Chapter 1
When I was very young, on days my father came home late at night drunk, he would always wake me from my sleep, sit me on his lap, and tell me something.
'Lin, listen. A man must succeed, no matter what! He abso-lutely must succeed! Got it? You must never live like your dad!'
That was one of the few memories of my father that remained in my mind.
Even if we weren't a harmonious family, it was an ordinary one no different from others.
Until my father passed away.
It was a day from my childhood that has now grown faint.
After receiving a phone call from someone, my mother rushed out, and my younger sibling and I waited for her at home all day, not knowing what was going on.
My mother, who returned home late in the evening, left my sibling and me behind, went into the master bedroom, closed the door, and sobbed softly.
Hearing that sound, I instinctively realized that something had gone wrong.
The cause of my father's death was a fall. The safety measures were poor, and the on-site response was inadequate. An unfortunate accident common on worksites.
Just like that, the head of the household passed away in vain, leaving behind a meager compensation.
After the funeral, my sibling and I were left in the care of our paternal grandmother.
My mother, who used to visit us once a week, gradually visited less often as time went by.
After her visit on my twelfth birthday, I never saw my mother again.
I realized a little too quickly that my mother would never return.
Then one day, I recalled the words my father had told me.
'Lin, you must succeed. You absolutely have to succeed.'
But Father, how on earth can I succeed?
As a young child, there was no way I could know what to do to succeed.
I want to succeed.
On a night when sleep was particularly elusive, as I looked at my sleeping sibling and made that earnest wish, strange text began to appear before my eyes.
-Achieve 1st place in the class for the English exam (0/1)
'What is this?'
Text akin to a game quest, but the text appearing before my eyes had manifested in reality, not in a game.
Even after waking up from sleep, the strange text continued to float before my eyes, so I told my grandmother about it without thinking much of it.
Seeing my grandmother hug me with a pitying expression after hearing my words, I headed to school without saying anything else.
Even while taking classes at school, the strange text kept bothering me.
First place in the class for the English exam? It wasn't impossible.
If I achieved the goal, would I be able to learn more about this strange phenomenon happening to me?
Since it had already happened anyway, I decided to accept this situation as interestingly as a game.
In the previous exam, my English ranking was 5th, a score I got after briefly studying the day before the test.
'Yeah, I'm not really sure what's going on, but let's give it a try for now. There's no harm in studying anyway.'
After making up my mind, two hours of English study time was added to my daily routine, which had been the same every day.
And a month later. After taking the final exam, I achieved a perfect score of 100 in English.
-Achieve 1st place in the class for the English exam (1/1)
-Goal achieved. The next goal is assigned.
-Achieve 1st place in the school for the 100m dash (0/1)
I achieved the first goal and received the second.
Achieving the goal didn't immediately change my reality drastically. Only the text before my eyes had changed.
But it didn't feel too bad.
Because I received my own kind of reward seeing my grandmother's face rejoicing at her grandson's words that he got a perfect score on his English exam.
And for the 100m dash that came after the English exam, there was no need to prepare separately.
Since I was young, I was bigger and faster than my peers.
-Achieve 1st place in the school for the 100m dash (1/1)
I achieved the goal, and another goal emerged. A new change that came to my previously lethargic daily life.
Before I knew it, achieving 'goals' had become my 'goal'.
Perhaps these experiences would lead me to success?
I began to harbor a small hope. The vague word 'success' became a little clearer.
Like that, I invested most of my daily life into achieving goals.
Some goals didn't take very long.
-Have a conversation with a foreigner (0/3)
-Run 10km (0/1)
-Learn basic Chinese conversation (0/1)
-Do boxing sparring (0/5)
I would achieve some goals in a single day, and even the longer ones took less than a week.
Some goals required relatively more time.
-Achieve a TOEIC score of 900 or higher (0/1)
-Achieve a Jiu-Jitsu blue belt (0/1)
-Achieve JLPT N1 (0/1)
-Win a national boxing tournament (0/1)
I achieved the goals one by one.
The goals that appeared to me could be largely classified into two categories.
One was goals related to exercise, and the other was goals related to language.
At first, I thought there were no rewards for achieving goals. But as time passed, my thoughts gradually changed.
'When I achieve a goal, it somehow feels like my body gets a little better and my head gets clearer.'
I didn't have a talent for language from the beginning. As I achieved goals one by one, I came to possess an outstanding linguistic talent far superior to my peers.
And my physical abilities, which had been excellent from the start, continued to develop day by day.
'Sir, please leave this student to me. He has the talent to go to the Olympics and win a medal.'
'Come on, I approached him first, so back off for a second. Sir, I have experience as a former national team member...'
Officials from various sports came to the school to see me, and in severe cases, even chased me to my house.
But I had no intention of becoming an athlete. Even if I became a national team member, if it was going to flash once every four years and end, it didn't feel very attractive.
Because I wanted a higher place, a greater success than that.
Like that, I continued to run as the goals guided me.
