Idol Misery Simulation

Goo Won is a reclusive web novel author who spends his days at home after finishing a serialization. His twin sister, Cheon, gifts him a niche PC game titled "Idol Misery Simulation 2," a raising simulation designed to maximize the suffering of virtual idols. Despite his lack of interest in gaming, Won inserts the disc and begins playing. He names his in-game company "Goo Won Entertainment" and his character after himself. As the game loads, an overwhelming drowsiness overtakes him, and he loses consciousness.

Won awakens in the back of a luxury car in an underground parking garage. A chauffeur addresses him as "President" and informs him they have arrived at Lee Yong Entertainment. Confused and disoriented, Won steps out into a world that mirrors the game’s aesthetic but possesses tangible, physical reality. He is escorted into the office of Lee Yongjun, the president of Lee Yong Entertainment, who greets him with excessive deference and fear. Lee Yongjun presents a contract transferring the idol group Tartarus to Won’s company in exchange for erasing Lee Yongjun’s massive debts. Won, recognizing the absurdity of the situation and the names on the contract matching his in-game inputs, deduces he has physically entered the game world.

Upon reviewing the contract, Won discovers its predatory nature. More disturbingly, when Lee Yongjun refers to the five idols as "products" and boasts about their "condition," Won realizes the idols are being treated as commodities. He demands to see them, and the five members of Tartarus enter the room. They appear pale, sickly, and visibly traumatized. Won immediately notices bruises on Yoo Euiseo’s shoulder, evidence of physical abuse. Lee Yongjun dismisses the injuries as minor and temporary, revealing a complete lack of empathy for the young men under his control.

Filled with rage, Won confronts Lee Yongjun, who breaks down and begs for mercy, revealing the extent of his cruelty. Won’s secretary, Sung Yoojun, a cold and efficient man, intervenes to drag Lee Yongjun away. Won signs the contract, not out of greed, but to secure the idols' freedom from their abuser. He then addresses the Tartarus members, explicitly rejecting the notion that they are products. He declares them artists and asserts that he will protect them, offering them the choice to stay or leave. Surprisingly, the group agrees to follow him, with Nam Yisol being the first to laugh and accept, followed by the stoic leader Jung Hosu and the others.

Before leaving, Won insists on taking the members to a confidential hospital for medical examinations. The results confirm severe malnutrition and various physical injuries consistent with long-term abuse. Won learns that the idols had no personal belongings because Lee Yongjun’s contracts confiscated everything they owned upon termination. This revelation solidifies Won’s resolve to dismantle the exploitative system that destroyed these young men’s lives.

As Won settles into his new role as the president of Goo Won Entertainment, he accesses a game-like interface that displays his assets and the "Misery Levels" of the Tartarus members. The system explicitly encourages him to increase their misery, a directive that clashes violently with his moral compass. Won refuses to comply with the game’s objective of causing suffering. Instead, he focuses on healing the idols, providing them with nutritious meals and a safe environment. He begins to navigate the complexities of the entertainment industry, supported by his loyal secretary Sung Yoojun and manager Ahn Siwon, while grappling with the strange rules of this new reality and the lingering question of whether he can ever return to his original world.