Chapter 1: Quest (1)
Chapter 1: Quest (1)
Just before being discharged from the military, a person becomes incredibly future-oriented.
It’s a state of mind where you feel productive, as if you’re ready to achieve great things.
However, we eventually learn through experience—like when we cram a whole vacation’s worth of homework into the final day or pull an all-nighter before an exam—that such resolve never lasts long.
I was no different. All those bright, hopeful plans I’d made for the future while serving? I forgot every single preparation I’d intended to make. I simply killed time until the realization finally hit me.
Ah, I guess I’m just not a very diligent person.
That kind of feeling.
I’d planned to work out with my damn second sister, help my eldest sister with her work, and tutor my younger sibling. I was going to return to university, make friends, and maybe a girlfriend… though I figured I’d push that last one back a bit.
I really did intend to do all sorts of things. Truly.
But looking back, I started to wonder if it was all impossible from the start.
“…Ugh, there’s seriously nothing to play.”
That was the reason I spent my days idling away, muttering to myself where no one could hear.
I was sick of the AOS games I used to enjoy, and none of the FPS games felt right anymore. Every other new release was either too unfamiliar or just plain boring. All I could do was slump in my chair and whine.
I was leaning back at an increasingly precarious angle, my body closer to lying down than sitting, when—
Ding-dong!
I perked up at the sudden sound of the doorbell.
Ding-dong, ding-dong!
The bell rang repeatedly, followed by a knock. The person outside either knew someone was home or was in a massive hurry.
I scowled slightly and pulled myself up.
No one else should be living in this building but us. Did I order something?
It was probably my second sister’s stuff. Honestly, even if the eldest sister said she could spend money, wasn't she overdoing it?
Grumbling, I made my way to the door.
“My, what a tall, handsome man we have here.”
I froze the moment I saw the person standing there. She was beyond unfamiliar; she felt downright eerie.
She was a woman in a suit with incredibly long white hair wrapped around her neck like a muffler, her red eyes gleaming. Those crimson orbs shone with a light that felt like it was drawing me in as she held something out.
“Are you, by any chance, interested in games?”
It was a game package.
The title was written on the cover in both English and Korean.
Family-Friendly Game.
If you read it exactly as written: Family Friendly.
It was a phrase you’d usually hear on Western YouTube, typically referring to content suitable for all ages that the whole family could watch. It was often used sarcastically, but surely that wasn't the case here. I assumed it was intended in its literal sense: "a game the whole family can enjoy together."
Usually, Japanese console games fell into this category.
I looked at the package with skeptical eyes.
Regardless, I was familiar with the term. I’d spent my time in the military binge-watching Western YouTube to kill boredom and study English at the same time. Though, in reality, the only thing that actually improved wasn't my English, but my repertoire of racial slurs—but as long as I didn't say them out loud, it wasn't a problem.
Snap!
I snapped out of my wandering thoughts at the sound of a finger clicking. I blinked and saw the woman tilting her head with a cute expression.
And let me tell you, this woman was the most unrealistically beautiful person I had ever seen.
First, there was that snow-white hair. It was the kind of white you only see on albino models, movie makeup, or the elderly. The color made me wonder if such a shade was even possible with dye, but what was truly unrealistic was how incredibly glossy and smooth it looked despite being white.
If she let that silky hair down, it looked long enough to reach her ankles, but she had it wrapped around her neck. It rested fluffily against her skin like a scarf, making a hairstyle that should have looked bizarre feel natural and mysterious instead.
How could a person like this even exist?
Beyond the surreal hair, her eyes were also unique. They were captivating red eyes. Rather than being eerie like the red eyes of an albino, they felt like precious gems.
She was a beauty who could seriously rival my eldest sister. It was only natural that I found myself staring blankly.
Is she an albino? But she looks so healthy without a parasol or anything…
“Is this what you’re looking for?”
As if reading my mind, the woman showed me something that looked like a folded umbrella.
Only then did I realize I was being rude. I scratched the back of my neck and offered an excuse.
