Genius Idol’s Strategy to Conquer the Entertainment Industry

Chapter 2

After my discharge from the military, I started a YouTube channel to upload game-related videos in an attempt to do something productive as an unemployed person, spending away my savings on utility bills and food.

My channel, which featured game reviews and guides across various genres, surprisingly did well, leading to occasional work offers from companies.

This time, a company that I was familiar with asked for a review of an Idol game.

To be honest, simulation games weren’t my taste, but given how much I’d already received from the boss, I agreed with little thought.

With little expectation, I started the game and watched the opening video.

The quality of the illustrations and the video weren’t bad.

Soon, the video ended, and the start screen appeared. With a few mouse clicks, the screens rapidly changed.

[ “Chapter 1 General Provisions

Article 1 (Purpose)

These terms and conditions define the basic matters concerning the terms and procedures between the company Laonhaje Co., Ltd. (designated as “the company” from this point on) and its members about the use of the game and related services provided by the company…….]

It was a typical user agreement.

I checked the agreement box without hesitation.

[Do you agree with the terms and conditions?]

[Y/N]

[Y]

Do they need to ask again with a pop-up?

I thought to myself, munching on slightly sweetened popcorn, and pressed enter multiple times.

Anyway, since I had no idea what was about to happen next, I leisurely moved on to the next step and chose a nickname.

[Please enter your nickname.]

[ㄹ…]

[Ra…]

[Raon]

I entered the nickname “Raon,” which I had been using since elementary school, at lightning speed.

[Loading….]

[Welcome, On Raon.]

On Raon? That’s strange. I entered Raon.

But whether it’s Raon or On Raon, it’s not a big deal.

I’ve had to add “On” to “Raon” when the nickname was already taken, so it’s not unusual.

“Ugh.”

Did I overdo it, streaming the newly updated transcendental-level raid first clear for five days straight?

Suddenly, I felt overwhelmingly sleepy.

My eyes, dry to the point that I wanted to take them out and rinse them, closed on their own.

Let’s just sleep. It’s not like I have to finish this today.

With a thud, the bag of popcorn I had on my knee fell to the ground and my head hit the desk.

Thud!

“Ouch!”

And I startled awake.

The sound of my head hitting the desk must have been quite loud because the surrounding people were glancing at me.

People.

For a moment, my mind went blank.

‘People? They looked at me?’

As I realized I was not in my room, chills ran up my spine, and any remaining sleepiness was instantly gone.

I stood up abruptly and quickly looked around.

Rows of over 200 computers. The loud sound of mechanical keyboards being hammered. The thick air with a strong smell of cigarettes.

‘PC bang.’

I had figured out where I was, but I still didn’t know why I was there.

Who? Why? How?

I suddenly felt the need to look in a mirror.

Fortunately, my phone was right next to the keyboard.

Although it was an old model I had used a few years ago, I didn’t have time to worry about that.

I quickly went to the camera app from the lock screen and checked my face in selfie mode.

“Wow, wow… wow….”

It was shocking.

“When did I become so ugly?”

It might sound like nonsense to others, but unfortunately, I was dead serious.

Where was the handsome face that wouldn’t be overshadowed even in a photo with celebrities?

The bone structure and features were undoubtedly mine.

Even though I had been worn out by exposure to electromagnetic waves, this was too much.

I understood why I suddenly wanted to see my reflection.

No one was paying attention to me, or more precisely, my appearance, so I subconsciously sensed something was off.

It’s not vanity; my face is usually the kind that you want to look at more than once.

If even my previous garbage company, which constantly tried to undermine my life, relationships, and skills, couldn’t touch my looks, there’s no need to say more.

To think electromagnetic waves had ruined my parents’ hard work on my face.

‘I need to cut back on gaming.’

If my similarly addicted gamer friends knew I had come to my senses just by looking in the mirror, they might mockingly challenge me to a character deletion bet.

Honestly, they would be right. Although I’d win.

“……”

After regaining some composure, I re-examined the face that seemed neither mine nor anyone else’s.

I revised my assessment, thinking that this face might not be considered ugly by general standards.

But the difference between a masterpiece and an average face is subtle.

Compared to my original face, this one fell short by about ten degrees.

I couldn’t have aged so much that I looked like this because, after the military, I looked younger than ever.

To the point where I felt like I could be a high school student like the one next to me playing games.

Maybe my vision had deteriorated instead of my face.

I hoped that was the case, even though it was just wishful thinking.

‘What’s wrong with my eyes?’

Once deep and clear, like obsidian, my black eyes were now bright and transparent brown, trembling in the reflection like they were anxious.

‘I’ve never heard of electromagnetic waves breaking down melanin….’

