A quiet evening.The child's voice filled the living room.
"Dad, is this real?"
Lee Hyun-do froze for a moment.Sitting on the couch watching TV, he tensed up as if facing an important duel.
"…What do you mean?"
The child looked at him with an innocent expression.
"Is our being alive real? Or is Dad maybe living in a dream?"
Lee Young-a put down a glass of water in the kitchen and chuckled.
"What kind of philosophical question is that?"
But Hyun-do couldn't laugh.At that moment, a line from "that world" came rushing back to him.
"Is the world you're in real?""Or is it just part of a calculation?"
And the conclusion he had once made—
"Whether it's real or fake, does it even matter?"
But… that world had collapsed, and he had "returned" to reality.Now, was this place truly real?Or was it yet another "simulation"?
He forced a smile and looked at the child.
"Hmm… if what you feel is real to you, then maybe that's what's real."
The child tilted their head.
"…Then if I feel something in a dream, is that real too?"
He couldn't answer.
Then Lee Young-a sighed.
"Good grief, our kid's dad is overthinking again."
She turned to the child with a smile.
"Your dad's always been the brooding type. But you know what? We're here together, eating, talking, living…That means it's real."
Hyun-do looked at her.And somewhere deep inside, an unshakable emotion stirred.
This place might not be the "real world."But… that doesn't mean this moment is meaningless.
The child's question ended there—but it would take Hyun-do much longer to stop thinking about it.
**
Chapter – The Company's Law vs. The Law of the Strong
"How do you think this promotion will go?"
One of the team members asked.Hyun-do turned his eyes away from the monitor.
"I don't know."
The mouse in his hand felt cold.The subject line on the monitor — [Personnel Announcement] — read like a mocking declaration of war, a taunt from this world itself.
He recalled the quarterly performance report.Numbers so overwhelming no one could argue with them.It was, by every measure, proof of his strength.
The strong take everything.That was the only law he had carved into his bones, paid for with blood and death.
But what flashed across his mind wasn't the report.It was the servile smile of Manager Park, pouring drink after drink into the executive director's glass, bowing and scraping.
Was this how "strength" was proven in this world?Not by power or skill, but by connections and flattery.
A law he could not accept.
My law… doesn't work here.
Mechanically, he clicked on the email.As he scrolled, the name that stamped a period on his worst premonition appeared.
[Promoted to Team Leader: Manager Park Young-jin]
Hyun-do clenched his teeth.
This wasn't just a failure.It felt like the whole world he had lived for was being denied.
The "Law of the Strong" he had sworn by — in these forests of glass towers, it was nothing more than a delusion.
He buried his head in his hands.
At that moment, a familiar voice came from behind him.
"You're not the kind of guy who crumbles this easily."
Hyun-do turned his head.Kim Young-min (Kane) was standing there, holding a cup of coffee, watching him.
"You don't look so good," he said.
"…Of course I don't."
Kim Young-min gave a crooked smile and leaned against the desk."Tough luck this time. But hey, that's just how companies are, right?"
"…Luck?"
The word grated on Hyun-do's ears.
The Law of the Strong — to him, it had always meant reaching the peak through sheer effort and ability.
But here?In this office?Luck and politics weighed heavier.
It was not the law of the world he knew.
Kim Young-min took a sip of his coffee and spoke again.
"So, you didn't get the promotion. That's got you all messed up?"
Hyun-do didn't answer.
Then Kim Young-min gave him a meaningful look.
"…Then maybe this place isn't the 'reality' you thought it was."
***
Chapter – The Law of the Strong in Reality
Then, another familiar voice called out.
"Hyun-do, you've got that brooding look again."
The door opened, and in walked Lee Do-hyeon (Raen).He smiled mischievously as he looked at Hyun-do.
"From where I'm standing, you're thinking way too hard."
Hyun-do exhaled softly as he met his gaze.
"…Don't you feel it too?"He asked quietly.
"Feel what?"
"Whether this place we're living in… is the real world."
Do-hyeon (Raen) sipped his coffee.He paused, then smirked faintly.
"Hmm… sometimes that thought does cross my mind.""Why?""Well… you dream too, don't you?"
Hyun-do flinched.
In his dreams, he was still the strong one—In the Murim, on the battlefield, in the war against the gods—he was always the one who lived by the Law of the Strong.
But in reality?The line between dream and waking life was becoming harder to tell.
Kim Young-min (Cain) shrugged his shoulders casually.
"So what? Whether it's a dream or not, it doesn't really matter."
He tapped his finger lightly on the desk.
"Instead of overthinking, isn't grabbing a beer after work more 'real' than anything?"
Do-hyeon (Raen) grinned.
"Oh, I like that. Are we drinking tonight?""Didn't get that promotion—guess I deserve a consolation drink.""So you're thinking you lost to the Law of the Strong, even here?"
Hyun-do stayed silent, his eyes drifting toward the window.Between the buildings, the sky was bleeding into sunset—gray streets washed in shades of red.
If the Law of the Strong doesn't apply here… then what is this place?
He spoke at last.
"…If you're not strong… do you just have to live on quietly?"
The two men looked at him.
Then Kim Young-min (Cain) let a small smile curve on his lips.
"Of course. That's how life works."
"Even if you're not strong, you just… live—that's reality?"
Lee Do-hyeon (Raen) nodded.
