Chapter 1: Welcome to Shameless!
"That's my freaking bike! Hey!!!"
A little girl in a light green puffer jacket screamed furiously from across the snowy street.
Lip Gallagher, pedaling hard, turned his head back and yelled something that was quickly lost in the January wind.
Snowflakes drifted lazily through the gray Chicago sky — it was early winter, South Side weather at its finest.
Not long after Lip disappeared down the block, the rest of the Gallagher clan poured out of their house at 2119 North Wallace Street — Ian, Debbie, Liam, and Carl — all rushing off in different directions, as usual.
Everyone was in a hurry.
Except for Ian, who lagged behind a little.
It wasn't because he'd forgotten something — it was because someone was standing across the street, staring right at their house.
A tall, blond guy with sharp blue eyes.
Ian frowned, stealing another glance.
He didn't recognize him.
Probably some weirdo from another block.
Shrugging, Ian kept walking — he had a shift to make at Kash's store. But after passing by the stranger, something made him hesitate. Maybe curiosity, maybe instinct.
He turned around.
"Hey, man! Why are you staring at our house?"
There was a hint of shyness in his tone — typical Ian.
The blond man blinked, clearly not expecting to be called out.
His name was William Blake — an ordinary, well-behaved young man… or at least, he used to be.
Because just a few days ago, he had awakened memories from his previous life.
That's right — he had transmigrated.
Now, he was living in Chicago, in a perfectly average white middle-class family. Everything seemed normal… until his past life memories reminded him what year it was — 2010.
And what that meant.
Bitcoin.
He'd looked it up online: 10,000 Bitcoins for 8 dollars.
Eight. Dollars.
By 2025, that would be worth over a billion.
He almost fainted on the spot.
Sure, Bitcoin wasn't that popular yet, and getting that many coins might not be easy, but who cared? The moment he learned this, he knew one thing — his future was set. He was destined to live rich.
He'd even managed to contact a Bitcoin seller right there in Chicago, and was now on his way to seal the deal.
But as he passed by the house at 2119 Wallace, he couldn't shake off a strange sense of déjà vu.
When he saw the chaotic bunch spilling out of the doorway — Lip, Ian, Debbie, Carl — it finally hit him like a truck.
This wasn't his Chicago.
This was Shameless.
Yes — he'd crossed into the world of the American TV series Shameless.
A world where the Gallagher family ruled the South Side — a world filled with chaos, poverty, and moral bankruptcy.
In this show, "good people" were a rare species.
In fact, even people with normal morals were hard to find.
William looked at Ian's bashful expression and almost gagged.
"Sorry, I don't do beards or white socks."
"Huh? What do beards and white socks have to do with my house?" Ian asked, totally confused.
He couldn't tell if the handsome stranger was flirting or just insane.
William coughed awkwardly.
"Uh… nothing. Your house just looked familiar, that's all. Don't mind me."
Ian raised an eyebrow, shrugged, and walked off.
William, meanwhile, stood under the falling snow, staring at the familiar, crumbling Gallagher house.
He finally grinned.
"So… Shameless, huh?"
"System, you picked one hell of a world this time."
Truth be told, William had zero interest in getting too close to Ian.
After all, he knew exactly how Ian Gallagher's story went.
And he knew one thing for sure—
Ian Gallagher was not his type.
Nice guy? Sure.
Decent heart? Definitely.
But also a walking case of emotional chaos and bisexual confusion.
And William Blake, being brutally honest with himself, had to admit it—
He was homophobic as hell.
---
Ding!
[Detected contact with a key plot character. Task system initializing…]
[New Long-Term Mission: Change the fate of every member of the Gallagher family. Give them a dignified life.]
[This mission has no time limit.]
[Side quests will appear irregularly—stay alert, Host.]
William froze, a black line practically forming on his forehead.
"Change the fate of the Gallaghers?"
Was this system insane?
These people's destinies weren't something you could just "fix."
Their tragedies were baked into their DNA.
Every one of them was a walking time bomb of bad decisions.
And now the system expected him to save them all?
"You're kidding me, right?" he muttered.
"What next—fix Frank's liver and Debbie's daddy issues?"
---
Ding!
[New Task Detected: Inform Ian that Kash is not his perfect match.]
[Reward: Mastery in Freestyle Combat.]
William's foot froze mid-step.
Wait—
Free Combat Mastery?
That was no small thing.
Even if the "mission" sounded weird, that reward was pure gold.
A strong, healthy body was worth more than any pile of Bitcoin.
Money could buy anything except youth, health, and a decent night's sleep past fifty.
So yeah—this was a must.
"Guess I'm earning that skill today," he murmured.
---
He turned back and called out,
"Hey—are you Ian?"
Ian blinked in surprise. "Uh… yeah? Do I know you?"
Before William could answer, the door of 2119 Wallace Street creaked open again.
Out rushed Fiona Gallagher — clearly in a hurry, tugging her coat on while fumbling with her bag.
"Ian, why are you still here? Who's this?" she asked, glancing curiously at William.
Her eyes widened slightly.
He was tall, lean, very good-looking — the kind of man who looked wildly out of place on the South Side.
For a split second, a shameless thought crossed her mind:
He's too hot to ignore.
William offered a polite smile.
"Hi, Fiona. I'm not Ian's friend — just heard about you from Ginger."
He glanced toward the yard, where Ginger Gallagher — long gone, in the most literal sense — was buried.
"Ginger?" Ian blinked. "You mean… Aunt Ginger?"
Fiona frowned, thrown off for a moment.
But time was short — rent and the electric bill weren't going to pay themselves.
"Look, I've gotta get to work. Nice meeting you, uh—whoever you are. Bye!"
She hurried off down the street.
Both men couldn't help but watch her leave.
Even in her worn-out coat and scuffed boots, Fiona still carried that natural allure —
the messy charm of a woman who'd been through hell and somehow came out even more magnetic.
Ian noticed the way William was looking at her and sighed inwardly.
"Yup. Straight as a ruler," he thought, feeling oddly disappointed.
"Uh… well, Ginger's friend," Ian said awkwardly, "I've got work too. See you around."
He turned to leave.
---
William suddenly snapped back to his senses.
"Wait!" he blurted. "Ian — remember this. Kash isn't right for you!"
Ian froze. "What?"
William just shrugged and walked off without another word.
Ian stood there in confusion, staring after him.
"How the hell does he know about me and Kash?"
"Kash isn't right for me? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Is he threatening me? But why?"
"Or… does he like Fiona?"
"But why would someone like that need to play mind games?"
Ian's brain was on fire. None of it made sense.
Meanwhile, William couldn't care less.
He was already waiting for his system prompt.
---
Ding!
[Task complete: Inform Ian that Kash is not his perfect match.]
[Reward obtained: Freestyle Combat Mastery.]
William grinned.
"Finally."
As expected, a status screen appeared in his mind's eye:
[Host: William Blake]
[Skills: Freestyle Combat (Mastery)]
A warm pulse of strength surged through his body, like every muscle had been recalibrated.
He flexed his fingers and smiled to himself.
"Alright, Shameless. Let's see who saves who."