This world is boring and colorless. Yes, this is the first thought that crosses my mind every morning when the sun shines through my tiny apartment window. Getting up every day has become more of a challenge than a necessity.
The repetitive routine of going to the same old, boring job at a convenience store and returning to a lonely apartment where nobody is waiting for my glorious return is, to say the least, quite depressing.
But I, Lee Gaon, an average city girl, have decided to hang on to this lifestyle with a smile on my face. How average could one get, you may ask? Well, in my opinion, black hair, a pale face, and dark circles under my eyes wouldn't grab anyone's attention in public.
Some may even call me a shut-in; others, a lonely twenty-three-year-old woman who traded her family for video games.
I suppose, in their opinion, my life is sad. Very disappointing... I feel sad for people who don't understand my glorious sacrifice. Not everybody can sit on their chair for twelve straight hours, staring at a bright monitor, which cost me half my monthly paycheck. Not to mention the personal computer I built myself, which makes me feel over the moon. I could brag about it all day, given the chance.
Truth be told, I have not wasted all this money and time for nothing. I am a professional gamer—well, at least, that's what I used to call myself. The reality, however, is depressing. Nobody accepts a woman as being better than men in this rotten gaming society. In my first tournament, I was looked down on, laughed at, and mocked for trying to compete in a "manly" sport. So, I naturally had to prove them wrong.
Long story short, I made history. I became the first woman in the entire world to win a one-versus-one in a Player Versus Player tournament of the most popular "massively multiplayer online role-playing game"—The World of Dragonia.
I still remember how the majority of the men's faces dropped after my victory. I felt free and unbound by societal pressure. I can't help but smile each time I think of it.
But my sweet victory did not last long. My story went from "the best woman player in the world" to "the most disgusting cheater to have ever walked the earth." How could that have happened, you may ask? Well...
The giant of the gaming industry, the Sun Gaming Team, sued me for cheating. At first, I thought I could easily win the court case. However, out of nowhere, evidence of me cheating started surfacing on the web. It took less than five days for all my fans to turn their backs on me. My family cut ties with me completely, and my best friend at the time posted on social media about how terrible a person I had always been.
Let me clarify some things. First, I have never, not even once in my life, tried to cheat in a game. Second, I worked very hard to achieve my victory. But here we are... Alone and at the center of mockery. Why? Because I tried to make a name for myself. And I suppose I certainly did.
I lost the court case, and my family had to pay an enormous amount of money to the Sun Gaming Team. As you might guess, they weren't too happy with me. By age twenty-one, I had to move out of my parent's house and start working at a convenience store, which I hate so much—only because my boss tried to get too close to me inappropriately on my second day at work.
However, no matter how furious I was, I needed the job. So, I endured it with all my might, keeping my distance from him every time he showed up at work. My current goal is to have a stable income to at least pay my rent and buy cheap food to keep myself going.
Let us go back to the present time. Today is the same usual boring day. I see the clock hit 5:30 pm, and I quickly check out, pass my spot to my co-worker, and hit the road on foot. My apartment is just a mile away from my job. So, I slowly stroll home with excitement in my eyes. I can finally log on to my favorite game.
I open the door to my apartment, and something doesn't feel right. I could swear I turned off the lights before leaving, but because I hate darkness, I sometimes leave them on my way out. Without giving it too much thought and brushing it off as me just being forgetful, I make my way through a pile of garbage on the ground that I swore to myself I'd clean up one day—but I can never find the time to do this simple daily necessity. After all, I can clean up after having some fun online.
After taking a speedy shower, I wrap my hair in a towel turban to dry and pace myself to turn on the computer. It takes around two to three minutes to boot up my favorite game. I take this time to boil some water and prepare my instant tteokbokki.
"Wow, it smells so good!"
Yes, this is the life! What could be better than my favorite meal and my favorite game at the same time?
Ding dong
The doorbell rings.
Weird. I didn't order anything, nor would anybody visit me. It must be one of those religious sect people.
Last year, I opened the door for one of their errand boys, only to be welcomed by nonsense about how their god is better than any other out there and how we should love each other and so on...
If I ignore them, they should leave eventually... I hope.
Convincing myself not to care, I focus on the game. My character, a scythe master, has just hit a new milestone; Rank 1 on Player Versus Player rankings!
Happy with my victory, I hold my head facing the ceiling and smile. I can't help but scoff at all those people who say I'm not good enough.
After I got sued for cheating, I got banned from the game as well. I had to buy a new account online to play anonymously. In my head, the only thought was that if nobody knows, then I should be safe, right?
I can't believe how naive I was.
