Chapter 1 – Part 1
6:57 AM.
I turned off the game.
Jinseong Yoo put his cell phone in his pocket of his work clothes.
I stood up from the chair. He stretched his hands up to the sky.
Crumbling.
The stiff body screamed.
I did some light stretching.
“Ah… Be tired…”
Work has begun.
He belongs to Daehoon Precision. Daehoon Precision is a small and medium-sized enterprise that produces and supplies mechanical equipment parts. He got a job as a production worker and has been working there for 1 year and 7 months.
‘I’m busy.’
I was so busy that I couldn’t even wake up.
Let alone tea time, I didn’t even have time to go to the bathroom.
Factories in rural villages in Chungcheong Province have suffered from a manpower shortage for many years.
There were few people but a lot of work to do, so work was no fun.
‘It’s hard.’
The labor intensity is not that intense. It is a moderately difficult level.
However, the working hours were long.
My daily routine was to go to work by 7 a.M. And leave at 8 p.M.
Working 13 hours a day was enough to tire the body.
Even working six days a week.
‘Ha, it really tastes so bad.’
It would be nice if the rice was delicious.
The raw fish was so bad that it caused a loss of appetite.
Instead of eating, I peeled off one of the noodles from the beef soup bowl and inhaled it.
‘Yukgaejang too… Slowly biting…’
It tastes good only the first time.
‘I need to change it to a large lid.’
After eating, I closed my eyes for a moment. I was busy working all afternoon.
Only when the world became completely dark could we finally be liberated.
‘It’s time to get off work!’
My body felt very heavy. I wanted to quickly go to my dorm and stretch out.
However, Jinseong had no choice but to stop because of the man who grabbed him.
“Youngest, let’s go have a drink.”
It was my coworker’s older brother.
“Sorry. I’m tired and tired.”
“Don’t take it out. My brother will buy it. Let’s just have a quick drink.”
“…”
“It’s because I did poorly this evening. “Let’s drink and eat meat.”
“… I understand.”
I am absolutely not fooled by the word meat.
I thought it would be a bit difficult to refuse, so I agreed. Anyway, that’s right.
‘Ha, drinking with my brother is a bit harsh…’ …’
Kim Gwang-woo has a strong drinking capacity. I already emptied 3 bottles.
It’s nice to work on a big project with your brother, but the problem is the next day.
I die from a hangover.
“Aunt, here, please give me two servings of pork belly and a bottle of soju.”
“Yes, sir. Please wait a moment. “I’ll get it to you quickly.”
“Oh, please give me some soybean paste, too.”
Settled at a nearby meat restaurant.
“Take a drink.”
“Yes, brother.”
Kim Gwang-woo drank soju even before the snacks came out.
I emptied a glass.
“Hey, youngest child, I’m sorry, but can I ask you a favor?”
Kim Gwang-woo asked carefully.
“If I get my salary the day after tomorrow, can I lend you 2 million won? “I’ll pay you back with interest on payday next month.”
“… “Why?”
I was curious about the reason and asked.
“I need money urgently.”
“Sorry. I think it will be difficult.”
“Oh, don’t refuse coldly…”
“Really sorry. It’s difficult for me too. “I feel like I want to help, but it’s definitely my salary, and it’s not my money.”
My monthly salary is 2.8 million won after tax.
Among them, living expenses are 150,000 won. Savings of 500,000 won. The rest was used for loans and family.
‘If it’s 2 million won… It’s close to my 7-month allowance…’
In fact, it is difficult to lend 200,000 won, let alone 2 million won.
In the first place, even if I had 2 million won, I had no intention of lending it.
‘Am I a fanatic? If you lend it, there’s a high chance you won’t get it.’
Illegal private Toto was Kim Gwang-woo’s usual hobby.
Kim Gwang-woo, who was crazy about Toto, even took out a loan.
I was spending most of my salary on loan repayment and Toto.
What if he lent me 2 million won?
It was safe to say that the probability of wasting money on Toto was over 99.999%.
“Haaa… It’s a big deal, really… I can’t…”
“…”
“Youngest child, why not? “Is it because I’m really in a hurry?”
“…”
The atmosphere suddenly calmed down.
“Under…, Okay…, I get it. I can’t help it. “Let’s eat meat.”
I drank soju.
I dipped the golden-brown pork belly in ssamjang and brought it to my mouth.
I chewed and chewed.
Although the atmosphere was a funeral home, it was enjoyable to the tongue.
Honestly, I think pork belly is so delicious no matter when I eat it.
It was even more delicious because it was my first time eating pork belly in a long time.
Refreshing soju and fatty pork belly.
It feels like the day’s hard work is wasting away.
“Can you possibly get me a loan?”
“Yes?”
I received an unreasonable request.
“It’s impossible because I don’t have a credit rating.”
“Why?”
“My family life is a bit complicated.”
“Ah…”
Jinseong’s credit rating was not good.
I borrowed 55 million won and repaid 35 million won.
There is still about 20 million won left in the loan.
My parents are self-employed and took out a loan in their son’s name.
It would have been nice if it had worked out well, but sadly it ended up being too rough.
Jinseong was paying off her loan on behalf of her parents.
“I ate well.”
I drank in moderation. So much so that she is pleasantly flirtatious.
