Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either imagined or used fictitiously. References to real companies, products, or organizations are for authenticity only and imply no endorsement or association.
Certain details have been altered or exaggerated for dramatic effect. This book is not intended as financial, legal, or technical advice. All trademarks and brand names are the property of their respective owners.
…
[WARNING: Storyline initiates with a severe mental health crisis.]
Seoul, 2025
The night sky shone brightly, filled with indifferent stars. Below, the orange dots of traffic moved in a steady rhythm—a city alive with a purpose that had left him behind. A cold breeze whizzed past, making him grip the balcony railing tighter.
"Ah… What am I doing with my life?" Dong-seung whispered into the night.
He had graduated from the Korean National University as the second-best in his class. Yet, all he felt was a hollow emptiness. The debt was suffocating, and the grind of two part-time jobs was slowly killing his spirit.
BRRRRING!
He yanked his phone from his pocket.
[Shinhan Bank: Your Balance is -500 ₩]
"FUCK!" he yelled, slamming his free hand against the railing. The sharp pain was a welcome distraction. "I'm as good as dead… Uncle took a chance on me when even my parents gave up. And this is how I repay him? I'm a disgrace…" His words dissolved into sobs as he covered his eyes.
He stood there for twenty minutes, but venting didn't help. It only stirred something darker inside. Was this his cruel fate? He was failing his uncle, unable to pay the rent. His family had disowned him; his uncle was all he had left.
He gripped the balcony railing more tightly. The metal felt as cold as the Siberian winter.
…
"There's only one solution left…"
His legs pressed firmly against the glass railing. His gaze tumbled down into the abyss. He pushed himself halfway over the edge, tears falling freely. A tingling sensation shot through his hands, and his heart hammered with a final, desperate surge of adrenaline.
"End of the line," he said, his voice eerily calm.
"What is this shit?"
He stared blankly into the void.
A blue holographic message glowed before him.
[Welcome to the Divine Business System]
"Am I hallucinating before I die?" He wiped his tears, staring at the prompt.
[Will you embark on the journey?]
"What journey? My life is already fucked! Is this a joke?" he screamed into the night.
[Say Yes or No to confirm]
Minutes passed. His mind raced. Was this real? Could he change his fate? An offer from a devil? It was just like that manhwa… a chance to level up. This was it—the only chance he'd ever get.
"YES!" he yelled, the word tearing from his lungs. He repeated it twice more, a manic mantra sealing a pact with the unknown.
"What is that guy doing?" a neighbor's muffled complaint came from the adjacent balcony.
Shame washed over him, hot and sudden. Shit. They heard me. He scrambled back inside, his legs shaking so badly he had to support himself against the wall. "I have to sit," he grunted.
DING-DONG.
The doorbell. Probably the neighbor coming to complain… He sighed, a fresh wave of embarrassment hitting him. But what if it was…?
He wandered to the door, his legs still unsteady from the adrenaline, and opened it slightly, leaving only a small gap.
"Ah! Min-jun!" The relief in his voice was palpable.
"Dong-seung! Dude, you look terrible!" Min-jun said, his face etched with concern as he reached out to touch his friend's shoulder. "I brought chips and cola! Your favorite, just like when we were kids!" He beamed, holding up the bag.
In that moment, Min-jun's simple, caring act felt like a shining light piercing the dark world of Dong-seung's condo.
A genuine smile finally broke through on Dong-seung's face. "Let's eat, Min-jun."
Both men sat quietly on the couch.
"Tell me, Dong-seung. Are you a ghostbuster or something? You look as pale as a ghost."
Dong-seung waved his hands in disdain. "No. I'm just sick."
"Probably from the exams, haha!" Min-jun said, pointing a finger at him.
Min-jun just listened. He noticed that something was not right with his friend. "Is it the debt?"
Dong-seung said nothing. What could he say?
"Your uncle called my mother," Min-jun added, his voice softer. "She's worried. I'm worried." He grinned, trying to lighten the mood. "If you need money for food, I can help you with that."