“I’m sorry. It’s just… you’re really beautiful. I lost my train of thought without realizing it.”
She seemed to realize it was just an excuse. Crap.
“Oh my. Thank you.”
But she smiled and responded politely.
Her smiling face was elegant and refined, yet I felt a strange sense of foreboding. She was definitely gorgeous, but for some reason, I got the vibe that she was a dangerous woman.
As if matching my thoughts again, the woman’s expression returned to a near-blank slate, and she thrust the object toward me once more.
It was a game covered in all sorts of illustrations, with the title Family-Friendly Game printed on it. The cover art was also peculiar.
A battlefield, a fantasy setting, a man in a suit standing in front of a skyscraper… it was the kind of game that made you wonder, What on earth is the genre? at a single glance.
How is this a "family-friendly" game?
Naturally, I asked out of curiosity.
“A family-friendly game? I have no idea what kind of game this is… More importantly, is this a delivery? May I ask whose name it’s under…?”
“Ah, I forgot to mention. I thought you would have expected it.”
I met the woman’s sheepish smile.
“Are you not Mr. Kang Yu-jin himself?”
“Huh? Ah, yes. I am Kang Yu-jin, but…”
“Didn't you apply for it? Babylonian Games’ monumental first work, Family-Friendly Game.”
I applied for it?
Me?
I racked my brain. It had been about a month since I was discharged, and I’d spent almost every day of that month out partying.
I’d met up with friends for the first time in ages to drink, eat meat, drink while eating meat, and go to the pool hall to drink. I went to a pension to drink, caught a ride home in my eldest sister’s car to drink with her, and got into arguments with my second sister.
I’d even had my pocket money extorted by the youngest sibling.
I realized it was entirely possible that I’d applied for it while drunk and completely forgotten. It seemed like a very plausible scenario.
Besides, why would a woman this beautiful lie? To put it bluntly, with looks like hers, there would be a line of people willing to play the game just because she asked.
I chose to trust her face. I believed that someone with such a stunning face wouldn't resort to such a clumsy, petty trick.
“Uh… then, how much is it?”
“It’s free. You won the drawing.”
The woman handed me the package with a beaming smile. I took it, and she gave an excessively deep bow before retreating.
And so, the door closed.
In the ensuing silence, I stood alone.
I felt like I’d just had a dream. Not a nightmare, but not exactly a good dream either—just something in between.
Even though the surreal presence had left, the sense of unreality seemed to thicken. I looked around for an anchor to tether me back to reality.
The only thing I found to settle on, the sole proof that the previous moments had been real, was the single game package in my hand.
[Family-Friendly Game]
[Family Friendly Game]
I wondered what kind of game it could be.
*
Fortunately, it didn't take long to run the game.
The file size wasn't large, and the installation wasn't a hassle. I was a bit wary since there were no reviews and I’d never heard of it, but I solved that by installing it on my damn second sister’s computer.
If there was a virus, well, I figured she’d deal with it.
I had two main expectations. Either I’d be disappointed by a clunky game and turn it off, or I’d curse at a virus and turn it off. Regardless, I didn't expect anything actually playable.
I was only humoring this because I was a (soon-to-be) returning student with nothing better to do.
Though, the fact that the salesperson was drop-dead gorgeous certainly helped.
That was why I found the current situation so hard to process.
The sound of tearing air erupted. I heard the roar of shells exploding all around me.
This wasn't a game screen. No matter how much I turned my head, I couldn't see past the monitor or catch a glimpse of my sister’s room where I’d been sitting.
All I could see was an unfamiliar landscape.
Soldiers were ducking their heads at the incoming shells, swearing under their breaths, panting as they gripped their rifles while wearing helmets that looked like pot lids.
I was right there among them.
But it definitely wasn't reality. That much I knew for sure.
It wasn't as loud or as impactful as a real explosion would be. There was a subtle disconnect from reality. Besides, did it make any sense for me, who was at home just a moment ago, to suddenly drop into a battlefield?
