The morning news drowned from the small TV in their cramped dining room, the news reporter's voice mixing with the sizzle of eggs in Sena's pan.
#Reports of server instabilities across multiple gaming platforms worldwide. Players are experiencing unusual lag spikes and disconnections.#
"See? Even the news knows gaming is unreliable." Sena slid a plate of rice and eggs in front of Ilwoo, who was staring at his phone instead of the television.
"I'm not watching gaming news," he mumbled, scrolling through job listings. "I'm being responsible, remember?"
#Officials from Nexus Entertainment have yet to comment on the widespread technical issues affecting their flagship title, 'Eternal Realms Online#
Ilwoo's thumb paused. That was his game. Well, his former game.
"Weird. ERO never has server problems." He looked up at the TV, where footage showed frustrated players in PC cafes, their screens frozen mid-battle.
"Maybe it's a sign." Sena turned off the stove and sat across from him.
"The universe is telling you to move on."
"Or maybe their new intern screwed up the server maintenance."
Ilwoo took a bite of eggs, surprised by how hungry he actually was. When had he last eaten a real meal?
"Speaking of moving on..."
Sena pulled out an Office folder, the kind that meant business. "I found three places willing to interview you today."
Ilwoo's chopsticks stopped halfway to his mouth. "Today? Don't you think I need time to prepare?"
"You've had two years to prepare. We're going today for your application." She opened the folder, revealing printed job descriptions and company profiles.
"First one's at 10 AM. Data entry at an accounting firm."
"Data entry?" The eggs suddenly tasted like cardboard. "Sena, I don't know anything about accounting."
"You know how to type 120 words per minute, and you're good with numbers. It's a start." Her tone left no room for argument.
"Besides, Mr. Park specifically said he's willing to train the right person."
The TV switched to weather, clear skies, perfect for new beginnings, according to the overly cheerful Weather reporter.
Ilwoo stabbed at his rice, each grain feeling like a tiny obstacle between him and whatever normal people called a future.
"What about the other two?"
"Customer service at an electronics store, and junior admin at a logistics company."
Sena closed the folder with a decisive snap.
"We're hitting all three today while you're still motivated."
"While I'm still terrified, you mean."
"Same thing, different energy."
Ilwoo's phone buzzed against the table. A notification from some app he didn't recognize, probably spam. He swiped it away without reading it.
"Finish eating. The bus comes in twenty minutes."
Sena stood and started clearing dishes, her movements efficient and purposeful. Everything she did looked like it belonged in a movie about functional adults.
"Sena?" Ilwoo pushed the last bit of egg around his plate. "What if I mess this up?"
She paused, soapy plate in hand.
"Then you'll mess up the second one better. And the third one is better than that."
She resumed washing dishes. "That's how learning works in the real world."
***
The bus lurched through morning traffic, filled with the kind of people who woke up before noon on purpose. Ilwoo sat by the window, watching the city blur past while Sena reviewed interview tips on her tablet.
"Remember, make eye contact but don't stare. Answer questions with specific examples. And please, for the love of..."
Buzz!
Ilwoo's phone lit up with another notification. Same unknown app as before. He glanced at the message preview:
[SYSTEM INITIALIZATION BEGINNING...]
"Seriously?" He swiped it away. "Spam is getting creative these days."
"Did you say something?" Sena looked up from her notes.
"Just junk messages. Probably some new mobile game trying to get downloads." The phone buzzed again immediately.
[USER VERIFICATION IN PROGRESS...]
"Turn it off if it's distracting you." Sena went back to her tablet. "We need you focused on Mr. Park."
Ilwoo switched the phone to silent and shoved it in his jacket pocket. The last thing he needed was game advertisements reminding him of the life he was trying to leave behind.
"So what exactly does an accounting firm do all day?" he asked, genuinely curious.
"They make sure money goes where it's supposed to go. Track expenses, prepare tax documents, and audit company finances."
Sena's explanation was patient, like she was talking to a child.
"It's not exciting, but it's stable."
"Stable."
The word felt foreign in his mouth. In gaming, stability was a boring kind of thing when the kind of thing that got you killed by stronger players who took risks.
The bus hit a pothole, jostling passengers against each other. A businessman in an expensive suit cursed under his breath while checking his watch. Everyone looked stressed, rushed, like they were already behind on something important.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Even on silent, Ilwoo could feel his phone vibrating insistently in his pocket. Three messages in rapid succession.
"Maybe you should check that," Sena suggested, noticing his discomfort.
"It's fine. Probably just..."
The buzzing intensified, like his phone was having a seizure. "Okay, that's weird."
He pulled it out, expecting to see a dozen spam notifications. Instead, his screen showed something that made his stomach drop.
