ALL NOVEL Chapter 66
Chapter 66. System Update (1)
“Hey, what are you doing?”
“Huh? Oh, nothing. I just thought the house was quiet.”
Hajin’s mom, Young-in, who was quietly drinking a cup of mixed coffee at the living room table, smiled and replied to her husband’s words.
“It’s quiet because Hajin isn’t here.”
Hawon, the student, had been spending all day at the academy lately, even on weekends, due to special entrance exam classes. Since Hajin, who usually rested at home on weekends, left for the survival camp, it had just been the two of them alone like this.
The semi-basement house, which had felt cramped with four people, now felt extremely empty.
Beep beep beep beep―.
And amid that quiet routine, the familiar sound of the keypad was heard.
“What is it, did Hawon come home early?”
“No, Hawon said he’d be late today and asked me to pick him up later….”
“Then who’s pressing our door code?”
Surprised, the two of them instinctively looked at the front door facing the living room. Soon, the door opened, and a faded suitcase suddenly appeared through the gap. Then a boy, large as the door itself, followed with a clattering noise.
“Mom! Mom! Catch this!”
“What on earth, are you Hajin?”
“Mom, quick! Ahhh! Your son is going to die!”
“No, no, what is all this? How did you get here?”
Kicking the suitcase inside roughly, Hajin squeezed through the half-open door and eventually dropped the mysterious loads he was carrying in both hands.
“Oh my, Kang Hajin! I can’t live like this!”
Realizing that the peace a few minutes ago was truly peaceful, Young-in ended up hitting Hajin’s back and picked up the scattered items. Dad, Jungwook, who was watching the scene, quickly ran over to help organize Hajin’s spilled luggage.
With a surprised voice, Young-in asked her son,
“How did you get here without any contact? Weren’t you supposed to be filming?”
“I got a break. Ah, mom.”
Seeing their suddenly appearing son with half worry and half delight, the two of them looked at Hajin as he called them. Hajin, who had ended up sitting on the hallway floor entangled in the luggage, smiled brightly and made a V-sign with his eyes.
“Your son got first place.”
* * *
Yeah, first place.
I got first place.
-The second mission, To the Top! The team that took first place is the Sad Ending team! Congratulations!
-Huh?
I’ve emphasized it several times, but I never thought I’d do this well. Apparently, Sarin found our performance deeply impressive.
“I thought the Masquerade team would take first place.”
Well, it doesn’t matter. There’s nothing wrong with doing well in anything. I threw myself on the mattress, feeling delighted to see the familiar old ceiling after a long time.
In the second mission, we took first place, and Han Sungwoo’s thoroughly messed-up Turbulence team took third place. Thanks to that, all our team members received benefit points. So, there was a high possibility that the Wings ranks might have changed, but the results were still unknown.
-The next Wings rank will be determined by your existing scores, the benefits from this mission, and one more thing.
-The viewers’ vote scores will be included in the decision.
Viewer votes.
Miro Maze will start viewer voting with our performance videos, which will be released tonight at 6 PM on MyTube and the Miro Maze homepage.
‘Once the broadcast airs, more votes will pile up, so the next recording will probably be after the first broadcast.’
Although there was still some time until the first broadcast, anyway, the break I got was for a week. Trainees were to continue their practice at the company after a week’s rest.
And a week was more than enough time to reorganize many things.
[System Alert: 183 missed alarms…. 。：゜(；´∩｀；)゜：。]
…Yeah, I needed to deal with that too.
As I looked at the piled-up red circles with displeasure, someone knocked on the closed door.
“Hajin, should I order chicken?”
“Suddenly?”
“No, I’m just happy to see my son after a long time. And you said you got first place. If you don’t want it, never mind.”
“Mother. In my life, there will never be a time I refuse chicken.”
“Alright, then order it. It’s on me.”
“Can we order it later in the evening? I need to sleep a bit.”
“Sure. Sleep well and we’ll order it later.”
“Awesome!”
As I clenched my fist in genuine enthusiasm and cheered, my mom, smiling as if she couldn’t believe it, told me to sleep well and closed the door again.
I stared at the closed door for a moment. The old door with half-peeled paint.
“…Moving was supposed to be in about three years.”
Previously, I hadn’t felt any inconvenience since I had lived in this place for half my life. But after living in Miro’s new shiny office building and the luxurious apartment of Joo Eunchan for a few months, I could see the difference clearly.
The poverty I hadn’t recognized as a child.
“……”
Suddenly, many thoughts and memories flashed through my mind.
-Why are you like this, Hajin? I believe in you. You can do it.
-…Mom knows you’re good at it.
-And even if you don’t do well, it’s okay.
Living in a place like this, facing today with fear of tomorrow.
How could mom say such things?
She didn’t know the future like I did.
“…This time, I absolutely won’t go back.”
Three years later, mom and dad would have the house of their dreams. An apartment with an elevator, facing south, so bright that you’d wake up at dawn without curtains.
A place very different from this semi-basement, dark without the lights on, poorly ventilated even with the windows open, where you could see people’s feet passing by.