At least these eyes were still decent enough to look at compared to the rest of my changed face.

Wondering if the unfamiliar brown colour was due to lenses, I absentmindedly poked my eye with my fingernail, only to be met with excruciating pain.

“Argh! Damn it!”

At that moment, something strange appeared through my untouched eye.

To be more specific, it looked like a game pop-up.

[You have been penalized for inappropriate language. (Remaining time: 00:59:59)]

[Repeated use of inappropriate language will result in a harsher penalty. (Remaining time: 00:59:57)]

“What the….”

With tears streaming down my face and one eye covered, the high schooler next to me scooted their chair away from me.

Ignoring them, I was lost in my thoughts.

Have I played too many games? Is that why I’m having such a nonsensical dream?

But given that the eye I poked still hurt, I had a bad feeling this might not be a dream.

“Faith….”

Huh?

“Hope! Love!”

Am I Hong Gildong?

Why can’t I say damn it and instead shout faith, hope, and love?

I tried cursing again, only to end up shouting fruit names like a madman.

Just as I was about to stretch my unruly tongue, the high schooler mumbled something and moved away.

“Damn it, is he trying to have the PC bang to himself?”

“?”

I didn’t understand. What language was that?

He looked Korean, but was he a returnee from abroad? Judging by his expression and tone, it seemed like he was cursing at me.

I understood. If I saw a guy acting like this, I’d curse him out, too.

After several deep breaths, I completely calmed down and pressed speed dial 1.

The person who had the honour of being speed dial 1 on my phone was the housekeeper who had been working at my house for 15 years.

Maybe because we had seen each other for so long, sometimes she treated me, a stunningly handsome man in his twenties, like dirt.

But there was no contact saved under speed dial.

I thought this was nonsense, but I remembered her number, so I managed to make the call.

“Hello? Ma’am, it’s me.”

– You’ve got the wrong number.

Beep- beep- beep-

I was dumbfounded, holding the phone that had been hung up in an instant.

Why would an indifferent foreign man answer instead of the housekeeper?

When I realized that being in a PC bang was nothing compared to this, I felt an overwhelming sense of fear.

Haha, what is this?

I never forget the housekeeper’s number, even if I forget my parents’.

With a stupid look on my face, I confirmed the number was correct and called again.

“Hello….”

– I said you’ve got the wrong number.

Once again, an unfamiliar voice accompanied by a quick hang-up.

Although it’s courteous to hang up after being rejected twice.

Unbelieving, I called a third time, only for it to be immediately cut off, indicating I’d been blocked.

Trying to contact someone else, I found the contact list empty.

No, honestly. This wasn’t unexpected.

I had sensed something might be wrong since realizing this phone was an old model I used during my trainee days, more than five years ago.

I started fiddling with the phone like a half-crazed person.

But it was clean. Spotless.

The album was empty, and no games were installed despite having a dozen before. There were zero contacts in KakaoTalk. Strangely, I couldn’t read anything on the phone.

The only readable text was:

[On Raon]

I’m perplexed. Even though I’ve invested my life in many games, I’m not the type to use my nickname as my messenger profile….

At this point, a clichéd thought buzzed like an annoying bee in my head.

No way. It can’t be.

[Tutorial Quest Arrived!]

“Oh crap, you scared me.”

[▶ Quest Description: You have finally realized that something is wrong. As you guessed, this place is inside a game. Rest assured, you are not crazy, and this place will become your reality. Proceed with the quest prepared for you.

▶ Completion Condition: Progress through the tutorial to understand the basic game system

▶ Confirmed Rewards: Some experience points and money]

[Will you proceed with the quest?]

[Y/N]

Ah, I can read this. I figured the phone’s language settings must be off and touched N.

Are you crazy? I refuse. No!

[This is a quest you cannot refuse.]

[Proceeding automatically.]

Damn it!

Feeling conflicted, I left the PC bang, which was starting to kick out minors as it approached 10 PM. Naturally, I didn’t have any ID.

“Ugh, it’s cold.”

Though I was wearing thick winter clothes, the body I had possessed was so thin it seemed to have no fat, making me feel colder than usual.

Checking the date on my phone, it was late February 2017. 

About five years behind my reality.

Shivering, I wandered around, looking for a deserted place.

I didn’t know how to proceed with the tutorial, but it didn’t seem like something to do in front of people.

Strangely, I couldn’t read any large letters on the signs or billboards along the way.

The scenery was undoubtedly familiar; it was Korea, and the text was Hangul. But I felt like an alien.

After wandering for a while, I finally reached an empty park, where the system window appeared as if it had been waiting.

[Starting the tutorial.]

1) Perkle: First Clear (first clear), typically meaning the first clear of content on a server.