"You're destined to be a celebrity."
A fortune-telling shop in Myeongdong.
It was a place I stumbled into, drawn by a flyer that claimed it was one of the "Top 3 Fortune-Telling Shops in the World" selected by Forbes. At first, when they asked for my birth date and about my astigmatism, it felt very professional, but now all I felt was that I'd just wasted my money.
"Also, you have a Dohwasa."
"Dohwasa? Me?"
"Yes! And it's extremely strong!"
Hmm, no wonder. I felt suspicious from the moment they said the fee was an advance payment.
"Ah... really?"
Baekya (Reservist / 21 / just discharged) pretended to adjust his glasses but subtly glared at the fortune teller in front of him.
'Scammer.'
Our eyes met, and I felt a sting for no reason. I hurriedly lowered my head, but then the fortune teller suddenly slammed the table, making me look up again.
"You're destined to be crazy!"
'Probably an idol...'
At that moment, Baekya was certain.
'I got scammed.'
The world after a year and a half away was not easy.
"I should've just bought chicken with that money."
After leaving the fortune teller's shop, Baekya checked the time.
'Has it been five minutes since I went in...?'
Thinking he spent 10,000 won per minute, he sighed automatically. It was easily the dumbest expense of the year.
But Forbes is a reputable foreign economic magazine, isn't it? Now, even that feels like ancient history.
My mouth tasted bitter.
In the army, I just had to follow orders, so life was simpler. But now that I'm out, it feels like I've been thrown into the middle of a battlefield.
'Maybe this is what they call having a "military constitution"...'
That's a bit much.
Baekya's face darkened rapidly. Even though he volunteered, it was just a second choice because he had nothing else he wanted to do. Besides, it wasn't a place he could stay long.
"So, what am I supposed to do now...?"
His friends had already decided their career paths back in senior year. He was the only one still undecided.
Baekya thought to himself that maybe he should've gotten his fortune told a bit earlier.
"Still, not just anyone becomes an idol..."
Honestly, if he were two years younger, maybe he'd have tried his luck. After all, among friends, he was known as someone who could sing decently. Baekya kept mulling over the fortune teller’s words without realizing it.
But the current Korean idol market was already saturated. Even the third generation idols at their peak had an average trainee period of six years.
On top of that, the steadily lowering debut age had pushed the maximum age for debut to a really low limit...
'It's probably too late for me now.'
But they say the moment you think it's too late is the moment to start. A strange confidence sparked in Baekya as he took out his phone.
When he turned on the screen, his messenger was full of messages from friends.
[Shin Jaehyun: Baekya, you're already discharged?ㅠㅠ You worked hard, man!]
[Kim Yugyeong: You're really 21 even after discharge? Being young is definitely good~]
[Shin Jaehyun: So, 7 PM at Hongdae, right?]
The two insisted on throwing a discharge celebration party and insisted on dragging him out. Baekya smiled happily after checking the messenger.
'Come to think of it, they should be enlisting soon too.'
I'll tease them when we meet.
[Me: Yeahㅋㅋㅋ See you there~]
Excited, Baekya replied and opened the portal site app. After quickly checking his surroundings, his fingers tapped fast on the keyboard.
[How to become an idol]
It was a knowledge treasure chance. Even a rough search returned tons of results.
Baekya clicked on the top article, the latest post from yesterday.
[Question] How to become an idol like AIMㅠㅠ (Urgent)
I'm a 5th-grade boy whose dream is to be an idol. Please give me some advice..!
There were four comments.
But as I read, one thing was mentioned without fail. Looks. Baekya looked at his reflection in the subway screen door.
His newly grown grass-like hair and thick horn-rimmed glasses. Skin burned dark from harsh training over the past year and a half.
"Hmm..."
It was a dirty world.
Although he could sing decently, Baekya had an unscalable mountain called his appearance.
"Right. Get a grip, Han Baekya. Me? An idol? No way."
Baekya shook his head hard to shake off those thoughts. He almost made a huge mistake by being swayed by the fortune teller’s words.
Then, at that moment, a real-time comment popped up. It was an ad for an idol training game.
'They’re basically saying it’s hard to become an idol in real life, so just play the game. People are really cruel.'
Also, the timing felt like it was talking directly to me, which was strange. In a fit of irritation, Baekya clicked the link.
'Who do you think you are!'
The download started immediately through the app store. The game intro showed an idol group as models in the advertisement.
"Wow... Are they even human?"
They really were handsome.
He had seen these faces several times in the army, right before and after a popular girl group’s performances.
'Is her name Daisy? Days? It sounded like a common name.'
The boy group ID Entertainment debuted eight years after AIM. But due to relatively poor performance, they were called a "failed idol group."
[ is an idol training game.
The future of the group depends on your skills. Use star points earned from quests to challenge being a genius idol~!
Now, let’s survive! ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و]
The game’s introduction sounded grandiose.
Wearing an awkward smile, Baekya checked the reviews.