That common sense brought back my sense of reality—the kind of reality that allowed me to closely observe and analyze the situation.
First, I checked myself. Height, build. Everything was exactly as I knew it.
But the clothes were different. I was wearing some kind of old-fashioned uniform. Even the rifle in my hand was unfamiliar. It certainly wasn't the one I’d used in the military.
I could tell it was much older. It was a model I’d only ever seen in a museum.
The clothes and the gun were outdated, and the surroundings were foreign, but I was in the middle of a war zone. It felt as if I’d been meticulously selected and dropped here, as if to testify that this wasn't reality, but indeed the game I had chosen.
[Achieve 20 Headshots. 0/20]
[Reward: 200,000 KRW Cash]
Sure enough, a familiar translucent window appeared before my eyes, giving me a faint sense of certainty.
I was inside a game.
[General Bank Account]
[227,711 KRW]
“…It actually went in?”
Exiting the game hadn't been difficult. Once I cleared the quest, I could choose whether to quit or continue. Not much time had passed since I finished the quest and came out.
It felt like I’d been playing for two hours, but in reality, not even twenty minutes had passed.
So, I had easily cleared the given quest and was now staring at my phone banking app.
[Babylonian Games]
[Deposit: 200,000 KRW]
At first, I thought the 200,000 won reward would be in-game currency, but the result was unexpected.
Deep down, I’d had that idle, nonsensical thought—a hollow dream of Man, I wish this was real money—as I checked the app.
I never expected the money to actually be there.
Flustered, I searched again, but the information I had on this "Babylonian Games" company was all I could find. Just the cookie-cutter phrases written on the website where I’d downloaded the game client. It didn't even properly state what kind of company it was or where it was located.
Is this some kind of legal violation?
I had no way of knowing.
In the first place, how did they even track my progress to give me the reward? That was the most ambiguous part. I’d even unplugged the LAN cable while playing, just in case of viruses or wiretapping.
No matter how amazing a hacker might be, there should be nothing they can do about a physically disconnected LAN cable. It was enough to make a ghost wail in confusion.
Is it really okay to take this money?
Will I get in trouble if I keep it?
I agonized over it, but I couldn't find an answer. I even crouched down and searched on my phone for what to do with money received as a game reward…
But there were no helpful answers.
Actually, it wasn't that the answers weren't helpful; it was that there was no one else who had received money like this.
Countless possibilities flashed through my mind. From money laundering and criminal organizations to the classic "Hey boss, this kid's laughing" scenario.
I didn't want to get in trouble, but more than that, I didn't want my family to have problems. We’d worked so hard to get where we were.
However, the situation was far too strange to simply accept and be optimistic about. How did they monitor a computer with no internet connection to give me a reward? And how did this game even work to be so vivid, as if I’d been dropped into another world? Even VR gear wouldn't have this level of realism.
As I sat there agonizing for a long time, I heard the faint sound of footsteps.
The rhythmic clack-clack of heels echoed. I stood up from my pathetic huddle and straightened my clothes, and soon after, I heard the sound of the digital door lock.
The sound of the buttons being pressed leisurely one by one, followed by the soft click of the cover closing. It was a relaxed sound that seemed to testify to the personality of the person on the other side.
I poked my head out of my room.
Beep-beep-beep!
I saw the person entering through the open door.
“Ah.”
Softly curved eyes and a relaxed mouth that always seemed to be on the verge of a smile. She was a beauty who made anyone think, She really knows how to dress maturely.
Her long, straight black hair fluttered down onto her shoulders, and her clothes were tight yet stylishly outlined her silhouette.
I was thinking, Noona always dresses so well, when I finally noticed the benevolent smile directed at me and opened my mouth.
“Noona.”
“Our Jin-i, are you just waking up now?”
It was a kind smile and a matching soft, beautiful voice that would make any man’s heart flutter.
“Have you eaten? If not, I’ll fix you something, so just wait a moment.”
At that kindness, my worries melted away as if they’d never existed.
As expected, Eldest Noona is the best.