Don't Pick Up the Male Lead in the Apocalypse - Chapter 1
As I opened my eyes to a chilling sensation as if my cheeks were freezing, what unfolded before me was a scene of sheer whiteness.
Lifting my head, I saw snow falling heavily from the sky, the very culprit that turned the world white.
“What in the world is this?”
Until then, I had no idea. Who could immediately realize they were in another world just from a snowy backdrop?
Especially a world from a novel, a doomed world without a sliver of hope.
❅
The novel’s title was “How to Keep Warm in a Frozen World.”
It was a story about the heroine picking up male leads one by one and surviving in a world that had met its end due to a sudden ice age.
The novel, marked prominently with an adult rating on its cover, was in fact more famous for its devastating ending than its steamy methods of keeping warm.
The male and female leads showcase an ultimate scene only to freeze to death the next day, a so-called frozen-death ending.
An icy ending of freezing to death.
The protagonists persevered in the devastated world with the sole hope of finding the “Last Paradise,” but ultimately they couldn’t find it and embraced each other and killed themselves.
Despite knowing the tragic ending, I bought the early chapters of the novel thinking I would read it later.
The story was said to be engrossing up to the climax, thanks to the variety of male lead candidates, even if it concluded with the notorious frozen-death ending.
“An enigmatic silver-haired man, a fiery red-haired man who was always ready to brawl, a chilling black-haired soldier concealing his dark side, and a doomed golden-haired priest?”
How could I not indulge in such a tale?
That was my thought before I found myself standing alone in the vast, snowy expanse.
Yesterday evening, I was mechanically ringing a bell for a charity kettle drive.
As I shoved my hand into the pocket of my puffer jacket,
-Tingling.
The clear and melodious sound of the bell resonated, spreading across the white expanse.
It was the Salvation Army handbell I’d been ringing all evening.
‘Let’s organize our thoughts.’
I had been volunteering all evening, finished the charity pot collection, and was on my way to the office to hand over the kettle. But then…
“That thief!”
That’s where the incident began.
Throughout the volunteering, I rang the bell and expressed my gratitude to those who put their donations into the charity pot.
Every time I called out a word of thanks as cash poured into the charity kettle, people would display a bashful expression, and some even apologized, saying, “Sorry I couldn’t give more.”
I’m sorry I didn’t put a lot in.
Those words and the embarrassed looks made me feel ashamed of myself for showing up to volunteer just to fill out one more line on a job application.
I had never really considered giving to charity, always spending whatever money I had on things I wanted.
Maybe that’s why.
Having met warm-hearted people all evening, I felt a comforting warmth and was momentarily captivated by the illusion that the world was filled with such kind souls.
But the illusion shattered quickly.
“Hand it over.”
It was a robber.
In a dimly lit alley, emerging suddenly from behind a car, the robber brazenly demanded, as if robbery was something to be proud of.
He was so bold I thought I was supposed to hand it over.
Under normal circumstances, I would have said, “Yes, take it,” and saved myself by running away. But…
“How can I give this money, meant for charity, to a thief like you?”
I shifted the charity pot I was holding to my chest and clutched it tightly.
The robber then cocked his head to one side, seemingly puzzled. I thought I saw the corner of his mouth rise in the darkness.
That moment, I turned and bolted. It was late and the alley was secluded, but it was still Seoul.
If I could just get out of this alley, there would be people around and shops lit up with light.
“Just a little more…”
-Gotcha.
Damn it.
My mind was like a striker running to an unguarded goal line, but my body couldn’t keep up.
Just as the alley was nearly ending, and I was about to step into the light from the darkness, I was caught by the thug.
“This damn robber—”
That was the last thing I said before my mouth was covered. Then I was dragged into a dark parking lot inside the alley.
I was drained from running, but the robber didn’t seem to tire, easily snatching the charity pot from me.
As he leisurely turned to escape, I rummaged in my pocket.
I needed something to strike him on the back of his head.
Without even thinking about what was in my pocket, I stood up and raised my arm high.
-Tingling.
Ah, the clear and melodious sound of the bell.
If there’s a god of bells, now would be a good time to be quiet.
-Thump.
The robber, wearing a scornful smile, smacked my face with the charity pot.