“I won’t lose it in vain like before.”
I couldn’t let mom and dad lose the fruits of their efforts so meaninglessly again.
And for that, there were many things I needed to check and prepare.
“Alright. I’m ready.”
At my determined words, the blue system window popped up with a bright notification window.
[System Alert: The fixed regressor’s authority has been updated with the recent update.]
[System Alert: You can now access more detailed information about the ‘timeline’ of humans.]
[System Alert: Do you want to enter the ‘space of unconsciousness’ to view the information? (Entry condition: Faint sleep)]
“Alright. Let’s see what exactly has been updated.”
As I nodded, a blinding light burst out again. Quickly closing my eyes, I felt my strength drain away as I collapsed onto the mattress. It felt like I was sinking through the floor, just like taking strong cold medicine.
[System Alert: The fixed regressor has entered the ‘space of unconsciousness’.]
I fell into a deep sleep.
* * *
When I opened my eyes again, I was in that familiar space. The void, empty space.
Soon, a familiar blue window floated before my eyes.
[System Alert: Verifying the fixed regressor’s authority in this ‘space of unconsciousness’.]
[System Alert: The ‘space of unconsciousness’ is now attributed to the fixed regressor.]
[System Alert: You can now imagine and create your desired space.]
“I can change this space as I imagine?”
I pondered for a moment. It meant that this was a kind of my own space, but throughout my entire life, I had never had ‘my own space’, so it was quite an area where my imagination was lacking.
“Still, well, it should be spacious first.”
I calmly imagined my own workspace that I had vaguely desired.
It would be nice if it had a view of the sea.
Since I’d be doing various things here, it would be great to have a proper desk.
And since sitting too long would hurt my back, a large and wide sofa would be good too.
As I kept imagining one thing after another, the once empty surroundings filled up, giving a fairly plausible studio atmosphere.
[System Alert: The interior of the fixed regressor (Kang Hajin’s) ‘space of unconsciousness’ is now fixed.]
“Oh, the authority update is awesome.”
[System Alert: (Proud) ＼＼(۶•̀ᴗ•́)۶//／／]
“Then, shall I deal with the piled-up alerts?”
I first checked the
[Fixed regressor (Kang Hajin) Authority Update (1.0) History]
1. More detailed information about ‘human timelines’ can be accessed.
2. The ‘space of unconsciousness’ is now attributed to you. You can enter it when needed.
※ Entry keyword required ※
※ Note that the flow of time in the space of unconsciousness is different from reality ※
3. The influence on ‘companions’ increases. You can exert more influence on them.
4. Security level is upgraded.
“Number 2 is roughly understood. The rest need some explanation.”
Should I sit down to do this? I moved to the large sofa next to me, which looked incredibly plush and comfortable. It seemed like my butt would sink in 2 meters just by sitting―,
“Ack!”
[System Alert: Th-The visual elements of the interior have only been implemented, so the tactile sensation needs to be….]
“Thanks for…telling me…early, damn….”
The pain that felt like diving into a rock shot up from my
butt to my back. I collapsed forward, gritting my teeth in unbearable pain.
“Is this… a sofa?”
[System Alert: So, if you imagine more specifically and in detail….]
“Because of my lack of imagination, this large and nice leather sofa turned into a rock. Yeah, it’s my fault.”
[System Alert: If you wish to modify the interior, please nod! (≡^∇^≡)/]
My back hurt too much to argue further. I nodded roughly and used all my imagination to implement every sense in this space.
[System Alert: The interior of the fixed regressor (Kang Hajin’s) ‘space of unconsciousness’ has been modified.]
Pouring all my imagination into creating the tactile sensation, cushion, and even the temperature of the sofa that would suit my preference, I leaned back halfway on it.
“Ah, nice. The bed at Joo Eunchan’s place feels exactly like this.”
[System Alert: The space implementation is complete. Please set the entry keyword.]
“An entry keyword…. So saying it would let me in? Then it shouldn’t be something too common.”
Even if I was lively here, in reality, I was sleeping almost like I was dead.
It had to be something unique, something I wouldn’t say accidentally in everyday life.
“What should it be? Something I’d never say by mistake―,”
[System Alert: The entry keyword must be at least 10 characters, including Korean, English, and special characters….]
“You’re really something, huh?”
[System Alert: …But, I was just about to say that we’ve made an exception for you to use only Korean].
“Thanks. Really.”
If it’s 10 Korean characters, it couldn’t be just a word, it had to be a sentence….
“Okay. I’ve decided.”
[System Alert: Setting the user’s entry keyword. (Entry keyword: )]
“I hate mint chocolate.”
[System Alert: (?_?) …And?]
“I hate mint chocolate.”
[System Alert: The fixed regressor’s taste preferences are not of interest. (╭ರ_⊙)]
“What are you talking about? That’s the keyword. I hate mint chocolate.”
Exactly 10 characters, something I’d never say even as a joke.
“I’m a mint chocolate lover, you know.”