As Ji Hyo sat in the hospital bed, lost in thought, something flashed before his eyes.
A screen.
Floating. Right in front of him.
[Ding!]
[Welcome, Host. Your new identity: Ji Hyo Hyun]
[Your mission: Fulfill the original body's wish.]
[→ Become a Top Idol.]
Ji Hyo froze.
His brain malfunctioned.
"…Excuse me?"
He stared at the glowing words in disbelief.
His hand instinctively lifted. He reached out to touch it— And grasped at nothing. He tried again.
Nothing. Another attempt. Still nothing.
From the outside, it looked like he was swiping aggressively at the air like an idiot.
And of course— Everyone in the room saw him.
A heavy silence filled the space. Then—
Jun Ji Hyun burst into tears.
"MY BABY! FIRST MEMORY LOSS, NOW HE'S CRAZY!"
She collapsed onto her husband, sobbing dramatically.
"SU HYUN, I THINK WE HAVE TO ACCEPT IT! OUR SON HAS NOW LOST HIS MIND!"
Nam Su Hyun rubbed his temples in silent suffering.
The doctors looked at each other awkwardly, not sure if they should intervene.
Ji Hyo finally realized how stupid he must've looked.
His face burned with embarrassment.
He dropped his hands immediately and coughed. "Uh—it's nothing. I was just… stretching?"
Jun Ji Hyun sniffled loudly. "Stretching?! You were SWIPING AT AIR!"
She dramatically grabbed his hands, inspecting them. "DID SOME EVIL SPIRIT POSSESS YOU?!"
Ji Hyo wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Meanwhile, the floating screen was still there.
[Mission Reminder: Become a Top Idol.]
Ji Hyo mentally screamed.
"TOP IDOL?! ME?! WHO WROTE THIS SCRIPT?!"
The words blinked at him mockingly, the glowing text looking way too real to be a hallucination.
[Mission: Become a Top Idol.]
"Top idol? Me?"
He was still processing the absurdity of the situation when—
A calm, robotic voice echoed directly in his head.
[Hello, Host. I am Bixiry89275, your system guide. I will assist you in completing your mission.]
Ji Hyo nearly jumped out of the hospital bed, panic flooding his chest.
"What the hell?! Who—?! What was that?!"
His thoughts were frantic, but he wasn't speaking out loud. It was all inside his head.
And yet—the voice answered anyway.
[You don't need to speak out loud, Host. I'm connected directly to your consciousness.]
Ji Hyo froze.
"…You can hear my thoughts?"
[Correct. I am Bixiry89275, a guidance system assigned to help you fulfill your mission.]
"This is insane. A voice in my head? What are you even supposed to be?"
[I am not just a voice, Host. I am your system—a fully integrated guide designed to help you complete your assigned objective in this life.]
Ji Hyo stared at the ceiling blankly.
"Okay. I've officially lost my mind."
[No. You've simply awakened your system access. Congratulations.]
[The original owner of this body wished to become a top idol. Your mission is to accomplish that goal.]
Ji Hyo felt his stomach drop. His mouth opened and closed like a fish before he finally found his voice.
"But why me?! Did I die?!"
"I've read tons of novels like this! This kind of thing only happens after some tragic accident—like getting hit by a truck or falling off a building!"
He ran a hand through his hair, trying to convince himself this wasn't some ridiculous fever dream.
"I was completely fine in my previous life! Actually, I was JUST about to enjoy it!"
His free, worry-free life. No more beatings. No more stress. No more dealing with his father's constant yelling, broken bottles, or drunk tirades. Just pure, peaceful freedom.
And yet—
Now he was here. In someone else's body. With a glowing floating screen. And a ridiculous mission.
[Host, you are not dead.]
The voice remained eerily calm, as if it wasn't currently turning Ji Hyo's world upside down.
[However, you were chosen because—]
Ji Hyo inhaled sharply, bracing himself. Surely, this was the moment he'd hear something epic.
"Maybe I'm the reincarnation of a divine being?"
"A hero destined to save the world?"
"A chosen vessel of cosmic importance?"
Then—
[—as you have likely noticed, you have a poor and unfortunate soul.]
Ji Hyo blinked. "…Huh?"
[Statistical analysis reveals your life was remarkably pitiful.]
[Your social relationships: virtually nonexistent.]
[Your financial stability: abysmal.]
[Parental support: negative.]
[Mental well-being: questionable at best.]
[To put it in simpler terms, Host: you were, and I quote— "miserable as hell." ]
Ji Hyo sat there, speechless.
[You were selected for this mission because your life was so tragic, the system determined you had nothing to lose. You are, in essence, the perfect candidate for rebirth.]
[Your existence was deemed a "low-risk-high-yield opportunity for mission optimization."]
