#00.Dating Sim
#00.Dating Sim
Alright. Let's slowly retrace my life up to this August when I was 22.
Born in Seoul, raised in Seoul, so elementary, middle, and high school were all there too. Everyone was studying hard, so by my standards, I pushed myself pretty damn tough and got into a university in Seoul.
After finishing my freshman year or so, my seniors and classmates started getting dragged off one by one to that thing called the military—aka Another World.
I had zero intention of becoming some Another World hero, but the Military Manpower Administration decided they needed me and forcibly summoned me to the military's Another World.
After wrapping up 1 year and 8 months of Another World hero life and coming back, there were no nagging lectures from my parents, but I could feel their side-eye.
The Studio Apartment village near the back gate where I'd lived for that short freshman year at university felt more like home to me than the digital-clothed Another World life.
Asking my parents for money felt awkward too, so I looked for a part-time job, but all the sweet gigs were already taken.
All that was left was loading and unloading stuff, and going out in this sweltering heat would've meant the Another World-clearing hero biting the dust for good.
"Welcome to GU Convenience Store."
So I started a part-time gig at a convenience store with nice cool AC.
Thanks to that, I could somehow cover my rent and living expenses, but after work, there was nothing to do.
My classmates were busy saving Another World, and the female classmates had all gone back to their hometowns for break.
"......."
So I ended up touching something I really shouldn't have.
<#Hashtag - Raising People Around Me>
In short, I couldn't stand the boredom and downloaded an adult-rated Dating Sim.
Humans are social animals. Without social interaction, you get lonely as fuck.
Each character has their own unique AI program for rich, diverse play—yeah right?
Near-photorealistic AI graphics and AI voice acting—yeah right?
I couldn't hold back.
Humans, as higher beings, could even socialize in a world made of 0s and 1s.
And I tasted a new world.
"Technologia!"
The Main Character gets a game console and assigns Hashtags to people around him, linking them up and altering worldviews? Memories? Common sense? Whatever—to twist everything to his taste.
"Whew. At least I got an ending."
From that sweltering August summer to winter, time passed, and looking back, all I'd done was convenience store shifts and Hashtags.
"......Fucked up."
My TOEIC score? My volunteer points? The national land survey gig I dreamed of? The sea fishing I wanted to try after hearing about it from my juniors?
The bucket list I'd built over 1 year and 8 months in that unreasonable Another World crumbled away pathetically easy.
<Congratulations>
<We sincerely thank you for your play>
I held my forehead watching the ending credits—I'd lost count of how many times.
Ah, if I'd focused this hard on something else for 6 months, I'd have succeeded—regrets like that.
<We congratulate you on being the first to clear the 101st ending and send a modest gift>
<All game data will be deleted afterward>
Huh?
I froze for about 3 seconds because it didn't compute.
For a computer deleting stuff, 3 seconds is like an eternity of opportunities.
"Huh...?"
Wait a sec.
My precious Noah's Ark!
I tried every damn thing to reinstall the deleted game, but no dice.
I rushed to #Hashtag Gallery, but they were in chaos too.
└ What the hell?
└ Fuck! Give me back my Chae-hyun!
└ Ji-heon! I loved you!
└ Suddenly deleted? You guys too?
Ah.
Good.
I'm not the only one suffering like a dog.
Finding comfort in others' pain must be the perk Another World gave to a guy like me, raised all normal and straight-laced.
And on December 31st, a gift arrived at my Studio Apartment.
Buuk!
I tore open the box, and inside was that exact game console the Main Character held in <#Hashtag - Raising People Around Me>.
Hashtag Gallery calls it PSP or Digivice or whatever—I honestly have no clue what those are.
Closest thing I know is it looks kinda like a Switch.
Swipe
When I picked up the game console, underneath was another Hashtag essential.
CC—short for Character Card.
In the game, you touch the heroine's body with a CC to upload the character to the card.
Stick the card in the console, assign Hashtags or run Mini-games to alter them, and that's how you play.
"......."
I was speechless.
If this shit actually works, it's insane. Against Earth's physics laws.
But... my heart's pounding.
Hold back on this?