Friday morning came with the usual system notification, but this time I was already up and doing push-ups when it appeared.
"DAILY QUEST AVAILABLE"
"QUEST: MORNING ROUTINE"
"DESCRIPTION: COMPLETE A HEALTHY MORNING ROUTINE (EXERCISE, SHOWER, HEALTHY BREAKFAST)"
"REWARD: +1 STRENGTH, +1 AGILITY, 10 SYSTEM POINTS" "TIME LIMIT: 2 HOURS"
"ACCEPT? YES/NO"
I accepted it while doing my fortieth push-up. Yesterday I could barely do thirty. The improvement was small but noticeable.
After my workout and shower, I went downstairs to find my parents already at the breakfast table together. My dad was reading the newspaper, but he looked up when I entered.
"Good morning, son. Ready for your last day of school before the weekend?"
"Morning, Dad. Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. I'm going to spend the weekend studying for midterms."
My mom smiled as she served me breakfast. "That's wonderful. Do you need anything special for studying? Maybe some supplies or snacks?"
"Actually, could you help me organize a proper study space? I want to make sure I'm being as efficient as possible."
She practically beamed. "Of course! We can work on that this afternoon."
"DAILY QUEST COMPLETED"
"REWARD: +1 STRENGTH, +1 AGILITY, 10 SYSTEM POINTS"
"CURRENT SYSTEM POINTS: 235"
At school, I noticed that people were still looking at me differently. Some of my classmates who never paid attention to me before were nodding when I walked by. Breaking up with Mina had apparently changed how people saw me, though I wasn't sure why.
"Jinhyuk!"
I turned to see Choi Yerin, the class president, walking toward me. She was one of those students who was involved in everything - student council, debate team, volunteer work. In my previous life, she'd barely acknowledged my existence.
"Hi, Yerin. What's up?"
"I heard you've been studying really hard lately. I'm organizing a study group for the midterms this weekend. Would you be interested in joining?"
A study group with the top students in the class. A few days ago, they would never have invited me. Now they were seeking me out.
"That sounds great, but I already made plans to study with Sujin. Maybe we could combine our study sessions?"
"Oh, that's a great idea! Sujin is incredibly smart, but she's usually too shy to join group activities. If you could convince her to come, that would be amazing."
"I'll ask her."
"Perfect! We're meeting at the public library tomorrow at 2 PM. I'll text you the details."
She walked away, and I realized I'd just been invited into the smart kids' circle. Not because I was smart yet, but because I was trying to become smart. The difference was huge.
In homeroom, I sat next to Sujin as usual. She was reading a book about advanced chemistry, which was way beyond what we were learning in class.
"Good morning," I said quietly.
"Good morning. You look happy today."
"I am. Hey, Yerin asked me to join a study group tomorrow. She wants you to come too."
Sujin's eyes widened. "She wants me to join? But I've never been part of a study group before."
"She specifically said you were incredibly smart and that she'd love to have you there. I told her I'd ask."
"I don't know... I'm not good with groups. What if I say something stupid?"
"You won't. And even if you did, so what? We're all there to learn, not to judge each other."
She bit her lip, thinking. "Will you be there?"
"Of course. We're study partners, remember?"
"Okay. I'll try it."
"QUEST PROGRESS: WEEKEND WARRIOR (10% COMPLETE)"
"RELATIONSHIP PROGRESS: KANG SUJIN (GOOD FRIEND → CLOSE FRIEND)"
The morning classes went smoothly. I continued to participate and take notes, which was becoming more natural. During English class, I actually corrected a translation that the teacher had gotten wrong.
"Actually, I think that phrase means 'despite the circumstances' rather than 'because of the circumstances,'" I said, raising my hand.
The teacher checked her notes and smiled. "You're absolutely right. Thank you, Jinhyuk."
"SKILL LEVEL UP: ACTIVE LEARNING (LEVEL 3)"
"INTELLIGENCE +1"
"CURRENT INTELLIGENCE: 42/100"
During lunch, I sat with Sujin again. She was picking at her food nervously.
"Are you worried about the study group?" I asked.
"A little. What if they think I'm weird?"
"They won't. And if they do, that's their problem, not yours."
"You're always so confident now. What changed?"
I thought about how to answer that. "I guess I realized that being afraid of what people think is just another way of giving up control of your life. I'd rather try and fail than never try at all."
She nodded slowly. "That's a good way to look at it."
"Besides, you're not weird. You're just focused on different things than most people our age. That's not a bad thing."
"Thank you. That actually makes me feel better."