[FINAL CALIBRATION COMPLETE]
[WELCOME TO THE SYSTEM, USER: BAEK ILWOO]
[INTEGRATION WILL BEGIN IN 00:04:37]
The messages looked exactly like the system notifications from ERO, complete with the same font and color scheme. But that was impossible; he'd uninstalled the game yesterday.
"What the hell?"
"Language." Sena glanced over, then frowned at his expression. "What's wrong?"
"This looks like..." Ilwoo stared at the countdown timer.
00:04:23.
00:04:22.
"It looks like game code, but I deleted everything yesterday."
"Probably cached files or something. Just ignore it." But Sena was looking at his phone now too, her brow furrowed. "Although that does look pretty sophisticated for spam."
00:04:01.
00:04:00.
00:03:59.
"Should I turn it off?" Ilwoo's thumb hovered over the power button.
"We're almost there anyway. Deal with it after the interview." Sena gathered her things as the bus slowed. "This is our stop."
***
Park & Associates occupied the third floor of a glass building that screamed "serious business."
The lobby smelled like air freshener and anxiety, with motivational posters about teamwork decorating the walls.
"Mr. Baek Ilwoo?" A middle-aged woman in a cardigan approached them. "I'm Ms. Jung, Mr. Park's assistant. He's ready for you now."
Ilwoo's phone was still counting down in his pocket.
00:01:43.
He could feel it vibrating softly, like a heartbeat against his leg.
"Thank you for accommodating us on such short notice," Sena said, shaking Ms. Jung's hand with professional warmth.
"Not at all. We're always happy to meet promising candidates."
Ms. Jung led them down a hallway lined with numbered offices.
"Mr. Park was impressed by your brother's technical skills."
"What technical skills?" Ilwoo whispered to Sena.
"The ones you're about to discover you have," she whispered back.
They stopped at a corner office where a portly man in his fifties was reviewing a stack of papers. He looked up as they entered, his face breaking into a welcoming smile.
"Mr. Baek! Please, sit down." Mr. Park gestured to chairs across from his desk. "Ms. Jung, could you bring us some coffee?"
"Of course, sir." She bustled out, closing the door behind her.
00:00:47.
"So," Mr. Park leaned back in his chair, "your sister tells me you have experience with data management and complex systems."
Ilwoo opened his mouth, then closed it. Technically, managing guild rosters and raid schedules was data management. And ERO's combat system was definitely complex.
"I've worked with databases and tracking systems," he said carefully. "Mostly organizational stuff."
"Excellent. We need someone who can handle detailed work without getting overwhelmed." Mr. Park pulled out a sample spreadsheet.
"This is the kind of thing you'd be..."
00:00:15.
The phone's vibration was getting stronger. Sena shot him a warning look.
"managing client accounts and ensuring all transactions are properly categorized. It's methodical work, but essential for..."
00:00:05.
"keeping our audit trail clean and..."
00:00:00.
The building shook.
Not violently, but enough that Mr. Park's coffee mug slid an inch across his desk. The fluorescent lights flickered. Outside the window, car alarms started going off in the distance.
"Earthquake?" Sena gripped the arms of her chair.
"We don't get earthquakes here," Mr. Park frowned, standing up.
"That felt more like..."
The lights went out completely.
Emergency lighting kicked in a second later, bathing everything in an eerie red glow. Mr. Park's computer monitor flickered and died. Then, impossibly, it turned back on by itself.
But instead of Windows, the screen showed something else:
[SYSTEM INTEGRATION COMPLETE]
[WELCOME TO THE NEW WORLD]
[INITIALIZING USER INTERFACES...]
"What the hell is that?" Mr. Park stared at his monitor in confusion.
Ilwoo's phone screen lit up without him touching it, displaying the same message.
Around the office, every electronic device was showing identical text: the calculator on Mr. Park's desk, the digital clock on the wall, and even the LED display on the coffee maker visible through the glass partition.
"What's happening ?" Sena breathed.
Then, as if responding to her answer, a new text appeared:
[TUTORIAL BEGINNING IN 60 SECONDS]
[ALL USERS PLEASE REMAIN CALM]
[FAILURE TO PARTICIPATE MAY RESULT IN TERMINATION]
"Termination?" Mr. Park frowned, looked around wildly.
"Of what? The program?"
But Ilwoo was already standing, his instincts screaming that something was going wrong in the place.
He'd read enough web novels to know that when mysterious systems started talking about tutorials and termination, staying calm was the last thing you wanted to do.
"Sena." His voice was steadier than he felt. "I think we should leave. Now."
"Don't be ridiculous. It's obviously some kind of technical malfunction..."
[TUTORIAL COMMENCING]
The windows exploded inward.