It hurts.
I kept repeating those words as the pain behind my eyes grew sharper and sharper, no matter how hard I tried to stay calm.
My memories were scattered everywhere. My name was Jake… but apparently my name was also Kylen Noor!? Who the hell was I supposed to be?
Just as I felt myself about to throw up, everything suddenly stopped. The pain, the confusion—gone in an instant. As if nothing had ever happened. As if it had all been a hallucination.
I blinked and realized I was already sitting in a massive auditorium. At the front, a group of adults stood on stage, presenting something.
The place was packed—hundreds, maybe thousands—every single person wearing the same uniform I had on. I couldn't count them, but there had to be at least 2,500 students in here.
The presentation on the screen was impossible to decipher. The letters looked Asian… Hangul, maybe?
I tried reading it, but it was hopeless. I'd never learned anything besides English. There was no reason I should understand any of that.
Then a sudden blast of noise tore through my ears. A ringing followed—sharp, painful—but at the same time, I realized something.
I could hear again.
The adults on stage were speaking in Korean, yet bit by bit, the sounds twisted themselves into English—clear, perfect English.
[Now, without further ado, let us invite the entrance exam's top scorer to deliver the entrance speech.]
[Please give a loud applause to student Han Seora!!!]
Applause thundered through the auditorium as the girl stood and walked toward the stage with perfectly straight posture.
I only caught a glimpse of her face, but even from that, I could see she looked uncomfortable.
Then, something struck the inside of my skull—a sudden surge of information flooding in like a dam bursting open.
---
Name: Han Seora (한서라)
Age: 17
Class: 7th Rank Constellation Mage
Description:
A girl who came from "The Real World" to repair the story's flow and create the perfect ending. She is kind, sometimes mischievous, and hates being compared to a damsel in distress, preferring a more villainous role.
___
It was only a brief description, yet it felt unnervingly familiar. As if I had written her story… or rather, read it.
"Wow, she's so pretty. What kind of treatment do you think she gets?" one girl whispered.
"She's a commoner. Do you really think she can afford that kind of luxury?" another scoffed.
Girls admired her, yet mocked her at the same time.
"Man, I bet she'd be great in bed."
"Like she'd ever get with you!"
"Well, she's a commoner. I can just throw her a few gold and she'll fall for me instantly."
And the boys were lusting over her while mocking her just as badly.
Admiration and contempt—mixed together. It was as if…
…I'd walked straight into a shoujo story.
◇
On the opposite side of the auditorium, a concealed observation room sat behind a massive one-way mirror. The students couldn't see a thing, yet every movement on the floor below was visible to the people inside.
The room resembled a luxurious viewing box, filled with representatives from various guilds as they monitored the incoming freshmen.
"So that's the girl from the prophecy?" a woman asked.
"That's what people say," another replied. "But even if the rumor's false, she's still exceptional. A 7th-Rank Constellation Mage at seventeen… impressive."
"Regardless, the Starlight Guild will be taking her in," the woman declared confidently.
Several heads turned toward her. She wasn't just anyone—she was one of the nation's few S-Rank heroes.
Sung Jun-Ah, vice guild master of the Starlight Guild.
While Han Seora stood on stage reading a painfully boring entrance speech, the adults in the room were busy arguing over who would get the chance to recruit her.
At the center of the room, however, one man remained still, calmly sipping from a ceramic cup as if none of the chaos concerned him.
"Silence."
The cup struck the table with a heavy thud, loud enough to cut through the argument like a blade.
A chill rippled through the room. Everyone turned toward the source of the voice.
The old man sat with immaculate posture. His every movement—every breath—carried effortless dignity.
Dante Von Atris, Vice Principal of the Academy.
"I did not expect to see respected guild representatives behaving like wild animals inside this institution," he said, voice cold. "The choice belongs to the girl herself. Are you trying to claim her already?"
"If you cannot conduct yourselves properly, I will consider this an insult to the academy. And may I remind you—"
His gaze sharpened.
"Only third-year students are permitted to join a guild."
Shock spread across the room. Despite his calm appearance, Dante Von Atris radiated an aura that made approaching him feel impossible.
The guild members fell silent and redirected their attention to the other students. Since Han Seora wasn't the only one with a promising future, after all.
◇
Han Seora needed a full twenty-five minutes to finish the speech.
In that time, I tried my best to figure out what the hell was happening to me.
Who am I?
What just happened?
How did I even get here?
My memories from the past week were foggy, blurred as if someone had painted over them. But everything before that… I remembered clearly.
I remembered talking with my friends about which high school we wanted to apply to.
Wait… no. That wasn't right.
I was pretty sure I didn't go to middle school at all. I was taught by a sister in a church.
Two pasts.
Two versions of me.
Two lives tangled together inside my head.
Am I Jake?
Or am I Kylen Noor?
"…and with that, I sincerely hope each and every one of you will strive to become individuals who bring honor to this academy," Han Seora said, finally reaching the end of her speech after what felt like an eternity.
Her voice was steady, but even from where I sat I could see the stiffness in her shoulders—the kind you get after talking nonstop for twenty-five minutes.
"In conclusion," she continued, "I would like to express my gratitude to the instructors, the exam committee, and all staff who guided us through the admission process. I promise to uphold the values of this academy and to grow into a mage worthy of the title granted to me today."
She took a small breath—the relieved kind someone takes when they know they're finally done.
"Once again, thank you for listening. I look forward to growing together with all of you. That is… all."
A polite bow.
A heartbeat of silence.
And then, as if the entire room had been waiting desperately—
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Applause exploded through the auditorium, louder than before. Some of it was admiration.
Some of it was simply relief that the speech was over.
[And with the end of Han Seora's speech, I now congratulate all of you. From this moment onward, you are officially students of Atlas Academy—students who will one day become the heroes who save the world!]
The entire auditorium erupted.
Students cheered, raised their hands, shouted, celebrated.
The room vibrated with excitement and hope.
And I sat there, surrounded by 2,500 future heroes…
…still not knowing who I was.
To be continued