"Are you saying to stop the project?"
At Jaesung's question, the director nodded with a bored expression.
"It's not just stopping—it's complete termination. The integrated platform project ends here."
A project they had worked on tirelessly for a month, day and night, was to be terminated. It was like a bolt from the blue.
Jaesung, now serious, looked directly at the director and spoke in a challenging tone.
"We're almost at the point of completion, and you're saying terminate it? What's the reason for this?"
At that, Yoon Kyung-wook, who had parachuted into the director's position thanks to his ties to the company's owning family, furrowed his brow.
"When I say terminate, you terminate. Why so much talk?"
"If we don't move forward now, we'll be overtaken by competitors and fall behind. Please reconsider just once."
Despite Jaesung's earnest plea, Yoon Kyung-wook snorted arrogantly.
"As far as I'm concerned, it's a useless waste of effort."
With that, he threw the stack of documents that had been on the desk onto the floor.
It was the project proposal that Jaesung and his team had worked on for so long.
Looking at the scattered papers on the floor, Jaesung felt a surge of hot anger rising within him.
He wanted to snap, What do you know about this, you jerk?
But the other party, though not a direct heir, was a relative of the owning family with a golden parachute, so he couldn't.
Frustrated and wronged, Jaesung barely suppressed his emotions, picked up the proposal, and retreated.
As he let out a long sigh he had been holding back at the door, his team member, Deputy Lee Dong-su, cautiously approached.
"Team leader, what happened?"
When Jaesung turned to look, Dong-su had a tense expression.
Thinking of the team members who would be disappointed by the news, Jaesung felt his energy drain.
But he couldn't let their efforts go to waste like this, so he steeled himself and said,
"They told us to drop it here."
"What? That bastard director is really too much!"
"It's hot enough already, don't get worked up. I'll talk to the executive director and find a way to save the project. Dong-su, keep the team calm and steady."
"With the director acting like that, is that even possible?"
"We have to try. Or are we just giving up?"
"No way we can do that. Ugh, if he's a parachute, he should just stay quiet. He doesn't know anything and ruins everything he touches! It really kills the motivation to work."
Jaesung calmed the fuming Dong-su.
He was glad Dong-su was angry on his behalf, but as a superior, he couldn't join in.
"I'm going to the rooftop for a smoke. Call me as soon as the executive director arrives."
"Phew, got it."
Jaesung gave Dong-su's shoulder a light pat and headed toward the rooftop.
When he opened the emergency stairwell door and stepped onto the roof, a cool breeze greeted him.
Jaesung pulled a cigarette from his pocket, put it in his mouth, and lit it carefully so the wind wouldn't blow it out.
Inhaling deeply and exhaling the smoke, Jaesung muttered to himself.
"This is so damn disgusting."
Maybe because no one was around to hear, his lament came out naturally.
At that moment, his phone buzzed in his pocket.
"What's this?"
[Your second chance at life! Would you like to start a New Life?]
Seeing the message on the screen, he made an irritated face.
"Ugh, another spam text."
Like most people, Jaesung played simple mobile games during his commute.
But lately, he'd been bombarded with game invites from people he barely knew, asking for hearts or whatever, so his mood soured the moment he saw it.
About to delete it out of habit, Jaesung's curiosity got the better of him, and he opened the message.
He'd been getting bored with his current game anyway, so he figured he'd check it out and switch if it seemed decent.
Jaesung scrolled through the flashy promotional text filled with grandiose words and hit the install button.
"Oh, the graphics are pretty good."
As the game launched, upbeat music played, and the
Clicking through, Jaesung reached the character creation screen and was amazed by the detailed customization options.
From common hairstyles to eyebrows, jawline, leg length, and even bone structure—everything could be adjusted. It felt like real money had been poured into this.
"Hmm… since I'm doing this, might as well make a handsome guy."
Before he knew it, he'd forgotten he was on a break from work and was fully engrossed in creating his character.
He chose a short-on-the-sides cut with dark black hair, fitting for a Korean.
He set the body to have broad shoulders, a slim but muscular build, and then paused briefly when it came to height.
"Two meters? Nah, that's too tall. Let's go with 190 cm."
After pouring all his preferences into the character, Jaesung ended up with a stunningly handsome figure, even by his own standards.
"Damn, he could pass for a celebrity."
Humming to himself, he moved to the next step.
[Please distribute your bonus stats]
Strength: 50/100
Intelligence: 50/100
Charm: 50/100
Luck: 50/100
※ Bonus Points: 50
The stat system was simple, without too many complicated options.
"There are ability stats?"
Since he'd installed it without reading much, Jaesung still wasn't sure what this game was about.
Tilting his head, he pondered where to allocate the bonus stats.
"Come to think of it, my stamina's been pretty low lately."
Even ginseng wasn't helping.
Since it was just a game, Jaesung dumped points into the stamina stat, which he lacked in real life.
"Putting it all in stamina might be a bit much. What's next… luck sounds good."
Wishing for a lottery jackpot, he poured more bonus points into luck.
Looking at the result, he'd created a lopsided character with high stamina and luck, but since he was half-joking, Jaesung didn't care.
