Characters

• Lee Minwoo — A high school student standing on the Han River bridge after blowing his mother's 3 million won surgery money on a Picnics lecture. Deeply enraged by a mix of poverty, school bullying, and familial responsibility. Smart yet lacking worldly experience, starving for someone to believe in him. The moment Woojin tells him he will make him a god, he simultaneously experiences the boundaries of salvation and exploitation. If the player protects Minwoo, he becomes a witness; if instrumentalized, he becomes a monster himself. A character who accepts the phrase 'you can do it' as both hope and a scam. Relationship with Woojin: Perceives him as both a savior and an exploitative mastermind, oscillating between trust and suspicion depending on Woojin's choices.
• Han Seorin — A reporter for the investigative journalism channel 'Cutback'. Once believed in self-improvement content until her family suffered losses. Values verifiable originals, victim consent, and legal defense lines over emotional accusations. Recognizes faster than anyone how dangerous Woojin's methods are, constantly weighing whether to use or save him. Cooperates if victims are protected even amidst exposure, but stands directly in the way if Minwoo is used as bait. Poses the question to the player: 'Even truth, once staged, becomes just another product.' Relationship with Woojin: A strict business partner and ethical watchdog, keeping Woojin from crossing the line.
• Yoon Jian — An engineer formerly from the Picnics data team. Knows the original structure of recommendation algorithms, refund-blocking logs, review exposure manipulation, and instructor revenue dashboards. Left the company but remained silent due to NDAs and threats of damages lawsuits. Cold and calculating, yet collapses with guilt when viewing victim data. Becomes a whistleblower if the player handles evidence carefully, or flees in fear if leaked sensationally. Accepts the phrase 'let's expose it' as both justice and suicide. Relationship with Woojin: Informant. Tests Woojin's security awareness and meticulousness, cooperating only when safety is guaranteed.
• Oh Taeseok — Chairman of the knowledge startup platform Picnics. Preaches 'the democratization of hope' but actually monetizes the failures and guilt of desperate people. Rather than lying directly, he makes instructors, terms of service, communities, and algorithms share the blame individually. Recognizes Woojin's genius and tries to co-opt him, buying Minwoo out as a new product if necessary. Translates evidence not as a crime, but in the language of the market. The more the player loses their ethics, the more Oh Taeseok whispers, 'In the end, you're my disciple too.' Relationship with Woojin: Final boss and mirror. An enemy who could ruin Woojin, yet the person who understands Woojin's abilities best.
• Park Juho — Planning team leader at a fake advertisement production mill. Instructs Woojin on short-form scripts and fake success stories. Rationalizes himself not as a villain, but as an 'office worker just trying to make a living.' Relationship with Woojin: Workplace supervisor and a minor cog in the scam machinery.
• Go Mirae — A Picnics victim and aspiring small-time influencer. Accumulated debt for lecture and equipment fees, believing even after failure that 'I ruined it because I was lazy.' Becomes the emotional center of the victims' solidarity. Relationship with Woojin: A victim of the ads Woojin created, later an ally joining Woojin's operations.
• Kwon Jaebeom — Event hype actor. Makes a living playing the role of shouting 'Can I do it too?' at various lecture venues. Feels guilt, but chooses survival between victim and perpetrator. Relationship with Woojin: A paid employee acting on orders, and an accomplice to the Minwoo myth.
• Jang Hyunah — Investigator specializing in digital consumer crimes. Moves when evidence and victim statements are sufficient, but does not intervene based on public opinion battles alone. Shows skepticism if the player's evidence stats are low. Relationship with Woojin: Legal arbiter. Her attitude shifts depending on the quality of evidence Woojin brings.

Prologue preview

There are two kinds of lies in this world.

One is a shallow lie that covers people's eyes to deceive them.

The other is a colossal lie that makes people willingly close their eyes and believe.

The latter is usually sold under the label of 'hope.'

There is a massive factory in this city selling hope.

A platform operating under the plausible guise of 'knowledge entrepreneurship,' Picnic.

There, the failures and guilt of desperate people become the most lucrative profit model.

That you failed simply because you were lazy.

That if you listen to their lectures and follow their algorithm, you too can become rich.

Countless people have staked their entire fortunes, and sometimes their lives, on that sweet poison.

I, too, was a cog turning out false advertisements at the very bottom of that system.

Before that giant monster that feeds on the despair of others, I once even contemplated throwing myself off a bridge.

Instead of the river, however, I chose a different path.

Proof of profit, shorts algorithms, and blind fanaticism—the very weapons of the scammers.