Of course, I ate plenty of meat. Feeling full is no joke.
However, Kim Gwang-woo’s expression was extremely dark.
‘It’s none of my business.’
Jinseong turned away.
I saved my words as much as possible.
You never know what kind of sparks might fly if you mess around for no reason.
In times like this, it was best to remain silent.
‘Really… Our company brothers… Honestly, it’s not even funny…’
Colleagues at work.
The taste went away one by one.
Brother Gwangwoo was a gambling addict and alcoholic.
Brother Ji-seong was a married man, but he was a room and business mania.
Jae-gu is crazy about female cams and only eats ramen every day.
The same goes for other brothers.
‘Tsk, they must be anxious because they can’t borrow money from me, a beggar…’
Like today.
Gwangwoo wasn’t the only one trying to borrow money.
Everyone secretly tried to borrow money.
From as little as 100,000 won to as much as 3 million won.
There are various reasons.
To gamble, to have sex, to sponsor, to make money, to stop the loan, etc.
‘Well, I didn’t lend you a single penny.’
I walked down the road. The night breeze was cool today.
‘The older brothers… It’s possible that I don’t have any money… ‘Why don’t I have money?’
I’m working hard.
I live sparingly, but I am poor.
I have never been late to work once. Even though I felt like I was going to die from pain, I signed up for work.
I have never spent more than 50,000 won on food, and I have never spent more than 30,000 won on a game.
Since I’m a mother-in-law, I’ve never spent anything on a date, and entertainment is so expensive that I haven’t even tried it.
‘… ‘I need to play a game.’
I ran the Success Era app.
‘I’m jealous.’
I’m jealous of characters growing up.
‘I’m jealous.’
I am jealous of characters who make a lot of money.
‘I envy you. I’m jealous.’
A character who finds a pretty girlfriend.
‘Ah, I’m really jealous.’
I was jealous of the character for about 30 seconds after starting the game.
After becoming immersed, I was moved into the character and felt satisfied.
Before she knew it, she had arrived at the dormitory. A small and shabby dormitory.
I took a clean shower with warm water in the shared bathroom.
I lay down on the bedding.
‘Ah, it’s comfortable.’
It was cozy.
‘Let’s sleep.’
I wanted to play the game for about an hour.
I was tired, I drank, and I had to go to work.
I closed my eyes because I had to live for tomorrow.
‘Oh, I want to succeed. I want to make a lot of money. I want to become rich. Furthermore, I met a pretty girlfriend…’
Jinseong fell asleep less than 20 seconds after closing his eyes.
I was so tired that I fell asleep when I lay down.
I was sleeping soundly.
[Run the era of success.]
[Work hard, grow, and achieve success.]
A strange voice rang out.
Something strange was created in the air.
Jinseong, who was deeply asleep, could not hear anything at all.
∴∴∴
The alarm went off.
“Off…”
I tossed and turned. I picked up her cell phone from her bedside table and turned off the alarm. She raised her upper body.
“I’m tired…”
My mind and body were heavy. I didn’t feel very well.
I want to sleep a little more. No more, no less, just 2 hours.
‘I’m thirsty.’
I put the water bottle to my mouth and drank it.
“Huh…”
The terrible thirst was quenched.
“Huh?”
Jinseong, who was about to put down the bottle of water, froze.
My pupil felt a strong earthquake.
I saw something strange. There was something like a hologram in the air.
[Please select a talent.]
[1. Reading]
[2. Study]
[3. Soccer]
[4. Programming]
[5. Cooking]
[6…]
My brain stopped. I was mesmerized. I couldn’t keep my mouth shut.
I just stared blankly at the hologram for a long time.
‘This… How… What happened?’
Is it a dream?
‘No… It’s not a dream… It’s reality.’
Is it an illusion?
Have I finally gone crazy?
‘Well, I must be crazy.’
Unless you go crazy, you won’t be able to see the hologram for no reason.
Even if you think about it a hundred times, seeing the ‘first screen of the era of success’ doesn’t seem normal.
I seriously considered whether I should go to a psychiatrist and get counseling.
‘However…’
Going to a psychiatrist means going.
‘What happens if I touch it?’ …’
Curiosity arose.
Jinseong touched 81 items out of 300.
The first item selected by the character was item 81.
There was a tap, a touch sound. A new phrase was created.
[You have completed your talent selection.]
[You can grant ‘talents’ to yourself or others.]
[Please select the person you wish to bestow ‘talent’ on.]
[One. Jinseong Yoo]
[2. Jews]
[3. Yu Han-seong]
[4. …]
[178. Gwangwoo Kim]
178 items.
There were Jinseong himself, his family, friends, and co-workers.
Jinseong chose number 1 without thinking, as if he were possessed by her ghost.
[I grant athletic talent to Yu Jin-seong.]
[Achieve 100 exercise-related achievements.]
∴∴∴
I met Gwangwoo Kim.
[Kim Gwang-woo (28 years old)]
[Likeability: 28/100]
[Specialty: Fraud (B), Gaming (E), Gambling (C)]
[Status: Alcohol addiction, gambling addiction]
[Inner heart: I lost it yesterday too. I have to pay back the loan I owe…]
The world changed overnight. The era of success has become a reality.
