Min-joon opened his eyes and fell to his knees, gasping.
He was back in the convenience store. Behind the counter. Exactly where he had been before.
The clock on the wall said 12:00 AM. His shift was over.
He looked down at his hands. They were shaking but uninjured. No scratches, no bruises. His clothes were clean. It was like nothing had happened.
But his phone was still glowing red in his hand.
TASK COMPLETE.
REWARD: 5,000,000 WON REMOVED FROM YOUR DEBT.
NEW DEBT TOTAL: 37,000,000 WON.
NEXT TASK WILL BE ASSIGNED IN 24 HOURS.
Min-joon stared at the screen. Five million won. In thirty minutes, he had reduced his debt by five million won. That was more than he could earn in a year of working both jobs.
But he had almost died. Those creatures had been real. He could still hear the clicking sound in his mind.
His phone buzzed again. A new notification appeared, but this one was not from the app. It was a bank alert.
Payment received: 5,000,000 won.
Min-joon felt like he might throw up. It was real. All of it was real. The app, the task, the creatures, the money. It was all real.
The door chimed. Min-joon looked up, expecting to see a customer. But the store was empty. He checked his phone again. Still 12:00 AM.
"Hello, Min-joon."
He jumped and spun around.
A woman was standing in the corner of the store. Min-joon had not seen her come in. She was young, maybe his age, with long black hair and eyes that seemed too bright. She wore a white dress that looked expensive.
"Who are you?" Min-joon asked. "The store is closed."
"I am not here to shop," the woman said. She smiled, but it did not reach her eyes. "I am here to explain the rules."
"What rules? What is happening to me?"
The woman walked closer. Her footsteps made no sound.
"You were chosen by the Debt System," she said. "One person is chosen every ten years. You are special, Min-joon. Or perhaps unlucky. It depends on how you look at it."
"I did not ask for this," Min-joon said. "I just want to live a normal life."
"Normal?" The woman laughed. "Your life has never been normal. You were born into debt. Your father ran away from his responsibilities and left you to suffer. Your mother worked herself to death trying to feed you. And now you are trapped in the same cycle. The Debt System is your only way out."
"By almost getting killed by monsters?"
"Every task will be dangerous," the woman said. "But every task will also bring you closer to freedom. Complete enough tasks and your debt will be erased. You will be free. Your brother will be safe. Is that not worth the risk?"
Min-joon wanted to say no. He wanted to throw the phone away and pretend none of this was real. But he thought of Tae-hyun. He thought of the men in black suits and their threats.
"What if I fail a task?" he asked.
"Then you die," the woman said simply. "And your debt passes to the next person in your family. Your brother, in this case."
Min-joon felt cold all over. "So I have no choice."
"Everyone has a choice," the woman said. "But some choices are easier than others."
She reached out and touched Min-joon's shoulder. Her hand was ice cold even through his shirt.
"There is one more thing you should know," she said. "The Debt System comes with a special condition. A curse, if you will. Every person chosen by the system receives a unique ability. Yours is very interesting."
"What ability?"
The woman leaned in close. Her breath smelled like winter air.
"Every lie you tell will become the truth," she whispered. "And every truth you speak might kill you."
Min-joon pulled away from her. "What does that mean?"
"Exactly what I said. If you tell a lie, reality will change to make it true. If you speak the truth, especially about the Debt System, you will suffer. The more important the truth, the greater the suffering. It is the price you must pay."
"That is insane," Min-joon said. "How am I supposed to live like that?"
"Carefully," the woman said. She stepped back and her smile widened. "Very, very carefully. I suggest you practice. You have twenty-four hours until your next task. Use them wisely."
She turned and walked toward the door.
"Wait," Min-joon called. "What is your name? How do I contact you if I have questions?"
The woman paused at the door and looked back over her shoulder.
"My name is not important. And you cannot contact me. I will appear when I am needed. Good luck, Kang Min-joon. I hope you survive."
She walked out. The door chimed behind her.
Min-joon ran to the window and looked out, but the woman was gone. The street was empty.
He stood there for a long time, trying to process everything. Then he remembered what she said. Every lie becomes truth. Every truth brings suffering.
He needed to test it.
Min-joon looked at the cup of instant noodles sitting on the shelf. He pointed at it and said, "That cup is blue."
It was not blue. It was red. But as soon as the words left his mouth, the cup changed. The red packaging faded and turned blue.
Min-joon's heart raced. He looked around the store. Everything else was the same. Just the cup had changed.
He tried again. He pointed at the clock. "It is one AM."
The clock was showing 12:01. But after he spoke, the numbers shifted. Now it read 1:00.
It worked. Lies became truth.
But what about speaking the truth?
Min-joon took a deep breath. He needed to know what would happen. He spoke carefully.
