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I need to read at least 2-3 more chapters when season 3 drops to come up with a solid theory, but for now, here’s my rough idea. Even though it was revealed that Bada is an NPC, I think he might actually be a real person outside the game. There are a few things that make me think this:
- Bada is "a horror fanatic" (author's note)
- "He knows a lot about horror games" (Doha, ch53)
- "Bada playing the game was better than they imagined. In fact, it was like Bada was born to be a gamer" (Seongchan, ch53)


THEORY#4: BADA AS THE GAME DEVELOPER

Since this is just a theory, I’m going to be liberal with my imagination lol. I think Bada is actually the developer of Dreadful Night or at least someone with higher access to the game than the other players. If Bada, or the real person behind him, is the creator, then maybe he designed the game and got his friends (Doha, Seongchan, Yeongtaek, Hyungshin, and Jaeseob) to playtest it. And since he’s a huge horror fan, he probably thought it would be fun to put himself into the game. But here’s the thing. Why can’t Bada kill the killer when actual players can? To maintain a challenge and prevent any unfair advantages, he deliberately set himself as an NPC instead of a normal player. If you think about it, if he played as a regular player, he would already know the lore, hidden items, and strategies to beat the game, which would defeat the purpose.

There’s also a small detail that might be a hint. In Chapter 1, Bada’s shirt has Bloodbath written on it. Since Pi Bada's name literally translates to bloodbath, this could be a subtle Easter egg left by the game developer himself.

Then there’s the memory loss thing. In Chapter 53, it’s mentioned that Bada didn’t have any memories at first, but then he started making his own. That could mean he’s more than just a game character. Something must have gone wrong at some point. Maybe when someone enters the game, they lose all their memories of the outside world. If the first person who entered never came back, maybe someone else was sent in, and then another, until eventually, the developer himself ended up inside the game as Pi Bada and lost his memories too. This could explain why no one remembers how they got into the game in the first place. I reread the series, and none of the characters talk about their lives outside the game (it's not confirmed that everyone lost their memories tho). The only one confirmed to have no memories is Bada, who talked about it in Chapter 11.

One more thing I noticed. On the game’s case cover, there’s a small text in the top right corner that says HISTORIOGRAPHY. I don’t know much about gaming, so I have no idea if this is something that usually appears on game covers or if it's actually significant. If anyone knows, I’d love to hear your thoughts!


THEORY#5: BADA AS THE BETA TESTER

Rather than being the developer of Dreadful Night, Bada might have been the first beta tester, the original player who got trapped in the game before anyone else. Over time, he could have lost his real identity, become rewritten as an NPC without his full awareness

Unlike the other players, Bada doesn’t seem to have full player freedom. While actual players can fight back and make choices, his actions might be restricted by the game’s programming rules, preventing him from interfering in certain mechanics. This could explain why he can’t kill the killer even though others can.

His true memories might still exist, but the game could be suppressing them, keeping him locked into his NPC role. If he really was the first tester, then the game might have rewritten him as part of its system, trapping him in an endless loop where he no longer knows he was ever a player in the first place.


_ _ _ _ _
Theory 1: https://www.mangago.zone/home/mangatopic/17123887/
Theory 2-3: https://www.mangago.zone/home/mangatopic/17824636/

Google doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fyfND0KcEKCLjX-4X9l66b9U6diWfaakpy1NOWcA8mY/edit?usp=sharing

Chapters 22 - 50 are in the PRESENT TIME. Zhan Zheng Xi is in College and Jian Yi, who has been missing for 3 years, is now back and apparently living with him(?) as he makes up high school. The only background that we're given is that Jian Yi went missing the 2nd day of his and Zhan's first year of high school.

Chapters 51+ are set in the PAST. They're a flashback to Zhan's and Jian Yi's third year of Middle School (yes they are 15 and middle schoolers so calm your horny down a notch lol). We see the build up of the friendship between the four boys and their individual relationships. Everything we're reading now is building up to their middle school graduation and eventually the day that Jian Yi disappears.

EXCEPTIONS -- Some of the SPECIAL Chapters, such as Ch. 224 - The Christmas Special, are also set in the PRESENT. Which is why we see that the boys look a bit different, and in this specific chapter Jian Yi mentions that everyone else is in college but him (bc he has to make up high school).

As things have developed I'm sure the creator probably didn't realize this would be such a BIG project or so popular so they've probably have added and developed things in the PAST chapters, that don't translate well to the PRESENT chapters ( such as Zhan's Present personality in the early chapters being a bit more snappy and irritable, while his current Past personality actually shows him be a bit more laid back and mellow). DON'T look too much into it. Just enjoy things as they develop. The author may go back and revise the Present chapters to match things up a bit more.

I read the raws and holy shit mans gets railed

Y'all want to read the novel?