Peninsula 1998: My Plug-in Is a Bean Bag

In 1998, South Korea is in the grip of its most harrowing economic crisis. Transmigrated into this grim reality, Kim Myung-woo finds himself saddled with 230 million won in debt, living in a cramped exam-room dwelling, with only a peculiar cheat system—the "Bean Bag"—lodged in his mind. Without a second thought, he walks straight into a broadcasting station, determined to launch his new life as a screenwriter and climb his way from there to become a full-fledged chaebol. This is the worst of times. Within months, the won collapses from 800 to 1,600 against the dollar. Stock markets crater, the real estate bubble bursts, and once-mighty conglomerates are forced into bankruptcy and restructuring. Millions of middle-class families are plunged back into poverty, unemployment skyrockets to 1.5 million—meaning one out of every fifteen people is now out of work. Society grows volatile, with suicide and divorce rates climbing relentlessly. But for Kim Myung-woo, armed with his Bean Bag cheat, this is also the best of times. In 1998, South Korea adopts its "Cultural Nation" strategy, designating film, music, and games as strategic pillar industries. The internet sector is set to boom just a year later—growing into a money-devouring giant that the old chaebols once dismissed, only to be forced to look up to it in awe. For Kim Myung-woo, this window of chaos and opportunity is the single greatest shot he will ever have at building his own empire from the ashes.