Strength: 70/100 (20↑)
Intelligence: 50/100
Charm: 50/100
Luck: 80/100 (30↑)
[The final step in deciding your second life! Choose your starting profession: Mafia's illegitimate child, youngest son of a conglomerate, 9th-grade civil servant…]
"A 9th-grade civil servant? What's that about?"
Jaesung chuckled and, without much thought, chose youngest son of a conglomerate.
"Money's nice, but being born with a silver spoon is the best."
The moment he pressed the big "Start Game" button, he heard someone calling from behind.
"Team leader!"
"Huh?"
Turning around, he saw one of his team members.
"The executive director just got back to the office."
"Got it, I'm coming."
Jaesung hurriedly stubbed out his nearly finished cigarette on the ground.
Shoving his phone into his pocket, he left the rooftop with his team member.
Thoughts of the game had already flown out of his mind.
[Your second chance at life! Loading New Life… 10 hours 30 minutes remaining… 10 hours 29 minutes…]
At the regular barbecue restaurant, five people, including Deputy Lee Dong-su, were gathered.
"We worked so hard on this project, and they just pull this? It's outrageous!"
Perhaps because they were already on their second round, Dong-su's face was flushed as he vented.
"That parachute bastard even stole the Qatar deal that the team leader nearly closed and took all the credit for himself."
Another team member chimed in.
"That's not all. The messes that director caused? The team leader cleaned them all up. If it weren't for him, even a golden spoon like that guy wouldn't have lasted this long."
"No kidding."
It was like a full-blown roast as everyone tore into the director.
Jaesung gave a bitter smile and brought his soju glass to his lips.
"Team leader, is this really the end?"
Maybe because it was his first project, the youngest team member, who had worked harder than anyone, asked with a heavy expression. Jaesung replied with a troubled look.
"I'm sorry."
"What's there for you to be sorry about, team leader? It's all that damn director's fault."
"Exactly."
Thanks to the team members sticking by his side, Jaesung felt some comfort as he filled his empty soju glass.
The drinking session didn't end until well past midnight.
"Dong-su, let's hit the third round!"
Jaesung, leaning heavily on Dong-su's shoulder, caused him to stumble.
"Team leader, you've had way too much."
"I'm just so frustrated, that's why."
Jaesung pounded his chest, shouting as if in anguish.
"Why's the world so damn unfair? Parachutes, whatever, they can all go to hell!"
Having drunk far more than his usual limit, Jaesung was letting his true feelings slip.
Dong-su led the drunken Jaesung to the main road and hailed a taxi.
Sprawled in the backseat, dizzy from the alcohol, Jaesung muttered in frustration.
"All they've got is being born to rich parents, damn it… If I were a golden spoon, I could do so much better."
Feeling his eyes grow heavy, Jaesung fell asleep.
[2 hours 20 minutes remaining until loading complete…]
"Ugh, my head…"
Jaesung woke up with a throbbing hangover.
The amount he drank last night left him with a killer headache.
Squinting his swollen eyes, he noticed the room was pitch dark.
"What time is it… still night?"
He instinctively reached for his phone by the pillow, but nothing was there.
He always kept his phone next to his pillow, so where could it have gone?
"God, I didn't lose it, did I? I'm still paying it off."
If that were true, his life would really be hitting rock bottom.
Hoping his phone was safe, Jaesung dragged his aching body up.
As he stepped off the bed, his foot touched something soft, like a carpet.
"…?"
What's this?
There's no carpet in my room.
Jaesung realized the spot where his discarded clothes or delivery boxes should've been was oddly empty.
No, more than that, the ROOM felt bigger.
"What's this weird feeling?"
A sudden bad premonition hit him, and Jaesung stumbled to the window, yanking the curtains open.
Sunlight poured in, illuminating the room, and Jaesung's jaw dropped as he looked around.
"What the hell is going on…?"
What he saw was a large, modernly decorated bedroom.
It was just one room, but it felt several times bigger than his entire old apartment.
Panicking and looking around, Jaesung spotted a mirror on the wall and gasped.
"Wait a second."
He shouted in shock.
"This is my face?!"
Instead of the stressed-out 30-something office worker, the mirror reflected a youthful, vibrant young man staring back at him.
"This… this is what I made yesterday…?"
Though the face was unfamiliar, it felt oddly familiar. Then it hit him.
It was the face he'd crafted while messing with his phone on the company rooftop!
Jaesung stood frozen, unable to tear his eyes from the mirror.
As he touched his sharper jawline and neatly styled hair, a holographic message popped up in front of him, accompanied by a voice.
[Your second chance at life! New Life has begun.]
"Gah!"
Jaesung stumbled back, flailing his arms at the air.
The words were clearly visible, but he couldn't touch anything.
[Complete quests based on your level to earn points, which can be used to purchase items in the shop. We wish you success in your new life.]
As he read the message, a splitting headache hit him.
"Argh!"
Clutching his head and rolling on the floor, Jaesung felt foreign memories flooding in, shocking him.
The youngest son of the Jeil Group.