I Killed The Main Characters

The crowd outside the small auditorium murmured in hushed tones as Kim Hajin adjusted the tie around his neck.

The stiff fabric felt like a noose, but he had no choice.

This was graduation day, and even if he was at the bottom of his class, he was expected to look the part.

He glanced at the crumpled program in his hands.

His name, listed dead last, glared back at him.

A reminder of how unremarkable his college journey had been.

As the ceremony concluded, Hajin shuffled off stage with his diploma.

Trying to ignore the disappointed glances from his parents in the audience.

Second class, last place—it wasn't exactly a resume highlight.

Still, he couldn't dwell on it.

He had a job lined up, a small victory in a string of otherwise mediocre outcomes.

The position was with Mirae Ventures, a mid-sized investment firm with a decent reputation.

It wasn't glamorous, but it was stable—or so he thought.

On his first day, Hajin was paired with Eunseo.

A sharp-eyed woman with an air of confidence that made him feel like an ant under a magnifying glass.

She was assigned as his mentor.

But it didn't take long for their relationship to blur the lines between professional and personal.

Eunseo had a knack for making Hajin feel seen.

She laughed at his awkward jokes, shared lunches with him.

And even stayed late to help him with reports he barely understood.

For a guy who had spent most of college in the shadow of others, her attention felt like sunlight breaking through storm clouds.

Before he knew it, Hajin found himself looking forward to work just to see her.

But Mirae Ventures wasn't the haven it seemed.

Behind the polished façade, whispers of discrepancies in client accounts began circulating.

The company had promised investors high returns through complex schemes that Hajin didn't fully understand.

Eunseo often brushed off his questions, telling him not to worry about the details and to focus on the tasks she gave him.

One afternoon, Hajin was called into a meeting with Eunseo and the company's finance director.

A man with a permanent scowl etched into his face.

They handed him a stack of documents, asking him to verify figures and signatures.

Hajin didn't question why the task fell to him.

He was too busy trying to prove his worth.

He worked late into the night, double-checking everything and signing off as instructed.

A month later, the storm hit.

Mirae Ventures was accused of orchestrating a Ponzi scheme.

Funneling new client investments to pay off earlier ones.

Millions were lost, and clients demanded answers.

The firm's offices were raided, computers seized, and employees interrogated.

Hajin, having signed off on key documents, found himself under scrutiny.

"What were you thinking, Hajin?"

Eunseo's voice cut through his growing panic during one of their last conversations.

"You should've said something if the numbers didn't make sense."

He stared at her, dumbfounded.

"Y-You...told me not to worry about it.

You said—"

"And you listened?"

She crossed her arms, her tone sharp.

"This is your career.

Enjoy exclusive adventures from empire

You can't just follow orders blindly."

"..."

"...but."

Her words stung.

But what hurt more was the realization that Eunseo had distanced herself from him as soon as the scandal broke.

She no longer lingered by his desk or joined him for lunch.

Worse, rumors began circulating that she had been the one to orchestrate much of the scheme.

Hajin wanted to believe she was innocent, but the evidence said otherwise.

Emails traced back to her account, client records she had access to, and, most damning of all, her sudden resignation just before the scandal went public.

When investigators questioned Hajin, he stumbled over his answers.

His usual gullibility working against him.

"I—I didn't know....

I just did what I was told..."

He stammered.

But his signature was on the documents, tying him to the mess.

Days turned into weeks, and Mirae Ventures collapsed under the weight of lawsuits and investigations.

Hajin was fired along with most of the staff, his career effectively over before it had truly begun.

He avoided his family's calls, unable to face their disappointment.

His savings dwindled, and his apartment grew colder and emptier.

One evening, Hajin received a message from Eunseo.

She wanted to meet.

Against his better judgment, he agreed, desperate for closure—or perhaps just answers.

They met at a small café on the outskirts of the city.

Eunseo looked uncharacteristically tired, her usual sharpness dulled.

"I didn't mean for you to get dragged into this..."

She said, stirring her coffee.

"Did you do it?"

Hajin asked, his voice shaking.

"Did you plan everything?"

Eunseo's eyes flickered with something he couldn't quite place—

Regret?

Guilt?

"I did what I had to do."

She said finally.

"But I didn't think they'd pin so much on you."

Hajin laughed bitterly.

"You didn't think?

You used me, Eunseo.

You knew I wouldn't ask questions."

