Chapter 1
Chapter 1
I Clicked a Future App
【This app is the ultimate video application capable of filming, producing, editing, and broadcasting all forms of video content including movies, dramas, anime, and shorts.】
【Would you like to install Premium Cut 3000 Version?】
【Yes / No】
On my way to work, something like a hologram window suddenly blocked my vision.
Startled, I looked around.
Absurdly enough, the hologram window moved along as though it were fixed directly to my sight.
‘What the hell is this? Did my eyes finally break?’
I rubbed my eyes, blinked repeatedly, tried everything I could think of, but the message window refused to disappear.
Just in case, I pressed “No.”
The moment I did, the message vanished.
‘Thank god. I was just hallucinating for a seco—’
【Would you like to install Premium Cut 3000 Version?】
【Yes / No】
No.
No.
Noooo!
I’m going insane.
No matter how many times I pressed “No,” the message kept reappearing.
And the worst part was how perfectly it occupied the very center of my vision.
This visual obstruction is driving me crazy.
I can’t even tell what station I’m at or what’s in front of me.
After furiously mashing “No” dozens of times, I finally gave up and pressed “Yes.”
【Premium Cut 3000 Version has been installed.】
Only then did my vision clear.
‘Damn it. What the hell is happening to me?’
I never thought something straight out of fiction would happen to me.
And of course it had to happen on my very first day of work.
“Doyoung, what’s with your face? Did you stay up all night because you were excited to see celebrities?”
“Uncle, it’s not that.”
“There aren’t many chances to see famous celebrities around the company building. Don’t get your hopes up.”
It’s not that. It’s because of the video app that illegally installed itself inside my head this morning.
【Would you like to begin the Premium Cut tutorial?】
【Yes / No】
‘Seriously, what even is this thing?’
The company my uncle got me into through connections.
And my very first day was already completely screwed.
My uncle was explaining work procedures to me in detail, but I couldn’t focus at all.
Every time I selected “No,” the stupid thing popped up again ten minutes later and drove me insane.
Fine. Fine!
You win.
Yes! Yes! YES!
I frantically stabbed at the floating button.
“If you happen to run into one of the agency celebrities, stay as far away as possi— what are you doing?”
“Ah, there’s a bug flying around.”
“You won’t die from a bug bite. Stop waving your arms around like that. You look crazy.”
“Sorry.”
【The system interface can be operated through mental commands.】
【It is recommended that you familiarize yourself with thought-based controls.】
So it works through thought alone?
Alright. Let’s focus.
Huh.
It’s actually easier than I expected.
Even though it’s my first time, it feels more natural and smoother than moving my own hands and feet.
“Doyoung. Come here.”
At that moment, my uncle suddenly yanked me aside.
Only then did I see her.
A tall, elegant woman walking toward us with an icy expression.
‘Holy shit. She’s insanely pretty.’
How can a human being look like that?
Is that some kind of Homo sapiens elf species or something?
My eyes kept trying to drift toward her on their own.
I hurriedly forced my head back into place.
“Wow, Uncle. She’s seriously gorgeous. Who is that?”
“What are you talking about? That’s Cha Seoyoon.”
“What? Cha Seoyoon?”
“Yeah. Cha Seoyoon. Don’t tell me you don’t know her?”
No, no, of course I know Hallyu star Cha Seoyoon.
“Well, first-timers who see her in person usually react like you. She’s cursed by the camera lens. For some reason she photographs terribly, so she looks way better in real life.”
She’s a top Hallyu actress despite being “cursed by the lens”?
Still, seeing her in person really was insane.
I didn’t even recognize her at first.
It wasn’t that I failed to recognize her face. My brain just temporarily shut down from the overwhelming visual assault.
“Uncle, didn’t you say we rarely see famous celebrities at the company building?”
“Guess you got lucky today. Even I’ve never run into Cha Seoyoon here before, and I’ve worked here for years.”
She really was ridiculously beautiful.
No, “beautiful” didn’t even feel like enough.
It felt more like the very concept of beauty had taken human form.
【Would you like to register Cha Seoyoon as model data?】
【Yes / No】
Jesus, that startled me.
【Registering Cha Seoyoon into model data.】
【Assigned to Slot 1.】
【Slot Status: 1/1】
I never said yes to that...?
【The thought interface operates according to the user’s true intent.】
So basically...
It means I subconsciously screamed “YES!” without hesitation?
【Would you like to remove Cha Seoyoon from model data?】
No, not that.
I don’t know what this is yet, but definitely not that.
Leave it alone.
Once I finally completed the “Tutorial Yes” part, the constant pop-up harassment stopped.
The whole day still felt chaotic, but somehow I managed to survive my first day at work.
“How’s the job?”
“Thanks to your help, Uncle.”
“The work’s rough, but this company pays well and feeds you properly. How long do you think you’ll last?”
