Prologue: An Isekai Where Korean Songs Are Trending?
“Korean songs are the best!”
“Really? What’s the title?”
“I don’t know! But it’s super catchy!”
“Where? I wanna hear it too!”
I frowned at the voices of the children coming from beside me. This was clearly a medieval fantasy world. Demon kings and dragons existed here. Mana and magic were real. Kings and knights walked the land. Yet somehow, Korean songs were playing and kids were listening to them. It was hard to believe.
‘Wait! That song…?!’
At that moment, a faint melody tickled my ears. A wave of impatience washed over me. I knew that song.
‘Has “that song” already started trending?’
I thought of the legendary track that had taken the world by storm through NewTube. The song that had etched Korean music into global consciousness. If it was already popular here, that meant Earth had entered the year 2012.
‘I need to get back to Earth. Fast.’
Time was running out. I had an important mission waiting for me back home.
‘I have to buy Bitcoin!’
I had to purchase Bitcoin before it was too late, become rich, and enjoy the life of a wealthy man. That single goal had kept me going for over twenty years.
Just then, a low hum filled the air. A massive hole tore open in the sky. The dimensional portal connecting to Earth had activated.
Under normal circumstances, this would have been terrifying. No one knew what might come through. But the villagers erupted in excitement instead.
“Whoa! It’s the portal!”
“The portal’s blessing has finally reached our village too!”
“Out of the way! That cola’s mine!”
“Please let there be Choco Pies!”
“Mom! You have to get me a Walkman!”
Hundreds of people in the village square rushed toward the portal. It widened completely, revealing a dark, ominous hole in the sky. Yet everyone charged straight at it.
They had good reason. Countless boxes began raining down, each attached to a parachute. Then thousands of leaflets filled the air, scattering on the wind. A strong gust blew one right in front of me. I picked it up without thinking.
The paper showed a famous Korean actress in a bikini. Beneath the photo, text was printed in Korean, English, and the continental common tongue.
“Korea… is waiting for you.”
In short, modern propaganda leaflets had fallen into the Middle Ages. And they’d been sent from Korea, no less. I let out a small sigh. The more I saw things like this, the more I wanted to return to Earth.
Of course, that wasn’t easy right now. The ways back were extremely limited. In fact, there was really only one method. But I wasn’t worried. I would return to Earth without fail.
And the odds were very much in my favor.