The system Appears

Yujin didn't know if it was the Dream Bliss, the alcohol, or just the sheer thrill of being in this world of flashing lights and careless fun, but for once, she didn't feel like the girl who had been rejected from every job she applied to. She didn't feel like the girl with a full résumé and an empty bank account. She felt seen. She felt like she mattered, even if just for tonight.

As they danced, Yujin let herself forget everything for a little while. The weight of the world could wait. Tonight, she had a drink in her hand, a free one at that, and the feeling that maybe—just maybe—she was doing something right for once.

The System Appears

At first, nothing happened.

Yujin blinked, the neon lights of the club warping into pastel smears, pulsing in time with the bassline. Everything felt just a little too soft around the edges. Maybe it was the Dream Bliss. Maybe it was the two and a half cocktails she could barely remember ordering. Or maybe—finally—her brain had decided to melt into the floor of this overpriced rooftop lounge.

Then—

The world tilted.

Not dramatically. Not like in movies where everything spins. It was subtle—like the moment before a sneeze, or when your stomach drops on an elevator. The faces in the crowd rippled. The lights stuttered. A strange chime—soft, sweet, electronic—rang in her ears. Not part of the music. Not from her phone. Like a video game notification had broken through reality.

A glowing pink screen materialized in the air before her. No, floated—just above eye level, translucent and edged in flickering gold. It shimmered with a kind of too-prestigious-energy, like it had been designed by a luxury skincare brand for tech addicts.

[SYSTEM BOOTING…]

She froze.

A laugh bubbled in her throat, but it never made it out. Her legs felt gelatinous.

[Welcome, Ahn Yujin! You have been selected as a participant in the Billionaire Marriage System™.]

The drink in her hand tilted, the ice clinking like a warning bell.

"…What the actual hell?"

Yujin blinked once. Twice. She glanced around—no one else seemed to notice the glowing horror floating in front of her face. Her heartbeat picked up. She took a cautious step backward and nearly collided with a guy who was aggressively shimmying to a remix of a girl group hit.

The screen followed.

She rubbed her eyes. Still there.

[Your mission: Marry a billionaire within one year. Accept or decline?]

The font was offensively sparkly. Scripted like a fairytale invitation. She half-expected a fairy godmother to pop out and hand her a tiara at this point.

"Oh my god. I knew that last drink tasted weird. What is this delusion?" She waved a hand through the air like she was swatting a bee.

The screen danced away—then zipped back into place with a joyful ding.

"Okay, no. I am not doing this. Cant I hallucinate about a job application or a free trip instead?"

She jabbed at the floating text, hitting Decline.

[Error. Participation is mandatory.]

Her eyebrows lifted slowly, then slammed into a frown. "Excuse me?"

[New mission activated: Within 24 hours, you must interact with someone who has the potential to become a billionaire. Failure to comply will result in penalty.]

Yujin didn't even have time to curse before a sharp, icy stab shot through her ankle. She yelped and stumbled forward, nearly falling onto the bar.

[First penalty: Temporary physical discomfort.]

"Are you kidding me?! This…. system or whatever is…is psychotic."

She whirled around, scanning the crowd for someone, anyone who might help her anchor back into reality. Her eyes landed on Mina, who was near the speakers, shaking her shoulders to the beat like a backup dancer possessed by serotonin. Her glowstick earrings bounced cheerfully with each flick of her wrist.

"Mina!" Yujin staggered toward her, clutching her side. "That herbal brownie you gave me? It's trying to ruin my life—I swear it's attacking my legs! My ankles are on fire!"

Mina spun around, grinning like she'd just discovered lip gloss that glows in the dark. "Huh? Are you okay? You look like you just saw something. I don't maybe a ghost—or your Halmeoni. Or maybe another hot guy is about to buy you another round?"

"I think—I think I'm being haunted by an  matchmaking system." Yujin was breathless now. "And it wants me to—marry a billionaire?"

Mina blinked. Stared. Then squinted at her like she was reading subtitles on a screen only she could see.

"Girl, you are definitely high. What the hell does that even mean? You need more drinks."

"I don't need more drinks!" Yujin snapped, her voice sharp and too loud, though no one noticed in the thumping chaos of the club. "I need to go home! I get why they banned Dream Bliss in Japan—this is like being possessed… by a dating app?! What the—mwo ya ssibal?!"

She paced back a step, nearly knocking into a couple grinding nearby. The glowing pink screen hovered beside her like it had a mind of its own, flickering cheerfully in mockery. Her fingers twitched. Every instinct told her to run, but the thing followed like a loyal ghost.

"Ohhh right," Mina said, swaying her hips to the beat, a teasing lilt in her voice. "I did hear some people say Dream Bliss can get a little too intense and a bit too wavy for first-timers. Probably just that. You'll be fine, babe. Ride the wave!" She mimicked the motion of a wave with her hands, flashing Yujin a teasing smile.

Yujin's laugh came out brittle. "This isn't a wave, Mina. It's telling me I have to marry a billionaire by the end of the year—and now I've got 24 hours to find some potential billionaire or get punished. It's definitely the Dream Bliss. Your fault. Halmeoni warned me about drugs, and did I listen? No..No..NO. Now I'm drowning in a tsunami of delusion!"

"Relax!" Mina yelled over the pulse of bass, throwing her arms in the air like she was at a rave in Ibiza. "It's gonna wear off! I'm also hallucinating—I think I got a job offer from Google!"

Yujin gaped at her. "This isn't funny, Mina! I hit a decline and it hurt me. I literally felt pain. Like someone stabbed my ankle with a needle."

Mina hesitated for a moment, her carefree grin faltering. "Wait, it actually hurt? That's weird... I didn't see anything about pain in the reviews. Maybe you bumped your ankle or something? I mean, you're high, so... could be that."

"Yes!... I mean, no!" Yujin hissed, clutching her friend's wrist like a lifeline. "I got zapped! My whole leg jolted! The system said, 'First penalty: temporary physical discomfort!''

She was shaking now—part rage, part fear, part disbelief that no one else could see what she was seeing.

"Oh my god," Mina whispered, her eyes widening. "What if it's one of those black-market ones I bought? Like, the really illegal kind? You know, the ones with some shady psych-tech scam? Did you download anything weird recently?"

Mina burst out laughing, her tension disappearing as if it had never been there. "I'm joking, it's just herbal, nothing serious. Yujin, if it tells you to marry a billionaire, then don't say yes unless he owns a yacht and a skincare line, babe! Just go with the flow—it's gonna wear off soon."

Yujin stared at her. The screen blinked cheerfully in front of her.

[23:42:11 REMAINING]

Yujin wanted to scream. But instead, she muttered, "Go with the flow, hmm," convinced it would wear off—why wouldn't it? "If I marry a billionaire and he doesn't have SPF 50 and a private jet, Mina's going to get an earful..."