Chapter Text
Where... am I?
"Give us the money!"
Did I... die?
"You absolute idiot! Why did you kill him!?"
"I didn't mean to! He was just standing there—it's not my fault!"
...Oh, right. There was a robbery in my apartment. One of them had a knife—or maybe a blade of some kind. In the struggle, I got stabbed straight in the chest. The noise probably scared them off, so they bolted with what little money I had.
God... damn it.
...
..
.
[Master! Hey, Master—wake up!]
Seo-jun gasped, his amethyst eyes snapping open. All he saw was... sky. Vast, endless sky. Was this heaven? Slowly, he pushed himself up from the soft grass, his heart racing with confusion and awe—
—until a glowing square window popped up in his face.
[Finally! You're awake! I've been calling you forever!] the strange voice chirped.
Seo-jun yelped, nearly falling backward. "The hell—!?"
The floating window flickered. [My name is A, and I'll be your guide today! Now then, do you remember anything before you arrived here?]
Before here...?
He shut his eyes. The last memory was sharp and bitter. Reading the latest manhwa. The sudden break-in. The chaos. Then the blade sliding into his chest.
"I... I remember being killed. During that robbery."
The voice clicked its tongue. [Tragic. But let's move on, shall we? Right now, you're in Limbo—the space between life and death. You have two choices: one, embrace death, and you'll head straight to heaven. Two, choose life, and you may be reborn into any world of your choosing. But remember—this is a one-time offer. No do-overs. Choose wisely.]
Two choices. Life... or death.
Seo-jun clenched his fists. Death meant peace—but it also meant the end. And if there was one thing he couldn't stand, it was ending.
"I choose life," he said firmly.
[Excellent choice!] The window glowed brighter. A new screen appeared, displaying a search bar.
'Pick the world you want to live in for your second chance.'
Seo-jun blinked. "Wait... any world?"
His heart raced. Comics. Manga. Manhwa. Manhua. He'd devoured them all. Every hero's journey, every impossible adventure—worlds he had only dreamed of.
But which one...?
Wait—what was he reading before the robbery? It had 'Solo' in the title...
Solo Hero? No, that's wrong.
Solo... Level?
Level...?
Ah! That's it.
Seo-jun's eyes lit up. "Solo Leveling! I choose Solo Leveling! That's the world I want!"
The glowing square pulsed with approval.
'Granted. Welcome, Park Seo-jun.'
That was the last thing he saw before the world dissolved into pure, blinding light.
.
.
.
BEEP!
BEEP!
The steady beeping of a heart monitor echoed in the room as a certain white-haired male slowly stirred. Seo-jun's purple eyes fluttered open, only to flinch at the harsh sunlight stabbing his vision.
Where am I...? A hospital...?
The door creaked open. A nurse peeked in, froze the moment she saw Seo-jun awake, then gasped and rushed out to call the doctor. After a flurry of checkups, questions, and medical fussing, Seo-jun was finally left alone.
"Now I'm alone... I need to know what happened before all this..."
Just then, a glowing message appeared in front of him.
[Hello, Master! It's me, A! Any questions you'd like to ask?]
"Uh, yeah," Seo-jun muttered, scratching his head. "Can I get a recap of... whatever disaster landed me in a hospital bed?"
Another screen slid into view, text scrolling across it.
[You joined a team raid in a D-Rank Gate and got hurt when you encountered... a double dungeon!]
Seo-jun blinked. "Wait. A double dungeon? Wasn't that the same one Sung Jin-Woo went into?"
[Correct, Master! You were there alongside him and the healer, Joohee!]
"Joohee...? Oh, right. The kind girl who always heals Sung Jin-Woo." Seo-jun tilted his head. "What's my relationship with Sung Jin-Woo, anyway?"
[Oh, just acquaintances. Nothing more!]
Seo-jun frowned. Just acquaintances? Seriously? I thought it'd be... y'know, cooler than that.
BANG!
The door slammed open with explosive force.
"PARK SEO-JUN!!"
Seo-jun let out a startled yelp as someone lunged at him, crushing him in a bone-breaking hug.
"You idiot! Why did you join that Gate when I told you not to?! You could've died! Do you know how close I was to losing it!?"
Seo-jun's eyes widened when he caught sight of fiery red hair. His jaw dropped.
...C–Choi Jong-In?! W–Why is he here?!