Dong-seung's expression changed. His lips curled downwards. He was in huge debt, after all.
"I can buy groceries, no problem," he lied.
…
"Alright, Dong-seung, I have to go home."
"No worries," he replied, waving his friend off.
THUD.
The sound of the door closing echoed in the sudden silence. Min-jun's warmth and the crunch of chips were gone. Dong-seung was alone again, but the emptiness felt different now. It was filled with a buzzing potential.
The blue holographic screen flickered back to life in the center of the room, brighter and more detailed than before.
[User Confirmed. Welcome, Dong-seung, to the Divine Business System.]
[Initializing Profile...]
A new screen materialized, filled with text and stats.
USER: Kim Dong-seung
SPIRIT ANIMAL: Chicken
SOCIAL STANDING: Insolvent Serf
CORE SKILLS:
Business Theory: Lv. 8
Practical Finance: Lv. 1
Keyboard Typing: Lv. 1 (30 WPM)
…
[Select your field!]
He stared at the prompt, confused. Wait! Is it related to my degree?
"TECHNOLOGY!" he whispered. He didn't want his neighbours to hear him. But it didn't even matter. The insulation was top-notch after all.
[Notice: Speech not required. Mind-Reading is possible]
Ah. I'm an idiot…
[Randomly Selecting Skill…]
BING
[JavaScript Mastery, EXP (0/500), LVL 1]
[RANK: Apprentice]
[Credential: KOSSA Certified JavaScript Developer (Foundational Level)]
[ISSUING BODY: Korea Software Industry Association (KOSSA)]
Something flowed into his mind—an unknown warmth, something he had only felt when his mother embraced him as a child. The programming language didn't feel foreign. It felt fluent and comprehensible.
A programming skill! Am I going to be the next Elon Musk? I think 'Elon Ma' is more appropriate, I guess.
…
[CALCULATING...]
>>> PROJECTED DEBT-FREE DATE: 2122
>>> TOTAL INTEREST PAID: ₩129,450,000
>>> EFFECTIVE FINANCIAL DEATH SENTENCE: CONFIRMED
[Note: The "2122" date assumes you never get sick, never buy a beer, and learn to photosynthesize sunlight. Realistically, add another decade.]
"Two-thousand… one-hundred and twenty-two?" he whispered. His throat felt dry. Nearly a hundred years. He'd be a corpse by then.
The system wasn't offering him a choice. It was showing him his obituary.
"Effective Financial Death Sentence" wasn't a metaphor. It was a diagnosis.
The question from the balcony now felt less like an offer and more like a pardon.
…
[Objective: Use the system-provided skill to clear your credit card debt of 230,000 ₩]
[Reward: 250 EXP, ??? Skill]
Will I have to become a freelancer? Fuck it, let's try it. No reason to be a pussy now…
He bolted to his desk and cracked open his ThinkPad. Within minutes, he had a Fiverr profile slapped together—certificate attached, promises exaggerated, profile photo cropped from a graduation selfie. Done. His hands shook as he clicked Publish Gig.
"Lonely, I'm Mr. Lonely. I have nobody for my own…"
Thirty minutes later, the notification popped.
DING!
His gaze darted to the notification.
New order: Fix the Add to Cart button — 15,000 ₩
Ah. This guy wants me to fix his site's checkout. He'd have to look at the code.
After scanning the code for a while, he cursed. "What is this shit?! Why Spaghetti Code?"
Dong-seung hit the table hard. THUD.
"This complicates it much further…"
After looking at the code for a while, he noticed something odd. The form's action was pointing at the wrong URL.
"Only one fucking line! I wasted 2 hours on this shit!" he yelled. He was still on edge, and he didn't care if the neighbours heard him.
The final code was sent to the client.
[+50 EXP]
Alright, now for payday! The excitement was higher than ever. His cursor moved towards the Earnings Tab.
