Rain poured down relentlessly outside, streaking the office windows as Cha Min-jae typed away at his desk.
Another late night.
Again.
He rubbed his eyes and glanced at the news on his computer screen, hoping for a distraction.
Breaking news:
[Multiple casualties reported across Seoul. Authorities are investigating the cause of death.]
Cha Min-jae was the picture of average: black hair, black eyes, pale skin. Nothing about him demanded attention. Yet here he was, overworked and overlooked, finishing tasks that his colleagues had left behind.
He checked the clock and sighed.
"I'm going to miss the train if I don't hurry."
By the time he reached the train station, the doors were already closing. He ran, but it was too late.
Rain soaked him to the bone, he hadn't brought an umbrella. Slumping into a nearby seat, he muttered to himself.
"What am I supposed to do now? Guess… I'll head to a cafe."
The cafe was nearly empty. Min-jae pulled out his old phone and scrolled through the news to pass the time. Suddenly, a notification blared loudly, startling him.
"So loud… is this an emergency?"
He tapped it, and a message filled the screen:
[Authorities have confirmed reports of unidentified airborne creatures over Seoul. Residents are advised to stay indoors, avoid open areas, and follow instructions from emergency personnel.]
"What the hell is this?"
Min-jae whispered.
Before he could check for more information, a second message appeared, hovering in a window over his phone's screen:
[Cooperate with your regional manager if you don't want to die meaninglessly.]
He glanced around. Nobody else seemed to notice. Or maybe they were too focused on something invisible.
Then, his vision blurred, the world dissolved, and his consciousness slipped away.
When he awoke, he was surrounded by countless people, strangers all. The landscape stretched endlessly, empty.
A beam of light pierced the sky, and descending from it was a pale woman with white hair and shimmering wings. She floated gracefully, her presence both terrifying and mesmerizing.
A new message appeared before him:
[Hello there! I am your regional manager. Your consciousness has been brought here temporarily for an important announcement.]
Chaos erupted around him.
People shouted:
"Why am I here?!"
"Leave me and my family out of this!"
"Damn devil!"
The woman regarded the crowd.
A scream cut through the air. Min-jae turned just in time to see someone collapse, twisted unnaturally, as if invisible hands had thrown them down. The crowd panicked, but Min-jae froze, every instinct screaming at him to run, though he didn't know where.
Another message popped up:
[Those people are not dead, but they are mangled, and the pain is very real.]
"What… what does she mean by 'those people'?"
Min-jae whispered, staggering to his knees, terror clawing at his chest.
Finally, a third message appeared:
[Now that the complaints have ceased, let us begin the explanation.]
Then the screen changed:
[Entertainment – 1#]
Condition: Survive for 30 minutes.
Hidden Condition: ???
Time Limit: None.
Reward: 400 points
Failure:Death
Min-jae's heart pounded as one final message appeared:
[Your days of living without care are over. You are now entertainment for the beings above you.]
His mind raced, trying to understand, but the fear was overwhelming. His legs gave way, and he collapsed.
The last thing he saw was the pale figure hovering above, her wings shimmering like fractured light.
Then, everything went black.
When he opened his eyes again, he would no longer be in the endless crowd, but back in the world he knew, with the memory of that place seared into his mind.