Ha Eun-ah
As one of Asteria’s heroines, she was Nam In-ju’s childhood friend. Moreover, her modest, kind demeanor, coupled with her angelic appearance in front of Nam In-ju, made her one of the most suitable candidates for the main love interest.
However, as the story progressed, Ha Eun-ah underwent a complete transformation.
Her mental state would crumble as she formed bonds with other heroines, leading her to a slow self-destruction. Conversely, she would develop an extreme obsession with the player’s affectionate actions towards her, dragging the player into a pit of fixation.
Later, upon reaching the story’s conclusion.
If her love with Nam In-ju blossomed, it would lead to eternal confinement. If it didn’t, she would become the final mastermind, a tragic end for the character.
For most players, she was considered a ‘minefield character’ (TL Note: A character whose storyline is fraught with pitfalls or negative outcomes, often leading to player frustration or an undesirable ending). Breaking away from the typical beloved childhood friend archetype, she shattered many players’ mental states as a yandere character.
Such was Ha Eun-ah.
The real problem, however, was that I had now become Ha Eun-ah.
Ever since I became Ha Eun-ah, I had been plagued by headaches. Though I occasionally suffered from headaches before, this pain was almost unbearable.
Could Ha Eun-ah have endured this agony every single time?
I vaguely knew Ha Eun-ah’s backstory. Despite her perfect family, her parents never showed her love, and the emotional void she experienced from childhood ultimately twisted her.
Ha Eun-ah was, at her core, a woman starved for love.
For her, Nam In-ju represented her last glimmer of hope. It was her love for him that allowed her to endure any suffering.
She hadn’t known him for a long time.
He was simply a close friend from elementary school.
Nothing more, nothing less.
“Let’s definitely get married when we grow up.”
They exchanged such perfunctory words. Their relationship was cliché, if anything. Yet, to Ha Eun-ah, he must have been like a prince on a white horse.
After all, he was the one who offered love to a girl desperately craving it.
Now, I stood before the main gates of the academy.
The throbbing pain that had begun last night still hadn’t subsided. Though I was enduring it with medication, I had no idea how long it would last.
[ Welcome to Asteria Academy. ]
A banner fluttered in the breeze, while students laughing merrily streamed inside. I, however, remained rooted to the spot, clutching my carrier.
Upon waking this morning, I had received a text message. The idea of enrolling in Asteria Academy seemed preposterous, yet I had no other choice.
My heart was brimming with an urgent desire to meet Nam In-ju.
I already knew he had applied here. The photos and informational documents displayed in her room attested to it.
Love. It seemed to emanate directly from Ha Eun-ah.
My heart pounded wildly, as if Ha Eun-ah’s emotions had been transplanted into me. A fervent desire to meet In-ju surged within me.
Asteria Academy.
It was a combat academy, built primarily around education.
It mainly conducted combat training, differentiating between Awakened and Non-Awakened individuals, with the goal of producing combat personnel capable of deterring villains later on.
Awakened individuals could be described as humans possessing a type of superpower—psychic abilities. However, Ha Eun-ah had no such powers.
In the story, Ha Eun-ah was a non-Awakened individual, lacking any abilities. This distinction from the Awakened led her to choose a gun. While most non-Awakened individuals relied on Homunculi for combat, she paid no mind to it.
To think she would brave such dangers just to meet Nam In-ju.
Love. What exactly did love mean to her?
“All new students, please gather in the auditorium.”
Hearing the announcement from the outdoor speaker, I began to move. My head wasn’t aching yet, and deeming the pain bearable, I slowly entered the building.
The auditorium.
The moment I stepped inside, the sheer number of people made me flinch. For some reason, my heart felt light and fluttery.
‘Was Ha Eun-ah nervous?’
Ever since I inhabited this body, I hadn’t been able to control it as I wished. It felt as if I were a foreign object lodged within Ha Eun-ah’s body.
I hastily entered the restroom. Standing before the mirror, I found myself sweating profusely, overwhelmed by extreme tension.
‘What on earth was I supposed to do about this?’
Before the restroom mirror, I opened my phone to check my class assignment.
The screen was blurry, making it difficult to see clearly. I was certain it had been Class 2.
Thwack—someone struck the back of my head. Clatter—my phone tumbled to the floor. I instinctively reached out to grab it, just as a voice echoed from behind me.
“I had a hunch, but it really is Eun-ah. Are you at this academy too?”
“Seriously? How did she get into Asteria without any abilities?”
“Guess you really need your dad’s connections, huh.”
The trio cackled.
This was clearly the group that had tormented Ha Eun-ah. She must have been bullied by them continuously, even before entering the academy.
These girls were the type who appeared early in the story, only to be silenced by Nam In-ju’s sharp rebuke.
‘So, if she isn’t saved by In-ju, will she be tormented by these bullies until she descends into darkness?’
