[Ding-]
“Hello, how may I help you?”
“Ah… Hello… It’s about something quite serious…”
“Ah… I understand. Shall we move to the interview room?”
“Ah, yes… Thank you…”
It’s been about a day since ‘TS Game’ was suspended.
Last night, I was devastated by debt and a sense of unreality.
But at least I wanted to report this situation to the police.
I wanted to uncover the secrets of ‘that game.’
Currently, I am inside the police station.
[Thud, thud…]
“You can sit here.”
“Ah… Yes… Thank you…”
“You don’t look well, did something happen…?”
“Well, you see… My friend went missing…”
Before I could finish, the policeman’s face turned pale.
“Could you explain in more detail…? If you give us the information, we’ll start the investigation.”
“I had a junior named Kim Yujin…”
“The last time I talked to him, he said he was going somewhere he could make a lot of money… He wouldn’t tell me where…”
“Ah… I understand. I’ll bring you a form to fill out later, I know this is upsetting, but would you be able to do that?”
“Yes… I’ll try my best.”
There was no way they would believe me if I said, ‘There’s a place that kidnaps people en masse and turns them into women while playing a game!’
It was important to lay the groundwork, even if it meant mixing in some lies.
Soon, I saw a detective in plain clothes entering.
“Hello, I’m Detective Lim Jeonghun, in charge of this investigation.”
“Could you please show me your ID?”
[Shhh…]
“Here it is…”
The detective briefly wrote down the information on a piece of paper and then began to speak.
“Could you tell me the missing person’s name, gender, and physical characteristics?”
“The missing person’s name is Kim Yujin… Gender is… male. A distinguishing feature is that he has yellow hair and a rather sharp nose.”
I told him as much information as I knew.
As for Yujin, I had never properly seen him in his male form.
But I could describe some of the common features they had when they went from male -> female.
The detective wrote down everything I said on the paper.
I wondered if the investigation would take several hours… at least two hours. But…
“Thank you for your cooperation. We will discuss this with our investigation team and get back to you in two days.”
“-… Yes…? Is the investigation already over?”
“Yes. We need to prioritize. Could I have your phone number?”
“Ah… I understand. 010-xx…”
It was unexpected. The investigation was over in less than 20 minutes.
It didn’t matter anyway. It was good that it ended early…
Because tomorrow is ‘that day.’
…
[Thud, thud…]
“Haa…”
There were dozens of messages piled up on my phone from the five days I was gone.
Spam ads… but the most distressing were the messages about debt.
Until two years ago, I was an ordinary office worker at a large company.
I joined an IT company… and went through an internship.
I was more diligent than anyone else, so I thought that becoming a full-time employee was only a matter of time.
❖❖❖
“Um… Mr. Kim Seongho, was it?”
“Unfortunately, it seems difficult to transition you to a full-time position.”
“-… Yes…? What’s the reason…”
“Due to our company’s personnel structure…”
❖❖❖
Before I came to my senses, my mother and father died in a traffic accident.
At the time, I was also involved in the traffic accident, but I barely survived.
After that, I developed an obsession with ‘having to do things for others.’
Because I was a failure, I worked harder than anyone else and helped others more than anyone else.
If I was lazy for even a day, I would experience anxiety.
Looking back, it seems that I quickly became a workaholic.
As I helped others, my connections gradually increased.
After that, I continued to study and build my career, and before I knew it, I was employed at a large company in my 20s.
I was sure my parents would be proud too.
But after being fired from the large company, I thought that all of this had been in vain.
As I continued to deteriorate, my friends eventually cut off contact with me… and I suffered from a vicious cycle.
And I eventually decided to take a gamble, thinking that I should seize even the last opportunity…
I got involved in gambling.
That’s how I ended up like this.
[Ding-]
Every time I enter my house, a 12-pyeong studio apartment where one person can barely live welcomes me.
I thought it was quite ordinary.
Now I have 600 million won in debt, so I had to get a part-time job.
