Surviving in The Idol Game (1)
A drizzle fell on the outdoor stage.
Clutching the slippery microphone tightly, I walked under the bright lights. The storm of complicated thoughts that had been stirring inside me calmed down in an instant.
I opened my eyes as I listened to the delicate melody of the gayageum1 blending richly with various instruments flowing out onto the stage.
***
“Alright, I’ll head in now.”
“Okay, good work.”
Leaving behind the jingling bell and the ever-bright convenience store lights, I quickly pulled out my fully charged smartphone. I had already downloaded the new game released at 10 a.m. on January 15.
〈Idol Survival: The Beginning〉, a mobile idol gacha simulation RPG. Despite its niche genre and emotional tone, its high quality had made it a hit in Korea, leading to a successful overseas launch. Although most of the hype had died down now, it was a game I had stuck with for over a year.
The newly released game was a spinoff from the developers of 〈Idol Survival: The Beginning〉, titled 〈Idol Survival: Step Up〉.
From the early reviews, it seemed the overall format was similar to its predecessor, but differences in the story and music showed that the developers had put real effort into it.
‘Weren’t people just complaining about them being money-hungry?’
Thinking back to when the news first dropped, and how everyone raged about the original game being abandoned for a sequel — it felt a bit ironic now.
The game was popular, sure, but it always stirred up as much drama as it did buzz.
‘Come to think of it, how did I even start playing this game?’
Right. I think it started during my time in the military.
“Still playing that game? Is it really that fun?”
“Yeah, it’s not bad.”
After finishing my duties, during the evening personal maintenance time, it had become routine to log into the game right after dinner. My bunkmate, who usually reads web novels, would often tease me.
“They told us to play games to relieve stress, but I think I gave you the wrong kind. Was it too intense for a pure soul like you?”
“Pure soul, my ass. I’ve seen it all now.”
My life had taken a major detour — starting university at 22, then enlisting right after the first semester. I used to spend that time watching online lectures. But after the news of my father’s death, I gradually let go of that routine. It just lost its meaning.
I gave vague replies while tapping away on the screen. If you completed enough quests, you could do one pull. A flash of purple burst on the screen.
“Wow, you keep pulling good stuff! Are you one of those ‘lucky hands’? Can I ask you to pull for me sometime?”
“I’ll charge you.”
“You cheap bastard.”
My bunkmate, who used to say he’d corrupted a pure soul by introducing me to this game, must’ve realized how seriously I was playing. I guess it showed.
But the feeling of time melting away was addictive. It was my first real taste of escapism, and once I started, I couldn’t stop. Soon, I became someone who couldn’t put the phone down during free hours.
“But seriously, your luck is amazing. Isn’t the rate for these pulls super low?”
Looking back, I think my bunkmate reacted so strongly because I’d settled on a gacha game after trying a few different ones. Gacha games were infamous for being predatory — games where money and luck dictated everything. Many people went bankrupt falling into this trap.
“It’s weird, but I’m always lucky in this one.”
Ironically, I, who had no luck in real life, had incredible luck in the game. That stark contrast was intoxicating, and I got hooked.
I started analyzing stats, chasing story clues, resetting over and over for the best routes — I turned into your typical hardcore gamer. The kind of person I used to scoff at for obsessing over mere data.
“I screwed up. Didn’t think you’d get this into it.”
I told him he was exaggerating, but maybe he wasn’t. I never thought I’d still be playing after getting discharged.
A year passed. At 24, after discharge, I worked part-time at a café by day and a convenience store by night. Since the new semester hadn’t started, I also did food deliveries to save up as much as I could. Even during those busy days, I never missed a daily login.
“I’m tired… why can’t I just stop playing this?”
The game had passed its 1st anniversary. I’d cleared almost all the content, and with no recent updates for two months, there wasn’t much left to do. Still, after every night shift, once I got home to my semi-basement room and got ready for bed, I’d instinctively open the game and check my data.
After logging into the account I’d built with so much effort and tapping around for about 10 minutes, I’d completed all the daily missions. With nothing else to do, my fingers wandered to the character screen. My main team, maxed out and decorated, filled the screen.
***
Lying under the blanket and staring at the screen, I eventually pressed “hold.” My tired reflection appeared on the blacked-out display.
I’d let go of a lot by then.
For the next two years, I planned to work hard, keep my grades barely acceptable, and prepare for civil service exams. Studying abroad or following my major wasn’t an option anymore.
Luckily, the national scholarship would cover tuition. If I saved and studied hard, life wouldn’t be so bad. It wasn’t hopeless.
A pine caterpillar should eat pine needles, after all.
Even though I knew sleeping only four hours a day without a break was wrecking my body, I couldn’t let go of anything just yet. I felt like I could still endure. Life still had its little joys.
