The fluorescent lights of the convenience store buzzed like angry wasps above Kang Min-joon's head. He stood behind the counter, counting coins for the third time, hoping the numbers would somehow change. They never did.
"Two hundred won short," he muttered, staring at the small pile of money.
His phone vibrated. Another message. Min-joon did not need to look to know what it said. The collectors always sent reminders at exactly 11:47 PM, thirteen minutes before his shift ended.
A customer walked in. Min-joon looked up and forced a smile onto his tired face.
"Welcome," he said, his voice flat.
The man ignored him and walked straight to the instant noodle section. Min-joon watched him grab three cups and a can of coffee. Regular customer. Always bought the same things. Never made eye contact.
The automatic doors opened again. This time, Min-joon's stomach dropped.
Two men in black suits entered. One was tall and broad, with a scar running down his left cheek. The other was shorter, wearing glasses that reflected the harsh lights. They were not here to buy anything.
"Kang Min-joon?" the shorter one asked, though he clearly already knew the answer.
"Yes," Min-joon replied.
The regular customer grabbed his items and hurried to the counter. Min-joon rang up the purchase with shaking hands. The man paid exact change and left without a word, walking quickly past the suited men.
Now the store was empty except for the three of them.
"Your payment is late," the tall one said. "Three months late."
"I know," Min-joon said. "I am working on it."
"Working on it?" The shorter man laughed. It was not a kind sound. "Your father's debt was fifteen million won when he died. With interest, it is now forty-two million. You are twenty years old and you make minimum wage at a convenience store. How exactly are you working on it?"
Min-joon had no answer. The truth was, he would never pay it off. Even if he worked every day for the rest of his life, the interest grew faster than he could earn. His father had borrowed money from the wrong people and gambled it all away before stepping in front of a train. That was four years ago. The debt passed to Min-joon and his younger brother, Park Tae-hyun. Well, Tae-hyun was not actually his brother by blood, but they grew up together after Min-joon's mother took him in. That made him family.
"We are tired of waiting," the tall man said. He stepped closer to the counter. "You have two choices. Pay us fifty million won by the end of the month, or your brother takes your place."
"Tae-hyun has nothing to do with this," Min-joon said quickly. His hands gripped the edge of the counter. "Leave him alone."
"Then pay the debt."
"I need more time."
The shorter man sighed and pulled out his phone. He tapped the screen a few times, then turned it around to show Min-joon a photo. It was Tae-hyun, leaving his high school. The photo was taken today.
"Nice boy," the man said. "Good student. It would be a shame if something happened to him."
Cold fear spread through Min-joon's chest. He wanted to jump over the counter and smash the phone. He wanted to scream. But he knew that would only make things worse.
"One month," the tall man said. "Fifty million won. Do not make us come back."
They turned and walked out. The automatic doors closed behind them with a cheerful chime.
Min-joon stood frozen for a long moment. Then his legs gave out and he sank to the floor behind the counter. His hands were shaking so badly he could barely hold his phone when he pulled it out to check the time.
11:58 PM.
Two more minutes until his shift ended. Then he had to walk home, sleep for four hours, and wake up for his morning shift at the construction site. After that, he would come back here for another night shift. This was his life. Every day, the same routine. Work, sleep, work, sleep. And the debt just kept growing.
His phone screen lit up with a new notification.
Min-joon frowned. It was not from the debt collectors. It was from an app he had never seen before. The icon was a red circle with a black keyhole in the center.
He tapped on it.
The screen went black. Then words appeared in glowing red text.
WELCOME TO THE DEBT SYSTEM.
YOU HAVE BEEN SELECTED.
CURRENT DEBT: 42,000,000 WON.
COMPLETE TASKS TO REDUCE YOUR DEBT.
REFUSE TASKS AND YOUR DEBT WILL INCREASE.
FIRST TASK WILL BEGIN IN 10 SECONDS.
Min-joon stared at the screen. This had to be a prank. Some kind of virus. He tried to close the app, but the screen would not respond to his touch.
9 SECONDS.
"What is this?" he whispered.
8 SECONDS.
He tried to turn off the phone. Nothing happened.
7 SECONDS.
His heart was pounding now. This was not normal.
6 SECONDS.
5 SECONDS.
The lights in the convenience store began to flicker.
4 SECONDS.
A loud ringing filled Min-joon's ears.
3 SECONDS.
The floor beneath him started to shake.
2 SECONDS.
He tried to stand up but his body would not move.
1 SECOND.
TASK BEGINNING.
The world went white.