The Bullied, Aloof Guy

The character cards on the cover were commissioned for personal commercial use. The blurb has changed, but the core premise remains the same.

*

Xun An's life has been a spectacular failure from the very beginning.

He had an exceptionally talented older brother who received all their parents' affection. Even his childhood friend, whom he thought would be by his side for life, was stolen away by his brother.

Supposedly, the two of them transferred to a school in the capital together, and didn't even say goodbye to him.

Because he was almost too pretty, he was bullied at school for years.

When he finally got the chance to transfer, Xun An resolved to change himself.

The hierarchy at elite schools was no different. Bookish kids who looked dull and awkward were always the ones who got picked on.

So he dyed his hair silver, got his ears pierced, and ditched his plain old clothes.

After arriving at his new school, just as he'd expected, no one looked down on him for his appearance anymore.

To make his school life more peaceful, he managed to work his way into the circle of rich kids.

Xun An thought everything was perfect and airtight. He had no idea his so-called friends were all waiting to laugh at him.

They watched him go to such lengths to please them.

They watched him remain oblivious to what was going on around him.

And they were itching to become the hands that shoved him into the abyss.

That far-too-beautiful face drew everyone's attention without a word. They were all happy to indulge Xun An for a while.

Along with mockery and contempt, the gazes fixed on Xun An gradually took on many feelings they couldn't put into words.

Xun An had no idea any of this was happening, and was still congratulating himself.

But before he could enjoy his success for long, life hit him with a hammer.

One day, on his way home from school, a guy actually confessed to him!

And he was exactly the kind of social outcast Xun An despised most.

At the same time, his friends' voices sounded nearby.

Xun An could already imagine what would happen if they found out a man had confessed to him. He'd instantly become a target for bullying at school.

In a panic, he tore up the love letter, shoved it into the guy's hands, and told him to get lost.

But he never expected the guy to be anything but the coward he looked like. Instead, he clung to Xun An like a slimy, damp leech.

"So, Xun An, will you give me a chance to stay by your side?"

His friends' voices were getting closer. Terrified, Xun An hurriedly agreed to the guy's request.

From that day on, his relatively peaceful life was gone for good.

*

The gloomy confessor clung to him like a cold-blooded snake, leaving Xun An feeling suffocated.

He couldn't push the other guy away, but he was afraid the truth would come out, so he was forced to meet him in secret.

At the same time, he did everything he could to hide it all from his friends.

His pursuer gave him a taste of what it felt like to be adored, something he'd never experienced before.

So while resisting the other guy's advances, he enjoyed the convenient services of a hopelessly devoted admirer with a clear conscience.

After a while, his "friends" seemed not to suspect anything, and Xun An couldn't help feeling smug, praising himself in his mind for being a genius.

But after this guy started clinging to him, he sensed that something was off.

On his way home from school, he always felt someone watching him.

Even when he got home, that gaze followed him like a shadow.

His mental state deteriorated, and he became paranoid even in class.

Under this relentless pressure, his "friends" discovered the relationship he'd been hiding and immediately turned against him.

As hands reached out to torment him, Xun An finally saw the truth behind that gaze.

An eerie creature, its entire body covered in writhing tumors, haphazardly pieced together from crimson flesh.

Xun An ran away screaming and crying until he crashed into a cold embrace.

He looked up and saw the pale, gloomy face of the guy who'd confessed to him. The other man held him tight, his breath brushing against Xun An's ear like a snake's forked tongue.

"Poor Xun An. How are you going to live without me?"

[Please note]

1. The premise in the blurb serves the plot. People of any gender have the right to pursue happiness.

2. Dark, melodramatic angst. The idea that his older brother stole his childhood friend is a misunderstanding, and there is no romantic tension between the two love interests. They were discovered to have supernatural talent one after the other, recruited, and sent off to fight monsters. In fact, they are rivals who hate each other so much they would gladly kill each other. This is actually a modern urban supernatural story.

3. 1v1. There are too many dark, obsessive love interests to label them all, and some names haven't even been thought up yet. Whoever shows up gets written in. Includes lots of gloomy, clingy men and a huge size difference. There may be nonhuman characters.

Theme: Everyone is the protagonist of their own life