CHAPTER 1 – THE QUESTION HE NEVER ASKED
The apartment was quiet.
Not the peaceful kind of quiet, but the kind that made every sound feel louder than it should be. The hum of the refrigerator. The ticking of the cheap wall clock. The soft clink of dishes as Daniel's mother washed them at the sink.
Daniel Park sat at the small table, his hands resting on his knees.
He had rehearsed this in his head all day.
On the bus.
In class.
While staring at the floor during lunch.
But now that the moment was here, his throat felt tight.
"Mom," he said.
She turned, surprised by the seriousness in his voice. "Yes?"
Daniel stood up and bowed deeply.
Too deeply.
"I want to transfer schools."
The dishes stopped clinking.
His mother didn't answer immediately.
Daniel stayed bowed, his back bent, heart hammering. He expected anger. Or confusion. Or disappointment.
Instead, he heard a chair scrape.
She sat down across from him.
"Lift your head," she said gently.
Daniel obeyed.
She looked tired. Dark circles under her eyes. Hands rough from work. But her gaze was sharp, focused entirely on him.
"Why?" she asked.
Daniel opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
The system didn't appear.
No mission.
No guidance.
This was his decision alone.
"…I'm scared," he said finally.
Not of school.
Of staying.
"They won't stop," Daniel continued, voice quiet but steady. "I tried ignoring it. I tried enduring it. But every day feels smaller. Like I'm disappearing."
His mother clenched her hands together.
"Is it that bad?" she asked.
Daniel nodded.
"I don't want to run," he said. "But I don't think I can grow there."
The words surprised even him.
Grow.
When had he started thinking like that?
Silence stretched between them.
Then his mother stood up and walked toward him.
She placed a hand on his head.
"You should have told me earlier," she said softly.
Daniel's eyes stung.
"I was ashamed," he admitted.
She sighed. "Being hurt isn't something to be ashamed of."
That night, the paperwork began.
The arc ended quietly.
END OF ARC 1
ARC 2: THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MIRROR
CHAPTER 2 – A BODY THAT DOESN'T HURT
Daniel Park went to sleep in his old body.
He woke up in a new one.
At first, he thought something was wrong.
The ceiling was unfamiliar. The light felt different. His breathing was… easy.
Too easy.
He sat up.
No pain.
No heaviness.
No resistance.
Daniel froze.
Slowly, he raised his hands.
Long fingers. Smooth skin. No tremor.
He rushed to the mirror.
A stranger stared back.
Tall. Lean. Sharp features. Eyes that didn't look tired.
"…This isn't me."
Panic surged.
He touched his face. His chest. His legs.
Everything worked.
Too well.
The system appeared.
Life Skill System
Status: Linked to Original Body
Current Body: Secondary Vessel
System Functions: LIMITED
No skills.
No boosters.
No missions.
Just one line.
"This body is borrowed."
Daniel sat down hard on the bed.
His heart raced.
At school, people smiled at him.
They spoke to him normally.
Some even laughed with him.
Daniel didn't know how to respond.
He bowed when he didn't need to.
Apologized when no one was angry.
Flinched when someone raised their voice.
This body wasn't strong because of effort.
It was strong because it existed.
That night, Daniel lay awake.
He didn't feel proud.
He felt afraid.
"If I rely on this," he whispered, "what happens to the other me?"
CHAPTER 3 – THE UPDATE
Daniel returned to his original body the next morning.
The weight came back.
The pain came back.
But so did something else.
The system window appeared immediately.
SYSTEM UPDATE IN PROGRESS
Trigger Condition Met: Secondary Body Discovered
Update Complete.
New Features Unlocked:
Mission Rewards (Boosters)
Friendship Favourability System
Emergency Missions
Monthly Skill Rewards
Booster Application (Training / Combat / Learning)
Daniel stared.
No explanation.
Just systems.
Another window opened.
Daily Mission
Survive today without skipping meals
Reward: 1x Daily Booster (10X effectiveness for 24 hours)
Weekly Mission
Attend school for 5 days
Reward: 1x Weekly Booster (10X effectiveness for 7 days)
Monthly Mission (Locked)
Reward Pool:
Computer Fundamentals
Fast Recovery
Potential Increase (Minor)
Emergency Missions: Enabled
Condition: Friend in danger or serious trouble
Failure Penalty: Severe mental backlash
Friendship Favourability: 0
Booster Share: Locked (Requires High Trust)
Daniel exhaled slowly.
"So… it's not helping me escape," he said.
