I Became an NPC That Rankers Are Obsessed Over

“Dad…!!”

I shouted while looking down at the scattered debris.

But no response came from below.

I hurriedly grabbed the fallen stones.

But at that moment, the sound of flesh cooking started coming from my hand.

The extreme pain made me instinctively pull my hand away.

Did my dad endure this kind of pain to pull me out?

“Is anyone there…? Please, someone help. My dad is here…”

I cried out, desperately seeking help from those around me.

But I soon realized that my actions were meaningless.

Everyone had already escaped through the exit.

Only the giant monster’s feet remained, destroying the entire department store.

“Dad, please say something… Tell me you’re alive!”

I began digging through the rubble alone.

My blackened, scorched fingers tore open, spilling crimson blood.

But no matter how much I dug, I couldn’t find any trace of my father.

Between the shards of debris, only deep darkness loomed, swallowing the droplets of my falling blood.

“What should I do…”

When I had given up hope amid the wreckage, I felt detached enough to reflect on my life.

But the survival instinct my father awakened in me only threw me into deeper panic.

Was it then?

The moment when the blue system window appeared.

「Han Su-rin.」

When the world was dyed in ash, a blue window appeared in the void and asked me.

「What is your wish?」

My wish…?

Is it really asking me what I wish for in this situation?

「The strength to lift massive rocks.」

The system window seemed to present the acceptance button, as if it could grant my wish right away.

If I could have such power, I’d obviously take it.

I didn’t care whether this window was real or not.

Right now, saving my dad came first.

I reached out toward the ‘accept’ button without hesitation.

But my stubborn hand froze right before touching the window.

Because the system offered me another choice.

I stared blankly at the words typed in front of me.

「Eternal beauty that never fades.」

Would this restore my disfigured face?

Not just restore it—make it eternal…?

The moment I read the sentence, my firm resolve became clouded with countless thoughts.

If I gained a new body…

I should hurry and escape this building.

I could simply walk out of the now empty, wide-open exit.

But…

I stared blankly at the shattered rock fragments.

Once again, I leaned my face into the dark crevice.

And I asked.

To my father, whose life or death was uncertain.

“Dad…”

“Are you alive?”

The more I spoke, the quieter my voice became.

“So, you’re dead, right?”

I asked one last time.

But the darkness remained silent.

Yeah.

I’ve done enough.

He was crushed under this massive debris, and he hasn’t even answered.

He’s gone.

He’s definitely gone.

I looked at the system window.

My heart started pounding like crazy.

I alternated between looking at the words “strength” and “beauty” over and over again.

Meanwhile, the department store was filled with the grotesque cries of the monster.

The sound was so loud that the shattering of glass could be heard all around.

The ominous bursts urged me to make a decision.

The department store, trembling like a sandcastle, no longer gave me time.

“…”

In the end, I made a choice.

“Is it done…?”

The moment I pressed the button, the system window vanished.

Afterward, I examined my body.

To see if something like ‘beauty’ had begun to appear.

But there was no change in me.

My face was still completely melted, unrecognizable as male or female.

My limbs were burnt black, resembling charred chopsticks.

The anticlimactic result made me let out a hollow laugh.

Was the system window just a hallucination brought on by impending death?

“I’m sorry, Dad…”

At the end of the laugh was guilt.

It felt as if the system window had tested my selfishness.

If I had chosen the first option, perhaps I could have gained strength, like a storybook hero.

Like Samson, who gained superhuman strength before his death.

But nothing happened to me, who sold out my father to blind desire.

A fitting end for a villain.

A villain…

I collapsed beside the remnants of my father.

And I leaned my weary shoulders against the debris.

Fine.

If I’m already a villain, I’ll be stubborn one last time.

“When we meet in heaven, you can scold me then.”

The daughter saved at the cost of her father’s life ultimately gave up on her own.

Her stubbornness and desire for her dreams were that immense.

Perhaps even greater than the monster in front of her.

“—.”

How long had my eyes been closed?

I heard someone’s voice.

A man’s voice, one I had never heard before.

I twisted my body and barely managed to lift my head.

“Is there any survivor-!!”

A firefighter with a headlight looked in my direction, and I quickly hid myself.

Not like this.

I can’t be rescued in this state.

I have to hide somehow…

“…”

While crouching, I felt something strange on my thigh.

On the completely burned muscle, a patch of fair skin appeared.

I thought I must have been mistaken and carefully examined my body again.

It wasn’t just my thigh.

Eyelids formed over my protruding eyes, and I could close and open them again.

