Be Careful What You Wish For
Most of the lights in the office had been turned off in the dead of night, but a single soul remained in front of a glowing monitor, staring intently at an Excel spreadsheet.
"Dammit... If I get one more error, I'm going to lose it."
His name was Lee Han-gyul. Twenty years old. He was a fresh recruit in the workforce, having landed a job at a mid-sized company immediately after graduating from high school.
After finally finishing his overtime, he set off on the bleak journey home. His hurried footsteps were familiar, yet they felt utterly meaningless.
"I bet I'll be working overtime next week too... The real world is terrifying."
He mindlessly plugged in his earphones and stared blankly at the traffic light. The moment it turned green, exhausted as he was, he took a step forward without thinking.
HONK!!!
A massive shadow loomed from his left. Along with a ground-shaking engine roar, blinding white headlights swallowed his vision.
An ear-splitting horn blasted his eardrums, and before he could even register the sensation of his bones shattering, a strange weightlessness took over as his body was launched into the air.
"Ah..."
The last things he saw were his shattering smartphone screen and the dark night sky.
"Aaargh!"
How much time had passed? Han-gyul slowly opened his eyes. He was in an endless white void with no floor, no ceiling, and no walls. And there was only one other person in this space.
"Huh? Who the hell are you?"
A man lounging on a comfortable sofa watching hundreds of TV screens furrowed his brow. He had long silver hair, a disheveled beard, and wore a sloppy white robe. He was anything but ordinary.
"W-where is this? I'm sure... I was hit by a truck..."
As Han-gyul stammered, the man replied with irritation.
"Ugh, what a pain. This is what happens when you outsource Earth's management. It's an absolute mess."
The man grumbled, waving his hand dismissively.
"Excuse me... Who are you, and where is..."
"Me? I'm God."
God spoke with utter indifference.
"Let's see... It wasn't your time to die, but you went and kicked the bucket anyway. What a headache. Your body has already been cremated, and sending you back is too much work... Ah, whatever. I'll just grant you a wish, so spit it out. Let's call it even with that."
"A... a wish? Really?"
Han-gyul's eyes widened.
"Yeah, yeah. Hurry up. I need to watch the next episode of my drama. I don't have all day."
God gestured impatiently.
Han-gyul was dazed, but his lifelong sorrow slipped out of his mouth before he could stop it. He had spent his entire school years working because he was poor, and once he entered society, he was crushed by constant overtime. Twenty years had flown by without him ever experiencing a proper relationship. Perhaps the loneliness had seeped deep into his very bones.
"I want a smoking-hot girlfriend who only thinks of me and only loves me!"
"Hmm, a girlfriend... Fine. I hear reincarnating into another world is all the rage these days, right? I'll send you there."
God snapped his fingers.
"What? No, wait! Another world?"
Han-gyul cried out in panic.
"Don't worry. Just as you wished, I've definitely prepared a 'smoking-hot girlfriend who only loves you.' There shouldn't be any issues... probably?"
God grinned.
"No, that's not what I mean! At least let me check if it's done right! You're being way too half-assed...!"
Before Han-gyul could even finish his sentence, the ground beneath his feet vanished.
"Aaaaaaaaargh—!"
Watching Han-gyul disappear with a scream, God let out a massive yawn.
"Phew, that's one taken care of. Seriously, what a pain. Now, back to my drama."
He turned his gaze back to the hundreds of TV screens.