"It's forcing me to face everything."
He clenched his fists.
"This body needs effort," Daniel said quietly.
"That body is insurance."
For the first time, he didn't see them as unfair.
He saw them as roles.
One to endure.
One to learn.
And somewhere between them—
Daniel Park would change.
CHAPTER 3 – ASKING FOR ESCAPE
Daniel Park sat quietly at the small dining table.
His school bag rested against the wall, untouched. Dinner had gone cold. His mother noticed, of course—she always did—but she didn't rush him. She never did.
Daniel's hands were clenched in his lap.
He had practiced this conversation in his head more times than he could count.
Every version ended the same way:
His mother worrying.
His mother apologizing.
His mother blaming herself.
Daniel hated that part the most.
"Daniel," his mother said gently, sitting across from him. "You're not eating."
"I'm not hungry," he replied.
That was a lie.
The system window hovered faintly in the corner of his vision, inactive. No skill today. No task. Almost as if it knew something important was coming.
Daniel took a slow breath.
"Mom," he said, staring at the table. "Can I… talk to you about school?"
She stiffened slightly.
"…Did something happen?"
Daniel nodded.
He didn't explain right away. Words were heavy. Once they came out, they couldn't be taken back.
"I don't think," he began slowly, "I can keep going there."
Silence.
The hum of the refrigerator filled the room.
His mother didn't interrupt.
"They laugh," Daniel continued. "Every day. Sometimes they hit me. Sometimes they don't. But it's always there."
His voice cracked, but he forced himself to continue.
"I try to ignore it. I really do. I wake up. I go. I come back. I repeat."
He swallowed.
"But it doesn't get better."
His mother covered her mouth with her hand.
"I don't want to die there," Daniel said quietly.
That sentence shattered what little calm remained.
She stood up abruptly, chair scraping the floor. "Daniel—don't say that."
"I mean it," he said, finally looking up. "I'm scared of myself more than them."
Tears welled in her eyes.
"I'm not asking to quit school," Daniel said quickly. "I just… I want to transfer. Somewhere else. Start over."
The system flickered.
SYSTEM NOTICE (PASSIVE)
Major Life Decision Detected
No intervention available
Outcome depends on choice and resolve
His mother sat back down slowly.
"Is it that bad?" she asked, voice trembling.
Daniel nodded once.
That was enough.
She reached across the table and held his hands tightly.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I should have noticed sooner."
Daniel shook his head. "It's not your fault."
They stayed like that for a long time.
That night, Daniel lay awake.
His chest felt lighter—and heavier at the same time.
END OF ARC 1 – DAILY SURVIVAL
Daniel Park had made his choice.
He would run.
Not blindly.
But because staying meant breaking.
ARC 2 BEGINS – TWO BODIES, ONE WILL
CHAPTER 4 – THE NIGHT EVERYTHING CHANGED
The paperwork was done.
The transfer was approved faster than Daniel expected. Maybe too fast. As if the world had already decided this path for him.
Daniel packed quietly.
His mother watched from the doorway, worry etched into her face.
"Are you nervous?" she asked.
"A little," Daniel answered.
That was another lie.
He was terrified.
That night, Daniel went to sleep earlier than usual.
The system appeared one last time before he closed his eyes.
SYSTEM DAILY SUMMARY
Consistency Streak: Maintained
No Skill Progress Today
Reminder:
Change does not equal improvement
Improvement requires endurance
Daniel closed his eyes.
And the world collapsed.
He woke up choking on air.
His body felt wrong.
Too light.
Too responsive.
Daniel shot up from the bed and froze.
This wasn't his room.
This wasn't his body.
He ran to the mirror.
Tall.
Lean.
Sharp eyes.
Clear skin.
"…What?"
His heart pounded violently.
"This isn't possible."
The system did not appear.
No window.
No skills.
No tasks.
Only silence.
Daniel touched his face, his arms, his chest.
Real.
Painfully real.
He staggered back, sitting on the bed.
"Am I… dreaming?"
He pinched himself.
Pain.
Outside the window, the city looked unfamiliar. Cleaner. Brighter.
A knock came at the door.
"Daniel?" a voice called. "You'll be late."
Daniel flinched.
Someone was calling him.
As if this body had always been his.
He swallowed hard.
"…Coming," he replied.
His voice sounded different too.
SYSTEM NOTICE (HIDDEN)
Second Body Detected
System Link: LOCKED
Update Pending – Condition Unmet
Daniel didn't see it.
But his fate had split in two.
END OF CHAPTER