Dead Drive

Yun-Yeong Bin lives two lives.

By day, she's an underappreciated engineering graduate student struggling to satisfy her demanding father and prove she belongs in a world that constantly doubts her. By night, she becomes "Rip"—a brilliant, secretive architect of virtual worlds inside FUTURE, the most popular VR game on the planet. A fully immersive digital universe accessed through sleep-pod technology, where players don't just play—they live entire second lives.

When her best friend Wes dies from brain cancer, he leaves her one final gift: his legendary avatar, Kobe. Logging in as Kobe gives Yun-Yeong access to elite levels of the game—and a fragile connection to the friend she lost. But it also places her directly in the spotlight.

When another player mistakes her for Wes, everything changes.

The mix-up draws the attention of Funk Games—the trillion-dollar megacorporation behind FUTURE. Soon, Yun-Yeong receives a mysterious golden-ticket invitation to their headquarters, where she meets CEO Mortimer Funk: a visionary with unsettling ambitions that extend far beyond gaming.

Corporate secrets begin to surface. And FUTURE may be far more than a virtual escape.

As Yun-Yeong digs deeper, she discovers the game may be a testing ground for something far more dangerous. Meanwhile, the real world refuses to wait: professors question her potential, her father pressures her toward a future she doesn't want, and the grieving parents of a boy named Aaron Funk quietly mark the anniversary of their loss—unaware of how closely their story is tied to her own.

Caught between grief, identity, and ambition, Yun-Yeong begins to question who she really is: Rip. Kobe. Or the person behind the screen.

As the boundary between the digital and physical worlds begins to fracture, she must decide whether to keep playing by someone else's rules—or risk everything to take control of her own narrative.

In FUTURE, the game was never just a game.

Blending VR gaming culture, LitRPG energy, corporate conspiracy, and emotional coming-of-age stakes, this story explores grief, identity, and the power of building worlds—both virtual and real.

A collectible hardcover edition featuring sprayed edges, Spot UV + foil-stamped cover, and premium packaging. Not just a novel—a work of art meant to be held, displayed, and remembered.