I felt like I had woken up… but it wasn't a real awakening.
Everything felt like a dream—too real, yet something was off.
"Mom… Dad…"
I called out to them. My voice echoed through the room, but no answer came. The house was silent. Strange.
I searched for them… but no one was there.
For some reason, my chest tightened.
But then, I lay back down. My eyes closed on their own.
And this time… I truly woke up.
"Mom…"
"Yes?"
My mother's voice responded. This time, everything felt normal.
"I think I had a strange dream…"
She didn't reply. As if it didn't matter.
After a short silence, I spoke again:
"I'm hungry. Is there anything to eat?"
"Yes, there are potatoes. Want some?"
"Of course."
A normal day. A normal conversation. Everything seemed fine.
I stepped outside.
And then…
I froze.
"What…?"
The street was dark.
"Is it night…?"
My heart started beating faster.
"Did I really sleep that long…?"
I couldn't understand how time had passed.
My mom told me to go buy something from the store, so I started walking.
But then…
My steps slowed down.
I began to hear something.
A voice.
Low… unclear… yet strangely pulling me in.
I turned toward it.
I wanted to stop.
But my body wouldn't listen.
It felt like someone was controlling me.
Like hypnosis…
No—something worse.
Something was dragging me in.
And in the next moment…
I disappeared.
…
When I opened my eyes—
Darkness.
Cold.
No one around me.
I was standing in an empty, unfamiliar city.
This place… was strange.
But…
"I've seen this before…"
I slowly looked around.
The buildings. The streets. The atmosphere.
Everything felt familiar.
I noticed a person nearby and approached them.
"Where is this place?"
They looked at me calmly and said:
"This… is the Starting City."
…
My heart almost stopped.
I remembered.
I knew this place.
This was…
The starting city from the game I used to play.
I stood there in silence.
I was shocked.
Not happy.
Not sad.
Because this…
Was both amazing…
And terrifying.
I loved this game.
And many times…
I had wished to be inside it.
I knew this city very well.
"Heh…"
Without hesitation, I headed straight to the best place I knew.
The night karaoke.
That's right… this was perfect.
Since I was inside the game, I could enter without any trouble.
And so I did.
Inside, the place was filled with half-dressed girls, music, and noise.
For a moment, I forgot everything else.
I was about to approach one of the girls—
But before I could say anything…
Her boyfriend showed up.
Well… you can probably guess what happened next.
…
I needed to open my inventory!
"Open…! Come out…! Show yourself…!"
I tried everything I could think of.
Nothing worked.
Then, I focused…
And imagined it in my mind.
Suddenly—
It appeared.
"…!"
So that's how it works.
In that moment, I realized something important.
I was using my own account.
The one I had spent so much time building.
My level… was high.
Very high.
And more importantly…
I had secretly installed cheats in this game.
With this power…
I could do anything I wanted.