Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: I Still Want to Shoot (1)**

'What if I just let it go?'

It was 3 PM. This was a thought that always crossed his mind around this time.

"Can't you even do this one thing properly?! Hey? Ha..."

In front of him, the bald manager, whose belly protruded, was spitting out words.

"Hey! Are you listening? Is it even reasonable to prepare this as meeting material...?"

Below that belly, the manager's precious possession was hidden.

'I could hit it from 500 meters away.'

Yoo Sang-hyun was gauging how far he could shoot and still hit the target.

"Hey!!!"

The manager's roar was accompanied by a flying document.

Swish.

Sang-hyun's head tilted slightly, and the document grazed his ear, landing in the trash can behind him.

"You! How can you be thinking about something else when someone is talking to you?!"

Only then did Sang-hyun snap back to reality and immediately bowed.

"I'm sorry."

His hands were clasped politely, but his right hand was trembling uncontrollably.

The manager's gaze lingered on his hand.

"Ugh... Where did you get this idiot from...? Slow hands, slow mind..."

The trembling paused briefly at the word "idiot," but the manager didn't notice.

"Get out! You!"

The manager finally turned his chair back to the computer and gestured for him to leave.

"I'll go."

Sang-hyun nodded casually and left the manager's office as if nothing had happened.

"Phew. I made it through another day."

As soon as he stepped out, his expression became completely calm.

This was what people often referred to as mental management, a skill essential for archers.

"Hey, did you get scolded again today?"

A colleague approached and asked.

"Well, of course."

"Ha... You really... Working under a boss you don't deserve is tough."

"What can I do? If I got a parachute position, I have to work like a slave."

Parachute.

This was the nickname that always followed Sang-hyun. He had to leave the archery world due to an injury, unable to fully realize his talent. A coach, who felt sorry for him, managed to get him a position at this company through connections.

"You're good at self-reflection."

The colleague laughed, surprised by Sang-hyun's candidness in calling himself a "parachute."

"Well, I need to know my place."

Sang-hyun pressed his aching right arm, releasing the tension, and replied casually.

'Know yourself before you know your enemy... It brings back old memories.'

From the phrase "know your place," Sang-hyun recalled his days as an athlete. This was something his coach always told him.

Back then, when he was treated as the most promising young talent, these words didn't really resonate with him. But now, as he faced a life of constant scolding, they hit home.

"Hey, I'm leaving first. If I don't reorganize the report, I'll have to work overtime."

After a brief moment of reminiscence, Sang-hyun quickly snapped back to reality and dashed to his desk.

* * *

After work.

He stopped by a convenience store, bought four cans of beer, and headed home.

"Phew... I barely avoided overtime."

He looked at the clock as he entered his home. It was 9 PM.

He quickly sat down in front of his computer and turned on a sports video.

'Why did I suddenly think of this today?'

Snap.

He opened a beer can and watched the video. He used to watch it whenever he felt down, but he hadn't seen it in a while.

The video showed the day he won the national championship as the youngest competitor.

In the video, the athlete in white took a deep breath.

The bowstring was drawn, his breathing paused, and his eyes fiercely focused on the target.

All the training and practice led to this one moment of release.

The bowstring was released.

Whoosh.

Snap!

Bullseye.

- Wow!!!

- Another bullseye! The lens is shattered!! The youngest, the youngest...

- A genius of historic proportions! You are witnessing history...

The commentators' excited voices were synchronized with close-ups of young Sang-hyun's face.

"Wow, he looks good."

Swallow.

He sighed and took a sip of beer.

The video continued with interviews and award ceremonies, then ended.

His face was faintly reflected on the black screen.

"I'm getting old..."

In fact, at 28, he was still young. But the video showed a much younger and vibrant version of himself.

"Let's watch some game streams."

He followed his usual routine and turned on a game stream he often watched.

He didn't particularly like games or watch them often. In fact, he had never played a game in his life.

Since childhood, he had only practiced archery, and he never had time to play games with his peers.

Sports require a lot of money.

Living with his grandmother, Sang-hyun couldn't afford it. He had to get scholarships.

As a result, he never played games and practiced archery obsessively, achieving the feat of winning the national championship at the youngest age.

At the time, he thought everything would go smoothly.

"Of course, it didn't."

Swallow.

He took a big sip of beer, swallowing the difficult memories. Then he focused back on the game stream.

The screen showed a popular "Full Dive" virtual reality game.

- Hey! Move! Why isn't this hitting!?

- Critical! Critical!! Cut it!

Full Dive VR games give the feeling of being inside the game, making it the ultimate indirect experience medium. They are also called "capsule games" because you need a capsule to play. The capsule is very expensive, making it a luxury for a salaryman like Sang-hyun.

For him, just being able to watch such an amazing game while drinking beer was a stroke of luck.

[Baduk Baduk donated 50,000 won]

[Amy! Where's Amy!]

A viewer lamented the streamer's poor aim and donated money. The donation program read it out in a silly voice.

- Amy! Amy! Where are you!?

More similar donations followed.

[Jeong Sung Gumtak donated 4,000 won]

[5 minutes later: Alright, the game for today is!]

A donation predicting that he would turn off and restart the game in 5 minutes to edit it.

[Amy donated 30,000 won]

- Hey! I shot, but it didn't hit! What's wrong with this capsule!?

Donations continued, some even criticizing the game capsule's reaction speed. The chat was flooded with "hahaha."

But Sang-hyun's face hardened.

"Really... Even being bad can be a talent. Is it hard to hit that? It looks easy."

Back then.

The days when he threw everything into being good seemed pitiful now.

"Let's go to bed."

Time had passed, and it was time to prepare for the next day's work.

A regular life.