— — — [System] — — —
Revealing all cards…
— — — — — — — — —
In front of me, as if responding to a spell, four cards began to materialize in the air. They floated, spinning slowly with a faint glow. Each one had a different shine:
One gold.
Two silver.
One bronze.
I focused first on the gold card. Not just because of its value… but because even from a distance, it seemed to emanate something special. Something unique.
The card rotated toward me, and its description appeared.
[Gold Card]:
— — — [Consumable Card] — — —
(Can you see it?)
Gain perfect vision.
*Disappears after use!
— — — — — — — — — — — — —
I stayed silent for a second.
"This card… is pretty good," I murmured, crossing my arms.
"Suhyeon Kim… the original, wore glasses. He wasn't blind, but his eyesight was quite poor. Since waking up in this body, I didn't need them. My vision was clear and precise, just like in my previous life."
"So…" I paused, thinking it through. "I don't need this card. But…"
Something lit up in my mind.
"This card could be useful for that person," I whispered, smiling with a calculating tone. "If I give it to him… I'll make him part of my team, for sure."
The gold card slowly faded away, as if waiting for its moment. I turned to the two silver cards. The first one revealed itself.
[Silver Card]:
— — — [Attack Card] — — —
(Jab – boxing)
You can use the boxing Jab.
*Current skill range: F [0/100]
— — — — — — — — — — — — —
My eyes sparkled.
"A very good card for combat," I said, clenching my fist. "If I'd had this before fighting Choi Changdong… I would have beaten him easily."
It wasn't spectacular, but the technique was valuable. And technique, in the right hands, could change everything.
The second silver card turned toward me.
[Silver Card]:
— — — [Regular Card] — — —
(Recovery Seed)
Recovers physical fatigue.
*Can be used once per day.
— — — — — — — — — — — —
"Oh, this is a gem!" I smiled widely.
I remembered it perfectly from Questism. One of the most absurdly useful system items. You could be on the brink of death, body in pieces… and after using it, you'd be as good as new.
"When I first saw it, I thought, 'This is broken!'" I laughed. "This will definitely be one of the main cards in my arsenal."
The last card floated in front of me.
Its bronze shine was duller. I could already guess what it was by the color.
[Bronze Card]:
— — — [Regular Card] — — —
(Sharp Skill)
You can make your voice very loud.
*You can become noisy.
— — — — — — — — — — — —
I blinked.
"Pretty meh," I admitted, shrugging. "Not very useful… but I guess it could stun someone if used right. Or scare them."
Not everything had to shine to be useful. Sometimes even the dumbest card could have its moment to shine.
The four cards disappeared, stored in some invisible corner of the system. I felt as if a part of me had grown. As if I were more prepared for whatever came next.
I stretched slowly, letting out a sigh.
"Now… the real story begins."
I kept walking.
And with every step, I got closer… to the player I was destined to be.
The front door clicked softly behind me. Outside, the sun had already set. The air smelled of dust, reheated kimchi soup, and routine.
I took off my shoes and placed them neatly, an automatic gesture, as if my body remembered better than my mind how to move here, and I entered the living room.
There she was. A girl around fifteen or sixteen, in pajamas, with a messy ponytail, sitting on the sofa like a lazy queen on her throne.
Dahyun Kim. My supposed sister.
She had a blanket over her legs, a huge bowl of popcorn on her lap, and her eyes fixed on a Korean romantic comedy, where, from what little I understood, the protagonist had just been slapped by a rich girl for kissing her accidentally.
Perfect timing.
"Wow, you're still breathing," Dahyun said without taking her eyes off the screen. "I thought they would have shoved you into a locker or something by now."
I smiled, more out of instinct than anything else.
I didn't really know her. Not like a brother would. No shared memories, no emotions tied to her. Just… facts. A relationship marked by distance and sarcasm. Rivalry without affection.
"And I thought you'd be studying to be less annoying," I replied, dropping my backpack to the side.
She snorted, shoving a handful of popcorn into her mouth.
"You can't talk to me like that after coming home half-dead," she said with her mouth full. "Mom called. Said you got into trouble. Again."
"Again?" Of course, the old Suhyeon must've had a reputation.
"And you believed her?"
"Of course. It's you," she replied, giving me a sideways glance. "The nerd who trips over his own shadow and still thinks he can fight."
"Too bad you don't fight. You'd be good at spitting venom," I answered, sitting on the edge of the sofa, at a safe distance.
Dahyun went back to watching the screen, murmuring something like "pathetic" under her breath, though it didn't sound annoyed. More like… usual.
I stayed quiet for a few seconds, watching her from the corner of my eyes.
She wasn't like me. Not in attitude, nor energy.
And yet, we were in the same house. We shared a mother. We shared a surname.
Even if we didn't share a story.
"Are you going to eat popcorn or just stand there looking weird?" she suddenly said, pushing the bowl toward me without looking.
"Are you afraid I'll starve and tomorrow you'll have nothing to make fun of?"
"No, I'm afraid you'll pass out and steal the cot when I get leg cramps from studying too long," she huffed.
I took a handful. They crunched in a comforting way.
"Thanks," I murmured.
She noticed. She shot me a look, this time with less sarcasm and more… curiosity.
As if the Suhyeon in front of her wasn't acting like usual. Because he wasn't.
And even if I couldn't tell her the truth, part of me knew that if I was going to live this new life… I'd also have to deal with these connections. New to me, old to everyone else.
A new person had taken over Suhyeon Kim's body.
The hallway lights went out one by one. Dahyun had already locked herself in her room, and the whole house sank into comfortable silence.
I returned to my room, closed the door carefully, and sat on the edge of the bed. I had been waiting for this all day.
I raised my hand in the air and thought mentally:
"Use: Recovery Seed."
— — — [System] — — —
Using Consumable Card: (Recovery Seed)
— — — — — — — — —
A wave of warmth spread through my body as if liquid light had been injected. It started in my chest and extended through my arms, legs, and fingertips. The soreness in my knuckles vanished. The pressure on my ribs dissolved. The tension from the bandages lost all meaning.
As if the pain had never been there. I slowly took off my shirt. Not out of caution, but out of simple curiosity.
In front of the mirror, the reflection didn't show a beaten-up boy.
There were no bruises, cuts, or swelling. The eyebrow that had been bleeding was clean. The skin was smooth. The ribs were aligned