It was an ordinary life.

“……”

Even now, when I think back, my life on Earth was nothing special.

A young man barely starting out in society, constantly pressed for money.

[Name: Kim Suhyuk]
[Age: 24]
[Residence: Incheon]

“Hm……”

Tap, tap.

Sitting in front of my computer, I tapped my desk with my index finger.

On the monitor, a program window with the title [Job Application] was open.

I had already filled out the personal details like my name, age, and address…

But below that— the sections for licenses or special skills were all blank.

“Ha… I don’t know.”

I leaned back against the chair’s backrest.

Creakkk…!!

The chair made an ominous sound as it tilted backward.

“…Should I take on another part-time job?”

I still had a long way to go before paying off my student loans.

After paying the rent, I’d probably have to live on rice and water for the rest of the month.

“Yeah. Whatever. I’ll just work harder and pay off the debt first.”

Part-time experience could be dressed up as customer service work and put on my résumé anyway, right?

The moment I picked up my phone to open the job app—

Thunk.

“Huh?”

In an instant,

My body floated in midair.

My vision spun round and round.

Thud—!!

A sharp pain struck the back of my head.

And when I opened my eyes again…

“I’m in another world~ is what you’re thinking.”

I nodded and looked at the teddy bear sitting in front of me.

Who knows how long it had been rolling on the ground— it was covered in dust, and there were reddish stains here and there.

Its name was Wilson.

He’s really smart and listens to me very well.

He loves listening so much that he hasn’t said a single word in a whole month, just kept on listening.

“What do you think, Wilson? Pretty stupid way to die, huh?”

Of all things, I had to bash my head on the dumbbell I bought for exercising.

“If I’d known this would happen, I should’ve cleaned up better.”

It was such a ridiculous death that you could almost call it a suicide disguised as an accident.

“And you know, I actually have a secret no one knows about.”

I leaned close and whispered into Wilson’s ear.

“Maybe because of that, I think something’s wrong with my brain. Every morning, noon, and night, I see something weird.”

[Would you like to act as the ‘Main Admin’ of the Otherworld Gallery?]

“This thing is seriously annoying.”

Like an ulcer inside my lip— that constant irritation. A blue window that appears anytime it wants and lights up like a rash when I touch it.

If there were a competition for ruining quality of life, those two would take first and second place side by side.

“So here’s the thing. I’m planning to die tomorrow.”

At that sudden declaration, Wilson’s ears perked up.

Ah, well— that’s just how it looked to me.

“I thought that since it’s another world, maybe I’d get to live like one of those harem protagonists from a novel. But reality isn’t a novel.”

How was I supposed to know that the world I got transported to was already post-apocalypse?

The city’s crawling with monsters that look like they’ve nailed saws into their mouths.

And the few people I’ve met were all bandits.

Still, that was fine.

Just knowing that other people existed was enough comfort.

But now, it’s been two months since I’ve seen another human being.

If I hadn’t found Wilson while moving shelters, I’d probably be a skeleton hanging from the ceiling by now.

Pretending to talk to him was the only thing keeping my sanity intact.

But even that had reached its limit.

“…F*ck. What the hell am I doing, talking to a doll?”

To be honest, I’d hit rock bottom mentally. Especially over the past week, it had gotten worse.

Living in a dark warehouse where no one came, barely breathing for fear of being heard for twenty-four hours a day.

You think I was always antisocial?

That I hadn’t gone outside in years?

Now I can tell you the truth.

It’s only happiness when you choose solitude yourself.

Being cut off from society against your will— that’s torture.

I’d already prepared everything.

There’s a chair in the middle of the warehouse. All I have to do is stand on it and hang myself.

“……”

Maybe that’s why— for my last day, I wanted to get rid of that damn blue window that kept hovering in front of my eyes.

“Fine. I’ll do it. I’ll be your Main Admin. Just for one day.”

After dozens of rejections, the blue window that had never budged finally disappeared with just a few words.

“…Huh.”

Honestly, it left me feeling strangely empty.

“…Forget it. I’ll just go to bed early today.”

I’ll snore all I want. Maybe talk in my sleep, too.

If a monster barges in while I’m asleep and ends my life? Even better. I was planning to die anyway.

But then—

[Hoo! Ha! Hoo! Ha!]
[F*ck, did the gallery open???]
[Who’s the Main Admin this time??]
[Launching a tactical nuke to celebrate the gallery’s grand opening]

“…Huh?”

[Hoo! Ha! Hoo! Ha!
– F*ck, I can finally breathe!!]

[Fck, the gallery’s open???
– Of course it’s open, that’s why we’re here, lol fckkkk]

“…Are these… people?”

As if they’d been waiting for the gallery to open, hundreds of new posts appeared every time I blinked.

So that means… there are this many people?

With trembling hands, I tapped on the blue window.

It felt like pressing on a plastic panel.

[Are you guys human?
Author: Main Admin
– Are you really human? Really, really?]