"You reckless brat!" Jong-In shouted, still clinging to him. "It was just a D-Rank Gate, and you nearly died! I promised your parents I'd take care of you—if you keep doing this, I'll have a heart attack before you do!"
Seo-jun gawked. What is happening right now—
The door opened again. Another towering figure stepped inside, spiky orange hair unmistakable.
"Hey," Baek Yoonho drawled. "If you squeeze him any harder, you're gonna kill him for real."
"Shut up, Yoonho!" Jong-In snapped without loosening his grip.
Seo-jun's brain short-circuited. Baek Yoonho too?! What's my relationship with these guys?!
As if on cue, another message appeared.
[Oh, right! Almost forgot. Master, Choi Jong-In is your cousin on your mother's side. And Baek Yoonho? He's Jong-In's friend, so... technically your acquaintance? Probably? I don't know.]
Seo-jun's eye twitched. "How do you not know? You're supposed to be the system!"
"Are you hurt? Should I call the doctor? Didn't I tell you—no Gates above your rank!"
Choi Jong-In was pacing the room like a mother hen, arms crossed, eyebrows furrowed. His voice boomed like thunder, scolding Seo-jun into the mattress.
Seo-jun groaned. "Hyung, I swear, I'm fine."
"You are not fine!" Jong-In shot back. "You almost died! Do you want to kill me early?! My blood pressure can't handle this!"
Seo-jun slapped a hand over his face. "God, you sound like my mom."
From the corner, Baek Yoonho chuckled. "He really does."
"Yoonho!" Jong-In whirled around, pointing at him. "Don't encourage him!"
"Relax," Yoonho said smoothly, strolling over. He plucked the juice box off the bedside table and popped in a straw. "You're gonna get wrinkles if you keep scowling like that."
Jong-In sputtered. "Wr–Wrinkles?! You—! Don't talk like you're my wife or something!"
"You're the one nagging like a wife," Yoonho shot back with a grin.
Seo-jun sat there, frozen. ...What did I just witness?
Jong-In's face turned bright red. "Shut up, Yoonho! Don't say weird things in front of my cousin!"
"Pfft—what? He's old enough to handle it," Yoonho smirked, then casually patted Jong-In's shoulder. "Besides, you worry too much. He's tougher than you think."
The way their eyes lingered on each other for just a little too long made Seo-jun's jaw drop.
"...Hey, A," Seo-jun whispered.
[Yes, Master?]
"...Why do those two look so... domesticated? Like—like they're not just close... they're closer closer."
[Ah, I see you've noticed! Hehe. That's because—drumroll please—Choi Jong-In and Baek Yoonho are soulmates! :D]
"WHAT?!" Seo-jun screamed, nearly ripping his IV out again.
The heart monitor spiked—
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Jong-In and Yoonho immediately panicked.
"Seo-jun! What's wrong?!" Jong-In grabbed his shoulders.
"Don't shake him, you'll pull his IV out!" Yoonho scolded, grabbing Jong-In's arm.
"Don't tell me how to care for my cousin!"
"I am telling you, because you're choking him!"
"I'm not choking him!"
"You literally are!"
Seo-jun stared at them, horrified. Oh my god. They're bickering like an old married couple. The system wasn't lying... THEY'RE ACTUALLY SOULMATES.
.
.
.
Finally alone in his room, Seo-jun flopped back onto the bed and rubbed his face.
"God... first I get thrown into the world of Solo Leveling, then I find out Choi Jong-In is not only my cousin, but also soulmates with Baek Yoonho. What's next? Don't tell me I'm secretly the soulmate of Sung Jin-Woo too—"
[Well, Master... you're not wrong...?]
Seo-jun froze. "...What do you mean by that?"
Something glimmered at the edge of his vision. He looked down, tugged up the sleeve of his hospital gown—
—and nearly dropped his own arm.
Golden letters shimmered across his skin, glowing faintly with magic.
'Sung Jin-Woo'
Seo-jun's purple eyes widened, his jaw dropping.
"Oh. You. Have. GOT to be kidding me..."
Seo-jun threw his head back into the pillow. "Great. Just great. Out of all people, I get stuck in a love polygon with my cousin, his bestie, and the main character. What am I, the comic relief?!"
[Technically yes, Master.]
"SHUT UP, A!"
Solo Levelling/Only I Level Up © Chu Gong