Chapter 1

If a poor person reincarnates, they become rich—Chapter 1 (1/405)

“Ugh….”

The blanket feels especially soft today. I turned to my side, wondering if I could sleep a little longer, when I realized something.

The chirping of birds outside the window, the strangely refreshed body, and the eyes that weren’t heavy when I opened them….

‘Damn it….’

The strong feeling of being late. I fumbled for my phone on the bedside table, and as expected, the screen wouldn’t turn on. I quickly plugged in the charger and turned on the phone.

As the phone screen lit up, a series of vibrations rang out.

Buzz-

Support Staff: Mr. Yoonseul, Shoner sent you a gift. Can I send it to you via quick delivery today?

You have 999+ unread messages.

-Please check my DM once, sis 😭😭😭😭

-sinr0zrkaj has followed you

-muse_my_seul has followed you

-Didn’t you visit Cheongdam New York Bagel yesterday, Mr. Yoonseul? I think I saw you! I’m so disappointed 😭 I should have said hello!

-Illill11 has followed you

-yycsta77 has followed you

It’s not a new thing that my phone’s battery drains instantly due to notifications.

Feeling the softness of the bed, I thought, since I’m already late, I might as well skip the first period, a very rational thought. Just as I was thinking this, another bright alarm appeared in front of me.

Ding-

「▶System

【Main Mission】

▶Instead of being a talking potato, try being a smart potato.

Win a scholarship this semester and post a certification photo on Youstagram!

Reward

○Increased fame

○Somehow, people envy you…. The probability of a passing SNS user following you increases by over 30% (random increase rate: 3-50%).

Do you accept?

Crazy… I closed my eyes tightly, not wanting to believe the combination of letters.

‘I can’t even take a day off.’

I quickly pressed the Yes button on the annoying status window and closed it. The screen of the phone in my hand still flickered with new notifications.

I took a deep breath, put the phone aside, and ran to the bathroom, hoping against hope that I might not be late.

“20 minutes left for the first period!”

If I hurry, everything will be fine. I’ll clear the first period with the spirit of a Korean. I will.

* * *

When I opened my eyes, I was back in the past.

It’s a cliché start. But it’s exactly as that sentence says, I don’t know how else to put it. On a certain day in January when I was 25, I fell under the Gangbyeonbuk-ro. The reason was simple. I didn’t want to waste the camera.

“Huh?”

I just slightly, very slightly, leaned to catch the falling mirrorless camera. In an instant, my body was rapidly falling.

“Aaaaaah!”

My mind was so muddled that I didn’t even think I was dying. All I could feel was the cold wind on my cheeks and the extremely realistic thoughts of a good-good-so employee.

‘This camera was a used one, but did the warranty expire? How much will the repair cost? If the camera is water-damaged, I might need to buy a new lens. This month’s maintenance fee has gone up, so I don’t have money for a lens—’

Splash-!

With a loud sound, my body was pulled into the cold water. The sensation of the old mirrorless camera’s strap in my fingertips dulled.

‘I’m falling into the Han River in the freezing cold just to save this thing….’

Yes, there was a time when the word "influencer" was unfamiliar. Instead, there was a strong atmosphere of mocking people who were called "creators" or "influencers" and questioning what kind of job it was.

Now, influencer mollangjong’s ad is annoying lol (103 comments)

I don’t get why… Influencers force trends. Who would buy something they recommend? Honestly, mollangjong’s makeup is bad 😭 I can’t watch it because of the low relatability lol

-It seems the company has lost its sense

-But she’s pretty, right? Her skin is good, and her makeup is well-balanced

-It’s embarrassing to see them overact in ads

-22222 Relatability score lol 😭 Even though they’re not celebrities

-999 Nowadays, they just call editors managers lol People might think they’re real celebrities

-Phone user

-Just trying to get attention 😭

-I buy them… They’re actually pretty good

-Not that pretty, but wearing luxury brands is the most obvious

-Is this a personal attack?

-It’s not that bad; stop replying and move on

But the world changed quickly. Now, instead of searching the internet before buying something, it’s natural to search SNS, Intube, and Youstagram first.