Five minutes after reaching the top spot on the ranking board, I got logged out, and a message on the screen flashed in nostalgic colors.
[Your account has been permanently suspended for cheating.]
"What the hell! How could they know it was me? Have I been monitored? Have they installed spy cameras in my room or something... ahh, so infuriating!"
I couldn't help but curse every single person that made my life so miserable. Not only have I lost all my progress, but I also must buy a new account on illegal websites again. Buying accounts costs quite a lot of money, and not every single one of them works.
Ding Dong
The doorbell rings again.
I am already angry, and those damn people are bothering and angering me even more!
"I DON'T NEED YOUR DAMN SECT! GO AWAY!"
I couldn't control myself and shouted at the door as loud as I could.
Silence
After a minute passed, nothing else happened.
"I suppose they left. Well, who would stay after hearing a hysterical tenant shouting at them?"
Not bothering myself with the apartment door anymore, I rush to search the web for a new account to buy. But to my surprise, there was... nothing? I check if I typed it correctly on Maver, but even after checking several times, I find myself lost in thought. How could the entire marketplace for the most popular game disappear from the internet?
Puzzled, I try to launch the game only to run into another problem.
[The game file has been corrupted and cannot be opened.]
"What the hell is going on here?"
Now I am really starting to go mad. I try again and again only to run into the same problem.
I take a deep breath and try to calm myself down.
Perhaps the game got hacked or something. It should be fixed in a couple of hours.
Beep
Suddenly, out of nowhere, my computer shuts down...
"Great, seems like the electricity went out; that's exactly what I need right now..."
I sigh to myself, knowing this day could not go any worse, right?
Knock knock
"Wh...what the hell... who has such tenacity to bother me at such a time?"
With fury and frustration in my eyes, I rush to the door, and without a single care in the world, I swing my front door open, ready to fight anybody who is crazy enough to mess with this lioness. However, truth be told, I would probably lose to a child in a fight with my skinny, stick-like body. But in that short moment of total meltdown, I lost all reasoning.
"Now you've done it. Get the hell away from my door?...Ah?"
Nobody was at the door.
You should know I rushed to the door in a matter of seconds in my furious state. And nobody could have run away so fast without making a sound and me noticing.
I look around, confused. Could it have been my neighbors? But it doesn't make sense; they have never engaged in such silly behavior. Could it be a prank? No, I would have caught someone running away. The only possibility is...
"No, no, no! Gaon, calm down. There is no way a ghost would choose me as a target. Right?"
My body shivered just from the thought of it. There is an urban legend in my country to never open a door for a person you do not know, and if you do and nobody is there, an evil spirit has come for your dear life.
My face turned ashen as I stood there frozen in place.
One minute... Two minutes... Five minutes...
I stood in my doorway frozen like a little rabbit facing its feral enemy.
Thankfully, after conquering my fears, nothing happened to me. I sigh with great relief, and just as I turn to enter my apartment, I notice a small golden card on the ground next to my front door.
"Ahh!"
That scared me a thousand times more than any evil spirit could ever do. As I stood there looking at the card on the ground, I could not find a common sense of what was happening to me today. Am I dreaming?
"Ouch."
I pinch myself to see if I am awake, and the pain gives me a cruel awakening.
"Is anybody there?!"
I shout into my room as if hoping to find some living soul messing with me, but nobody answers.
"Damn it! Why is my day like a roller coaster today? If this continues, I will be forced to call an exorcist for you! You hear me, ghost?!"
I could not shake off the feeling of something supernatural, yet considering recent events, I have to face reality and search for a logical solution.
All there was left for me to do was to inspect this strange golden card. As I pick it up, I can feel a small electric shock run through my fingertips into my body.
I almost let go of the card, but as if out of my control, my body decided to hold on to it tightly.
What a weird card. It feels a bit heavy as if it were made of real gold. The corners are marked in weird crimson patterns that, if my eyes are not playing a trick on me, are slowly reaching the middle of the card!
At the same time, the crimson patterns reach the middle, I see black letters start to take shape at that spot.
"F-L-I-P-T-H-E-C-A-R-D-O-V-E-R."
I flip the card over, and the letters written in an unknown language start shining in a multicolored light. A second later, a mysterious voice starts to speak into my ear.
"[Welcome! To the trial version of the new generation game: THE WORLD OF NO END!
You have been chosen from many talents to take part in this grand new life experience!
You will be transported to the new location in
Five!
Four!
Three!
Two!
One!]"
I can feel my consciousness slowly fading away...
"What is happening to me!?"
I feel myself slowly drifting away from reality, as if some mysterious otherworldly power wants to take control over my fate.
"WA-WAIT!"