ALL NOVEL Chapter 1.1
They say life is like a tree branch.
You know, as you walk along a predetermined path, you come across countless forks in the road. You pick one, keep walking, make another choice, and repeat. Everyone claims they make these choices aiming for the best outcome, right?
“Then why me?”
Why do I always end up choosing the worst option? Why? Seriously, why???
“Damn it… shit…”
It all started with a bet I made with my friend.
The loser of our game—the one who dealt the least damage in the Rift—had to fill every single blank in their university application form, except for their first choice, with the name of that university.
I lost. Barely. By just a sliver.
Still, I wasn’t worried. My grades were solid, my GPA was great, and I aced interviews. Confidently, I filled every blank with that university.
And that’s when my life started to spiral out of control.
Because I actually got in.
To that university.
Beastman University.
A hundred years ago, a gate opened in Korea.
A massive, mysterious gate appeared out of nowhere, prompting the government to send in the military. What emerged from beyond the gate was something no one could have anticipated.
Animals.
Creatures with human-like physiques who walked on two legs, spoke fluently, possessed incredible athletic abilities, but whose appearance was undeniably animalistic.
The leader of these beings approached the President of South Korea and declared:
“We are the rulers of another world, the First Leaders. We wish to establish a friendly relationship with humanity.”
The event was broadcast live around the globe, and soon, major world powers urged South Korea to accept the First Leaders’ proposal for peaceful relations.
“Are you people insane? These damn furballs? Seriously???”
If time machines ever become a reality, I’ll be the first to use one. I’d go back and tell everyone to forget diplomacy and just get rid of them all!
Fetishes like this are a mental illness. But, of course, Korea had its fair share of delusional citizens at the time. And thanks to them, the President accepted the First Leaders’ proposal. What happened next, you ask?
They pushed for interspecies arranged marriages as the first step toward harmony between humans and beastmen. Yes, seriously. Those damned furballs!
Fast-forward a hundred years, and their population had grown significantly. Declaring that hybrid beastmen deserved equal educational opportunities, humans and beastmen collaborated to establish universities across the globe where hybrids could attend.
And the name of this university? Beastman University.
And guess where I, Joo Ji-hyuk, ended up?
Of course, at Beastman University.
Because I didn’t get into my first-choice school.
Hah! Isn’t that just hilarious?
“Hahaha… sob.”
Why does this kind of stuff only happen to me? Everyone says waitlist number one almost always gets in—so why was I the exception?
“Huuuuhuhuhuugh.”
My mom, perhaps reminiscing about her childhood playing with beastmen, had just one piece of advice: “Get along well with them.”
Of course, being the dutiful son that I am, I always listen to my mom. Besides, it’s not like I hate beastmen—I just have issues with furries. Totally different, right?
But seriously, why is the school so far from home? The university is in Seoul, while my family lives way out in rural Pocheon. The commute? A whopping six hours round trip by subway. Six. Hours.
So naturally, I applied for a dorm. To be honest, I was kind of hoping I wouldn’t get in, so I could use that as an excuse to drop out and retake my college entrance exams.
But…
“Of course I got in. Perfect.”
Since dropping out over the commute wasn’t an option anymore, the university kindly granted my dorm application. What a thoughtful and accommodating school. Truly.
Clatter, clatter.
And that’s how I ended up on the subway, heading to the university. Tomorrow is the start of the semester, so I need to move into the dorms today. My luggage is already shipped ahead, so I’m just hauling myself there. But…
“Ugh… the entire world is full of beastmen…”
The subway is practically covered in fur.
There are furries, little beastman children holding their parents’ hands, and plenty of beastmen around my age. Seeing so many of them already gives me an unsettling glimpse of my future.
“This must be what it feels like to be the only white guy dropped into a Black neighborhood. Oh wow, a weasel beastman. That waist is insanely long!”
Riding the subway in broad daylight, I see all kinds of beastmen and furries. Hm. Maybe this won’t be as bad as a university full of furries? At least beastmen are part human, whereas furries are just animals pretending to be people—ugh, blegh! Wait, what is this?!
“Ack!”
Lost in thought, I didn’t notice something brush against my mouth until it was too late. A mouse beastman’s tail! Of all things, why did it have to be a mouse tail? And how small are they that their tail even reached me?! Are you kidding me?!
“If it had been a cat tail, I could have dealt with it!”
Though honestly, both are equally awful!
After much turmoil, I finally arrived at the university.
At first glance, the campus looked like any other university. The only difference? Furballs rolling around everywhere. If I were allergic to fur, I’d probably be dead already.
I guess it’s not fair to keep badmouthing the place, so if I had to pick something good about it… hmm…
“Is there anything good?”
Oh, wait. There is one thing.
“The dorms. The dorms are decent.”
Beastmen with furry blood tend to be territorial, so dorm arrangements are typically single rooms or shared suites. As a human student, I was preassigned to a single room. Lucky me.
“Knew it, you must be Joo Ji-hyuk.”
“Yes, that’s me.”
Whirrrrr—
The automatic door slid open as I stepped into the dorm warden’s office. Standing there was a dog-type beastman with large ears and a fluffy tail standing tall. Those sharp eyes were intimidating. Big dog beastmen are no joke—they’re terrifying.
“You’re the human student, right? Joo Ji-hyuk?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“ID.”
“Here you go.”
The warden took my ID, examined it briefly, and then—sniffed it. Yes, actually sniffed it.
“Good. No scent of lies.”
What the heck kind of scent is that supposed to be?!
The dorm warden, after completing some kind of “verification,” handed me my dorm access card.
The card had Narae-dong written on it. So, my assigned dorm is in Narae-dong! …Wait a minute. Narae-dong?!