Her silence was answer enough.

As he walked home that night, Hajin replayed their conversation in his mind.

He wanted to hate her, but more than that, he hated himself.

For trusting her.

For ignoring the red flags.

For running away from responsibility at every turn.

This wasn't the first time he had tried to escape his problems.

In college, he'd switched majors three times, dropped classes when they got too hard, and blamed his failures on bad luck or unfair professors.

Now, standing in the wreckage of his first job, he saw the pattern clearly.

Every time things got difficult, he ran.

"....I always...run..."

***

---

Maya hurried through the hallways of the academy.

Her heart pounding as her footsteps echoed against the marble floors.

She barely registered the curious stares from passing students or the muted buzz of their conversations.

Her maid's earlier words had been a jolt to her.

Noah was found…

That had been enough to send her rushing to the infirmary.

Her mind a tangled web of worry, guilt, and something she couldn't quite name.

When she arrived, she hesitated outside the infirmary door, trying to steady her breathing.

But before she could compose herself, the door swung open.

And a tall girl with striking black hair and piercing red eyes stepped out, her expression sharp and uninviting.

Iris.

The girl regarded Maya with a raised brow, clearly unimpressed.

"Maya? What are you doing here?"

Iris asked, her voice cold as ice.

Behind her, Ariana appeared, looking equally confused.

Maya straightened her back, trying to maintain her composure.

"I'm here to see Noah.

He's my fiancé after all..."

She replied, her voice firm despite the unease she felt under Iris's penetrating gaze.

Iris scoffed, crossing her arms.

"Your fiancé? Really?

Since when have you ever cared about him?

Haven't you been trying to get rid of him since the engagement was announced?"

"That's not—"

Maya began, but Iris cut her off.

"Spare me the excuses."

Iris snapped, her irritation evident.

"You've spent years ignoring him, pushing him away.

And now, suddenly, you're here acting like a concerned fiancée?

Please."

Ariana glanced between the two of them, her face uncertain, matter of fact she was confused.

"Iris, maybe—"

"No..."

Iris interrupted Ariana, glaring at Maya.

"If she really cared, she wouldn't have waited until he was lying in a bed half-dead to show up.

She's just here out of guilt."

Maya's fists clenched at her sides.

"You don't know anything about me or my relationship with Noah."

She said, her voice trembling with anger.

"I'm here because I care...."

Iris stepped closer, her red eyes flashing.

"Do you? Or is this just another act to save face?

Because from where I'm standing, it looks pretty convenient....

It's rather sympathy than care."

Without thinking, Maya pushed past Iris and Ariana, breaking through the infirmary door.

The sight that greeted her made her breath hitch.

Noah lay on the bed, his chest rising and falling in shallow breaths.

His face, usually so full of life, was pale—unnaturally so.

The pallor extended down his neck and partially across his chest, where his shirt had been unbuttoned to check for injuries.

The room was cold, so cold that Maya could see her breath in the air.

"Noah…"

She whispered, taking a hesitant step forward.

She could barely process the scene.

His dark hair, which had always been his defining feature, now seemed streaked with faint strands of white.

As if frost had kissed it.

The door behind her opened again, and an older man, the academy's healer, stepped inside.

His long, white beard and wrinkled hands marked him as someone seasoned in his craft.

He approached the bed with a solemn expression.

Muttering to himself as he prepared to examine Noah.

"Has he woken up at all?"

Maya asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

The old healer shook his head.

"No. And I don't expect him to wake anytime soon..."

He said gravely.

"His condition is… unusual."

He reached out to touch Noah's shoulder, intending to check his temperature.

But the moment his fingers made contact with Noah's pale skin, he recoiled with a sharp cry.

The healer stumbled back, clutching his hand.

"W-What—what is this?"

He stammered, his voice rising in panic.

Maya's eyes widened as she saw the tips of his fingers—

Or rather, what was left of them.

The flesh appeared frozen, jagged edges where the tips had been cleanly severed.

Ice crystals clung to his skin, glinting in the dim light.

"My fingers!"

The healer screamed, holding up his hand as if in disbelief.

"They're gone!"

Everyone's gaze snapped to Noah's shoulder, where the healer had touched him.

There, embedded in the pale skin, were the frozen tips of the healer's fingers.

As though the cold itself had claimed them.

A deathly silence fell over the room, broken only by the healer's panicked cries.