[Good game but you die no matter what ★]
[My kids are cute ★★★★★]
[Raised a Sunfish, died 100 times, then quit ★]
[The epitome of a luck-based trash game ★]
[Anyone seen an ending other than death? ★]
The rating spoke for itself. The reviews were harsh without even having played it.
"Looks like the ending is what everyone complains about."
Fail debut and die. Die from stress. Die due to rumors. Die in a traffic accident avoiding stalkers. Die in a concert accident, etc. There were truly many reasons to die.
One review called it "raising a sunfish," and there really was no worse sunfish than this. Surviving was truly the meaning of survival. What a waste of data.
Baekya reflected on himself just minutes ago. Just as he was about to cancel the download, the phone screen changed and flashy graphics appeared.
In that moment, the download was complete.
[Please enter your stage name.]
"What? There’s no exit?"
He tried pressing the home button several times to exit the game, but it was unresponsive. Probably because it was tutorial mode...
Baekya, hesitating, decided to proceed until the exit button appeared.
▶ Stage Name: Baekya
When he pressed confirm, a small notice appeared at the bottom about synchronization.
[Synchronizing .]
'Wasn’t there a review asking for linking before...?'
[64%]
[82%]
[…99%]
Then darkness.
"Baekya. Han Baekya!"
His shoulders were roughly shaken. Baekya groaned and raised his prone body.
"Ugh..."
His pounding head made him instinctively touch his forehead.
"Get your head together now."
"Can’t I sleep without my glasses? Someone would think I’d die without them."
He heard voices that felt like his school days — Jaehyun and Yugyeong.
'Did I come straight to Hongdae? I think the last thing I remember was getting on the subway...'
Baekya slowly opened his eyes and looked ahead. Then an unimaginable scene unfolded.
"Wha, wha...! What is this?!"
Crash!
Just by standing up, the chair flew with a loud noise. The sudden abrupt move startled the two nearby.
"You crazy bastard! You scared me!"
"Wow... nearly lost my guts. Your sleep-talking is loud. Loud."
He opened his eyes and saw that he was at school, wearing a school uniform instead of military clothes.
'High school? What is this? A dream?'
But the dream felt too vivid. The senses were incredibly clear.
However, it seemed they had no intention of waiting for him any longer. Jaehyun and Yugyeong, who looked even more exasperated than usual, grabbed his wrists and forcibly pulled him.
Where to? Jjangmanna snack bar.
"Uh, where are we going?"
"You're really dumb today. Are you sick?"
"I promised to buy tteokbokki today. You definitely owe me snacks today."
Jaehyun poked Baekya’s back with a smile.
"Man, looks like he’s not going to eat much today."
At those words, Yugyeong clenched her fist and cheered. Baekya remembered to tell them it was their treat.
But the snack bar was already full.
After a short scolding about why they were late, the three stood side by side in front of the stall.
"Three tteokbokki, two assorted fried dishes, one sundae, and one pork cutlet, please."
Jaehyun’s precise order earned a round of applause from Yugyeong, who was already sipping on a paper cup of fish cake broth.
"Pfft."
At that sight, Baekya was sure this was a dream.
'She usually burns her lips badly and never does this again.'
Feeling much calmer, Baekya looked at Jaehyun.
"Can I have a spicy rice cake snack?"
"Oh? You’re coming to your senses? Yeah, eat up."
As soon as he spoke, a spicy rice cake snack was placed in front of him. It was a shame that he couldn’t taste it because it was a dream.
Baekya thought he should really come here once he woke up and bit into it.
Then, a white status window suddenly appeared before his eyes.
[Synchronization Gift Arrived!]
▶ Confirm
"...Huh?"
Startled, Baekya stepped back. The snack he was biting dropped to the floor.
He couldn't believe what he was seeing. The text changed again.
[Exclusive Title Acquired! ]
[Skill Draw (5 times)]
▶ Basic Skill Draw (Free)
As the gift box opened, pollen burst out.
"...Draw?"
He muttered without realizing it. But the system recognized Baekya’s action as 'accept' and immediately started the draw.
[Skill Acquired!]
[<Sunfish (R)>, <One-Day 3-Kkang (A)>, <When a Nerd Takes Off His Glasses (B)>, <Dance of Courtship (D)>
※ All skills acquired in an empty skill slot are automatically equipped.]
▶ Confirm
ㅤㅤAdditional Skill Draw (5 times)
"W-what is this?"
Baekya shouted at the status window, looking like he saw a ghost. But Jaehyun and Yugyeong seemed to see it differently.
"...Are you crazy?"
"Ki-Kim Yugyeong. Hey, can’t you see this? Something about skills!"
Baekya pointed in the air and alternated his gaze between the two.
"...Skills?"
Jaehyun, who was eating with a fork, looked at Baekya strangely.
Baekya, who knew them well, took off his glasses and rubbed them vigorously against his uniform shirt. Surely something was on the lenses.
Before he could even clean them, his face was grabbed and lifted strongly.
"What’s this? Who are you?"
"Uh, uh?"
Yugyeong’s gaze was intense.
"Han Baekya, who else?"