By achieving the previous goal, I was able to achieve the next. Looking back, I was already climbing the stairs toward success one step at a time.
A reward for the goals that wasn't visible to the eye, but the reward was steadily being given without my knowledge.
I was already far superior to kids my age. Both physically and mentally. Looking around me, I could clearly feel it.
'Yeah, I just need to accurately follow the goals.'
Then one day, when I turned 19 and was about to enter college. A slight change occurred in the text of the goal, which had always been the same.
-Discharge from the Special Forces (0/1)
Reward: ???
The word 'reward' appearing for the first time.
What could this change possibly mean? My heart began to pound fiercely at this tiny change.
I immediately gave up on going to college and began preparing to enlist in the Special Forces.
Including my school teachers, everyone around me tried to stop me. Except for exactly two people: my grandmother and my younger sister.
'Lin, do what you want to do. This granny trusts her grandson.'
'Oppa was always like that anyway, and he's not someone who would listen if you tried to stop him. Just come back safely without getting hurt.'
With my family's support like that, I enlisted in the Republic of Korea Naval Special Warfare Flotilla, commonly known as UDT, right after graduating high school.
And two years passed.
***
-Discharge from the Special Forces (0/1)
Reward: ???
While taking the KTX up to Seoul, I looked at the unchanged text and thought.
'Will the goal be achieved only after today passes?'
It truly was a long two years.
While no military service is short, those two letters, 'reward,' had me pondering endlessly throughout my service.
Right, now there's at most a day left.
No, since more than half of today has already passed, less than a day remains.
In a little while, I'll be able to confirm the identity of that reward.
Today was the joyous day of my discharge. I consciously tried not to pay attention to the goal text in front of me.
While I was lost in thought, I arrived at my destination, Seoul Station.
It was a path I took every time I went on leave, but today, on the day of my discharge, the scenery felt somewhat different.
People walking about busily, and my existence, like a small speck of dust amidst that crowd.
The goal called success, my past life where I struggled to approach it flashes through my mind.
I don't know what will happen in the future, but if I continue to take one step at a time toward the goal like now...
"Excuse me, just a moment!"
A voice calling from behind. Wondering if she was calling for me, I turned around and saw a woman walking quickly toward me.
"Hello, it looks like you were discharged today."
"Pardon? How did you know?"
"Well, you're wearing a discharge beret."
At her words, I reconfirmed the simple fact that I was wearing a discharge beret and replied with an awkward tone.
"Ah, anyway, what is it regarding?"
"Well, I work in this field."
The woman took a business card out of her wallet and handed it to me.
'MusicNet, Writer?'
"By any chance, were you a model before enlisting? I saw you from far away and you stood out so much... Or perhaps a former trainee? Do you have an agency right now? No, wait, you were discharged today, so of course you don't, right?"
"Huh? An agency? No, I am..."
-Discharge from the Special Forces (1/1)
-Goal achieved. A reward is given.
-The reward 'Status Window' is granted.
'Status Window? What on earth is this?'
"Sunwoo Lin? Your name is very unusual. Is Sunwoo your surname? Anyway, Sunwoo Lin, are you perhaps interested in becoming an idol? You've heard of National Idol, right? I'm a writer for that program. If you're interested, could you spare a moment to talk with me?"
"Um, that is, wait a moment..."
I answered the woman's unrelenting barrage of questions half-heartedly and focused on the text continuously changing before my eyes.
-Synchronization of stats is in progress.
"You're tall and it seems like you exercise a lot, but have you ever learned how to dance or sing?"
The person who said she was a writer for MusicNet kept talking to me, but right now, with the anticipation for the first direct 'reward' in my life, I didn't have a single bit of mind left to care about the woman in front of me.
What kind of 'reward' would be given to me? If it's a status window, does it mean the kind of status window that game characters have? One that raises stats?
I had never played a game, but just from what I overheard, I knew that much.
"Ah, it's fine even if you haven't learned. Our program is an audition program where idol agency trainees participate, but ordinary people can also join. There was a friend who participated as an individual trainee last season and even debuted. You've heard of Song Siyeon, right? If you're a soldier, there's no way you wouldn't know... Have you never seen our program?"
For now, I need to say something and get out of this situation. Thinking that, I wondered what would be a suitable excuse and opened my mouth.
"Um, I'm sorry, but the next bus is coming soon, so I should get going..."
At that moment, a change appeared in the goal text before my eyes.
-Stat synchronization has been completed.
-You can now use the status window normally.
-The next goal is assigned.
-Debut as an idol (0/1)
Reward: ???
Debut as an idol?
Looking at the newly risen text before my eyes, my mind went blank for a moment.
An idol? Someone was just talking about idols a moment ago, who was it? Did they say National Idol?
As if a hazy fog had cleared, the woman in front of me finally came into proper view. I unconsciously opened my mouth.
"Um, can I ask you something?"
"Yes, go ahead."
I looked again at the business card in my hand.
MusicNet, Entertainment Division, Writer?
"How do I debut as an idol?"