Quickly buying new products.

“Yes! Hello, our Apple-chan fans! Today, I got to try the new Apple product! It’s the Fold Apple New X with a design that’s the best in history! Let’s start the introduction now.”

Or the person using it is overwhelmingly beautiful.

“Today’s makeup is a light pink mood that goes well with cherry blossom viewing, a cool summer tone.”

(*Includes paid advertisement)

-This video is in collaboration with the brand ‘Henra’.

Feeling close after watching for a long time.

“Finally, our little sprout is going to kindergarten! Thank you so much, online uncles. The snacks that sprout eats are now available at a low price through a group buy.”

Now, people only buy the things recommended, advertised, and talked about by these people. The job of an influencer is more popular than professional careers. It seems easy to become one. I think I can do it too. Now, everyone wants to become one.

“According to the National Tax Service on the 12th, the annual income of 27 top-earning influencers, who make up 1% of the industry, is 181.25 billion won….”

‘Honestly, I wanted to be an influencer too. I have 513 subscribers….’

Anyway, 25-year-old Seo Yoonseul, who refrains from buying a caramel macchiato for 800 won and instead buys an Americano, was still worried about the camera repair cost rather than the hospital bill when she fell.

‘If I’m sick, I won’t go to the hospital anyway.’

Since my father’s business went bankrupt, I’ve only been to the hospital a few times.

Everything has a price. 5,300 won for a consultation, 12,800 won for medicine, and 10,000 won more for an injection. That’s more than half of my weekend convenience store part-time pay.

Therefore, if I fall into the water, I must never, ever go to the hospital.

“Are you okay, student?”

…The Han River water in winter was bone-chillingly cold.

‘If I get the flu, the hospital bill will easily exceed 100,000 won.’

The murmurs of people echoed in my ears.

“Open your eyes!”

“Oh, what happened to this young student….”

“Why is she like that?”

“I don’t know, someone fell into the Han River.”

I’m in the Han River, but it’s strange. Can I hear people’s voices underwater?

I felt people touching me.

Why are you shaking me so much? I can’t swim, and if you shake me…?

My wet eyelashes were heavy. I barely opened my eyes and looked ahead….

‘Why am I out of the water now?’

The instinct for survival is terrifying. My body knew how to swim on its own.

“Oh, what happened to this young student, oh, my….”

The worried gazes of the people around me felt burdensome. They probably think I attempted suicide due to job hunting difficulties.

‘I work at good-good-so…. I’m in my third year….’

“The college entrance exam is nothing. Student, this is what hurts your parents the most!”

“Yeah, you’re useless.”

I was seen as a third-year student…. When I opened my eyes, the surroundings became more chaotic. People from far away approached, and the crowd around me grew.

But why….

‘Why are they not wearing masks?’

In such a crowded place, a few people should naturally be wearing masks. Not a single person was wearing one.

‘Right, I’m not wearing a mask either…!’

I frantically felt my face, but there was no mask. The cold air, the wet face, and the cold river wind blowing.

The mirrorless camera strap, which should have been loosely hanging from my wrist, was gone. Only then did I lower my head to check my condition.

‘But why am I wearing a shirt? What’s this awkward top? This is definitely not mine….’

“Middle school… uniform.”

* * *

With the 30,000 won given by a kind-looking aunt who encouraged me to live bravely, I trudged to the subway station.

When I asked for directions, people looked worried and kindly told me the way to the nearest subway station.

Inside, a small screen showed approaching subways and a small news video. The video was of the president’s New Year’s speech.

“Thanks to the resilience of our citizens, the growth of the Republic of Korea….”

The president on the screen was not the one I voted for at 25. The year mentioned in the president’s New Year’s greeting is not the year 25-year-old Seo Yoonseul is facing.

So, if I’m not crazy, I must have returned to 17-year-old Seo Yoonseul, just before high school.

“…What is this…?”

The wet school uniform shirt stuck to my body, cold and shivering.

“What the hell is this…!”