We finished lunch and headed to the library for our usual study session. But this time, Park Sungjin was there waiting for us.
"Hey, Jinhyuk. I hope you don't mind, but I asked around about who was studying seriously for the midterms, and everyone said you and Sujin were the most dedicated. Could I maybe join you guys?"
I looked at Sujin, who nodded shyly. "Sure, the more the merrier."
Sungjin was good at math and science, while Sujin excelled at everything. Together, they helped me understand concepts that had been confusing me for months. But more than that, I found myself able to help them too, especially with Korean Literature and History.
"You have a really good understanding of historical context," Sungjin said after I explained a complex historical event. "I always just memorize the dates and names, but you actually understand why things happened."
"Thanks. I guess I just think about how people must have felt in those situations, and then the events make more sense."
"SKILL LEVEL UP: HISTORY ANALYSIS (LEVEL 2)"
"INTELLIGENCE +1"
"CURRENT INTELLIGENCE: 43/100"
After school, I went home to work on setting up my study space with my mom. She was more excited about this than I'd ever seen her.
"We can clear out the guest room," she said, leading me upstairs. "It gets the best light, and it's quiet."
We spent an hour organizing the room. She brought in a proper desk, a comfortable chair, good lighting, and even a small bookshelf for my textbooks. She also stocked a mini-fridge with healthy snacks and drinks.
"This is amazing, Mom. Thank you."
"I'm just so proud of you for taking your education seriously. Your father and I always knew you were smart, but we were worried you'd never apply yourself."
"I'm sorry it took me so long to figure it out."
"You're figuring it out now. That's what matters."
"QUEST PROGRESS: WEEKEND WARRIOR (20% COMPLETE)"
"RELATIONSHIP PROGRESS: PARK YEONHEE (MOTHER) - BOND STRENGTHENED"
That evening, I had dinner with my parents again. It was becoming a regular thing, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.
"How was work today, Dad?" I asked.
"Good. We had a meeting with the architects for the Gangnam project. They want to make some changes to the design, which means we'll need to adjust our timeline."
"That sounds complicated. How do you handle unexpected changes like that?"
"Flexibility is key in business. You make a plan, but you also have to be ready to adapt when circumstances change. The companies that survive are the ones that can roll with the punches."
"That's good advice for more than just business."
He smiled. "Exactly. Life rarely goes according to plan, so you have to be ready to adjust your approach while keeping your end goal in mind."
"SKILL ACQUIRED: ADAPTABILITY (LEVEL 1)"
"WISDOM +1"
Wait, wisdom? That was a new stat. I opened my status screen to check.
"CURRENT STATS:" "STRENGTH: 16/100" "AGILITY: 18/100" "INTELLIGENCE: 43/100" "CHARISMA: 16/100" "LUCK: 5/100" "ANGER CONTROL: 13/100" "WISDOM: 1/100"
"NEW STAT UNLOCKED: WISDOM" "DESCRIPTION: ABILITY TO APPLY KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE TO MAKE GOOD DECISIONS"
Interesting. The system was evolving as I grew. I wondered what other stats I might unlock as I continued to develop.
Saturday morning, I woke up early and did my usual routine. But this time, I added some jogging to my workout. I ran around the neighborhood for twenty minutes, which was harder than I expected but felt good.
"DAILY QUEST COMPLETED"
"REWARD: +1 STRENGTH, +1 AGILITY, 10 SYSTEM POINTS"
"CURRENT SYSTEM POINTS: 245"
After breakfast, I spent the morning in my new study space, reviewing all my notes from the week. I was amazed at how much I'd learned in just a few days of actually paying attention.
"STUDY SESSION COMPLETED"
"INTELLIGENCE +1"
"CURRENT INTELLIGENCE: 44/100"
At 2 PM, I met Sujin at the public library. She looked nervous but determined.
"Ready for this?" I asked.
"As ready as I'll ever be."
The study group was bigger than I expected. Besides Yerin, Sungjin, Sujin, and myself, there were five other students from our class. All of them were among the top performers academically.
"Thanks for coming, everyone," Yerin said, taking charge like the natural leader she was. "I thought we could divide into pairs and work on different subjects, then rotate every hour so everyone gets help with everything."
It was a good system. I was paired with Lee Minhyuk for the first hour, working on English. He was surprised by how much my comprehension had improved.
"You're really good at this," he said. "I remember you struggling with English translations last semester."
"I've been practicing a lot lately."
"It shows. You should consider taking advanced English next year."
