(Starting the Gaming Tutorial)
This was surely not a dream. A monotone voice echoed inside my head—hell, I could even see the translucent screen hovering near my eye.
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My name is Kang Jihan, twenty-five years old, forced to work at a newspaper publishing company.
I hate this job.
"Then why don't you quit the job, Kang Jihan-ssi?"
That's what everyone said whenever I mentioned it.
I'd like to quit too, but sadly, for someone without a degree from a top university, it was difficult to find a job. I had applied to almost every company.
Kang Jihan (Kang meant "strong")—my father was a highly respected figure in our family. When he saw I couldn't focus on studies and spent all day playing a game (Tower of Rift) since eighth grade, he gave up on me.
Honestly, he wasn't wrong. I never did succeed.
Tower of Rift—a game that was never officially released, made by dev Hart. It was an RPG game with a story line, but no one played it. I was the only one.
I had played that game for nine years... and completed it just a day ago.
----
People at the newspaper company were always annoyed by me. They'd rather gossip behind my back than do actual work.
They grouped together like a bunch of sheep and asked me the same dumb questions.
"I heard you were kicked out of your family, Kang Jihan-ssi. That must be shameful, right?"
"I heard you still play games? At your age?"
I didn't remember wronging any of them. But thanks to my background, they had more than enough reasons to poke at me.
I never bothered answering.
"Oh hey, Kang Jihan-ssi. Good morning."
"Good morning, Han Seoyeon-ssi."
Han Seoyeon from the sports article group.
The only one who spoke politely to an NPC like me. I was an NPC in my own story.
She smiled faintly.
"You're early today. Looking fresh, too! Unlike other days, Kang Jihan-ssi."
Come to think of it… I'd finally completed Tower of Rift, so there was no reason to stay up late anymore.
"I had some incomplete articles to finish, so I came early."
"Oh? What? Articles? Show me!"
I gave her an awkward smile.
"Okay."
I opened article file 2300—24 incomplete works.
She moved closer, glancing at the screen.
She tapped my shoulder gently and scoffed.
"Whoa. You're almost done. Nice work, Kang Jihan-ssi."
I nodded. "Thank you." She always had this sweet, soft aroma around her. No wonder the whole office went head over heels for her.
----
After a few minutes of awkward small talk, she slid back to her desk right next to mine.
Then suddenly she said, "Arigato!!"
I turned toward her.
"What?"
She chuckled proudly.
"Arigato means 'thank you.'"
"Oh, are you learning Japanese?"
"Yep. Been trying to pick it up."
Made sense. She recently got promoted to another newspaper department in Japan.
She and I definitely lived in different genres of life.
"What about you, Kang Jihan-ssi? Ever interested in learning a new language?"
"No. But I do like Japanese."
She grinned.
"You should! You could get a job there. Their culture, food, people—so good. I went last year..."
Her voice trailed off as I glanced outside. A rope dangled near the window.
"Hello? Kang Jihan-ssi?"
"Sorry. I just don't really have a reason to learn. My genre in life is different from yours, Han Seoyeon-ssi. My genre is 'Kang Jihan.' And I wouldn't change it."
She narrowed her eyes.
"What?"
I stretched my neck.
"Nothing. Don't mind it."
"Hmm. Then my genre is Han Seoyeon," she nodded, proud of her own answer.
I gazed at her for a while before returning to typing the article.
We silently started working on our articles again, but a strange feeling lingered in my chest. Maybe what I said earlier was the reality I'd accepted a long time ago… but never had the courage to change.
Ding!
I took out my phone from my pocket.
A notification appeared on the lock screen.
(Tower of Rift)
Who…? What's this?
I tapped the sender ID: dev_Hart?
It came with a message:
(Thank you for playing my game for nine years. As a reward, I'd like to show my gratitude. In 3 minutes, you will receive it. Hope you'll like it.)
What kind of gift?
A new version of the game maybe? I felt strangely anxious about the message… but I couldn't deny it, I was excited too.
As the only player, maybe the dev thought I was a genuine fan. Which—of course—I was.
I glanced at the time: 7:58. Two minutes left.
My chest tightened with anticipation.
Suddenly, the building lights flickered. The floor shook slightly everyone grabbed onto their desks. I glanced outside. The clouds had turned dark, slowly swallowing the sun. The air grew tense and cold.
Han Seoyeon grabbed my arm.
Then I heard panicked voices rising around the room. The bright sky had turned gray.
The floor shook again, this time hard enough that Han Seoyeon let out a cry and clutched my arm tighter. I barely registered the fear. I was more focused on the pain in my right arm.
After what felt like a decade, the shaking stopped. But the sky… was still dark.
Then voices echoed from every corner of the office.
"Earthquake?"
"Yeah, maybe but look at the sky."
Han Seoyeon still held my arm, slightly shivering as she whispered,
"What's happening?"
I gave a faint smile, pretending to be unconcerned.
"Don't worry. Everything's gonna be fine."
"Really?"
"Yeah. It's probably just a low-magnitude earthquake. And the sky... it's probably about to rain."
Before she could respond, a voice blared through the intercom.
"Everyone evacuate the building immediately. I repeat—evacuate the building immediately."
I looked around. As soon as the announcement ended, the whole room tensed. No one said a word.
I let out a deep breath.
"It's probably just protocol. Since it's an earthquake, they want us outside in case the building's unsafe. We should go."
Then another sound echoed panicked, distorted.
"LEAVE IMMEDIATELY RUN!!!"
"Why's he so scared? It's just an earthquake, right?"
"Kang Jihan-ssi... there's something outside the window..."
I followed her trembling finger. A small ball hovered in the air, slowly drifting toward us. It passed through the glass with a soft boop. Something was wrong. I glanced at the time,8:00.
-----
(Starting the Gaming Tutorial)
That was the moment my genre in life changed forever.