Even though I kept saying it was impossible, I ran frantically.

The house I longed for in my dreams.

We had to leave quickly due to the auction after my father’s bankruptcy, but it was the house filled with our family’s memories. The house where the sun shone brightly, the walls were white, and the smell of home greeted me when the door lock opened.

I ran and walked as if possessed, arriving at the house.

“Pant… Pant… Pant….”

Even though my body returned to the past, my stamina remained the same… I felt a bit sad.

Sometimes, on days when life was too painful, I would drink soju from a convenience store and walk around the area.

When I was 20.

“I’ll come back here somehow!”

When I was 22.

“Even a nearby neighborhood would be fine….”

When I was 24.

“Just….”

I couldn’t even dream of living here again.

House prices were skyrocketing, and I was afraid of hospital bills, utility bills, and phone bills. There were too many things to be afraid of.

Still, my steps led me here, and my longing heart couldn’t help but run here. Even if I would never live here again.

The water-damaged smartphone found in my soaked bag wouldn’t turn on, so I sat in front of the door.

‘The door lock password from ten years ago… I don’t remember….’

How long had I been sitting in front of the house? The elevator dinged, and my mother, startled, approached.

“Yoonseul! What’s going on?”

My mother.

“Mom….”

My mother was really beautiful back then. Even in the cold, she dressed stylishly. She had the latest designer scarves for each season.

“Where were you? Who made you so wet?”

“Mom….”

It was strange to see my mother’s beautiful attire after a long time. After my father’s business failed, my mother worked at a supermarket and a restaurant, saying goodbye to cashmere scarves and expensive goose down jackets.

Instead, she wore shabby T-shirts and discounted hiking gear. When I bought her a designer scarf she liked with my first salary from good-good-so, she kept it in a box in the closet.

“Why don’t you wear your scarves? They’re so expensive.”

“They’re too good to wear on just any day.”

“I’ll buy you another one. You can alternate between two.”

“No, thank you. I’ll just appreciate your thought~”

My mother was really beautiful back then.

Her soft hands, free of calluses, touched my face. The scent of niche perfume filled my nose.

“What’s going on? Who did this to you!”

“No, no one. I just… was looking at the river and… fell in.”

Her worried eyes, her gentle hands, and my mother’s hurried pressing of the door lock to get inside.

Click-

And the familiar door opened. The warm, familiar smell beyond it. It was our home where we lived well.

* * *

‘Back then, I bought things because they were pretty.’

My 17-year-old room, filled with items that now look ridiculous.

The phone, which I hurriedly dried with a hairdryer and turned on again, thankfully worked.

‘The password is always 0101.’

Thankfully, if it had been a pattern, I wouldn’t have been able to open it.

The internet immediately told me what year it was. Old news, past trends, and forgotten singers…. It’s clear. This is not a dream but reality.

I have returned to the past. The problem is that I’ve returned just before our family’s downfall.

Our family went bankrupt, I worked part-time to pay off debts, we moved to a basement, my mother started working at a restaurant, and then.

“Dad… passed away.”

Right, Dad is still alive now. The thought of calling him as soon as I came to my senses crossed my mind.

‘Maybe this is still a dream. If Dad is alive, really, please be alive….’

“The customer is currently unable to receive calls—”

…Maybe it’s a dream.

Just as I was about to lower my head, overwhelmed by the sudden sense of futility.

Ding-

A strange notification sound rang in my ear.

「▶System

You must become an 【Influencer】.

Do you want to start?

★The final goal is 3 million followers.

※This number is the total of all SNS accounts, not just one.

-You are given 300,000 starting gold.

-You are given a choice option.

※Once all stats exceed 100, the number of times you can view character affection is limited.

※If you reject major missions more than three times, all abilities will decrease, and an unexpected ending will occur.」

「<Status Window>

Name: Seo Yoonseul

Age: 17

Height: 162cm

Weight: 51kg

Health: 60HP/999

Charisma: 100/999

Photography: 20/999

Photo Editing: 23/999

Oratory: 87/999

Key Characters

No – information

Current Gold: 160,000」