In the quiet hours, Sol, awakened from sleep, blinked repeatedly. Wondering if this was the so-called ‘dream within a dream,’ he blinked incessantly, but nothing seemed to change.
His mind felt too clear-headed and refreshing for this to be a dream, perhaps because of the recent shock of Seo Ju-hwan’s marriage. Even the memories from yesterday, which he thought he would easily forget, were vivid.
The image of Seo Ju-hwan in a tuxedo patting him on the shoulder and wishing him well as he told him that he would go to the United States after his marriage, the image of him drunkenly complaining to Yoo-chan, and most importantly, the unidentifiable mint-colored translucent window in front of his eyes were all so clear.
[New User Support Event! Login Bonus]
[Day 1 Concept Random Ticket x2]
[Receive Login Bonus]
“…Receive?”
As Sol muttered the words that appeared on the strange window filling his field of vision, it was as if a button had been pressed, and light shone on [Receive]. Then, a small notification window popped up, enlarging a red ticket prominently.
[Concept Random Ticket x2: Acquire concepts randomly from R to SR grades.]
Sol couldn’t understand the current situation. Was he still not fully awake from the alcohol he drank with Yoo-chan yesterday? Or was this still a dream? Even after wiping his eyes buried in the bed and blinking continuously, nothing seemed to change.
He wondered if moving his body would wake him up from this strange dream, so he abruptly sat up. However, the strange notification window continued to appear without a break.
<Tutorial: Check your potential and characteristics!>
[Shout ‘Status Window’ to check your potential and characteristics!
Synchronize your abilities with user ‘Sung Sol’ within the specified time for success.
No penalties will be imposed if this quest fails.
Remaining time: 00:09:48]
“Sta...tus Window?”
Sol covered his mouth with his fingers. His repetitive behavior of reading the visible text felt foolish. However, the voice that had already escaped from his mouth seemed to be enough to be recognized as a command, as a message appeared: ‘Quest complete! User information syncing.’
In a bewildering situation, he rolled his eyes a few times in just a few seconds. The various windows that filled his field of vision disappeared in an instant, and a neatly organized window appeared.
[Name: Sung Sol
Age: 20
Health: C
Charm: S+
Singing: B
Dance: A-(S)
Acting: D
Luck: D
Traits: Eraser in the mind, Four-wheel Skeptic, Unlucky Genius Dancer, All-around Performing Arts Prodigy.]
“Name, Sung Sol. Age... twenty. Twenty?”
With a puzzled expression, Sol, who had been reading the status window with his name, hurriedly approached the mirror at the sight of the number 20. His phone, clutched in his hand, made a noisy tumble on the bedroom floor, but that wasn’t the important thing. It was the familiar traces of his own studio apartment. The full-length mirror that always stood in the same place. Standing in front of it, there was not a 25-year-old Sung Sol but a 20-year-old Sung Sol.
A pallid and somber face. It was himself during the darkest and most desperate time of his life. At twenty-five, the faint scars around the elbows, barely visible but distinct upon closer inspection, were as vivid as they were back then. Curious, Sol turned around and also examined his left leg in the mirror. Similarly, there were long-lasting scars from the ankle to the thigh. Everything was exactly as he remembered it in his memories.
Glancing through the packed trait list, there were some things that could be anticipated, even without explanations. While he might not understand attributes like health, charm, and singing abilities, looking at the traits, it was clear that it was about Sol himself. The window that came to mind was undoubtedly his own ability scores.
Sol stared blankly, as if someone had hit him on the head, looking at his slightly younger self. Following the memory issues, now there were hallucinations or delusional symptoms. Suddenly feeling a wave of fear, Sol picked up the phone lying on the floor. Yoo-chan’s voice, instructing him to contact in the morning, echoed in his mind. It felt like it might be time to seriously consider going to a mental hospital.
With trembling hands, Sol turned on his phone and searched for Yoo-chan’s name. He wasn’t in his most recent calls, where he should be, so he checked his contacts list. His name was nowhere to be found. In fact, there was no name at all that he recognized. Instead of the names “Seo Ju-hwan” and “Baek Yoo-chan,” there were only the names like ‘YC Enter CEO-nim’ and ‘Manager-nim,’ whose identity was unknown.
[Would you like to check the trait description?]
[Yes | No]
In Sol’s vision, as he searched for traces of his friend on the phone with a bewildered touch, a new notification window appeared. Sol tried to ignore the notification and began looking for familiar numbers in the messages and call logs. Despite Sol’s intention, the notification window independently displayed a new prompt.
[Traits]
• Eraser in the Mind: Blink! Exposure to prolonged stressful situations results in memory loss. Things you don’t want to remember will be forgotten.
