Time: Midnight
Location: Joon-Ho's Bedroom, Shared with Dust and Regret
Kang Joon-Ho lay in bed, wearing a T-shirt that read "Study Hard, Sleep Never." His blanket was wrapped around him like a burrito, and his fan made a squeaky sound every five seconds — a musical reminder that his life was hanging together by discount electronics and leftover fried rice.
> [System ready. Teleportation available. Gold Star is stable.]
He whispered like a spy:
"System, teleport me. But quietly. My mom just fell asleep after yelling at the rice cooker again."
> [Teleporting to Gold Star in 3... 2... 1...]
A faint hum filled the room, and then—
POP.
He vanished from his room and reappeared on the Gold Star.
---
Gold Star, Now with 100% Less Oxygen Tanks
The moment his feet hit the dusty red ground, he sighed.
"Ahh… silence. No school, no mop, no smell of boiled cabbage."
The planet still looked the same — barren red hills, pale glowing sky, and endless shimmering gold veins crisscrossing the earth like glittery noodles.
> [Daily Gold Extraction: 1kg Available]
He looked around.
"I should get the gold and head back quickly—wait, what's that?!"
Far away in the canyon valley, something sparkled.
Not the usual sparkle of gold.
This one blinked in neon.
Joon-Ho walked closer, cautiously, like approaching a suspiciously cheap buffet.
And then he saw it.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
Standing proudly in the middle of the alien canyon…
Was a vending machine.
---
YES. A VENDING MACHINE.
It was shiny, silver, and way too clean to be on a barren alien planet.
It had blinking lights.
A touchscreen.
And best of all — it had snacks.
Choco pies.
Shrimp chips.
Banana milk (the good brand!).
And one mysterious item labeled "**?!!?!" in bright red.
"…Am I being filmed? Is this a dream? Did I die yesterday during PE?"
> [New System Feature: Alien Snack Vendor Unlocked]
As a reward for multiple visits, the Gold Star now includes a portable snack unit.
All items cost 0 gold.
But only 1 snack per day.
Please chew responsibly.
Joon-Ho's hands were already pressing the banana milk button.
The vending machine whirred.
Something fell.
He reached in — and pulled out a warm, glowing bottle of banana milk.
He sniffed it. Looked around. Licked it. Then chugged it in one go.
He dropped to his knees and screamed at the sky.
"THANK YOU, COSMIC SYSTEM! THIS IS BETTER THAN UNIVERSITY!"
---
Five Minutes Later…
> [Gold extraction complete: 1kg added to backpack]
Now holding a gold bar and an empty banana milk bottle, Joon-Ho sat beside the vending machine like a philosophical squirrel.
"I own a planet. I drink free snacks. I sell shiny bricks to men in sunglasses. And yet I still have to take a math quiz tomorrow."
> [Teleport back to Earth?]
"…Yeah, send me back before my mom wakes up and thinks I'm out stealing manhwa from convenience stores again."
---
Earth, Bedroom: 2:03 AM
Back in his bed.
Same fan. Same blanket. Same weird poster of a cat with sunglasses Soo-Min taped to the wall.
He placed the gold bar in his drawer beside yesterday's banana.
He couldn't sleep.
Too much excitement.
Too much sugar.
Too much cosmic vending machine energy.
Suddenly, his phone buzzed.
A message from his class group chat:
> Class President: Don't forget, we have surprise PE tomorrow. Bring sports clothes.
Random Girl: I hope we don't have to run again.
Random Guy: If I die, someone delete my search history.
Class President: Joon-Ho, this includes you too. Don't come in your uniform again.
Joon-Ho: Too late.
He stared at the chat and smiled.
Life was still the same — but kind of not.
He closed his eyes and whispered:
"…One snack per day, huh? I'm coming back tomorrow for the choco pie."
---
To Be Continued…