SSODW 02

SSODW

Chapter 2

[A masterpiece song that can overcome Scream Disease, “Hope is here.” Who is the singer? Click the link below…]

“…No way.”

As if possessed, I clicked the link.

The identity of the singer of “Hope is here.” being revealed?

“As expected… just another rumor.”

The moment I clicked the video, I let out a hollow laugh. As always, it was full of baseless speculation.

—…The most likely candidates are the famous YouTuber Mr. M or indie band vocalist Mr. T…

I stared blankly at the video, my eyelids drooping weakly. At that moment, a faint scream brushed past my ears.

Was it real… or just in my head?

For the past two months, ear-piercing screams had occasionally echoed even inside my room.

They seeped through walls, slipped past windows, and clung stubbornly like a lingering stench—the sound of death refusing to fade for days.

Whenever that happened, I would curl up under my blanket, waiting for the endless screams looping in my head to finally stop.

Or I would play “Hope is here.” and pray that the song of hope would drown out the screams of death.

—I’ll wait the day we get together~

At the end of the rumor video, the song played softly. The calm voice eased the tension in my body, even if only a little.

Hope is here.

A song uploaded to YouTube not long after the disaster began, by a young female singer.

Rough guitar playing. Ungrammatical English lyrics. Poor video quality.

Under normal circumstances, it would’ve never gained attention—but the song swept across Korea and captured the world.

Because the sincerity in the song, the melody that felt like a quiet whisper of comfort, moved the hearts of people standing at death’s door.

Especially that one video—of a patient suffering from Scream Disease listening to “Hope is here” and peacefully closing their eyes—surpassed 100 million views in record time.

From that moment on, “Hope is here.” became the anthem of people around the world fighting the disease.

And yet, the identity of the singer remained unknown. Only guesses ran rampant.

As soon as the song ended, I paused the video and went back to the comments. New ones had already appeared.

[The masterpiece song “Hope is here.” Who is the singer? Click the link below…]
└ Another clickbait. At this point, the singer’s probably dead.
└ Who even listens to that song anymore? You need hope to listen to it.
└ Yeah. I don’t even want to hear it now. Whenever I do, I start hearing screams automatically.

“Haha… yeah. That’s true now.”

Hope had disappeared long ago. It’s not like some song could put food on the table.

As I reread the replies, my head spun, and I collapsed back onto the bed. My life flashed before my eyes like a montage.

Name: Dorothy. Surprisingly, my real name.
Occupation: (Former) idol, (Current) service worker who won the “Smile Angel” award last month.
Bank balance: Empty.

Ten years ago, I came to Seoul alone, chasing my dream of becoming a singer. I lived in a company dorm, survived around 40 monthly evaluations and three debut lineups, and finally debuted against all odds.

I thought once I debuted, I’d become a top-tier girl group idol.

But our debut song flopped completely, and reality hit hard.

Our first full album did a bit better, and things slowly improved—until dating scandals involving members sent us straight into ruin.

At twenty-two, the group was basically disbanded. The other members either redebuted or switched agencies. I had nowhere to go, so I stayed.

A vaguely pretty face. Good enough to be a main vocal, but not exceptional. Not quite enough talent to survive as an idol.

Being painfully self-aware, I gave up the idol dream and searched for a way to at least earn a living.

Dragging out what little social skills I had, I switched to a service job and struggled to survive… and this was the result.

Honestly… I never imagined my twenties—my youth—would end with me starving or dying from disease.

I shook my head hard, trying to dispel the negativity. This was all because I hadn’t been eating enough carbs.

“I want ramen…”

Chicken, pizza, tteokbokki, dumplings, curry, bossam, even premium Korean beef steak… And a glass of draft beer on the side would be perfect.

Back when I was an idol, I couldn’t eat even when food was in front of me—and sometimes I even threw it up. I must’ve been insane.

The taste of the seasoned fried chicken I last ate two weeks ago lingered in my mouth.

It had been leftovers I froze, but the sweet and spicy flavor was heavenly.

After eating nothing but biscuits for three days, it felt like a luxury feast.

Unfortunately, the more I imagined it, the hungrier I became.

Clutching my empty stomach, I drifted back to sleep.

It had already been three days since I received the message saying relief supplies would be delayed.

Of course, they hadn’t arrived. There hadn’t even been any update about when they would.

After confirming the dawn light creeping in, I took the last sip of my fruit juice.

As the sweet liquid slid down my throat, my vision brightened slightly.

“So this is my last food…”

A resigned sigh escaped me.

Pulling myself together, I sent a message to my parents. Calls had stopped working yesterday—texting was the only way left.

[Mom, Dad, I love you. Little brother, I love you too.]

After pressing send, I sat there blankly staring out the window when I heard footsteps outside.

Heavy, familiar military boots. Then a firm knock.

“Supplies…!”

With weak legs, I rushed to the door in a panic, praying I wasn’t wrong. I grabbed the handle and turned it.

Click—click—

“Huh? Why won’t it open?”

No matter how much I turned it, the door wouldn’t budge, as if it were locked from the outside.

Panicking, I pushed with all my strength. No matter how weak I was, I shouldn’t be unable to open a door.

As my heart raced at the abnormal situation—

A sudden, plunging sensation hit me, like dropping straight down on a roller coaster, and I collapsed.

Rumble—CRASH!!

A deafening noise shook the entire building.

I crouched in front of the door, freezing my breath as I tried to calm my pounding heart.

My hair stood on end, my legs trembling. I couldn’t even begin to understand what was happening.

When the shaking stopped, my breath burst out in ragged gasps. My palms and feet were drenched in cold sweat.

“Hah… hah…”

What the hell… what was that? An earthquake? But everything looked too intact…

Clutching my shaking legs, I stood up and tried the door again.

Still locked.

I walked to the window to check outside. Throwing the curtains open—

“…What is this?”

What I saw was nothing but a barren field and swirling gray-white dust.

It was literally falling like a blizzard of ash.

After a moment’s hesitation, I tried to open the window.

But just like the door, it wouldn’t budge.

“What’s going on? Am I… trapped?”

I sank to the floor, staring blankly at the storm of gray dust.

When I used to open this window, I could see the officetel across from mine—so close I’d awkwardly make eye contact with their cat.

But now?

It was gone. As if it had turned to ashes and disappeared.

As I clawed at my head in confusion—

A blue window suddenly appeared in midair.

[NPC “Dorothy (Living Alone)” has entered the Shelter “Studio Apartment.”]
[Checking disaster support points. Converting bank balance into points.]
[Bank balance: 10,280 won → Converted points: 10,000P]
[Amounts under 100 won are discarded. What a pity.]

I stared blankly at the window and muttered,

“…What is this?”

NPC? This isn’t a game. Why am I an NPC? And what shelter?

And that blue window… is that some kind of system interface? Why is something I’ve only seen in novels in front of me?

Did I die without realizing it? I don’t remember getting hit by a truck… I’ve just been at home this whole time.

And what’s with my bank balance? I knew I was broke, but only 10,000 won…?

Ignoring my confusion, the system window suddenly displayed a mission.

{Mission! Become an Excellent Shelter NPC – Check food supplies for visitors.}