# Chapter 1

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In the drizzling rain on an outdoor stage, I gripped a slippery microphone and walked into the bright lights. The turmoil in my mind calmed for a moment as I listened to the delicate melody of the gayageum[^2] blending with various instruments on stage.

***

"Then, I'll be heading in."

"Alright, take care."

Leaving behind the chime of the bell and the bright lights of the 24-hour convenience store, I quickly pulled out my fully charged smartphone. I had pre-downloaded a newly released game, "Idol Survival: The Beginning," launched at 10 a.m. on January 15th. Despite its niche genre and style, this mobile RPG, known for its high quality, had become a hit in Korea and successfully launched overseas. Although it was nearly out of new content, I had been playing it for over a year.

The newly released game was a spin-off of "Idol Survival: The Beginning," titled "Idol Survival: Step Up."

Skimming through early player reviews, it seemed the overall format was similar to the predecessor, but with notable differences in story and music, indicating significant effort in its development.

"When did they become so greedy for money..."

I remembered the widespread complaints when the news of the sequel was announced. Players were upset, thinking the original game's content was neglected in favor of hastily preparing the sequel.

It was a popular but controversial game.

"How did I even start playing this game?"

Ah yes, it began during my military service.

"Playing that game again today? Is it really that fun?"

"Yeah, it's decent."

After completing the day's duties, connecting to the mobile game during personal downtime became a routine. During such times, a colleague who used to read web novels would tease me.

"They said to find something for stress relief, but maybe I introduced something too stimulating. Have you become too corrupted?"

"Corrupted? I know enough now."

Life had thrown me a curveball, leading me to enroll in college at 22 and then enlist right after my first semester. I initially spent this time attending online lectures, but after receiving news of my father's passing, I gradually lost interest. It seemed meaningless.

I responded casually while swiftly moving my fingers across the screen. Completing quests allowed me to spin the gacha, and suddenly, a burst of purple light flashed on the screen.

"Wow, do you always get good stuff like this? Is this what they call a golden touch? Can I hire you to play for me?"

"I'd charge you."

"Stingy."

My colleague, who lured me into the world of mobile gaming as I struggled with my studies and stomach pains, often lamented corrupting me. It seemed he noticed how seriously I took the game.

But the sensation of time melting away as I played was addictive. It was my first experience with such escapism, and I couldn't stop once I started. Soon, I became someone who couldn't put down their phone whenever it was allowed.

"But seriously, you're really lucky. Aren't the odds of getting something good really low?"Reflecting on it, I think my colleague made such a fuss because I had settled on a gacha game after hopping between various games. Gacha games are a genre where luck and money decide everything, often labeled as 'rip-offs'. Many have fallen into financial ruin due to these types of games.

"Strangely, I seem to have unusual luck when playing this game."

Ironically, in my case, the thrill of experiencing such luck in the game, which was nonexistent in real life, drew me in completely. Even as I laughed off the notion that my real-life luck had been transferred to the game, I began to study it intensely.

It didn't take long for me, who once considered these mere data fragments, to become a typical gamer, analyzing statuses, hunting for easter eggs, and repeatedly resetting for the optimal route.

"Ha, I was wrong to introduce you to it. I didn't expect you to get so hooked."

My colleague's exaggerated complaint seemed apt, as I had become more addicted than expected. I didn't foresee continuing to play even after my discharge from the military.

A year later, at 24, I juggled day shifts at a café and night shifts at a convenience store, with food deliveries on the side. Although busy, I still logged into the game at least once a day.

"Tired as I am, why can't I let go of it..."

A year into the game, I had completed most of the content, and with updates slowing down for nearly two months, there wasn't much to do besides repeating old content. Nevertheless, after finishing my night shift and returning to my semi-basement room, I habitually turned on the game and scoured through the data.

After diligently working on my account for so long, I had nothing left to do after completing the daily missions within ten minutes. My wandering fingers stopped at the character screen, where my first-tier party, now fully developed and splendidly adorned, caught my eye.

"..."

I sank into the covers, staring at the screen before pressing hold. My tired face reflected in the darkened screen.

I had given up quite a lot.

For the next two years, I planned to work hard at part-time jobs, just getting by academically, then prepare for civil service exams. Studying abroad or leveraging my major wasn't feasible under my circumstances.

Still, my tuition seemed manageable with national scholarships. So, diligently saving and studying, a bearable path seemed open. Life wasn't entirely hopeless; there was some hope.

'One must nibble on what they can.'

Despite knowing the toll of sleeping only four hours a day without a day off, I hesitated to quit anything. It seemed manageable. Life wasn't entirely devoid of joy.

It was during such times.

'Now that the awaited new game is out, life will be bearable for a while longer.'

Thus, on the early morning of January 16th, after finishing my night shift and taking some time to return home, I immediately clicked on the "Idol Survival: Step Up" game icon I had pre-downloaded as soon as I left the convenience store.Reflecting on it, my anticipation for the game had been building for almost 20 hours, reaching a peak by the time I could finally play.