Those were my days.
Now that the new game’s out, I guess life will feel worth living for a while again.
So, on the early morning of January 16, after finishing my night shift, I clicked on the 〈Idol Survival: Step Up〉 icon as soon as I left the convenience store. The anticipation had built up for nearly 20 hours, and I was buzzing with excitement.
As the game launched and the familiar logo appeared, I hurried to plug in my earphones. The cheap Bluetooth ones crackled with static, but the nostalgic BGM I’d heard all year rang in my ears.
The opening theme brought back vivid memories of when I first played the original game. I felt oddly moved. But I had no time to savor it out in the cold, so I tapped skip repeatedly. I’d read the story at home.
My ungloved hands were freezing in the chilly weather.
Still, I have to watch the gacha animation.
I kept switching hands in and out of my pockets while hitting skip at the right moments. Soon, the tutorial segment began.
Doing some quick math, I figured I could run three emulator instances on my laptop plus one on my phone. In two hours before bed, I could do 48 pulls. It was past 5 a.m., but the adrenaline rush made me wide awake.
Maybe I’ll just sleep two hours late today.
I’d cleared my schedule for the game release, so no deliveries tomorrow. Two hours less sleep wouldn’t be a big deal.
“Probably won’t get a UR though.”
Still, starting from scratch with a top-tier UR character would be a dream. But the chances were so low it was a joke. Even with my good luck, I’d only pulled two URs in a year.
Chasing that dream could mean losing sleep entirely.
If I keep this up, I’m gonna die young.
Grinding through youth like this… yeah, staying up all night wasn’t smart. I’d be driving again the day after tomorrow, and driving sleep-deprived would be dangerous.
Regaining a bit of realism, I tapped skip again — finally, the gacha screen popped up. I quickly signed my name. Same concept as before — signing documents?
Switching the phone to my other hand didn’t help much. My pocket was already cold. Maybe it was finally time to buy a new coat, but I couldn’t afford it.
Rubbing my icy hands together for warmth, I noticed at least my old phone got warm from overheating.
As I walked past yellow street lamps, a familiar office background appeared after a laggy loading screen. Then a cat started tearing open an envelope on the screen.
One cat, two cats, three… four… five?
More and more cats appeared. I brought the phone closer. I’d never seen more than five cats appear during a pull.
More cats usually meant a higher chance of rare items, so this should’ve been good. But the sheer number felt… off. Cats were now overflowing off the screen.
SCREEEEECH! CRASH! THUD!
Before I could process it, a deafening sound, a sudden impact, then collapse. I think I heard something in my body break.
Through blinding pain and a fading view, I saw the vehicle reversing hastily. The tires screeched across the rough ground.
Separated from reality, I saw rainbow-colored lights leaking from the cracked phone screen — and that was the last thing I saw.
GASP!
A loud inhalation. Was that me? Blinking through the haze, my vision cleared, and I saw an unfamiliar face.
Wide brown eyes trembled under furrowed brows. Early twenties, maybe? A youthful face — also shaking.
Why are they trembling? Are they sick? Wait — this is a familiar street. Not far from the convenience store where I worked. But—
“Why am I okay?”
Looking down, I saw my two legs standing firm. What? Why am I standing? How?
Didn’t my legs get crushed? Between the car and the wall…?
I thought I’d heard my bones break. As I was about to spiral deeper into thought, a shy voice interrupted.
“No, you’re not okay.”
“…Huh?”
“Huh?”
As I stared blankly at the stranger’s suddenly determined face, he continued.
“This might be rude for a first meeting, but… where did you live before this?”
Before I could respond, he kept talking rapidly.
“You were born in this country, right? How did you hide that face all this time? Is that even possible? Did you just come back from abroad? No, wait — it’s not like foreigners are blind, right? If a photo of you went up on SNS even once, you’d have debuted on the spot. Just breathing is entertaining enough to make me dizzy. Did you live in some remote mountain village cut off from the world? Why am I only seeing this face now? Your every moment in life deserves to be recorded and celebrated for generations!”
Though his tone was polite and his expression oddly serene, his sparkling eyes were intense.
The mental assault was so sudden, I was dazed. Is he serious? How can anyone say all that with a straight face? And what was going on? Right, there was an accident…
The memory of pain hit me like a wave, and my hand went cold. As fatigue and confusion washed over me, my mind began to shut down. Just before I blacked out again, a kind voice floated into my ears.
“I’m so overwhelmed and grateful I can hardly stand it. Would you mind coming to our agency so we can hear your full story?”
“I, um…”
“Even your voice is amazing.”
“….”
At that moment, all I wanted was to go home.
***
gayageum1 : 
hehe. new idol novel 💖
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