(Comments)
– Did you just ask if we’re human, you bastard?
ㄴ> What else would we be?
ㄴ> Lol, animals maybe.
– Is this Main Admin the clingy type? Kinda creepy;;
ㄴ> Don’t worry, they won’t cling to you;;
ㄴ> F*cker.

It hadn’t even been long since I uploaded the post, but comments started pouring in.

They were joking and rude, sure, but one thing was certain— they were people.

It felt like something tight inside me had finally burst open.

…Except for the “graphics card” post.

Damn it… I still can’t get that image out of my head.

Just how destructive can someone be with only text?!

‘Kraaaagh!’

I kept browsing the posts and comments for quite a while.

It felt like I was finally talking to real people again— like I was alive.

At the same time, I got a grasp on what this “gallery” was, and what my role here might be.

‘Is it literally a gallery? Like an online community back on Earth?’

Then I’m supposed to manage it?

[Actually, the Main Admin’s just an unpaid eraser slave;;]

That one post stood out among the flood of others, and I couldn’t help but nod.

“Then I guess I should do my job properly.”

[Would you like to ban this user?
Duration: 5 hours
Reason: Hate post upload]

That was the first time I drew my sword as the Main Admin.

Ding!!

At that moment, that now-familiar notification sound rang in my ears again.

Surprisingly, I didn’t find it annoying this time.

In fact, it was almost comforting.

[Main Admin Appointment Reward
– You have just taken your first step as the Main Admin of the Otherworld Gallery.
You may now choose one privilege to use in the gallery. Please choose carefully.]

“…A privilege?”

Ah— like the special abilities given to heroes in isekai stories?

Instead of superhuman powers, I got a skill for managing the gallery?

Disappointed? Not at all.

Actually, I was thrilled. Now that I had a way to talk to people, I had no reason to leave this room.

I had plenty of food stored up— enough to last a month if I rationed it carefully.

…Or so I thought, at least back then. In a good way.

[Privilege 1: Shop]
[Privilege 2: Video]
[Privilege 3: Gambling]

Three options.

And the right choice was obvious.

“…Of course it’s the Shop.”

Video? I could already guess what that meant.

Up until now, every gallery post had been pure text.

This must be a system that lets users record and upload videos.

Completely useless for me.

‘What would I even use that for?’

As for the third option, Gambling.

Also pointless right now.

You need something to wager before you can gamble.

The more I thought about it, the more certain I became of my choice.

[You have selected ‘Privilege 1: Shop.’]
[The Main Admin Shop is now open.]

Along with that message, another new window appeared before my eyes.

“…Wow.”

[Please select a category.]
[Food] [Weapons] [Daily Life]

Wait a second. Food? Did that mean it sells food?

My hand trembled as I pressed on [Food].

[Hard Rye Bread: 1 Coin
Bottled Water (500ml): 1 Coin
Gruel: 1 Coin
Canned Beans: 5 Coins
Canned Tuna: 5 Coins
Canned Vegetables: 5 Coins
Uncooked Rice: 4 Coins
…]

The list started with basic necessities like water and bread.

Then came staple crops like rice, potatoes, and sweet potatoes.

And finally— dishes from Earth I could still remember, like kimchi stew, soybean paste stew, and pork bone soup.

“…This is a revolution.”

I grabbed the toppled Wilson roughly by the arm.

“You think so too, right, Wilson?”

Yeah, I think so too.

That’s what it sounded like he was saying.

Whip!

I tossed Wilson onto the pile of straw in the corner of the warehouse.

You think I’m being rough with a friend? Not really. That shabby pile of straw is my bed.

I carefully lay down beside Wilson and scanned the blue window— or as a fantasy novel would call it, my “status screen.”

And then I found it.

“…Possessed Coins: 100.”

A hundred loaves of bread— that’s a hundred days’ worth of food.

A hundred bottles of water— two hundred days’ worth of drinking supply.

I had been given enough money to secure all that.

“…No. They said the reward was for taking my first step as the Main Admin.”

Then maybe these coins were also tied to my duties as the Admin?

Growl!

Just as I was getting serious, my stomach interrupted.

Come to think of it, hadn’t it been about eight hours since my last meal?

I reached into the bag of bread in the corner. The damp, soggy texture made my skin crawl.

“This one’s moldy already, tsk… is this one okay?”

As I picked through the edible pieces, a thought occurred to me.

If I could buy food now, why bother eating this garbage?

“…How much was the kimchi stew again?”

[Kimchi Stew: 20 Coins]

An enormous price— the equivalent of twenty loaves of bread and twenty bottles of water.

But I pressed the purchase button without hesitation.

Then, out of nowhere, a metal delivery container appeared before me, and its lid slid open.

Inside was—

“Kimchi stew…!!”

Steam rose from the red broth, and beside it sat two bowls of rice.

It had cost me a hefty 24 coins, but it didn’t feel wasteful at all.

No spoon came with it, unfortunately, but that didn’t matter.

This was a warehouse— there were plenty of utensils lying around.

Using a wooden box as a makeshift table, I scooped up a spoonful of the stew.

The spicy aroma had already filled the air since the container appeared, making my mouth water.

Slurp…

“……!!”