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Stella is currently the top company in the VR virtual reality gaming industry, recognized by everyone.

Stella, which strives to create experiences as close to reality as possible, has consistently released games with such intricate realism that it’s hard to distinguish them from reality, astonishing people.

Honestly, when Stella’s CEO first approached me with that proposal, I was skeptical.

I couldn’t even grasp how they planned to recreate the world inside my brain-dead sister’s head. Moreover, Sora hadn’t even finished her novel. It was hard to understand the necessity of turning such an unfinished world into a game.

Contrary to my thoughts, CEO Park was actually interested because the novel was unfinished.

“Actually, it’s better this way. Isn’t it the players who will complete the unfinished story? That’s exactly what I wanted. Haha.”

At that time, I didn’t understand CEO Park’s words, but not long after, when I experienced the world inside Sora’s head firsthand, I finally got it.

The fact that the conclusion of the story unfolding in this vast world rested in my hands was thrilling enough.

Sora’s world was like a direct translation of the novel I had read. The characters I had only encountered through text were there, exactly as I had imagined, and being able to communicate with them was truly amazing.

What made this possible was a device developed by Stella called Milky Way-027, commonly known as ‘Milky Way.’

Originally, Milky Way was designed for medical purposes, to scan and analyze the brains of patients declared brain-dead and supplement the missing parts.

However, CEO Park saw much greater potential in Milky Way and acquired the technology, repeatedly refining it to integrate it into gaming. Sora became the first test subject of the newly improved Milky Way-027.

From a brother’s perspective, it was a bittersweet story.

It felt like I had sold her to the company by signing the papers, regardless of her will.

Although it’s not much of a compensation, Sora was in a much more stable condition than when she was in the hospital.

Five dedicated doctors from the company checked and managed her health daily. While she used to have seizures occasionally in the hospital, now there were none at all.

Sora’s face, lying on the bed, looked incredibly peaceful. Seeing my sister’s serene face, who might have to live her entire life as a game server lying in bed, made me feel like I was going crazy with guilt.

“Mr. Ji-hwan.”

What would have been the right choice?

Should I have left her in the hospital? Or should I have stopped life support and ensured her dignity as a human being in her final moments?

“Mr. Ji-hwan.”

And is it okay to complete the world my sister dreamed of and wrote about in this way? Just because I’m her brother?

“Mr. Ji-hwan!”

“Ah, yes?!”

Snapping out of my thoughts, I saw Assistant Manager Park Se-hee in front of me. She abruptly handed me the coffee she was holding.

“My arm hurts, so take it quickly. It’s an iced Americano, right?”

“Ah?! Sorry.”

As I took the coffee, Assistant Manager Park shook her head.

“Were you thinking about Sora again?”

“Well…”

“You only space out like that when you’re thinking about your sister.”

I couldn’t deny it. Whether she’s perceptive or I’m just obvious.

“You must be feeling conflicted. The meeting earlier and all…”

The reason for the meeting was essentially to move up the service launch. They wanted to shorten the schedule from about two years to one year.

“Yeah. It’s a bit conflicting. Increasing the number of tests and accumulating dummy data might put a strain on my sister’s brain…”

“Hmm. I’m more worried about you than Sora.”

“Huh?”

“Even now, your original work schedule is so tight that you practically live at the company. If they push the schedule even further, your body won’t hold up. But the CEO is so adamant about it…”

“I’m fine…”

“Fine? What’s fine about it? Honestly, the CEO and the higher-ups have no idea how much you’re suffering.”

Assistant Manager Park, clearly displeased, vented her frustration and took a sip of her coffee.

“…I’m not in a position to refuse. I joined this company solely as Sora’s brother, and the only thing I can help with is logging into the game to test it.”

“But…”

“It’s okay. It’s more convenient for me to log in directly until Sora stabilizes. I don’t want others logging in unnecessarily, and there’s a limit to how many times I can log in per day.”

