Chapter 3: Chapter 1: I Want to Become a Top Tutor! (3)
"Whew..."
Sitting in the chair in the CEO's office, Sua let out a deep breath and relaxed her whole body.
"Haah..."
In truth, she was far from being a queen. She didn't like lording over others, nor did she enjoy being overbearing to anyone.
It was just that having a child at twenty and having to raise her alone after her husband ran away had shaped her into who she was today.
"It's okay, yeah... I can do it. I can do it..."
Sua tapped her own cheeks, giving herself that suggestion. Her daughter hadn't even made it to college yet. She couldn't afford to fall apart now.
"..."
For a moment, the image of the student she met that morning flashed through her mind. Maybe it was because they met outside of work, or because she was talking to someone who didn't know who she was.
Strangely, she really felt at ease.
"...Should I have asked for his number?"
But Sua immediately shook her head and muttered,
"That's silly, yeah... That's silly..."
For the first time, she resented her age.
"Ugh..."
I barely managed to make it back to my studio apartment. It felt like I was carrying sandbags on my whole body just taking a single step was so hard. I tossed my bag next to the bed and collapsed onto it.
"I thought I was going to die..."
I never imagined the penalty for failing a mission would be this harsh. Lying in bed, I finally recovered enough energy to organize my thoughts.
"Sigh."
Like most modern people, as soon as I felt a bit better, I habitually turned on my phone.
"Oh, right..."
This phone is strange too. Except for the device itself, everything about it feels like mine... No, it's even weirder since the fingerprint and pattern are all mine.
Right now, I have no choice but to accept everything because of this screen in front of my eyes.
"What the heck is this..."
I waved my arm, but I couldn't touch it. It only moved by thought I've never heard of such technology being developed.
"...Are you listening to me?"
But there was no reply. The screen stayed annoyingly silent.
"Sigh..."
I turned my attention to the phone. On the main screen was an app I'd never seen before the "Top Tutor Assistant App."
"...Guess I should open this."
At this point, it would be weirder to think it was a phishing scam. It's more reasonable to believe some miracle-like thing that I can't comprehend has happened.
Still, I couldn't help but feel nervous, and I swallowed dryly without realizing it.
"Whew..."
When I opened the app, a screen appeared that looked hastily designed.
System: [Top Tutor in MILF Area] has logged in.
Class Management
No ongoing classes.
Class Schedule
No scheduled classes.
Counseling
No scheduled counseling.
Profile Viewing
Han Sua (temporary)
Chatting
No ongoing chats.
...Unbelievable.
My head was spinning, but I could understand. It's called a tutoring app, but it doesn't seem to be for actual classes. Seeing the name of the woman I talked to in the park, it's clear this wasn't made just for lessons.
I couldn't get Han Sua's face out of my mind. It was hard to believe she was forty with that face, and I remembered her aura, scent, and voice so vividly.
I want her.
The profile on the screen those three characters of her name caught my eye.
When I tapped her name, the profile I saw earlier popped up. However, some details were still inaccessible. The first thing I noticed was the changed affinity score.
Affinity: 39
...It went up by 19.
I don't know how the affinity system works, but from experience, I know that 19 is not a small number. If you can easily talk to someone you just met, it's definitely not a number to take lightly.
But it's already 39?
Whatever I did, it must not have been bad. But...
"So what..."
There's no chance I'll meet her again. Apparently, she's a fashion company CEO. Why would someone rich and beautiful like her meet me?
"Sigh..."
Let's just dig around this app a bit more. My stamina's down anyway, so working out is out of the question.
Come to think of it, if this is a management app, shouldn't I have my own profile too?
After searching all over the app, I finally found my profile.
[Tutor Profile]
Name: Kim Sehyun
Age: 22
Occupation: Top Tutor, College Student
Title: No titles held
Status: "Stamina penalty -30 applied due to class failure. (Duration: 11:56:32)"
Points: 0p
[General Stats]
Stamina: 60 (-30). "You have high stamina due to external influences. Adjusted downward due to penalty."
Intelligence: 65. "You have quite high intelligence. Your academic achievement is excellent compared to your effort."
Luck: ?. "The system is perplexed by your complicated luck. Conclusion pending."
Health: 52 (-20). "Healthy enough to live without frequent illness, but adjusted downward due to penalty."
[Job-Related Stats]
Virility: 51 (-20). "Originally high due to stamina and health, but adjusted downward due to penalty."
Charm: 52 (-20). "Easy to gain favor, but adjusted downward due to penalty."
Skill: 0. "You know nothing."
Are you picking a fight with me?
"Why is my luck like this?! My life hasn't been that bad! At least give me an average score!!"
But the system never answered me. As if to mock me, it left the screen on, not moving an inch.
"Sigh..."
Why am I getting so worked up over something that won't even answer?
By the way, the stamina description is interesting. High stamina due to external influences... I guess that means this system.
It's true, before the penalty, I did feel strangely light. I'll probably never fall asleep on a bench again.
"...So this is me now."
It's not like I've never experienced seeing myself as numbers. Grades, the physical exam before enlisting those are all ways to see yourself as numbers. But this is a different, strange experience.
"It's weird."
It really was a weird feeling. It's like being evaluated from the outside by someone who knows me inside and out. Receiving such an evaluation feels strangely like someone has completely dug through and exposed my insides.
As I was blankly looking at my profile, a message popped up on the screen.
[System: The first class has not started. If you do not conduct a class within 7 days, you will lose your qualification as a 'Top Tutor.']
...So what if I lose it? It's not like anything will really change, right?
[System: If you lose your qualification, all stats will permanently decrease by 50.]
Guess not.
"Are you kidding me?!"
A drop of 50? It's already this hard with just a 30-point drop!
And it's not just stamina there's intelligence, health, even virility, which I've never even used before.
Cold sweat drenched my back. If I lose this, I'm really in trouble.
"W-what do I do? What should I do?!"
Unlike before, now it was a matter of survival. At least being healthy meant I didn't have big expenses, but if I lost 50 health points, it wouldn't be strange to die on the street.
"I-I need information. I need information..."
I read everything I could, but couldn't find any meaningful info. Then the app notification went off again, and a message appeared.
[System: 'Han Sua' remembers tutor 'Kim Sehyun.']
[System: 'Han Sua' remembers the conversation with tutor 'Kim Sehyun' as a good memory.]
[System: 'Han Sua' is thinking of tutor 'Kim Sehyun.']
[System: 'Han Sua' feels affection for tutor 'Kim Sehyun.' Affinity upgrade possible.]
The screen, which hadn't moved at all until now, suddenly flooded with messages, almost too many to process. After reading and rereading them for a while, I finally started to feel a glimmer of hope.
"Huh...?"
And then, as if presenting a final chance, the following appeared.
[System: Would you like to proceed with 'Han Sua's' affinity upgrade quest?]