"My name is Kang Min-joon and I am trapped by the Debt System."
Pain exploded in his chest. It felt like someone had stabbed him with a hot knife. Min-joon fell to the ground, clutching his chest. He could not breathe. The pain was so intense he saw spots in his vision.
Then, as suddenly as it came, the pain vanished.
Min-joon lay on the floor, gasping. Sweat poured down his face.
She was right. Speaking the truth hurt. Really hurt.
He pulled himself up slowly. His entire body ached. This was going to be a problem. A huge problem. How could he talk to anyone without either lying constantly or risking death every time he told the truth?
His phone buzzed.
A text message from Tae-hyun.
"Hyung, are you coming home soon? I made dinner."
Min-joon stared at the message. Sweet, innocent Tae-hyun. He had no idea what was happening. No idea about the creatures, the tasks, the curse.
Min-joon typed back: "I will be there in twenty minutes."
He grabbed his jacket and locked up the store. As he walked home through the dark streets, he thought about what the woman said. Twenty-four hours until the next task. He had to prepare. He had to figure out how to use this curse to his advantage.
Because if he was going to survive, he needed every advantage he could get.
The apartment was on the fourth floor of an old building. The elevator was broken, so Min-joon climbed the stairs. His legs were tired but he barely noticed. His mind was racing with everything that had happened.
He opened the door.
"Hyung! Welcome home!"
Tae-hyun was in the kitchen, setting food on the table. He was seventeen, tall and thin like Min-joon, with messy brown hair and a bright smile. He wore his school uniform even though classes ended hours ago.
"You did not have to wait for me," Min-joon said, taking off his shoes.
"I wanted to," Tae-hyun said. "I made kimchi stew. Your favorite."
Min-joon sat at the small table. The apartment was tiny, just one room with a bathroom. They shared a single bed and took turns sleeping on the floor. But it was home.
Tae-hyun served the stew and sat down across from him.
"How was work?" Tae-hyun asked.
Min-joon thought about the creatures, the red sky, the woman in white. He wanted to tell Tae-hyun everything. But he could not. Speaking the truth would hurt him. And telling Tae-hyun would only put him in danger.
"It was fine," Min-joon said. The lie tasted bitter in his mouth. "Just a normal night."
"Good," Tae-hyun said. He started eating. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. I got my test scores back today. I ranked fifth in the whole school."
"That is amazing," Min-joon said. And he meant it. Tae-hyun was smart, much smarter than Min-joon. He studied hard every night after Min-joon left for work. He wanted to go to university. He wanted to become a doctor.
But university cost money. Money they did not have.
"I am proud of you," Min-joon said.
Tae-hyun's smile got even bigger. "Thank you, hyung. I could not do it without your support."
Min-joon looked down at his bowl. Guilt twisted in his stomach. He was not supporting Tae-hyun. He was barely keeping them alive. The debt collectors would come for Tae-hyun if Min-joon failed. Everything depended on him completing those tasks.
"Hyung? Are you okay?"
Min-joon looked up. Tae-hyun was watching him with concern.
"I am fine," Min-joon said. Another lie. "Just tired."
"You should sleep," Tae-hyun said. "I will clean up."
"Thank you."
Min-joon went to wash up. In the bathroom, he stared at his reflection in the cracked mirror. He looked the same as always. Tired eyes, pale skin, messy black hair. But everything was different now.
He thought about the woman's words. Every lie becomes truth. Every truth brings pain.
He had an idea.
Min-joon returned to the table where Tae-hyun was washing dishes.
"Tae-hyun," he said. "I need to tell you something."
Tae-hyun turned around, soap bubbles on his hands. "What is it?"
Min-joon took a deep breath. He needed to be careful with his words. Very careful.
"Our debt is going to be paid off soon."
As he said it, he felt reality shift around him. It was subtle, like a door opening somewhere far away. The lie had become truth. Somehow, some way, the debt would be paid off.
Tae-hyun dropped the dish he was holding. It clattered in the sink.
"What? How?"
"I cannot explain everything right now," Min-joon said. "But I promise you, everything is going to be okay. Trust me."
Tae-hyun looked like he wanted to ask more questions, but he just nodded. "I trust you, hyung."
"Good," Min-joon said. "Now go to bed. You have school tomorrow."
After Tae-hyun fell asleep, Min-joon sat by the window, looking out at the city lights. His phone glowed softly in his hand.
Twenty-two hours until the next task.
He did not know what it would be. He did not know if he would survive it.
But he had just told a lie that changed everything. The debt would be paid off. Reality would make it happen.
He just hoped he lived long enough to see it.
"I will survive," he whispered to the empty room. "No matter what it takes, I will survive and protect Tae-hyun."