“That’s true, but… sigh, it just seems like you’re the only one suffering, and it’s heartbreaking…”

Assistant Manager Park sighed with pity. Despite her usual strictness, she seemed to have been worried about me all along.

“Thank you for your concern, Assistant Manager. If it gets too hard, I’ll definitely talk to you or the CEO, so don’t worry.”

As I said that, I took out my phone and checked the video I had recorded of my sister. It showed her lying on the bed and me awkwardly waving beside her.

“Huh? That video… Did you record it after the meeting before coming down?”

“Ah, I wanted to show it to her when I log in later. I don’t think she’s seen herself properly yet…”

“…You’re such a dependable brother.”

Assistant Manager Park leaned in close to get a better look at the video. She sometimes doesn’t grasp personal space well. It’s usually fine, but today it’s a bit uncomfortable.

“Honestly, every time I log in to test, I hope to see my own reflection. Even if it’s not visible, it’s inside Sora’s head, after all. Of course, I’m not sure if she can see it even if I record and show her…”

“She’s probably watching. You’re her only brother, after all.”

“Do you think so?”

“Yes. If it’s Sora, she’ll definitely be grateful.”

Her soothing voice comforted me.

But apart from that, I’m very self-conscious.

I only washed my face today, so I must smell. Isn’t it awkward? Such worries started creeping up when…

‘Uh…?’

I saw my coffee on the table tilting precariously. And it was leaning towards Assistant Manager Park beside me.

There was no time to think. I quickly reached out to grab the coffee, but I was a bit too late.

Splash.

I failed to catch the coffee, but thankfully, I managed to change its direction. The problem was…

“Ahhh?!”

My thigh, which took the brunt of the spill, was not just damp but freezing cold.

“What do I do! Mr. Ji-hwan, are you okay?!”

“Ah… No. I’m not okay.”

It was my last spare pair of pants…

*

Slap-!

“I must have misjudged you.”

Even though I turned off the pain sensor, my cheek still stung. When I looked up, a silver-haired woman was glaring at me with a cold expression.

None other than the empire’s peerless beauty, Princess Bella Izakhel.

She wiped the hand that had just slapped my cheek with a handkerchief, as if it had touched something dirty.

“Disappointing. Count, do you think everything can be solved with money?”

“Huh… What can’t be?”

I smirked bitterly and looked at her.

“Unwavering loyalty, unchanging affection—all are futile in the face of a hefty sum.”

“…You’ve changed a lot, Count. You weren’t this vulgar before.”

“Sorry for being vulgar. Money is everything to me now. So, how much do you want? How much should I pay to buy you?”

“How much do I want? You… No, forget it. It’s pointless to talk further.”

Bella, as if there was no more value in listening, turned and headed for the door. I muttered to her back.

“It’s fascinating. I can’t even begin to estimate how much it would take to buy you…”

“…Think about it until you die, Count. Even if you give me everything you have, you’ll never possess my heart.”

Bang!

With those words, Bella slammed the door and left. Only then did I drop the villainous expression I had been wearing.

“Phew. Good. So far, it’s just like the original.”

I paused and checked the system window.

[Connection Status: Developer Mode]

[User Info: Tristan Ruelberta (Temporary)]

[Occupation: Count Ruelberta]

[Details: Hidden (Expand)]

[Connection Count: 35th time]

Already this much in just one day…

My official job is a game tester.

My main task is to check if this world follows the original story’s flow and if there are any errors in between.

“Sigh… But it really looks just like me.”

Looking at the mirror beside me, I marveled at my reflection. They said they modeled Tristan after me, and it really looks just like me.

Honestly, when I read the novel, it didn’t resonate much because it was just text, but becoming Tristan like this feels like wearing a perfectly fitting shoe. Plus, since I’ve gained weight, it’s eerily similar and surprising.