Flustered, Baekya shook off Yugyeong’s arm. Then Jaehyun grabbed both his cheeks.
"Hey. Why are you wearing glasses all the time?"
Now it was Shin Jaehyun.
Without his glasses, his friends and the surroundings looked blurry.
"What are you saying? Of course, I’m nearsighted..."
But even amid the blur, the status window remained clearly visible. Everything else was blurry except the status window.
A confusing space. He strongly felt that the status window would keep appearing until he chose an option.
Pretending to put on his glasses, he slid his finger over 'Confirm' and the status window disappeared.
But his original purpose failed because Yugyeong grabbed his wrist and took off his glasses again.
"This guy’s ridiculously handsome!"
Even without seeing, he knew. Every gaze within fifty meters was focused on him.
"W-what are you saying, you crazy bastard? Eat your tteokbokki!"
Baekya shook Yugyeong’s hand off and quickly put on his glasses. Then, lowering his head, he started eating the spicy rice cake snack fiercely. He felt like his face was about to burst from all the glances.
'People really have all kinds of ways to mess with you.'
Just as Baekya was brooding that even in a dream they teased him, a man approached him.
"Hey student. Do you go to this school?"
"...Yes?"
Baekya, chewing on his snack, looked up. The man held out a business card in front of him.
"By chance, I saw you without your glasses, and I was wondering if you’ve thought about becoming a celebrity?"
Was this the legendary street casting? Or maybe a religious cult.
His friends were quietly yelling incomprehensible noises in excitement.
"Wooaah!"
"Kuwaaah!"
"Ha...."
Embarrassing.
Baekya wanted to hide in a mouse hole. Glancing at his friends, he sighed and politely declined.
"Sorry. I’m not that kind of person."
He knew better than anyone how ordinary he looked without glasses — just a normal high school boy. Nothing more, nothing less.
But the man didn’t seem ready to give up easily.
"Have you heard of ID Entertainment? It’s the agency that has the idol group AIM."
"I’ve heard of it. But my family doesn’t have money..."
"No! Our company doesn’t ask trainees for any money. It’s 100% company supported. We’re planning a new boy group and would really appreciate it if you just came to the audition comfortably..."
While the man was speaking earnestly, the status window reappeared.
[A new quest has arrived!]
[Q. I want to become an idol! (1): Accept the audition offer]
▶ Yes, I’ll go once.
An audition?
'A quest?'
It felt like a game.
This time, there seemed to be two choices, but refusing wasn’t really an option.
'The closest thing to refusal is the second choice.'
Baekya picked the second without hesitation. Then the text flowed from his mouth.
"Audition?"
What is this?!
Flustered, Baekya covered his mouth with both hands and stared at the status window.
"Yes! Don’t think too hard. It’s just simple singing, dancing, and a camera test."
'...How on earth is that simple?'
Baekya refused again. The status window disappeared and the man’s face showed disappointment.
'Did I get rid of him?'
Just as Baekya glanced at the man with relief, the status window popped up again like mocking him.
And Baekya made up his mind. About what?
"Wh-what? Hey, an elephant!"
Running away.
"Wa-wait! Student!"
An unexpected chase.
Baekya hid in the subway station restroom.
At some point, the status window stopped appearing and disappearing and was gone completely. It seemed he had successfully shaken off the man.
"Ugh."
Baekya rinsed his mouth with cold water between occasional dry heaves.
His heart felt like it would jump out, but after rinsing a few times, he calmed down. Then water droplets on his glasses blurred his vision.
"A nightmare. A nightmare."
A dream this hard?
Baekya took off his glasses and thought. In reality, it felt like he was sleep-paralyzed.
"Why did I even go to that fortune teller..."
He suspected reasonably it was all because of that fortune teller.
He must have dozed off on the subway; otherwise, he might end up going all the way to the last stop...
Baekya muttered and looked up without thinking.
Then, he locked eyes with a handsome boy in the mirror.
"...Huh?"
But something was off. When he looked right, the boy also looked right; when left, the boy also looked left.
Was this... a decalcomania of you and me?
"…No way."
Baekya’s pupils shook.
After checking several times to confirm no one else was around, he gently pointed at the mirror with a finger.
Then, ET. No, Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam unfolded right before his eyes.
"Is this me?!"
Even for a dream, this beautification was over the top!
Apparently, the fortune teller’s words had quite a shock on him.
"Crazy handsome!"
Well, at least it felt good.
"When I wake up, maybe I’ll get plastic surgery like this?"
Nope. In reality, there’s the law of original discomfort. This is only possible in a crazy dream.
Pulling himself together, Baekya left the restroom. It was no use to keep looking at a face that wasn’t even his. It would only make him linger.
By the way, because of that man, he never got to touch the tteokbokki or fried food.
"That spicy rice cake snack was tasty..."
Rethinking his appetite, Baekya naturally passed through the ticket gate.
'Around this time, I was probably living at my sister’s place.'
Looking at the subway map, Baekya headed toward Apgujeong where his sister lived.