Jin

Swipe.

Swipe.

Swipe.

The monotonous day continued.

Wake up. Get dressed. Go to work.

Jin, a 20-year-old convenience store clerk, found himself trapped in a cycle of repetition. The buzzing of the fluorescent lights overhead, the dull beeps of the register, the shuffle of customers coming and going—it all blurred together in an endless, colorless routine.

The job wasn't glamorous, but it paid decently enough. He lived in a cramped, run-down apartment complex where the walls were thin and privacy was a foreign concept. Babies wailed through the night, drunken arguments erupted in the hallways, and the landlord never failed to hound tenants for rent. Jin had grown numb to it all.

He despised people who clung to their past, romanticizing their golden years in high school. Two months ago, he ran into a former classmate—one of the so-called "popular guys"—who spent the entire conversation reminiscing about his past glories. Jin smiled and nodded, but internally, he rolled his eyes. What was the point of living in the past?

Yet, now, as he stood behind the counter, swiping through transactions, even he found his thoughts drifting back. He clicked his tongue in frustration and shook his head.

"This is temporary," he reminded himself under his breath. "I'll get the job I want."

College had never been an option. His grades were painfully average, and his family didn't have the money for tuition. So he had skipped the academic route and gone straight into the workforce.

Stale. That was the only way to describe his existence. No girlfriend. No real friends. Just himself, his job, and the endless chapters of web novels he buried himself in whenever he had free time.

At work, at home, on the bus—his mind was always lost in fictional worlds, picturing grand battles, vast kingdoms, and larger-than-life heroes. Most people he knew didn't get it. They dismissed web novels as childish. But Jin didn't care. He had an imagination vivid enough to paint every detail in his mind.

His break ended faster than he wanted. With a sigh, he tucked his phone into his pocket and prepared to leave the backroom when a familiar voice called out.

"Jin, you're up next!"

He turned and met the sharp green eyes of Scarlet, his coworker. She strode toward him with a lazy smile, her long blonde hair swaying with each step. Her beauty was striking—curves in all the right places, confidence in her movements. But Jin knew better than to be fooled. She was far from innocent.

For the past three months, she had made it a habit to tease him about his lack of experience with women. At first, it annoyed him, but over time, he'd gotten used to it. Maybe even enjoyed their banter a little. They had grown into something resembling friends, casually texting even on days off.

He still wasn't sure how he felt about her. She was gorgeous, yes. But she could be insufferable. And yet, when she wasn't teasing him, there was something genuine about her. Not that it mattered. Jin had never been the type to make the first move. His mind sabotaged him before he even tried.

"What if she has a boyfriend?"

"She probably does."

"Would she like me?"

"She wouldn't."

"Should I ask her out?"

"She'll just reject me."

Overthinking always won.

"Break ended too fast..." he muttered, stretching as he stood.

Scarlet smirked, flopping into the chair he had just vacated. "Good. I need my break, too."

He hesitated for a second. Today felt... different. The usual routine wasn't satisfying. Maybe he was just sick of the monotony. Maybe he was tired of waiting for something exciting to happen on its own. Whatever it was, before he could second-guess himself, the words were already leaving his mouth.

"Scarlet, want to hang out after work?"

She blinked, clearly caught off guard. "Huh?"

Jin cursed himself internally. Too sudden. Too awkward. He had botched it. He braced himself for the rejection.

Instead, Scarlet tilted her head, studying him with amusement. "You're seriously asking me this now?"

He scratched the back of his neck. "Uh... yeah."

She let out a soft scoff and then grinned. "I don't think I have plans... so sure. Just don't be boring. I like exciting guys."

Jin's chest felt lighter. "I'll make sure you're not bored."

For the first time in a long time, work didn't feel quite as dreadful. The shift dragged on, but Jin felt something he hadn't in a while—anticipation. When closing time finally rolled around, he walked into the backroom to find Scarlet dozing off.

He nudged her shoulder gently. "Hey, I'm closing up."

She stirred, rubbing her eyes. "Huh? Oh... right. Thanks."

They stepped outside together, the night air cool against their skin. Jin turned toward her, about to speak, when a sudden, blinding light engulfed his vision.

A translucent blue screen appeared before his eyes.

[Welcome, Player #999,999.]

His breath hitched.

[You have been chosen to participate in a game.]

He quickly turned to Scarlet. Her eyes were wide, locked onto the empty air in front of her as if seeing the same thing he was.

Jin's mind raced. Years of reading web novels had prepared him for this exact scenario.

A system.

[You will be transported along with all other players to a new world.]

[Your goal: Reach the end of the game and become the #1 player.]

[Rewards for completion: A wish of your choice, capable of anything. Your powers will remain, even if you return to Earth or stay in the new world. Your name will be set in stone in both worlds.]

[Be aware. Strength is authority. Weakness is death. Do not hesitate to use any means necessary to achieve your goals, whether morally right or wrong. The System wishes you and all 1,000,000 players well.]

Jin and Scarlet locked eyes, their previous conversation instantly forgotten.

"You see it too?" Jin asked, his voice unsteady.

Scarlet nodded, her usual teasing demeanor gone. "Yeah..."

Jin let out a humorless chuckle. "And just when I thought I was finally going on a date..."

The final message flashed before them.

[Now Transporting...]

Light engulfed their bodies. The city, the store, the dull routine of their lives—all of it vanished in an instant.