it there? Why isn't the number I called the police with showing up…?!"
The 112 emergency number that should have been recorded was nowhere to be seen.
"Isn't it obvious? I can't have the police getting involved when I'm dealing with a woman who touched my man~ …Let's see~ This was the palm that touched our Seulgi's naughty lips, right?"
CRUNCH!
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAGH~?!?!"
Once again, the horrifying sound of bones shattering rang out alongside the clerk's scream.
"Hehehe~ Don't worry, Seulgi♡ This noona Seol-a will take care of all the flies buzzing around you~♡"
Kim Seulgi would never know. He would never know what "take care of" truly meant when Han Seol-a said it. Or why she knew the convenience store was close to his house.
THUD! THUD! THUD!!!
Violence. Even setting aside the fact that men and women were reversed in this world, the violence unleashed by her powerfully trained body was nothing short of brutal.
"Haa… haa♡ You said Seulgi has been my man since long ago? Where my man lives, how many times the bathroom light in my man's house turns on each day, how many of my man's things were thrown away in the garbage bags—I know everything♡"
Obsession that had crossed over into pure madness. Exposed to that overwhelming insanity, the clerk thought…
H-hiiik! S-stalking too?!
She herself had briefly lost her mind, charmed by the fairy-like young man's smile and done something insane. But a woman who wouldn't hesitate at stalking—or even violence?
"S-stop! I was wrong, I was wrong! I won't report it to the police, I'll leave this neighborhood! Please, please just spare my life…!"
"Heh? Really? You think I don't have to 'take care of' you all the way?"
She was going to die. This crazy woman would absolutely do it!
Warning! The capturable heroine Han Seol-a's favorability has exceeded 99%.
(※Caution. When a heroine's favorability exceeds 99%, she may display extreme behaviors such as obsession, suspicion, and violence. In severe cases, she may take dangerous actions toward the player and surrounding characters as well.)
The next day, a help-wanted sign for a new daytime part-timer was posted in front of the convenience store, right beside a faint, half-wiped bloodstain that belonged to a woman.