[Congratulations.]
Ji Hyo: "…"
His soul left his body and came back twice.
He stared at the screen, deadpan. "So… you're telling me…" He took a deep, soul-crushed breath. "I was chosen… because my life sucked beyond belief?"
[Correct, Host.]
[You are a prime example of an existence that had hit rock bottom and was still somehow digging.]
Ji Hyo clutched his chest.
"That's not even an answer anymore. That's a personal attack."
[Acknowledged.]
[Would you like to proceed with the mission briefing or continue sulking in existential despair?]
"…I want to cry."
[That is a natural response. Would you like me to initiate a self-pity playlist?]
"I… what?"
[Playlist Title: "Songs to Drown Your Sad Life In" – Volume 1]
"I changed my mind. I want to punch you."
[Noted, Host. Physical retaliation against the system interface is currently unavailable. Try again later.]
Ji Hyo lay back against the bed, eyes dull and lifeless.
"My life wasn't supposed to be like this…"
[Your previous life wasn't much better, statistically speaking.]
"STOP TALKING!"
Ji Hyo stared at the ceiling.
"I hate it here."
Before Ji Hyo could say anything more—or before the system could drop another emotionally scarring line—a voice from reality cut through the air.
"Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Uhmm excuse me."
The doctor's voice pulled him back from his internal spiral.
Ji Hyo blinked and turned toward the doctor, who was now standing at the foot of the bed with a clipboard in hand, a polite smile on his face.
"Since your sons'' tests came back normal. Physically, he's perfectly healthy. I recommend plenty of rest. In cases like this, memory often returns naturally in due time."
"So… I can go home now?" Ji Hyo asked.
The doctor nodded. "Yes. You can be discharged today."
At that moment, Nam Su Hyun—who had been silently watching from the corner with a stiff expression—visibly relaxed.
"Finally, some good news," he muttered under his breath, almost as if it was too tiring to deal with another hour in this hospital full of chaos and melodrama. "Let's go home then," he added with a small sigh of relief.
Ji Hyo still had a thousand questions swimming in his head—about the system, about this "mission," and about his body's original life—but before he could say a word…
"ALRIGHT! Let's get moving!"
Jun Ji Hyun was already bustling around like a whirlwind, helping him off the bed before he could even lift a finger.
"Careful, careful! Hold on to me—there we go!"
"Wait—Um, I'm good, I can walk on my own—"
"Shush! Don't fight your mother's love!"
Ji Hyo could barely keep up as she swept him out of the room, still chattering at a volume loud enough to echo through three floors.
"We'll stop by the pharmacy on the way, then I'll make some chicken porridge at home—you liked that, right? Or was it seaweed soup? No, wait, maybe you preferred bulgogi—oh, whatever, I'll just make everything!"
Ji Hyo: "…Are we feeding a village?"
But he didn't say it aloud. He simply nodded blankly, letting himself be ushered along as if he had zero autonomy. It wasn't until they reached the hospital's front entrance that he noticed something truly shocking.
A car. A sleek, polished, silver sedan was parked right in front of them.
"Wait… Is this… ours?" Ji Hyo asked, almost hesitantly, pointing toward it.
"Of course! You think I'd let my precious son ride a bus after collapsing? Get in, get in!"
Ji Hyo stared at the vehicle with wide eyes. He hesitated a moment before opening the passenger door and sliding in. The seat was warm, the upholstery soft, and the air smelled faintly of lavender and leather. It was… comfortable. Foreign. Luxurious.
"Is this what wealth feels like…?"
He couldn't help but smile a little. This was the first time in his entire life he had ridden in a car—not a bus, not a cab, not even a rusty bicycle cart. His family had been too poor before. Even taxis were a distant luxury.
But now? He was sitting in a car. A real, expensive car.
[Host seems to be experiencing joy. Fascinating.]
The system's voice chimed in again. Ji Hyo ignored it. He was too busy feeling the smooth hum of the engine and the way the world passed by through the window.
His mother, in the meantime, never stopped talking.
"Did you know we installed a brand-new flat-screen TV last month? Oh! And we got a fancy new refrigerator. Your room's been upgraded too—I had it remodeled just last week! Wait till you see it!"
Ji Hyo sat there in quiet awe, glancing occasionally at the mirror where his mother's reflection gleamed as she kept babbling on.
It was… a lot.
But even so, he couldn't help but think:
"This world may be absurd. That system may be crazy. But… maybe this isn't so bad."
Then again, he still had a mission to become a top idol, whatever that meant.
[Reminder: Mission objective remains active. Orientation will begin shortly.]
Ji Hyo sighed again, resting his forehead lightly against the window.
"Just let me enjoy the car ride first…"