The Author's Troubles

Pa!

A loud snap resounded through the darkness.

The door was abruptly kicked open and a strong, fishy smell gushed out in fumes of crimson, dyeing the air with hues of rusty iron and, along with it, a young man stumbled out, obviously malnourished but, currently, his stomach had an evident bulge from a satisfying meal.

Though, on the contrary, his face had a disgusted expression that seemed to portray how much he wanted to throw up whatever he just ate.

Looking closer, the young man, like the air, was dyed in a red so vibrant, it stole all the colors from the whole city, though there wasn't much color present to begin with. The world had already long turned to black and white.

How did it become this way?

The boy stumbled around in a daze until he somehow arrived in front of the entrance where neatly chopped peices of flesh which previously belonged to two children were strewn all over the floor haphazardly, along with the corpses of two men who had obviously died with regrets, their mouths gaping and their eyes wide open.

"Dong'ah... Yunhee..." The boy quietly muttered, kneeling on the bloody floor, his body spasming in bottled up rage as he dug through the piles of flesh and finding two small heads which should have been cute and lively, if they weren't separated from their body. "Big brother is sorry... Big brother is sorry..."

Drip. Drip... Shhhh...

The sound of the rain lulled all the creatures in the city, as if inviting them to sleep all their problems away, flowing along with the water and getting lost along with the current.

But, of course, no problem will ever be solved that way. And no mistake will be fixed just because you forgot them. The world simply does not work that way. No matter how much we wish it to.

"Big brother is sorry..."

That is why we must take the initiative.

To fix it, or to be fixed by it.

"I'll take revenge for you... So before then..." He smiled gently, as if he wasn't able to see the gore and entrails around him. "Become a part of me for a while."

"And watch as I destroy this depraved world."

With that gentle smile still present on his face, the boy began to violently shove the pieces of what used to be his most beloved siblings into his mouth.

...

[Evil author strikes again!]

[Dear author, can you please make one novel that isn't too broken? Just one is enough!]

[Ah! Ah! Ah! D*mn Sc*mmy Author! Come out and let me beat you up! I swear it will only hurt a little bit!]

[Huh? Wasn't this supposed to be a chill isekai fantasy novel? What happened?!]

[Eyyy. The other commenters are total noobs. Real fans should already be used to the author's style by now. If you still don't understand, then get lost quick. I predict the next chapter will be even worse.]

[Reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!]

Haa...

Breathing out a long, drawn out sigh, Seo Haneul skimmed through the comments on the most recent chapter of the novel he was writing.

Truthfully told, as a writer of nearly seven years, he had slowly lost his passion for writing and, recently, he had been having trouble trying to come up with new ideas.

"Maybe it's a sign that it's time to quit." He muttered to himself.

[D*mn! Just when this novel made it into my list of favorites! D*mn you, author! I curse you to become a character in your own novel!]

Seo Haneul inadvertently snorted in amusement.

Now that's one creative way to curse someone.

Though it has zero possibility of coming true, he still unconsciously muttered.

"Well, good luck with that."

Shaking his head, he turned his computer off and went to bed, leaving all decision makings for tomorrow.

...

[My creator, I have failed you... I, who you have entrusted with the safety of the four realms, have failed your expectations. That is why, with the remaining power I have left, I shall turn back time to when it all began.]

[Hopefully, the end will change with this...]

[And, this godhead that was bestowed to me, I shall now return to you. Please forgive your unworthy son... Father.]

...

The dim moonlight gently caressed Haneul's eyelids, as if reminding him that it was already time to wake up but, the rhythmic sound of the waves seemed to say otherwise, as if to lull him back to sleep.

Despite feeling already fully rested, the cool sea breeze and the gentle rocking of his bed made him feel sleepy.

"Mm... the sea is so nice... maybe I'll make the next book about it.." Haneul subconsciously mumbled. But, a few moments later, his eyes snapped wide open. "...Wait. Sea..?"

He surveyed his surroundings in confusion. "Why was I sleeping on a boat..?"

Muttering incredulously, Haneul laid back down on the boat and closed his eyes. "I'm probably still sleeping. The next time I wake up, I'll be back at my apartment as usual."

And so he slept... Or atleast tried to.

Half an hour later, the boat docked itself on a pier and Haneul was forced to get off the boat under the strange gazes of the late night fishermen.

"Strange kid."

"Is he some sort of washed up foreigner? He doesn't look like he's from around here."

"Yeah, white hair, gold eyes... I won't even be surprised if he's an alien."

"Are gold eyes even possible? I only know black, brown, blue, green and grey."

"They're obviously contact lenses, fool. Those kpop idols that my daughter watches are all wearing those."

"Ahh, I see. But that doesn't explain why he was floating around at sea in the middle of the night."

"He's probably just a strange tourist. Anyways, it's none of our business."

In the dark pier, four fishermen whispered to each other as they sneaked glances towards a confused white haired boy as he slowly walked away.