I thought I'd be able to relax after the midterms. Like, all that studying, all that cramming, all those nights reading until my eyes felt like falling out of my head—I figured I'd just chill. Maybe play some games, go out for a bit, even sleep in.
But no. I couldn't.
Even though I'd done everything right for once in my life—studied properly, took care of my body, avoided drama—I couldn't stop thinking about those test results. Every day after the exams, I checked my phone like a maniac. No message. No updates. Nothing. It was like the school just forgot we existed.
The system didn't help either. All it kept showing was:
"Quest Progress: Prove Yourself (80%)""Midterm Performance Evaluation in Progress…""Estimated Time Remaining: UNKNOWN"
Seriously? UNKNOWN?
If I had hair long enough to pull out, I would've been bald by now.
Monday came, and with it the awkward in-between days at school. You know the type—no real classes, just teachers reviewing old material or playing documentaries. Everyone was restless. Some kids were confident and bragged about how they aced every subject. Others looked like zombies, convinced they'd failed everything.
Me? I just wanted it to be over.
The day started like usual. Push-ups, shower, breakfast with Mom. She gave me extra eggs "for brain energy," whatever that meant. Dad left early again, but he'd been texting me almost every day now, asking how things were going. It was weird, but nice.
"DAILY QUEST COMPLETED""+1 Strength, +1 Agility, +10 System Points""Total Points: 310"
Still didn't know what I wanted to spend those points on. Maybe I'd wait until I unlocked something new. A hidden shop or something cool like that.
I met Sujin outside the school gates. She was hugging a binder to her chest like it was her last line of defense against the world.
"You okay?" I asked.
"I didn't sleep well," she mumbled. "I kept dreaming that I opened my exam sheet and it was written in French."
I chuckled. "Better than my dream. I was naked during the math test."
She gave me a look. "That explains why you were smiling in your sleep."
"What—wait, how do you know what I look like when I sleep?"
She blinked. Then her eyes went wide. "I—I meant, like, just saying! A joke! Obviously!"
I laughed, and she tried to hide her face behind the binder.
Cute.
We made it to class just in time for homeroom, and that's when the bomb dropped.
Mr. Park came in holding a stack of papers that looked thick enough to kill a man.
"Alright, quiet down, everyone," he said, voice unusually calm. "Midterm results are here."
The entire room went dead silent. You could hear someone's water bottle sloshing.
"We'll be passing these out in alphabetical order. Please don't compare grades. Or do. I don't care. Just don't fight about it."
He started calling names.
"Choi Yerin."
She got her paper and sat down, looking pretty chill.
"Kim Jinhyuk."
My heart skipped. I stood up, walked over, and took the paper from his hands. He didn't say anything—just gave me this look. Not mean. Not judging. Just… surprised.
I sat back down at my desk and opened the folded sheet.
Korean Literature: 91
Mathematics: 89
Science: 94
English: 90
History & Social Studies: 93
Final Average: 91.4
Rank: #6 in Class
I froze.
Then I smiled.
Then I almost cried.
"QUEST COMPLETED: PROVE YOURSELF""REWARD: +5 Intelligence, +2 Charisma, 60 System Points""SKILL UNLOCKED: Academic Achievement (Level 1)""DESCRIPTION: Your consistent excellence inspires peers. Slight boost to credibility, confidence, and teacher perception.""CURRENT SYSTEM POINTS: 370""INTELLIGENCE: 59/100""CHARISMA: 18/100"
This wasn't a dream. This wasn't a joke.
I did it.
I actually did it.
Sujin leaned over. "Well?"
"Sixth place," I whispered.
Her eyes went wide. "No way! That's… that's amazing!"
"Yeah," I said, grinning like an idiot. "What about you?"
She flipped open her paper. "Still number one."
Of course.
But she didn't say it with pride or arrogance. Just… like it was expected. The way people breathe.
Still, I noticed something. She didn't look happy.
"Hey," I said quietly. "You okay?"
She hesitated. "Yeah. Just… weird seeing it all on paper. Makes it feel real, you know?"
"Real that you're the smartest person in this building?"
"Real that people expect me to stay that way forever."
I didn't know what to say to that. So I just nodded. "Well, I'll be here. If you ever wanna crash and burn, I'll catch you."
She smiled. It wasn't a big smile. But it was real.
During lunch, everyone was buzzing. The class rankings had caused the usual chaos—some people were crying, some were cheering, and a few were already plotting how to "crush the next test."
I didn't care. I was riding too high.
Yerin came over to our table. "Congrats, Jinhyuk. Top ten. That's impressive."
"Thanks. I had a good teacher," I said, nodding to Sujin.
"Still," she said, "you went from nearly failing to top six. That's like a miracle."
"Hard work miracle," I said, smirking.
"Maybe you should run for class rep next year."
I choked on my rice. "What?"
"I'm serious. You've got charisma now. People listen to you. You helped half the class survive the midterms."
"I think I'll leave the politics to you, Yerin."
"Suit yourself."
She walked away, already talking to someone else. Probably organizing a blood drive or a school protest. That girl never stopped moving.
After school, I stayed behind with Sujin to study. Not because we had to. But because it was our routine now. Safe. Familiar.
She was sketching something on a piece of graph paper.
"What's that?" I asked.
"A dream," she said softly. "I've been thinking about architecture. Designing buildings. Making spaces where people feel safe."
"That's... really cool."
She looked up at me. "What about you? What do you want to do?"
The question caught me off guard. What did I want to do?
Before, I didn't care. I was just trying to survive. Get through each day without snapping. But now…
"Maybe business," I said slowly. "My dad runs a construction company. I've been talking to him about it. Learning things. I think... maybe I could help people by creating jobs. Building something real."
Sujin nodded. "You'd be good at that."
"You think so?"
"You're already building yourself."
That shut me up.
That night, the system surprised me again.
"NEW QUEST AVAILABLE"QUEST: Lead the Way DESCRIPTION: Help one struggling classmate raise their grade by next exam cycle. REWARD: +2 Wisdom, +3 Charisma, New Skill: Mentorship TIME LIMIT: 4 weeks ACCEPT?
I hit yes without hesitation.
This wasn't just about me anymore.
This was bigger than my regrets. Bigger than revenge.
This was about becoming someone I'd be proud of.
Someone worth remembering.
And for the first time in my life, I wasn't just trying to fix the past.
I was building a future.
End of Chapter 6