Chapter 1
Chapter 1
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Am I the Pushover Protagonist?
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An unfamiliar ceiling came into view.
Luxurious designer ceiling panels were arranged in a vibrant, multicolored pattern.
It was the kind of room that brought to mind bedrooms from dramas—belonging to at least second-generation chaebol heirs.
'What the fuck...'
What the hell had happened?
Rummaging through my memories, I blinked and tried to sit up.
I froze.
No, tried to.
"Oh, you're awake? What's gotten into you, waking up before I even call you~?"
That was my question.
I followed the sudden woman's voice, lowering my gaze, and looked at her straddling my body.
It was straight out of an anime scene.
The dramatic backdrop combined with an anime-perfect moment made it feel way too unreal.
"......"
Such idle thoughts didn't last long.
"Sia?"
Her name slipped out before I knew it.
Cynthia, age twenty. The protagonist's first love and childhood friend in a Tsukuru erotic game—the first girl to get NTR'd in the story.
And there she was, beaming at me.
"What's with you today? You usually just call me 'hey' or 'you.'"
"I mean..."
"Anyway, I like hearing you say my name for once. It's been forever."
Cynthia's innocent face lit up with a radiant smile.
Unlike her, I had no desire to hear my own name, but she went ahead and hammered reality home anyway.
"Today's gonna be a great day, Woojin-ah."
Yeah. I'd become the game's pushover protagonist.
"Oh! Now that you're up, get moving and come down to the kitchen~! Breakfast is ready!"
Still straddling me, Cynthia shook me up and down a couple times with the blanket, then slipped out of the room.
"This is for real...?"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
I barely touched my breakfast as I mulled it over.
'I'm Kang Woojin.'
I had no choice but to accept it.
Maybe deep down, I'd been hoping for this.
'I remember falling asleep in my studio apartment.'
It was a chance to vent the trauma and pent-up rage from playing that Tsukuru erotic game.
'That hologram status window invitation wasn't a dream after all...'
I adapted to reality quicker than I expected.
Me, the pushover Kang Woojin? Hell, bring it on. As memories of the characters who'd tormented my past self flashed through my mind, a thrilling shiver ran down my spine.
'Time for payback. Against those fucking bastards.'
Vowing to make them suffer even for the sake of the pitiful original protagonist, I turned a newfound gaze toward Cynthia sitting across the table.
My revenge targets weren't limited to the NTR guys.
Cynthia had stabbed me—Kang Woojin, or rather, us—in the back, hurting both body and soul.
I could protect her, dodge the NTR, and craft a sweet pure-love story with my childhood friend. But that wasn't even on the table.
'You're a living onahole to me.'
With that internal verdict, I aggressively chomped through the rolled omelet.
"The omelet's good, right? I got the shape even prettier than usual today~?"
"Yeah, sure."
"Try the kimchi stew too! I seasoned it without MSG, so it might be a bit bland, but I think you'll like it that way! You love kimchi stew, Woojin~!"
This body just likes MSG-heavy stuff.
Seeing her efforts to match my childhood friend's tastes and health made my heart tug a little.
Living onahole felt too harsh—maybe upgrade her to flesh toilet?
"I loaded it up with meat too! Dig in!"
With her pale hands deftly wielding chopsticks, she piled solids and sides high on my spoon.
On second thought, flesh toilet's too much. Sex slave sounds about right.
"Thanks."
For some reason, it felt like we were newlyweds—not a bad vibe at all.
Cynthia had been doting on Kang Woojin forever; we were practically family.
That close.
With her top-tier school beauty, plenty of guys envied our bond.
"Um, Woojin-ah..."
Maybe buoyed by the warm atmosphere, Cynthia cautiously broached the subject.
Looked like a sensitive topic.
"You're going to school today... right?"
"What?"
I reflexively furrowed my brow.
Kang Woojin, you fucking loser.
This guy with his decent build was currently skipping school.
"T-Today's just the closing ceremony, so it'll end early. Can't we go together...?"
Cynthia hunched her shoulders slightly, persuading me in her soft voice.
