Chapter 1: The Stressful Routine
Kang Jin Woo sat at his desk, staring at the computer screen. Lines of code blurred together, making his head spin. It was another long day at work, and he could feel the weight of stress pressing down on him like a heavy backpack full of rocks.
“Just one more bug to fix,” he muttered to himself, tapping away at the keyboard. The office was quiet except for the clicking of keyboards and the soft hum of fluorescent lights. He looked around at his colleagues, each buried in their own worlds.
Jin Woo sighed. “I swear, if I see one more error message, I might just explode.” He rubbed his temples, wishing he could escape to a place where laughter ruled instead of deadlines.
Suddenly, his boss, Mr. Park, burst into the room. “Jin Woo! I need that game ready by Friday!” His voice boomed like a thunderstorm. Jin Woo felt a chill run down his spine.
“Sure, no problem!” Jin Woo forced a smile, but inside, he was screaming. He had been working on this game for months, and it still wasn’t fun enough. He wanted it to make people laugh, to help them forget their worries, but how could he do that when he felt like a walking zombie?
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. “What if I made a game where everyone just trips over their own feet? That could be funny… right?” He chuckled at the thought, imagining characters slipping on banana peels and faceplanting in mud.
“Or what about a game where the main character can’t remember why he walked into a room? Every time he opens a door, it’s a surprise!” He burst out laughing, picturing a hero who got lost in his own house.
“Jin Woo!” Mr. Park snapped, bringing him back to reality. “Focus! This is serious!”
“Right, serious,” Jin Woo said, rolling his eyes. He returned to his screen, but his mind wandered back to his silly ideas. What if he could escape this boring life? What if he could create a world filled with joy and laughter?
As the clock ticked down to midnight, he poured himself another cup of coffee. “Just one more hour,” he told himself. “Then I can go home and think about all the ridiculous games I want to make.”
With that thought in mind, he took a deep breath and went back to work. Little did he know, this was the last hour he would spend in the office for a while.
As he typed, his coffee cup tipped over, spilling dark liquid all over his keyboard. “Oh no!” Jin Woo cried, trying to save his precious machine. But it was too late. The keyboard sparked and fizzled.
Suddenly, a bright light enveloped him. “What the—!” He shouted, but his voice was drowned out by a loud whooshing sound.
And just like that, Jin Woo vanished from his boring office, leaving behind the chaos of work.