When we rotated, I worked with Sujin on math. She was patient as always, but I could see her relaxing as she realized that the other students were just as interested in learning as she was.
During the third rotation, I was paired with Yerin for Korean Literature. She was impressed by my analysis of the poems we'd been studying.
"You have a really mature perspective on these works," she said. "Have you been reading literature outside of class?"
"Not really. I just try to think about what the author was feeling when they wrote it."
"That's exactly the right approach. You should consider joining the literature club."
"SKILL LEVEL UP: LITERATURE ANALYSIS (LEVEL 2)"
"INTELLIGENCE +1"
"CURRENT INTELLIGENCE: 45/100"
After four hours of intensive studying, we all felt like we'd made real progress. More importantly, I'd proven to myself and others that I belonged among the serious students.
"Same time tomorrow?" Yerin asked as we packed up.
Everyone agreed, including Sujin, who had clearly enjoyed herself despite her initial nerves.
"That wasn't so bad," she said as we walked home together.
"You were great. I saw you helping Minhyuk with calculus. He looked like you'd just solved the mysteries of the universe for him."
She laughed. "He's not bad at math, he just overthinks everything. Sometimes the simple explanation is the right one."
"That's good advice for everything, not just math."
"You're collecting a lot of wisdom lately," she said with a smile.
"I'm trying to. I feel like I wasted a lot of time not paying attention to the world around me."
"Well, you're paying attention now. That's what matters."
"QUEST PROGRESS: WEEKEND WARRIOR (60% COMPLETE)"
"RELATIONSHIP PROGRESS: STUDY GROUP - ACCEPTED AS PEER"
Sunday was more of the same. I did my morning routine, studied for several hours, then met the group at the library again. This time, I felt completely comfortable contributing to discussions and helping other students with subjects I was strong in.
"You know," Sungjin said during a break, "I never thought I'd say this, but you've become one of the most improved students in our class."
"Thanks. It feels good to actually understand what we're learning instead of just memorizing it."
"What made you decide to change?" asked Yerin.
"I realized I was wasting my potential. My parents always believed I could do better, but I was too stubborn to listen. I finally decided to prove them right."
"That's really mature of you," said Sujin. "A lot of people our age would just keep making excuses."
"SKILL LEVEL UP: SELF-REFLECTION (LEVEL 2)"
"WISDOM +1"
"CURRENT WISDOM: 2/100"
By the end of the weekend, I felt completely prepared for the midterm exams. More than that, I felt like I'd found my place among the serious students at school.
"QUEST COMPLETED: WEEKEND WARRIOR"
"REWARD: +3 INTELLIGENCE, STUDY EFFICIENCY SKILL UPGRADE, 40 SYSTEM POINTS"
"CURRENT SYSTEM POINTS: 285"
"SKILL LEVEL UP: STUDY EFFICIENCY (LEVEL 3)"
"INTELLIGENCE +3"
"CURRENT INTELLIGENCE: 48/100"
That evening, I had dinner with my parents and told them about my weekend.
"I'm really proud of you," my dad said. "You've shown more growth in the past week than in the past year."
"Thanks, Dad. I'm excited to see how I do on the midterms."
"Whatever happens, we're proud of the effort you're putting in," my mom added.
"NEW QUEST AVAILABLE"
"QUEST: PROVE YOURSELF" "DESCRIPTION: ACHIEVE TOP 10 RANKING IN MIDTERM EXAMS" "REWARD: +5 INTELLIGENCE, +2 CHARISMA, ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT SKILL, 60 SYSTEM POINTS" "TIME LIMIT: 1 WEEK"
"ACCEPT? YES/NO"
I accepted the quest with confidence. A week ago, the idea of getting into the top 10 would have seemed impossible. Now, it felt like a realistic goal.
"CURRENT STATS:" "STRENGTH: 18/100" "AGILITY: 20/100" "INTELLIGENCE: 48/100" "CHARISMA: 16/100" "LUCK: 5/100" "ANGER CONTROL: 13/100" "WISDOM: 2/100"
"SYSTEM POINTS: 285"
I looked at my stats with satisfaction. My intelligence had more than doubled from where I started. My physical stats were improving steadily. Even my wisdom was starting to develop.
Most importantly, I felt different. More confident, more focused, more in control of my life. The angry, lost teenager I'd been was disappearing, replaced by someone who had direction and purpose.
The midterm exams were next week. After that, I'd have concrete proof of how much I'd changed.
But even without test scores, I already knew the truth. I wasn't the same person who'd died in that truck accident. I was becoming someone better.
Someone who deserved this second chance.