Love for Love's Sake - Chapter 28
Chapter 28
[ Q: What is necessary for a happy life?
A: Stable housing and income. ]
The subsequent message that appeared was similar to what I had seen before. Even what appeared to be my own handwriting.
[ Sub-Mission: Raise Cha Yeowoon’s midterm ranking to 10th. ]
10th? School ranking? I didn’t think it would be the class ranking. Just like the previous Sub-Mission, it was vague.
Finding Cha Yeowoon a friend and now raising his grade. The timing felt like someone was reading my thoughts.
If I remembered correctly, the last time after this was…
[ Accumulated favorability: 130 ]
[ Hint triggered. ]
As expected.
Last time, the accumulated favorability was 15, and now it was 130. It was difficult to guess the meaning behind the number.
Rational suspicion crept back in. Could this system, which had appeared after I was thrown into this novel-like world and given me various tasks, had some personality or will of its own?
“Why are you suddenly asking me to do this?”
I heard a voice as if it was answering a question.
Looking around, of course, it was just me and Cha Yeowoon. I felt a slight shiver down my spine. The voice was unnervingly familiar.
It was mine.
“Because there’s a purpose for everything. Write it diligently.”
Then another voice continued the conversation. This one, too, was a voice I was familiar with.
As expected, this was the ‘hint’ provided by the system window.
“I’ll write because senior told me to.”
“The word happiness is too vague, so the criteria is important. Right?”
Senior.
The moment I realized who the main character of the conversation was, I felt like I had been hit on the head. The person who had written and with whom I had spoken to before awakening here. It was the voice of senior.
“If you set your own criteria, you won’t feel unjust.”
A grinning smile suddenly came to mind.
But that was it.
I couldn’t remember what senior looked like. We were definitely close. Despite me still being a lonely person at the age of 29, I was close to senior. By the way…
What was senior’s name?
“Senior.”
As my confused thoughts cleared, I saw Cha Yeowoon in front of me.
“What’s the matter?”
“…It’s nothing.”
“Is something wrong? Are you sick?”
When he looked at me with concern, I shook my head. It did hurt–my head.
But worrying about it now wouldn’t solve anything. I decided to do as I had learned in life. Sometimes, you had to set aside what you couldn’t solve for the time being.
Mulling over an issue that had no immediate solution wouldn’t help.
Focusing on the task at hand was more effective.
This time, there was even a deadline. The midterm exam.
Although there was the problem of there being less than three weeks, it was best to try before considering other possibilities.
“Cha Yeowoon, starting now, I’ll teach you how to study.”
I declared while holding on to both of Cha Yeowoon’s shoulders. However, his reaction was unexpected.
“…Senior, do you study?”
“Hey. What do you really think of me?”
“You missed school today again.”
“Well, that’s true.”
“There aren’t many workbooks or textbooks at senior’s house either.”
“That’s true, too. But I’ve solved it all when I was younger.”
Cha Yeowoon’s eyes were full of skepticism.
I wasn’t lying. I had spent a year teaching children about his age and sending them to college.
“What was senior’s rank for the end of term?”
“…Anyway, if you’re going to learn, trust and learn.”
“Okay.”
I thought I would have to convince Cha Yeowoon by solving some problems in front of him, but he readily agreed.
“Then where do we study? My place?”
“Whatever works for you.”
Cha Yeowoon hesitated for a moment.
“Just the two of us?”
“Oh, do you want to call Gyeonghun too? He’s the top student in my class.”
“…”
“Good thinking. Let’s call Gyeonghun.”
If we all studied together and the two became friends, I would be able to complete the remaining Sub-Mission.
Cha Yeowoon stared coldly at me, who was full of hope.
“Annoying…”
“What?”
“I thought it would just be the two of us.”
“Huh?”
“Studying. I want to do it alone with senior.”
Just the two of us? Cha Yeowoon had emphasized that part strongly. Why was that?
“Why? Since we’re doing it anyway, let’s have all three of us do it together. You’re so picky.”
“Haa…It’s really annoying.”
“You’ve been annoyed since earlier.”
“Fine. Senior do as you please. I’m going to wash up.”
“Okay. I’m leaving then?”
“There’s ice cream in the fridge.”
As I was about to head to the front door, Cha Yeowoon caught my ankles with an unexpected remark.
“Eat some before you go.”
His additional comment made the situation awkward. Did he think I was ice cream in my last life or something?
“I’ll wash up quickly and come out. Let’s eat together.”
Cha Yeowoon’s face brightened as he hesitantly paced in front of the bathroom.
He, with a plus favorability, was rather cute.
* * *
[ Current favorability: 11 ]