Even her wary glance was adorable.
Adorable enough to pin her down right then.
"If you keep this up, you'll fall short on attendance days... You should go at least now to make up for it..."
She had a point, but I was torn.
Stella Academy, where we went.
It was a two-year prep academy for after high school, before university.
Of course, plenty graduated straight into jobs, so you could call it vocational too.
In this world of Towers and Hunters, the nation had extended mandatory education by two years to adapt.
'Not that it matters much.'
The issue was the bullying I faced there.
The class outcast, exploited by top and second-tier delinquents.
That was me, Kang Woojin.
'Skipping school's not unreasonable. Especially for aspiring Hunters who break rules anyway.'
As a nationally acclaimed academy, overt bullying was rare, but the underhanded stuff went beyond student levels.
"Woojin-ah..."
"Fine, let's go."
"Huh?"
"I said let's go."
But skipping was the original Kang Woojin's choice, not mine.
For me, it was a golden opportunity. A chance to see that smug NTR prick's face.
"W-Wait, you're really going to school with me?"
Surprised by my response, Cynthia's eyes went wide like a startled bunny.
I fought the urge to stretch those soft cheeks and kiss her.
"Like you said, it's just the closing ceremony. Two or three periods at most, right?"
"Yeah! Exactly!"
Thankfully, I held back the impulse... Yeah, right.
Smooch.
I grabbed Cynthia's stunned face and pressed my lips to hers without hesitation.
"Mmph?!"
Ignoring her sharp intake of breath, the soft sensation spread from my lips.
'This isn't a game character... she's real...'
Instinctively deepening the kiss in my test run—
Slap!
A crisp smack echoed.
Fuck, that stings.
'...Back to flesh toilet you go.'
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I slunk into the classroom and found my seat.
If Sia had been with me, it'd have been easy.
Unfortunately, after that, she hadn't said a word—pure ice queen.
"Hoo."
I plopped into my seat and let out a light sigh.
Not because of Cynthia's attitude.
'It's been ages since I graduated high school.'
Fresher than college lecture halls or labs, but the classroom walls closing in felt suffocating.
Whispers.
The murmurs from around the room and students' stares were uncomfortable.
"Isn't that Woojin?"
"Whoa, it's been forever. Has it really been a month since he last showed up?"
Suddenly the class star, I sighed again and glanced out the window.
'Guess the general prep track keeps things relatively tame.'
Ears perked, I reviewed upcoming events.
Not that they were anything grand.
Just endless bad choices and shitty netorare.
Obviously, I had zero intention of following the original game's flow.
'Gotta keep affection high by default. Hit the main events without overdoing it.'
Stick to the script, and I'd lose the heroines—it was inevitable.
Kang Woojin's affinity with them just determined humiliation levels.
'Nah, now I'm the one dishing out the humiliation.'
Chuckling lowly, I reverse-engineered big and small events, plotting ways to screw over the NTR duo.
Scraaaape.
Right then.
"Fuck, splitting up this early in the morning is bad luck."
A guy at the back shoved his chair aside and called me out.
"Hey, Woo-chin. Get over here."
I turned to look at him wordlessly.
"What're you staring at, asshole? I said come here. You deaf or something?"
Typical thug. Couldn't recall his name.
"Damn, mouthy one, huh? What's your name?"
So I asked.
"Friend? Who's your friend, you fucking loser?!"
I'd asked politely enough, but manners didn't compute for antisocial punks.
"Oh, I'm crazy alright. Watching girls around you moan and groan would drive anyone mad..."
Not even waiting for my reply to "you crazy?", he lunged with a punch.
Whoosh!
Some wind noise effect he'd seen somewhere.
Part of me wanted to just take the hit and move on, but his ego wouldn't let it end there.
This era's Kang Woojin was their wallet and ego-booster anyway.
'Why's he moving so slow?'
Leveraging my superior build, I slapped his cheek before his fist could land.
Slap!
A clear ring, like with Cynthia that morning.
'Am I... stronger than I thought?'