Arc 1 : Rock Bottom to System Awakening
**Chapter 1: The Downfall**
Jae-min stared blankly at the papers on his desk, the cold words in his mind playing over and over like a broken record: *You're fired*. It was surreal, in the worst way possible. Just yesterday, he'd thought he'd be up for a promotion—finally, a break after two years of slogging through mind-numbing tasks and endless overtime. Instead, his boss had patted him on the shoulder and told him his position was "no longer necessary."
Out on the street, the rain came down in thick sheets, soaking through his jacket in seconds. He barely noticed. It was only when a woman rushed past him, covering her head with a newspaper, that he snapped back to the moment. He needed to move, find shelter, but he couldn't bring himself to care. It wasn't just his job; he was barely scraping by as it was, and without a steady income, he'd be buried in bills within weeks.
Jae-min's phone buzzed in his pocket. Pulling it out, he read the message from his girlfriend, **Eun-ji**:
*"We need to talk."*
He swiped the notification away, knowing exactly what that meant. They'd been having the same fight for months now. She wanted someone who could provide stability, who could plan for a future. And, as she'd reminded him all too often, "Jae-min, how can we think about tomorrow when you can barely afford today?"
In some part of him, he knew this was inevitable. Still, the timing felt like a cruel joke. Just as he was about to reply, his phone buzzed again, this time with a call.
"Jae-min," Eun-ji's voice was softer than usual, as if trying to soften the blow she was about to deliver. "I'm sorry, but I don't think we should keep seeing each other."
He tried to keep his voice steady, to sound understanding. "Eun-ji, can we talk about this? I just lost my job. I need someone right now."
There was a pause, then a sigh. "I'm sorry, Jae-min. I really am. But I need to think about my own future, too. Take care of yourself, okay?"
The line went dead, leaving him standing alone in the rain, clutching his phone like it was the last thing holding him to reality. He wanted to scream, or punch something, or just break down. But all he did was stare out into the empty street, watching the puddles form on the sidewalk.
For the next few hours, Jae-min wandered aimlessly through the city, barely noticing the cold or the people bustling past him. By nightfall, he found himself at the park, sitting on a bench under the dim glow of a streetlamp. He was soaked, exhausted, and utterly defeated.
He closed his eyes, wondering if it was possible to just disappear, to let the world move on without him. Maybe that would be easier.
Then, a soft, metallic chime echoed from his phone, breaking the silence. Jae-min glanced down, confused. The screen showed a notification he'd never seen before, one that seemed to shimmer with an odd, almost otherworldly glow:
*"Would you like to restart your life?"*
The question hung there, blinking gently in the dark, taunting him. He frowned, certain it was some kind of spam or maybe a prank. But a part of him, the part that had already lost everything, whispered, *What do you have left to lose?*
With a shaky breath, he tapped *Yes*.
Instantly, his phone screen turned black, and a strange warmth spread through his hand, almost like the phone was alive. The dark screen brightened slowly, revealing an image—a face. A girl, ethereal and stunning, with silver hair that seemed to shimmer and eyes that glowed with a deep, almost hypnotic blue. She looked right at him, her gaze filled with something he couldn't quite place—empathy? Understanding?
"Hello, Jae-min," she said, her voice soft but clear. "I am **Elyra**, your system assistant."
Jae-min blinked, utterly dumbfounded. "What... what are you?"
"I'm here to give you a new chance," Elyra replied, her expression calm. "Your life, as it stands, is at a crossroads. With my help, you can change your path. All you need to do is follow the rules I set for you."
He felt like he was in some sort of fever dream, but her words hooked him. "Rules? What kind of rules?"
She tilted her head, a small smile forming. "I'm giving you access to a sum of money—a very large sum, to be exact. 1000 quadrillion dollars."
Jae-min's eyes widened. He opened his mouth to say something, anything, but no words came out.
"But there's a condition," Elyra continued, her smile fading slightly. "You can only spend this money in ways that involve or benefit a girl."
The absurdity of it all made Jae-min want to laugh, but he didn't dare. Instead, he found himself asking, "What's the catch?"
"For every dollar you spend on a girl, 1% will be added to your personal account. Additionally, if a girl's 'likability' towards you reaches 90%, you'll receive 10% of the total amount spent on her as personal funds."
"Likability?" Jae-min repeated, feeling like he was in some twisted game.
"Think of it as a measurement of how much she values you, trusts you, or even loves you," Elyra explained. "Once her likability reaches 100, she'll be entirely loyal to you. But to reach that point, you'll have to earn it."
Jae-min took a deep breath, the reality of it slowly settling in. It was insane—utterly and completely insane. But in this moment, standing at the edge of a cliff with nothing left to lose, it felt like his only option.
He looked into Elyra's glowing eyes and nodded. "Alright. Let's do this."
Elyra's face softened, and for the briefest moment, he thought he saw a hint of genuine warmth in her expression.
"Very well," she said, her voice almost a whisper. "From this moment on, your life is no longer ordinary. Welcome to the system."