The fingers that had been dripping with blood were somehow healed and smooth.

Is my body really being repaired?

My whole body itched.

It was itchy and trembling uncontrollably at the same time.

I looked at a shard of glass stuck among the debris.

Fresh skin grew on the face I thought I’d never see again.

At that moment, I realized the system’s words weren’t a lie.

That realization ignited the fading flame of my life.

Soon, I stood up from the debris on my own.

And I waved frantically at the rescue worker.

They quickly found me and helped me up.

In truth, my body was already fully healed, so I didn’t need the help, but I leaned on them anyway.

Even now, I don’t know why.

I just wanted to pretend to be in pain a little longer.

As I made my way to the exit, I kept looking back at the debris where my father had been.

But the rubble that buried him was eerily quiet.

As if nothing had happened.

“…”

Time passed, and I was sent to a survivor camp.

It was to confirm whether the missing family members from the department store were alive.

“Kim 00, deceased. Kim 00, currently alive and being transported to Boramae Hospital.”

The rescue worker recited the names of people trapped in the department store in alphabetical order.

At each word, people laughed and cried.

My father’s surname, “Han,” was placed toward the end of the list.

I listened to everyone else’s names, waiting for his turn.

That time felt like torture.

With each name I heard, my entire body trembled uncontrollably.

I thought the trembling was because of my newly restored body.

But soon, I realized it wasn’t due to the regenerating flesh.

Why am I so anxious…?

I didn’t do anything wrong.

My father definitely passed away back then.

I didn’t see it, but there was no way he survived being crushed under such massive debris.

And if he is alive, isn’t that even better?

If he lives and my body is restored, isn’t it the perfect outcome?

I’m not wrong…

Anyone… Anyone would’ve done the same.

“Han 00, deceased. A joint funeral bus is available at the back of the camp.”

My father’s surname was getting closer.

My heart pounded wildly.

My whole body itched.

I began scratching at the newly grown flesh.

It was so unbearably itchy that I couldn’t stand it.

The people sitting next to me glanced at me with fearful faces.

They began moving their chairs further away from me.

“Han Su-ho, currently alive and being transported to Korea University Hospital. Is there a guardian present?”

It was my father.

He was alive.

I sprang to my feet, almost convulsively.

At that, everyone in the camp turned to look at me.

They all seemed to smile with relief, as if congratulating me.

But their gazes only felt terrifying, as if they were exposing my guilt.

“Are you Han Su-rin?”

“Yes…”

As my name was called, people began whispering.

Those who recognized me as a former model were amazed at my beauty, even in this situation.

Even in a place where people’s lives were being discussed.

Every time I heard those words buzzing in my ears, my eyes twitched faintly.

“A shuttle bus to the hospital is available. It will depart in ten minutes, so please board.”

The entire journey to the bus felt surreal.

The fact that my father was alive was undoubtedly a joyous thing.

But guilt surged within me for not trying harder to save him.

Like oil and water churning inside me, it made me nauseous.

I arrived at the hospital, carrying that torment with me.

I have to apologize to my father.

I must beg for his forgiveness.

That was all I could think about, even as I rode the elevator to his room.

But I… I couldn’t say those words in the end.

Because the place the doctor guided me to was the intensive care unit.

My father’s once handsome face was completely wrapped in bandages.

Through the gaps in the bandages, dark red blood seeped through.

“Dad…”

“He’s unconscious and won’t be able to hear you.”

“He’s going to be okay, right? When the bandages come off, he’ll be back to normal…”

The attending doctor shook his head.

“It’s unlikely he’ll survive through today.”

“What…?”

“We contacted his guardian to give you a chance for a final farewell.”

The doctor let out a short sigh and left the room to give us some privacy.

As he exited, he left me with one sentence.

And that one sentence shattered the last thread of sanity I was barely holding onto.

“If he had been rescued just a little earlier, he might have survived… It’s unfortunate.”

“A little… earlier?”

If I had chosen strength instead of beauty at that time.

If I had used that strength to clear the debris right away.

Are they saying my father could’ve lived?

I collapsed onto the floor of the intensive care unit.

In the quiet room, filled only with the sound of medical monitors, I stared blankly at my father.

“Dad…”

I grasped his cold arm.

And I knelt down.

“I’m sorry…”

“Back then… I don’t know what happened to me.”

“I was so scared. I couldn’t bear to live with that horrific appearance.”

Even as I confessed, the arm wrapped in bandages gave no response.

It was as cold and unyielding as a statue.

The price I paid for shedding my skin.

Was my father.