Part 1
Ep. 01 Pilot
“Me, this is my first time kissing someone with a tongue piercing…… Pretty nice.”
A man with slightly dark blond hair and blue eyes, a firm, chiseled jaw and a large build—David Evans, who had the typical appearance of an American heartthrob, giggled. His thumb traced my lower lip.
<Character Status Window>
◈ Name: David Evans
◈ Age: 16 (11th grade)
◈ Popularity: 97%
◈ Affection: ???♥
◈ Nicknames: Dave, The Only Quarterback, Bluedale’s Sweetheart, Bluedale’s Lover of Everyone, Bluedale’s Hot Guy
◈ Special Notes: Quarterback of Bluedale High School’s football team the Savers, protagonist of the drama ‘Pizza Saver’
“If I could kiss David even just once, you can take everything I have!”
To think that at nineteen years old, I’d have my first kiss stolen by a sixteen-year-old boy……
I recalled anew the soft sensation that had touched my lips just moments ago. My hands trembled.
NEW!
Romance Index has increased by 5%!
NEW!
‘Queer’ keyword has been added!
……I’m going to lose it.
Having entered the drama ‘Pizza Saver,’ which dealt with the ordinary romance between a quarterback, a cheerleader, and a nerdy female protagonist, I had unintentionally added the ‘queer’ keyword to the drama’s genre. I just wanted to pass out.
***
I, Baek Woogeon, was an ordinary high school senior. No, I wasn’t entirely ordinary. My mom, my dad, and even my hyung were all doctors.
My family, all alumni of Korea University Medical School, wanted me to follow the same path. Study, study, study! I silently endured the endless pressure. I even showed remarkable results. But the world wasn’t lenient enough to guarantee the results you want just because you work hard.
You have failed.
Bzzzz! Bzzzz! Bzzzz! Bzzzzzz!
“……”
Unable to believe it, I even zoomed in, and the red letters spelling ‘Failed’ became even clearer. I failed Korea University Medical School? Me? The top student in the entire school who completed every performance evaluation and had been preparing for Korea University Medical School since kindergarten? It was so unbelievable that even after refreshing multiple times, ‘Failed’ showed no intention of changing to ‘Passed.’
Before I even had time to worry about how to deliver this shocking news to my family, my phone rang noisily. It was Mom. My hands trembled. What should I say? Mom and Dad got perfect scores on their college entrance exams, and hyung entered Korea University Medical School at the top of his class. They would never accept this failure.
Why aren’t you answering?
The results came out, right?
I got a brief moment during treatment, so answer quickly!
Bzzzz! Bzzzz! Bzzzzzz!
Are you on a call with someone?
Results
How did it go?
As soon as Mom’s call ended, the person who made my phone ring next was Dad. When I didn’t answer that call either, texts poured in like an avalanche.
Why aren’t you answering your parents’ calls and making them contact me.
Answer the phone.
And the results?
Hyung simply sent a message.
“……I want to die.”
No other medical school will do, it has to be Korea University Medical School. Retake the exam? Why would you do something so embarrassing!
It was something I’d heard so often I had calluses on my ears. I felt like I could still hear it even now.
“Ah, aah. Ah……”
I covered my ears tightly and made sounds like doing a mic test. First, let me get some fresh air. I’m dreaming right now. I’m really, right now……!
“……Ugh!”
As soon as I opened the classroom door and walked out with my head down, thud! I bumped into someone. My body fell backward, and crash! the back of my head hurt.
“Hey, Baek Woogeon. Top of the class!”
“Hey!”
“Why’s he acting like that?”
“Did he faint?”
“Don’t know.”
“Ah, isn’t today the Korea University announcement? Did he fail?”
“He must’ve failed!”
“Whoa, Baek Woogeon failed Korea University!”
“Baek Woogeon? That top student?”
“Hey, hey! Baek Woogeon fainted because he failed Korea University!”
……I really want to die.
Through my dazed consciousness, I heard my classmates’ voices. I felt wronged, humiliated, and like I was going to die.
Still, no matter how much this was the worst day of my life, I didn’t really want to die. Having aspired to medical school from a very young age, I knew how precious life was.
“……Ugh!”
When I opened my eyes, it was an unfamiliar ceiling. The embarrassing fainting incident must have spread as rumors, right? Was this a hospital? But it was very strange. It seemed like someone’s room. The walls painted with dark paint were covered with posters full of skulls, and the room was too dim because of blackout curtains. I got up unsteadily and pulled back the curtains. Through the window, I could see houses lined up in rows.