I picked up the phone that had fallen to the floor.
‘Why couldn’t she ever fight back against these girls?’ She was a diligent student who couldn’t bear to cause her parents any worry.
‘She must have wanted to avoid causing trouble and being disliked by her parents.’
“Are you ignoring us?”
At their words, my head suddenly began to ache.
The pain coiled around me once more.
Overwhelmed by the agony, I collapsed again.
“…It hurts.”
I whimpered, crawling on the floor. ‘To think a headache would suddenly flare up like this. I had definitely taken my medicine.’
“What’s wrong with her? She’s acting weird.”
“It’s not because of us, is it?”
The girls, who had been snickering, now looked down at me in bewilderment. ‘Why was I suddenly feeling such intense pain?’
‘In-ju, help me.’
The Ha Eun-ah within my mind was stirring, crying out to In-ju for help.
Then.
Whoosh—an ice chunk struck one of the girls’ hands.
“Kyaah!”
The girl shrieked, clutching her hand where the ice chunk had hit.
“Don’t you think that’s enough?”
I looked towards the source of the voice. With her black bob, porcelain-white skin, and striking dark eyebrows, a woman with a cool, composed face was approaching.
Baek Seol.
It seemed she had thrown the ice chunk at the bullies. I knew her ability was ice-specialized, placing her among the top-tier Awakened individuals.
At Seol’s appearance, the trio faltered.
“Wh-what did we even do?”
The three girls looked flustered, while Seol merely smiled at them.
“You were bullying someone, weren’t you? Let’s not tell such obvious lies.”
At her words, the girls flinched, then glared at Seol.
“Got any proof?”
As one of them pressed, advancing forward, Seol pulled out her phone and pressed the record button.
The voices of the three girls spilled out—the very voices that had been tormenting me.
“Would you call this proof enough?”
Seol smiled, her gaze fixed on the trio. Annoyed, the three girls turned and stormed out.
“Alright. Let’s go, girls.”
The girls vanished, leaving only Seol and me. My headache, which had kept me crawling on the floor, gradually subsided. Slowly, I pushed myself up, hand pressed to my temple.
“Hey, are you alright?”
I flinched at her call, having not expected her to address me. Slowly, I turned my head to look at her.
“Are you hurt? Do you want to go to the infirmary?”
I couldn’t answer her words. The necessity of receiving help felt profoundly sad. Seol sighed deeply, then continued.
“Why are you letting yourself be bullied by kids like that? You could just tell a teacher or your parents.”
Baek Seol spoke plainly, suggesting I report them. Though I couldn’t fully comprehend it, Ha Eun-ah didn’t want any commotion.
As Seol brushed her hair aside, her fair neckline became visible.
“I’m sorry.”
At my words, Seol, seemingly flustered, turned her head away.
‘The word “sorry” wasn’t truly my own. It was merely Ha Eun-ah’s way of escaping the current situation.’
“No, there’s nothing to be sorry for…”
Seol tried to say more, but then stopped.
“We haven’t even introduced ourselves, have we? I’m Baek Seol. And you?”
“Ha Eun-ah.”
“Right, Eun-ah. Please, tell a teacher later. People like that only learn when they’re punished…”
A murmuring sound drifted from outside, voices audible even within the restroom.
“The entrance ceremony will begin shortly. New students, please proceed to your designated classes…”
At the voice from outside, Seol looked at me.
“Let’s talk later for now.”
With those words, Seol left the restroom. ‘What would I even say if we met again?’ Hesitantly, I stepped outside and joined the line for Class 2.
Seol was nowhere to be seen, likely in one of the front rows. I was at the very back, staring blankly ahead, alone. The entrance ceremony began with a cough, and the dean’s address and homeroom teacher introductions passed by.
Standing alone without a partner, I had no one beside me who could be called a friend.
‘Was this truly alright?’
I fidgeted with the handle of my carrier, my gaze fixed forward.
“Next, we will have the new student oath.”
Everyone stood at attention. A student walked forward to take the oath; one of the students was approaching the podium.
A tall, handsome young man. ‘Was he the top-ranking admitted student?’ My heart inexplicably began to pound. ‘Why was my heart suddenly racing?’
‘No, it wasn’t my heart pounding. It was Ha Eun-ah’s heart. Could it be… that her heart was racing because of the man on the podium?’
Slowly, I gazed at the face of the man on the podium.
Standing on the podium, he raised his hand with a confident expression. The male student took the oath, his right hand held high.
His dignified tone.
“We, the newly admitted students, hereby pledge to fulfill our duties as students and uphold the spirit of academy life. New Student Representative, Nam In-ju.”
He was none other than Nam In-ju.
The protagonist of the game, Asteria.
The moment his words ended, my body trembled. A hot thrill coursed through me.
It was clear that Ha Eun-ah loved him beyond all imagination.