• Four-Wheel Skeptic: Feels anxiety when boarding a means of transportation due to the aftermath of a traffic accident. Unable to drive, and stamina decreases when hearing the sound of honking.
• Unlucky Genius Dancer: A dancer trapped in trauma. Activating causes pain and temporarily decreases dance ability.
• All-Around Performing Arts Prodigy: A gift from parents! You excel in all performing arts subjects.
‘I don’t want to see it.’
Sol didn’t want to put his current state into words. Every letter was irritating. If someone wrote to flip someone’s inside out, they did an excellent job. Eraser, four wheels, empty, parents—all the words were triggers that made Sol sensitive.
Without Sol having to reluctantly utter it, the trait window that had filled his vision disappeared smoothly, as if processed by command. Then, almost mockingly, in response to Sol’s frustration, another quest notification popped up.
<Tutorial: First Visit to the Practice Room!>
[You are a trainee of YC Entertainment and a member of the debut group. Visit the practice room, greet the members, and walk the path of a prepared idol!
If successful within the specified time, update information on the character ‘Sung Sol’.
If failed, system shutdown (or corresponding pain).
Remaining time: 23:59:50]
Sol’s hand, which had been touching the phone, came to a halt. The phone in his hand was like a new one, devoid of any data. The gallery contained only one family photo. It was undoubtedly a picture of himself with his parents, but Sol, the supposed protagonist of the photo, was seeing it for the first time in his life.
Suddenly, the world warped, and Sol’s small studio apartment felt vast. Overwhelmed by a rising disgust from deep within, Sol slammed the phone he had been holding onto the floor with a kick.
“What are you saying? Seriously...”
In this inexplicable situation, annoyance surged through Sol, causing both frustration and a headache. Sol gripped his tangled hair, sitting on the floor for a while. The diminishing time in the corner of his vision bothered him. ‘YC Entertainment.’ The game that Yoo-chan had installed. The planning agency named ‘Well-known Entertainment’ that had been changed to Yoo-chan’s name. Trainee, debut, idol. And the notification window appearing before his eyes. A sense of foreboding crept in.
Sol, who had been staring at the decreasing time in the middle of the room, picked up his discarded phone. Jumping to his feet, he let out a bright “haha” sound like someone who’d just realized they’d made a mistake.
“What the hell, am I in a game? Debut? Who’s playing?”
Alone in the room, Sol spoke cheerfully into the empty air. As if asking when his mood had been bad, a bright smile adorned his face. Afterward, humming a tune, he crawled back into bed, closing his eyes as if nothing had happened. He took another short nap and woke up, but the decreasing numbers were still present in the corner of Sol’s vision. ‘Remaining time: 15:27:01.’ Ironically, his memory was still intact.
[During the tutorial quest, the ‘Eraser in the Mind’ trait will be deactivated.]
“...”
In response to the prominently displayed notification window, Sol furrowed his brow. It seemed like it was teasing his thoughts. Pretending not to see anything, Sol dismissed the notification window.
“It’s not a game... Right! A game. This is a game, isn’t it? A dream of playing a game...? Is it a dream?”
No, it was a game. To anyone, it was clearly the <My Idol Stars> game he played just before falling asleep. Sol’s planning agency name, the quest. Sol, who wasn’t interested in games, couldn’t ignore the abundant hints and straightforward words. The human Sung Sol was currently inside the game.
Sol, with his disheveled thoughts, faced the quest window again.
[Update information of the character ‘Sung Sol’ within the specified time.
If failed, system shutdown (or corresponding pain).]
The penalty for failure caught Sol’s attention more than the reward for success. While the idea of system shutdown seemed like a way out of the situation, the vaguely written ‘corresponding pain’ behind it was ominous. Initially, Sol was too bewildered, wondering if it was a dream, but it was definitely not.
Even Sol’s chaotic and confused senses were relentlessly imprinting on him that this was not a dream. However, it was strange to blindly follow the instructions of the notification window with an unknown identity. Slowly but surely, from deep within, a strong sense of resistance and an instinct to avoid surged through him.
In a situation that anyone would find bewildering, Sol couldn’t help but break into a wide smile. The man with a name worthy of an S+ rank, as indicated in the status window, laughed heartily. However, his laughter seemed out of place, making the whole scene quite peculiar.
“Wow, this is unbelievable.”
The moment Sol mumbled to himself, the phone rang loudly, and someone started knocking on the front door with a thud thud thud. Worried that they might break the door if left unattended, Sol, huddled up, opened the front door slightly. As the door crack widened, a thick forearm pushed in, and a rugged-looking man brought his face close.
I'm loving how the denial and annoyance are written in this one, it's a very realistic response to getting into a game
ReplyDelete