The reason I’m testing the game as Tristan isn’t because I was modeled after him or because I have any affection for the character.

It’s just that Tristan was left incomplete, and there was no other choice.

Doctors and developers said the reason Tristan remained unfinished was largely due to Sora’s head injury from the accident. Her memory of Tristan in her head was damaged.

Of course, that’s probably true, but I think the fact that Tristan was a relatively late-created character also played a role. Perhaps the impact of the accident before the character was fully developed manifested this way.

So, in a way, it was inevitable that I became a game tester.

As the person who knows Tristan best after Sora, only I could fill in the gaps in the world my sister created.

I log in as Tristan almost every day to test repeatedly. I act as closely to the original as possible and check every reaction around me. The data gathered this way will later help in creating Tristan’s AI.

“Phew… But seriously, when will this end…”

Even though I’ve done 35 runs today, in terms of overall progress, it’s barely 5-10%. At this rate, even if two years is tight, we might manage to complete it. But reducing it to one year as CEO Park wants is impossible.

“Sigh… Sora, can you see me?”

I was about to mutter something she wouldn’t hear anyway but stopped. How could I complain to my sister?

Checking the time, it’s already 4 a.m.

I ended up pulling another all-nighter at the company.

I should stop here. It’s not just the time; I’m worried about side effects if I stay logged in any longer.

“Oops… I need to delete the Dummy World before I go.”

Dummy World is a temporary world created with each repeated run. Simply put, it’s like multiple save files piling up in auto-save mode. The more Dummy Worlds there are, the more strain it puts on Sora’s brain, so I must remember to delete them.

“First, extract the data from the Dummy World…”

-Wow. You’re working late. Good job.

“Huh?”

The sudden voice made me stop deleting the Dummy World.

“Is that voice… CEO Park?”

-Yes. Can you hear me well? Haha.

Could he still be at the company at this hour?

“Ah… Sorry. I was about to finish up and leave…”

-No, don’t worry. I’m the one who should apologize for disturbing someone so engrossed in their work.

“Are you still at the office, CEO?”

-Ah, I had some work to do today. Hahaha.

CEO Park’s voice, unlike mine, was lively. It was hard to believe he had been working at the company until this hour.

When I first met him at the hospital, CEO Park was an enigmatic person. I could never figure out what he was thinking. Plus, his title as CEO made it even harder for me to approach him.

‘Ah, right…’

Since it’s come to this, maybe I should bring it up.

Preparing for the service launch within a year is impossible.

“Uh… CEO?”

-Yes?

“About what you mentioned in the meeting yesterday… That’s probably-”

-Ah, right, speaking of which, Jung Ji-hwan. You’re the model for Tristan, right?

“Huh? Ah… Yes, that’s right.”

I was about to ask a question but ended up being asked instead. But with CEO Park’s unpredictable nature, it’s a common occurrence.

-Ah, I heard right! I just saw you acting as Tristan earlier, and it was amazing! You are Tristan the villain himself!

“Uh… Um… Yes… Thank you…?”

Why is he suddenly complimenting me? What’s his angle? I was just accepting it casually when CEO Park said something utterly baffling.

-So, I’ve been thinking. Wouldn’t it be best if you just became Tristan? It would save time.

“Huh? Me… become Tristan?”

-Yes! You’re the perfect candidate!

“No… What are you…”

Until then, I thought he was joking.

-I hate mediocrity. I despise those shoddy NPCs in online games that give the same answers to players’ questions! They’re fakes! Pretending to be alive, mere imitations! What I want to create isn’t those fakes! It’s NPCs that feel alive!

CEO Park’s voice grew louder, as if excited.

“Ah, yes, CEO. I understand, but calm down first…”

-But do you know what, Jung Ji-hwan?

“Yes?”

-The easiest way to create an NPC that feels alive is…

CEO Park said to me in a voice that suggested he had thought of a funny joke.

-It’s to make a living person into an NPC.

 

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