The night air felt colder than it should've.
Jin Tae stood on the sidewalk, chest still rising and falling unevenly, like his body hadn't fully accepted that it was allowed to breathe again. The pain was gone—but the memory of it lingered, sharp and suffocating.
He looked around.
Empty street.
Dim streetlights.
A couple flickering signs in the distance.
No one saw what just happened.
"…What the hell was that…"
His voice came out hoarse.
That… thing. That screen.
The words replayed in his head.
Penalty for failure: Death.
And it wasn't a joke.
He clenched his fist slightly, testing himself. No pain. No pressure. Nothing crushing his lungs anymore.
But he knew.
If he tried to ignore it again…
"…I'll die."
The words sat heavy in his chest.
For a moment, he just stood there, staring ahead like an idiot, trying to make sense of it all. A system? A quest? Headquarters?
It sounded like something out of a game.
Except games didn't try to kill you for saying no.
"…Headquarters…"
He muttered the word slowly, like saying it out loud would make it make more sense.
It didn't.
"What am I even supposed to do with that?"
His eyes shifted down the street.
He could go home.
That was the first thought that came to him.
Home meant walls. A place to think. A place to sit down and figure things out.
But almost immediately—
His phone buzzed again in his hand.
He didn't even need to look.
He already knew who it was.
That same message.
That same threat.
His jaw tightened.
"…Right."
Home wasn't safe.
If those guys showed up—
He didn't even want to finish that thought.
He exhaled slowly and started walking.
No destination. Just moving.
Anything was better than standing still and letting his thoughts eat him alive.
The streets slowly changed as he walked.
Bright lights faded into dim ones.
Crowds turned into scattered figures.
Noise turned into silence.
His footsteps echoed more clearly now.
Each step gave him just a little more space to think.
"Headquarters…" he muttered again.
Did that mean an office?
A building?
Did he need to own it?
Rent it?
Break into one?
"…Am I supposed to start a company or something?"
He let out a dry laugh.
"Yeah, right. With what money?"
He shoved his hands into his pockets.
This was ridiculous.
He just got fired.
He had debt collectors after him.
And now some floating screen was telling him to build a "headquarters" in 72 hours or die.
"…This is insane."
He shook his head.
"Like seriously… at least explain it properly."
He stopped walking for a second, staring up at the night sky like he was talking to something above him.
"You just show up, almost kill me, then throw a random quest at me? What kind of bullshit is that?"
Silence.
Nothing responded.
"…Yeah, figures."
He scoffed and started walking again.
"I don't even know what counts as a headquarters. Do I need a building? A room? A desk? What are the rules? What am I even doing?"
Still nothing.
His irritation grew.
"Are you even listening? Or do you just pop up to threaten me and disappear?"
The moment the words left his mouth—
A faint flicker appeared in front of him.
Jin froze.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
The screen appeared again.
Floating.
Silent.
But this time—
The text was different.
[User Feedback Detected.]
[Initializing Adaptive Guidance Module…]
[System Personalization Enabled.]
Jin blinked.
"…Adaptive… what?"
The screen shifted again.
[It seems you require clarification.]
[You may now ask questions regarding active quests.]
Jin stared at it.
For a few seconds, he didn't say anything.
Then—
"…So now you want to talk?"
[Correct.]
"…Wow."
He let out a breath, somewhere between annoyed and relieved.
"Okay… good. Because this makes zero sense."
He crossed his arms slightly.
"Let's start simple. What counts as a headquarters?"
The screen flickered almost instantly.
[A Headquarters is defined as a designated operational base.]
[Minimum requirements:]
A fixed location
User recognition of ownership or control
Intent to operate from the location
Jin frowned.
"…So I don't actually have to own it?"
[Ownership is not mandatory.]
[Control or claim is sufficient.]
"…That sounds illegal."
[Legality is not a requirement for completion.]
He let out a short laugh.
"Of course it isn't."
He rubbed his face.
"Alright… next question."
He paused, thinking.
"What kind of place are we talking about? Like… does size matter?"
[Larger locations provide greater long-term benefits.]
[However, any valid structure can qualify.]
"…So even something small works."
[Correct.]
He nodded slowly.
That helped.
A little.
"Then where am I supposed to find something like that in 72 hours?"
The screen paused for a second this time.
Then—
[Analyzing nearby viable locations…]
[Generating recommendations…]
Jin raised an eyebrow.
"…Wait, you can do that?"
[Yes.]
"…You couldn't do that five minutes ago?"
[Feature was not previously enabled.]
"…Right."
He sighed.
"Convenient."
The screen flickered again.
[Recommended Locations:]
Abandoned warehouse – Eungam-dong
Closed karaoke building – Sillim-dong
Vacant motel – Guro District
Jin leaned in slightly, reading.
"…Eungam-dong…"
That name rang a bell.
"…Isn't that place kind of… rough?"
[High crime rate detected.]
[Low civilian presence.]
[Low likelihood of interference.]
"…So basically a bad neighborhood."
[Correct.]
He scratched the back of his head.
"That's… actually not the worst idea."
If people avoided it, that meant fewer eyes.
Fewer problems.
And right now, that was exactly what he needed.
His thoughts shifted again.
"…Sillim-dong…"
He had heard stories about that place too.
Cheap. Crowded. Not exactly safe either.
And a closed karaoke building…
"…Might still have people hanging around."
Then the last one.
"…Guro…"
A motel.
Vacant.
That sounded… risky in a different way.
"Yeah, no. That's probably worse."
He exhaled slowly.
"…So basically you're telling me to go somewhere people don't go."
[Optimal strategy for current conditions.]
Jin nodded slightly.
"…Makes sense."
He looked back at the first option again.
Abandoned warehouse – Eungam-dong
An image started forming in his mind.
Dark building.
Broken windows.
Probably dirty.
Probably dangerous.
But—
"…No one would bother me there."
He let out a slow breath.
"…And I don't have many options anyway."
He glanced down the empty street behind him.
Then ahead.
Then back at the screen.
"…If I do this… it counts, right?"
[If requirements are met, quest will be completed.]
"…And I won't die."
[Correct.]
"…Great."
He ran a hand through his hair.
"…Just great."
For a moment, he just stood there again.
Thinking.
Weighing it.
This wasn't normal.
None of this was normal.
But the pain he felt earlier?
That was real.
Too real.
And he wasn't about to test it again.
"…Fine."
He straightened slightly.
"I'll go check it out."
The screen flickered once more.
[Location selected: Eungam-dong warehouse]
[Navigation available upon request.]
Jin let out a tired laugh.
"…You've got navigation too?"
[Yes.]
"…Of course you do."
He shook his head.
"…Alright."
He took a step forward.
Then another.
This time, he had a direction.
Not a good one.
Not a safe one.
But a direction.
And right now—
That was enough.
"…Let's see what kind of 'headquarters' I can build in a place like that."
The night swallowed him as he walked, the faint glow of the system screen hovering quietly at his side—no longer just a threat…
…but something that was starting to feel like a guide.
Or maybe—
Something worse.