“No idea. For now, I’m planning to stick around as long as possible and save money.”
“Work hard.”
“Yes, thank you.”
By the time I got back to my tiny one-room apartment, it was already 8 PM.
Since leaving the military, I’d never had such a hectic day.
After showering and finally feeling refreshed, I properly faced the thing that happened today.
‘Premium Cut. What exactly are you?’
【This app is a video production application designed for creating video content. It was released in the year 3000 AD.】
‘Right. The year 3000— wait, what? You mean it was created a thousand years in the future?’
【Correct.】
‘No, but then why are you here in this era? Don’t tell me you time-traveled or something?’
【This app possesses no time-space or dimensional travel functions. The reason it was installed in this era is unknown.】
【This app exists to support the user in producing high-quality video content.】
I tried seriously talking with the app.
Honestly, it felt less like talking to a person and more like exchanging stiff information with an AI chatbot.
According to the app, that was intentional.
It was specifically designed so users would view Premium Cut purely as a tool, not as a living personality.
‘Then what kind of videos can it make?’
I’d never even imagined doing video production before.
I only got this job because my uncle told me there was an opening in the headquarters administration department.
【Starting with easy parody videos to build interest and motivation.】
【Searching Model Slot 1: Cha Seoyoon.】
【Suitable videos found.】
A massive recommendation list appeared before me.
6,819,713 videos?
I just picked one of the top five randomly.
“Oh, this is that new commercial.”
A famous domestic soda brand’s spring commercial.
Cha Seoyoon snowboards elegantly down a dangerous snowy slope.
After pulling off flashy tricks and finishing the course, she cracks open a soda can, drinks it refreshingly, and the scenery transforms into a bright spring landscape.
“But what am I supposed to do with this?”
【Please specify the points you wish to alter.】
I heard AI art generators create results based on combinations of prompts.
Maybe this worked similarly?
An ordinary commercial where she snowboards down a mountain and drinks soda.
What if I changed it into a mad movie where demons chase her through hell?
That sounds fun.
“First, don’t change Cha Seoyoon’s movements at all. Just change the background. Instead of a ski slope, make it some gigantic volcano overflowing with lava.”
“Like she’s surfing across lava on her board.”
“The volcano starts collapsing from the top— no, wait. A giant demon smashes the volcano apart with its fists while Cha Seoyoon escapes.”
“And instead of the background turning into spring at the end, make it transform into the middle of boiling hell itself. Yeah. That looks good.”
“Wait. While she rides the lava waves, add more sparks bursting from the snowboard. Like welding sparks.”
As I watched the process and gave instructions, the image in my head gradually became clearer too.
My creative excitement skyrocketed.
And just a few minutes later, the completed mad movie version looked...
“Not bad.”
[Kim Road] Manager, you HAVE to watch this. The editing is completely insane. (Link)
Cha Seoyoon’s chief manager, Kim Kyungwook, absentmindedly clicked the link his road manager excitedly sent him.
It was a parody video that transformed the recently released spring soda commercial into a mad movie.
He watched indifferently for a few seconds before suddenly leaping to his feet with wide eyes.
Instead of snowboarding down snowy mountains, Cha Seoyoon surfed across flowing lava pouring from a volcano.
Every time a gigantic demon slammed its fists down trying to catch her, entire mountains crumbled apart.
By the time she finally reached the bottom, the surrounding scenery had transformed into literal hellfire filled with evil spirits and flames.
With a bright smile, Cha Seoyoon popped open a soda can and took a refreshing drink before casually tossing the empty can behind her.
The moment the can hit the ground, freezing cold energy exploded outward at terrifying speed and froze everything solid.
The hellfire extinguished.
The frozen evil spirits shattered apart.
Even the giant demon chasing her transformed into ice.
Behind Cha Seoyoon’s radiant smile, the giant demon’s soul got sucked into the empty can.
Then the can tab flew back and sealed the can shut tightly like it was brand new.
The video ended there.
Kim Kyungwook was genuinely amazed.
“What the hell is this? They turned a soda commercial into some Hollywood-style mad movie.”
After replaying it several times, he opened the original commercial side by side for comparison.
“Damn. The quality’s so good the fan edit looks like the original, and the real commercial looks like the parody.”
Compared next to each other, the professionally produced official commercial actually felt cheap.
“Jinseong. Who made this?”
-I have no idea. It suddenly appeared on WeTube and the reaction’s exploding right now. Everyone’s asking if THIS was actually the original commercial version.
Kim Kyungwook continued comparing the original and parody videos when his phone rang.
[Incoming Call: Director]
His boss.
“Yes, Director.”
-Kim Manager, you saw the Cha Seoyoon parody commercial, right? The insane CG mad movie one.
“I’m watching it right now.”
-Contact them immediately. You know what I mean, right?
“I’m already drafting the proposal.”