But after living as a workaholic for 20 years… and ending up like this…
I didn’t even feel like getting a part-time job.
If possible, I wanted to go back to that TS game or whatever and receive 3 billion won.
But even there, the ‘obsession’ that had been accumulated for 20 years still appeared.
I wanted to be seen as ethical by others… and I wanted to take good care of the people around me.
Even though this is the result.
Dozens of merits have turned into falsehoods.
…
[Thud, thud…]
It’s now 10:46 PM on March 17th.
In my drawer, there is a ‘suicide pill’ that I bought as insurance when gambling wasn’t going well.
I plan to take it tomorrow at dawn, when the sun rises.
If I calculate it, it seems that there are about 8 hours left.
Since I’m going to die tomorrow anyway, I wanted to eat something with the remaining money.
[Click-]
After all, traditional late-night snacks like chicken are the best.
When I was an intern, I used to eat chicken with beer often in the early morning…
Thinking about those days made me smile involuntarily.
…
[Ding-dong-]
“Yes~ Just a moment!”
It seemed like the chicken had arrived.
[Clatter]
I took the chicken and sat at the desk.
In a way, it’s my last meal, so I hope nothing happens.
“Huh…?”
I saw a familiar business card on top of the chicken box.
[Stomp! Stomp!]
[Clatter!]
“Wait a minute!”
I tried to find the delivery person, but there was no one there anymore.
[Thud, thud…]
“Haa…”
Looking at the business card, it was almost the same as the first business card.
A shape… the title TS Game and an address…
Looking closely, the date and time were different.
{3.18, 11 PM}
Exactly one day later.
The words TS Game made my thoughts chaotic again.
To enter a place that doesn’t hesitate to commit crimes again…
I felt a bit of resistance.
But with a prize of 3 billion won, I would have more than enough money to pay off my debts.
“Umm…”
My head was too confused.
I should eat the chicken first and then think about it.
✦✦✦
It’s now 7 AM on March 18th.
The sun is slowly rising, and the surroundings are turning orange.
There are only two things on my desk right now: ‘the pill’ and ‘the business card.’
If I choose the pill here, I can protect my dignity and die.
And if I choose the business card, I will have another chance at success.
[Swish…]
Once again, when the ‘obsession’ came out, my hand was reaching for the pill.
Is it really right to die like this…
My parents are already gone, and all my friends have left.
I was fired from my job, and my value has already disappeared.
I did the right thing by reporting it to the police, but even that was just an obsession.
In the first place, there is a high probability that the detectives won’t even be able to find the game’s building.
I have no more regrets.
…
Is living swayed by obsession really the value of my life?
What I wanted to do since I was a child was not like this.
I was just creating and packaging another ‘self’ on the outside.
[Bang!]
“Really…”
When I slammed the desk, I was reminded of Ms. Jiyoon and Yujin, who needed my ‘value’ during the second vote.
People usually look at and use the value of others.
But that was a true value that I created myself.
…
I didn’t want to be swayed by anyone anymore.
I wanted to prove my own value and survive in this world.
That was the ‘self’ I truly wanted.
[Plop…]
When I put down the pill, I felt like the burden inside me had become less heavy.
…
It’s now 10:56 PM on March 18th.
I am now standing silently on the street specified on the business card.
Originally, I would be dead by now.
If I had remained as the me that was packaged on the outside, I would have had to die.
[Screech-]
After waiting a little longer, I saw a familiar-looking car stopping in the distance.
[Clunk-]
Without hesitation, I got into the back door of the car.
[Fwoo-]
My body began to feel languid.
My vision gradually closed.
[Shhh…]
In the end, I participated in the game again.
In this game, I will use any means necessary to win.
I’m not very interested in becoming a woman if I fail…
In the end, I seized the last opportunity, just as the mask had said.
If I fail, there will be a corresponding risk.
But even so, I participated in the game again.
It wasn’t just a matter of capital.
It was to prove my own ‘value’ to the world.