Pretty strange for an infirmary……
Still, I firmly believed it had to be the infirmary. That’s because where else would I, who fainted in the classroom, be taken? But when I saw my reflection in the mirror hanging on the wall, doubts arose.
Was I kidnapped?
Only my face was the same; everything else was very different from usual. I had been a well-groomed Korean student, but now my hair was considerably long. It was similar to the old shag cut, and my bangs were cut diagonally, covering one eye. Moreover, I even had a total of three ring piercings—two on my lower lip and one on my left nostril.
Just as fear set in that the kidnapper seemed to be quite a pervert, I stuck out my tongue, which felt foreign.
“……”
A round barbell piercing was stuck in the middle of my tongue. Goosebumps spread all over. The black nail polish neatly applied to each finger seemed cute in comparison.
“……I need to get out of here.”
Whatever had happened, I needed to escape. The door, which I thought would naturally be locked, opened with a bang! making a loud noise. Good, now I just need to leave……!
“July!”
「……Mom?」
Mom, who should have been at the hospital, hugged me tightly with a tear-stained face. Clear fear came over me. Ah, Mom found out. That I failed Korea University Medical School……!
“You finally came out! After three days!”
「……What?」
Mom stroked my face with a loving expression. Mom had never been like this with me before. She was always cold and harsh.
“July, no matter what, you shouldn’t skip meals. You must be very hungry, right?”
Now even Dad joined in and hugged me. That ice-cold dad was also sniffling. I didn’t know what was going on, but since my parents were here, at least it didn’t seem like a kidnapping……
「July? Who’s that?」
“……July, what’s wrong with you, huh? Come to think of it, why are you speaking Korean?”
Mom grabbed my face. Looking at her face, she was my mom, but what, what is this?
「Mom, who am I?」
“Who else! Our second son, July!”
「……Second son July? What about the first son?」
“Your hyung, August, is at the hospital now. July, I contacted him to say you finally came out of your room.”
「…….」
My head spun. Who’s July, and who’s August? Why are the names like that in the first place?
「Who is…… July?」
Perhaps wanting to answer my question, some text appeared in mid-air.
<Character Status Window>
◈ Name: July Baek (Korean name: Baek Woogeon)
◈ Age: 18 (12th grade)
◈ Popularity: -31%
◈ Nickname: ???
◈ Special Notes: EMO族, extra in the drama ‘Pizza Saver’
“July Baek? Who’s that? Ah, that goth Japanese guy who always wears makeup like he’s gay? So gloomy, so annoying.”
「…….」
Are my parents punishing me right now? Because I failed Korea University Medical School? But no matter how advanced Korean technology is, can it do something like this? I tried to grab the text floating in the air, but nothing was caught.
“Oh my, he must have starved so much that he’s lost his mind……”
Leaving behind Mom’s muttering, thump, thump, thump, thump! Someone climbed the stairs noisily and hugged me tightly.
“July! I was so worried!”
「……Hyung?」
“Why are you calling me ‘hyung’ in Korean?”
My hyung, who was fourteen years older than me, was always cold to me. He never played with me, was always busy, and only sent cold glances. But the current hyung was worrying about me.
……Am I dead?
Is that why, for the first time in my life, I briefly got the affectionate family I’d always wanted? It must have been a brain hemorrhage. I hit my head hard, didn’t I? The bleeding must have been severe, and besides……
「…….」
I keep seeing strange things……
Welcome to Bluedale! You have entered the drama ‘Pizza Saver.’
Your mission is simple.
Survive until the final scene of Season 1, the Valentine’s Day party, is broadcast! Please save the drama in crisis. 🙁
But don’t worry! The system will try its best for you! 🙂
<Saver of Pizza Saver>
Survive until the Valentine’s Day party scene is broadcast and secure Season 2 broadcasting rights!
(Rotten Pineapple Index of 90% or higher required)
-Upon success: Escape from ‘Bluedale’!!
-Upon failure: Death!!!!!!!
The letters ‘Death!!!!!!!’ were just like ‘Failed’—bright red and clear, making it hard to look away.
……Ah! I’ve seen something like this before. This kind of thing appeared in games I played when I was young. Plus, an otaku guy in my class said something like this appeared in web novels or something he read…… Possession, was it……
“July? July? What’s wrong?”
I let my body go limp while being held by hyung and closed my eyes. But damn it, I couldn’t faint again. My body was too healthy. After opening my eyes to see the text several times, then closing them again, opening them, closing them—repeating that act many times—I finally accepted it.
That I had possessed July Baek, an EMO Asian extra character in the trashy high-teen flop drama ‘Pizza Saver.’ That if I don’t save this damn drama, I’ll die!