But after clicking on it, something else caught his eye. A red warning banner appeared at the top of the page.
Please note: A 48-hour lock period is in effect before payouts are processed.
He now spotted a small text under the previous note.
Each transaction is subject to a twenty percent (20%) deduction as per Fiverr's contractual obligations.
Fuck you. I thought I could instantly withdraw my first pay. And 20% on every transaction?! Daylight robbery. Is this common practice? Well, I guess 48 hours isn't that bad after all. If this goes on, it will take forever to pay for anything. I have to pay at least 1,200,000 ₩ monthly.
…
DING.
A new text bubble appeared: Hey, I am really impressed. The last guy took forever, but you were really fast. I noticed it works now, but the whole website feels a bit slow. Can you fix that? I'll pay whatever you quote.
Dong-seung thought for a minute. He remembered from his studies that he shouldn't undersell his work. Charging something more reasonable could easily gain this customer's trust.
He wrote his response: I can fix your site and make it as fast as possible. But it would take around 6 hours, since the code was not properly written. Since you're my first customer, I'll charge you 500,000 ₩.
Since the system gave him JavaScript Mastery, he could roughly estimate the time. But an estimate was still an estimate. If everything were working as it should, they'd have fewer problems.
Alright! I'll gladly pay that quote. My god! I paid 2,000,000 ₩ for the website! But you quoted only a fraction! I can also wire the money directly to you; just send me your bank details.
YES! I can now pay off that stupid credit card debt. Maybe even cancel that shit. Cash is King after all.
Let's look at the code again.
He started to rack his brain, the code unfolding in his mind like a map. The System's knowledge wasn't just giving him answers; it was giving him context.
"What the fuck?" he muttered, his eyes widening.
The variables were a mess. A1, A2, A3... and then, bizarrely, Jeomgeom. Why switch to Korean? It was the hallmark of a lazy, incompetent programmer who couldn't be bothered with a coherent structure.
But the functions were the real horror. A tangled knot of redundant calls. And no debounce on the search bar? A single script could spam the server and take the entire site down. It was a security hole big enough to drive a truck through.
A slow, confident smile spread across his face. The previous developer wasn't just bad; he was negligent. And this client had paid 2,000,000 ₩ for it.
Dong-seung wasn't just going to make the site fast. He was going to make it bulletproof. And that was a service worth every won of his 500,000 ₩ quote.
I can easily gain this customer's trust. He could spread my skills via word of mouth. Maybe I can even be a "Junior Consultant". Let's send the code off with a summary and my bank details.
[+150 EXP]
…
Five minutes passed.
DING!
[Shinhan Bank: Your Balance is 498,500 ₩]
My god! I can finally buy groceries or reduce my credit card debt! Wait! I still have Shin Ramyun left, but eating it without toppings sucks. And I'm not broke anymore!
Let's focus on eliminating the debt tomorrow; after that, I have to earn enough for my loan.
Dong-seung went to his closet and grabbed his Puma jacket.
Neon light spilled over the sidewalk as the automatic doors hissed open. The store smelled like microwaved tteokbokki and instant coffee. A bleary cashier scanned his groceries without looking up, the beep of the scanner cutting through a looping K-pop ballad.
After returning from the 7-Eleven, he brought eggs, cheese, sausages, and kimchi. And of course, Coke! He didn't like water that much, after all.
Let's eat!
This feeling! God damn! The spiciness was just on point. Beef and vegetables! And on top of that, toppings! He let out a soft moan.
After filling his stomach, he felt a deep satisfaction. He now had a good chunk of money to buy at least food—or rather, toppings, in this case, and a 2-liter Coke. Dong-seung relocated to his bed.
I can finally rest. I can earn more money now by doing those gigs. The 48-hour payout stings, but if I continue to land big jobs directly like this one, I could easily clear my credit card debt. Maybe I could even get Min-jun to help me with gigs. He was a CS graduate, after all.
He finally fell asleep.