As soon as I launched the game, the familiar logo filled the screen, prompting me to hastily connect my earphones. The familiar bgm, which I had been listening to for a year, played in my ears, slightly distorted by my cheap Bluetooth earphones.

Listening to the open theme song, memories of when I first played the predecessor game flooded back, bringing an unexpected sense of nostalgia. However, not wanting to linger on the street, I quickly skipped through it. I could always check the story at home.

My hands, gloveless in the chilly weather, grew numb.

'But I have to see the gacha animation.'

Alternating hands in and out of my pockets, I kept pressing the skip button in time, reaching the tutorial section.

A rough calculation told me that I could run about three instances on my laptop's app player, so including my phone, I could do 48 draws before bed if I played for just two hours. Despite it being past 5 a.m., I wasn't sleepy at all, perhaps due to the adrenaline from my anticipation.

'Maybe I should sleep just two hours late.'

Since I had cleared my schedule in anticipation of the game's release, I had no delivery work tomorrow. So, sleeping two hours late wouldn't cut into my usual sleep time.

"UR won't come out, right?"

Despite my desire to start from scratch with the highest grade UR characters, I doubted their existence in the gacha, given their incredibly low odds. Even with my better-than-average luck, I had only drawn them twice in a year.

Aiming for UR carelessly could mean not sleeping at all tonight.

'Will living like this shorten my life?'

Given that I was already burning my youth to keep going, staying up all night for a game seemed reckless. While I could manage tomorrow, I had to drive the day after, and lack of sleep could be dangerous.

Regaining a sense of reality, I pressed the skip button, and finally, the gacha window appeared. I quickly signed the familiar paperwork on the screen, resembling the approval process from the previous game. My hands, already frozen from the cold, were no warmer inside my pockets.

'I should probably buy a new jacket soon, but I can't afford it.'

Rubbing my icy hands together for warmth, at least my old phone was heating up my palms. Walking under yellow street lamps, I watched the screen as the familiar office setting appeared after a stuttering load. Then, the animation of a cat tearing open an envelope filled the screen.

'One cat, two cats, three cats, four cats, five?'

I leaned closer to my smartphone as the cats kept multiplying. I had never seen more than five cats in this game before.

More cats meant higher grades, so it should have been a good sign, but the endless multiplication of cats felt odd rather than joyful. After all, the cats were multiplying so much that they were bouncing off the screen and beyond.

Screech! Bang! Thud!

With a loud noise and a fleeting sense of floating, I was abruptly thrown against something hard and collapsed. It sounded like something inside me was breaking.In the midst of searing pain, my vision blurred and I caught a glimpse of a car hastily reversing away. The sound of its tires scraping roughly against the ground echoed loudly behind it.

Detached from reality, I saw myriad colors leaking through the cracked screen of my phone, and that was the last thing I saw.

***

I gasped for air. Was that sound from me? Blinking through the haze, my vision eventually cleared to reveal the face of a stranger.

Brown eyes under half-opened eyelids trembled uncontrollably. Early twenties, perhaps? The young face was also shaking.

Why was he trembling like that? Was he unwell? But more importantly, this was a familiar place. Not far from the convenience store where I worked night shifts. But then,

"Why am I unharmed?"

Looking down, I saw my legs standing firm. What's going on? How am I standing?

'I was sure my legs were almost shattered. Caught between a car and a wall...'

I thought I heard my bones crushing. But then, a shy voice interrupted my thoughts.

"No, I'm not okay."

"What?"

"What?"

Staring blankly at the stranger, who now wore a grave expression as if he hadn't been trembling a moment ago, his clean face continued to speak.

"Excuse me for asking, but where have you been living?"

Before I could answer the abrupt question, he continued in a rush.

"Are you sure we were born in the same country? I can't believe you've been hiding such a face. Is that even possible? Did you live abroad? No, that's not it, foreigners have eyes too. If a photo of you had ever been uploaded on SNS, you would have debuted for sure, right? Just breathing would be too entertaining, I'm getting dizzy. Did you live isolated from the world in some remote village? Why am I only seeing this face now? Shouldn't every moment of your life be captured and boasted about for generations?"

His expression was oddly kind and his tone polite, but the intensity in his sparkling eyes was overwhelming.

I was momentarily dazed by the mental onslaught. Was he serious? How could he say such things so nonchalantly? But what's this situation? Right, there was an accident. An accident….

As the pain I had briefly experienced came back vividly, my hands grew cold. Overwhelmed by the bizarre situation and fatigue, my mind began to shut down. Then, a kind voice interjected, barely reaching my fading consciousness.

"It's truly regrettable and amazing. Could you please explain at our company what you have been doing to only now appear?"

"Uh, well…"

"Even your voice is incredible."

"…"

All I wanted was to go home.

[^1]: Annotation

[^2]: ![](https://380173222-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F27ksgYFohOthyKaNPdlr%2Fuploads%2Fd9N8H7GQGuppvQ8KpfJ0%2Fimage.png?alt=media\&token=25f2b599-ce64-44c3-9b41-05207081122b)

    A traditional Korean plucked zither with 12 strings