"At least… in this world."
And for that moment, the heavy air in the office seemed to ease.
Kim Young-min (Cain) stood up, stretching.
"So, where are we going tonight?"
Hyun-do exhaled, just a faint breath.Then he spoke quietly.
"…Alright. Let's get that beer."
**
Chapter : "In One Drink, Reality and Unreality Unfold"
1. The Drinking Session Begins
After work, at a familiar hof.Under the white lights, several soju bottles already sat on the table.
Kim Young-min (Cain) raised his glass.
"So, are we drinking or not?"
Lee Hyun-do nodded quietly.
As soju poured into his glass, Young-min grinned.
"Good. We're drinking to celebrate the Law of the Strong being shattered."
Lee Do-hyeon (Raen) chuckled.
"What's this about the Law of the Strong being shattered? Does that make you the loser now?"
Hyun-do didn't respond.He just lifted his glass and downed it.
The liquor burned as it went down, but his head stayed heavy.
He'd failed his promotion.The Law of the Strong had been broken.
Then…Does that mean I'm the weak one now?
2. The Collision of Reality and the Law of the Strong
As the soju flowed, the conversation deepened.
Young-min smirked, swirling his glass.
"The Law of the Strong? You seriously think that works in the real world?"
"What?"
"Strong guys surviving in the company? Nah.You can work your ass off, but if the people up there don't like you? You're done.This isn't Murim."
Raen took a slow sip.
"That doesn't mean luck is the only thing that matters, though."
"Then what does?"
"At the very least, if you stick to the Law of the Strong… you won't be ashamed of yourself."
Young-min snorted.
"Self-consolation. But hey, if you don't even have that, I guess life gets rough."
Hyun-do stared at his glass.
He had lived by the Law of the Strong—But in reality, it didn't hold up.
Then what was "strength" in this world?
Just as that thought lingered—
"You guys sound like you're having an interesting talk."
3. The Arrival of Lee Young-ah (Ian)
Across the table, a woman walked over.Sharp words, confident stride.
Lee Young-ah (Ian).The sales department's star—the one who always got results.
She leaned her chin on her hand.
"You look like someone who just lost a promotion."
Hyun-do silently emptied his glass.
She smirked, lifting hers.
"The Law of the Strong got broken? So what?In reality, you don't even have time to dwell on that."
Young-min grinned.
"Lee Young-ah, you really are a saleswoman—straight to the point."
"Of course. I didn't learn the Law of the Strong. I learned the Law of Survival."
Raen tilted his head, curious.
"The Law of Survival?"
"That's right."Young-ah lifted her glass.
"Being strong matters, but more important is this—'the strength to endure.'"
4. What Does It Mean to Be Truly Strong in Reality?
Young-ah laughed lightly as she spoke.
"The strongest doesn't get everything.The ones who win, who endure the longest, who seize opportunities—they end up on top."
"…"
"You failed the promotion, but is that the end?No. You keep going, and someday another chance will come."
Young-min smirked.
"She's right. What matters isn't now—it's what comes next."
Raen nodded.
"So real strength isn't about being the strongest—it's about being the one left standing."
Hyun-do stared at his drink.
The Law of the Strong he had lived by—It had always been about winning.
But here, in this world?Strength was different.Here, true strength was enduring, surviving, moving forward.
And in that moment…He understood.
5. "What Is the Real World?"
He drained his glass, a faint smile on his lips.
"Yeah. That's what strength means here."
Young-ah watched him and smiled back.
"Finally figured it out?"
"A little late… but yes."
Young-min grinned playfully.
"Should we toast to that? Not to the promotion, but to the guy who just learned the rules of this world?"
Raen grabbed another bottle.
"Alright then. Let's pour another."
Glasses clinked.
In that moment, reality and the Law of the Strong overlapped.
True strength wasn't just about victory—It was about surviving and moving forward.
6. When Reality and Dreams Begin to Blur
As the glasses touched—
Hyun-do's vision flickered.
For just an instant, Young-ah's face overlapped.
The woman sitting before him—his wife—And yet, for a heartbeat, he saw Ian.
—"You don't break that easily."
A low, firm voice.Familiar, and distant at the same time.
Ian.
Hyun-do froze.The hand holding his glass trembled.
"What's wrong?"
Young-ah tilted her head, looking at him.
"…Nothing."
But the dissonance remained.Reality and memory, dream and waking, weaving together in his mind—Every moment he'd ever lived compressing into one fragile instant.
She wasn't Ian.And yet—There had been a time when she was.
He looked at his wife again.
Same face.Same smile.But within it…There was a strength he had never seen before.
Young-ah laughed softly.
"Why are you staring at me like that? Still in love with me?"
Beside him, Young-min coughed.
"Hey, watch your face. You're not newlyweds."
Raen chuckled, chiming in.
"This guy—still head over heels for his wife, huh?"
And just like that, reality snapped back.
"…It's not like that," Hyun-do muttered.
He lifted his glass again—But his fingers still trembled faintly.
Was it just a trick of his mind?Or… were reality and dream truly beginning to bleed into each other?
Young-ah tilted her head, sipping her drink.
"You've been weird lately."
He looked up.
"…Weird?"
"Sometimes, when you look at me…It's like you're looking at someone else."
And in that instant—something inside him slipped again.