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Translator: uly
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Prologue
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Some lives are more novel-like than novels themselves.
As we go through life, we encounter countless such stories.
- Member Lyle of Korea's boy group 'S-T' has made headlines by landing on Billboard's all-time artists list. Meanwhile, his solo album has achieved a cumulative sales milestone of ten million copies to date, and Lyle has donated 50% of the album's proceeds...
Yeah, lives like that.
I gazed up at the idol reflected on the electronic billboard.
Lyle. He's considered the most perfect idol among those currently active.
Handsome face, outstanding talent, impeccable personality.
He had already surpassed being Korea's top star to become a global icon.
They say his world tour schedule was booked solid for nearly three years.
Even the recent surge in typhoons and earthquakes couldn't overshadow his popularity.
'He's so incredible it's not even enviable anymore.'
Back when we trained together at TL, I never imagined he'd reach that level.
I found myself admiring his performance video without realizing it.
A sudden curiosity struck me. What must it feel like to live like that?
A life of achieving what no one else has, amassing immense wealth, power, and fame.
"Cool, Lyle..."
Everyone dreams of a life like that.
And wishes for a miracle someday, hoping their own life turns out the same.
But nothing changes. Their lives shine brighter precisely because so many ordinary ones exist.
Most people just stare at those novel-like lives, scraping by day to day.
I once dreamed of that kind of life too.
Back in my trainee days, practicing until my nose bled, singing and dancing.
I dreamed of becoming a star shining on stage.
If luck had been on my side, I might have debuted alongside Lyle.
I recalled the brief time we trained at the same agency.
"Il-hyun's got a great voice. It's like... it always touches people's hearts."
"Il-hyun? Well... his singing's top-tier, dance is solid too. Everything's good, but... man, it's a shame. He lacks any backing."
"...Il-hyun, sorry. They want to slot someone else into the debut lineup from above."
"Fuck. Why'd I practice so hard? Debut's going to that actor Park's kid with the connections anyway."
The outcome wasn't good, though.
Dreams can't be achieved by will alone.
In the face of massive power, my talent meant nothing.
And so it all ended in futility.
My spot stolen by some guy with 'connections.'
I was wronged. Furious.
But nothing changed. Nor could I change anything with my own hands.
So all I could do was give up. That was it.
'Still, no regrets.'
I really gave it my all. Back then, that's what I truly wanted.
Well, after twists and turns, here I am now.
A bland life with no real passions or thrills.
If I had to sum up my life, Seo Il-hyun's, in one word: 'whatever.'
I'm alive because I'm just living. Same as everyone else.
'So that's why I'm prepping for the teacher cert exam.'
Truth be told, studying for the certification exam wasn't something I truly wanted.
Just the easiest path for a education major like me: becoming a teacher.
Sorry to my friends who genuinely dream of teaching, though.
Same age, yet one guy's a Billboard all-time artist, and here I am.
Reality hit hard. I thought I'd made peace with it all.
But the bitterness lingers.
"Time to head home."
With a sigh, I tore my eyes from the billboard and stepped onto the crosswalk.
That's when a little tabby kitten darted out from the bushes beside me.
'Cute.'
Cats are always right. I fought the smile creeping up.
It meowed at me, then hopped onto the road.
'Huh?'
Something was off.
It froze in place.
Looking closer, its leg was caught in a crack in the pavement. Lucky no cars were coming.
Spotting the green light, I rushed over to the tabby.
"You've got some rotten luck too, huh."
I chuckled, grabbing its leg to free it.
But...
"Meooow—!"
"Hey, hold on. I'm trying to help."
"Myaaaooow—!"
Startled and panicked, it thrashed wildly.
After a few tries, I managed to pull it free.
The second its leg was loose, it bolted across the road.
Yeah, live well. Be careful from now on.
Chuckling, I stood and finished crossing.
The light was flashing—had to hurry.
Then.
Beeeeep—!
A horn blared from the opposite side, deafeningly loud.
I whipped my head around on instinct.
A massive truck barreling straight at me without stopping, blinding lights filling my vision. My last thought:
Fuck. I'm screwed.
No time to dodge—the truck slammed into me. Crash! The impact echoed gruesomely.
Like a drama scene, my body lifted into the air, and in that instant, all senses shut down.
As my vision went black, something flashed before my eyes.
[ERROR!]
[ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!
ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!
ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!
ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!
ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!]
[An unexpected error has occurred.]
[Attempting automatic recovery from critical error...]
Crimson text blinking like a game screen.
Stunned only for a moment, ding! A cheerful sound effect rang out, and a blue window overlaid it.
[Partial automatic recovery complete.]
[Recovery result: 'SYSTEM privileges' acquired.]
[Privileges acquired. Reboot possible.
Reboot? Y/N
* Note: Reboot available only once initially. Choose carefully.]
...Unexpected error? System privileges? What the hell is this?
Confusion hit. Not only was a bizarre window floating in my vision like some computer program, but the weird messages too.
Forgetting I'd just been hit by a truck, I stared blankly.
Wait, did that even happen? Was this real or a dream? It was all fuzzy.
This shit only happens in novels, right?
'What do I do?'
Sudden accident, freaky messages, and some dubious choice dumped on me.
Should I pick...? What happens if I reboot or whatever?
[Reboot will adjust the world to a specific point under certain conditions.]
What the fuck. The new text popped up right as I thought it, startling me.
Wanted to look around for whoever was watching, but my body wouldn't move.
Adjusting the world to a specific point under conditions... sounds like rewinding time to before the accident...
"Then what if I don't reboot?"
I spoke aloud, and white text appeared over the blue window.
[If not rebooting, SYSTEM will shut down and the world will reset.]
"The world resets?"
[Yes. Consequently, 'Seo Il-hyun's' existence will be erased.]
Erasing existence means death, right?
No choice then.
I'd deemed my life dreamless and hopeless, but I still didn't want to die.
At least make it to 70.
I hit Y and yelled desperately.
"Reboot! I'll reboot!"
The blue window vanished instantly.
Darkness returned. Soon, green text appeared.
[Initiating SYSTEM reboot.]
Like a game loading screen, progress updated in real time.
[Reboot in progress... Initializing character... 1/100%]
[Reboot in progress... Adjusting SYSTEM viewpoint... 22/100%]
[Reboot in progress... Attempting error correction... 55/100%]
[Reboot in progress... Optimizing world... 77/100%]
[Reboot in progress... Syncing with new character... 99/100%]
How much time passed?
The endless loading finally hit 100%.
Ding! That cheerful sound again.
[...Success!]
Reboot complete.
Then, a sucking sensation pulled me somewhere, and my consciousness sank into darkness.
It felt like stepping onto a path of no return.