Jin went through the rest of the day without much excitement. The soreness in his body left him with little choice but to rest. Just before drifting off, he reached for his phone and set an alarm for early morning—determined to knock out his daily quest before it could slip his mind.
As he sank deeper into sleep, a single hope lingered in his mind:
Let this be real. Let me wake up and not lose any of it.
RING RING RING
GASP
With a sharp inhale, Jin jolted awake, heart pounding as his alarm shrieked in the still-dark room.
For a moment, he just sat there. Chest rising and falling, mind blank until the haze of sleep gave way to something stranger: clarity. He wasn't sore. His body didn't feel like it had been through a meat grinder. In fact… he felt good. Energized, even.
He swung his legs out of bed and shuffled to the bathroom, still half-expecting to see a hospital room or hear the faint beep of a heart monitor.
But no. Just cool tile underfoot. The quiet hum of a house not yet awake.
He looked up at the mirror and froze.
Same kid from yesterday. Round cheeks. Awkward haircut. A face untouched by time and disappointment.
"I really did go back," Jin whispered. "Holy shit."
He leaned in, squinting at his reflection like it might crack or glitch. He touched his face, poked his jaw, pressed at his arms.
"This is real," he murmured. "This actually happened."
His mind spun, not with panic but awe. Somehow, some way, the universe had handed him a reset button. Nineteen-year-old regrets in a thirteen-year-old body. He remembered the ache of that hospital bed, the hollowness in his chest… and now here he was, back in the house he grew up in, with Choco alive and a literal system stuck to his eyeballs.
Whatever this was—second chance, dream, divine glitch—he wasn't about to waste it.
With new resolve, he splashed water on his face, brushed his teeth, and got moving.
In the kitchen, he grabbed a banana and glanced at the clock: 5:00 AM.
"Waking up early is such a weird experience," he muttered, peeling the fruit. "No screaming buses. No last-minute panic. Just… time."
According to his memory, school started at 8:00. That gave him a little under three hours to grind through his workout.
"Ugh. It took me three hours yesterday, how the hell am I supposed to beat that today?" he groaned.
Then he paused, blinking.
"…Wait. Didn't I have a couple stat points left over?"
Jin immediately pulled up his status and looked at his stat screen.
***
STAT POINTS: 1
{Physical stats}
STRENGTH: F- ○○○○○
DEXTERITY: F ○○○○○
STAMINA: F- ○○○○○
BALANCE: F ○○○○○
{Mental Stats}
Resilience: A- ○○○○○
Game Knowledge: D+ ○○○○○
Composure: D ○○○○○
Focus: D ○○○○○
{TECHNICAL STATS}
SERVING: F+ ○○○○○
GROUNDSTROKES: F ○○○○○
VOLLEY: F- ○○○○○
FOOTWORK: F- ○○○○○
***
Jin thought about it for a moment and then dumped his points straight into stamina. Having good stamina is not only one of the most crucial aspects of tennis but also it can hopefully make me finish my training sooner.
*ding*
STAMINA: F- ○○○○○ → STAMINA: F- ●●○○○
A warm sensation crept through his chest and limbs, not painful but… weird. Like someone had poured ginger tea into his veins.
He glanced back at the stat screen and noted how the filled-in dots now added up.
"So five dots per rank... Makes sense. Probably hits F+ next."
With that out of the way Jin donned his jacket and stepped outside to begin his new daily routine. He was immediately greeted by the nippy spring morning temperature of Wisconsin.
After taking a few deep breaths and doing some light stretches Jin began to run at an intentional pace just trying to go for as long as possible. About 10 minutes Jin started to feel tired, however, it was a great improvement from yesterday.
Two and a half hours later, he stumbled back through the front door while checking his system, sweat-drenched but triumphant. His shirt clung to him, his hair was a mess, and he felt like he'd just fought 10 rounds with a mountain lion.
The system popped up.
GEMS: 20
STAT POINTS: 2
He dumped the point into Stamina again without hesitation.
STAMINA: F- ●●○○○ → STAMINA: F- ●●●●○
Another wave of that strange warmth rolled through him. Jin shook out his limbs, savoring the faint lightness in his legs.
Then the door clicked shut behind him—and he looked up.
There stood his mom. Arms crossed. Face with a deep scowl.
Jin froze, primal fear sent straight to his inner soul. "...Mom?"
Her eyes narrowed.
"You look like you just finished running a marathon," she said slowly. "But tell me, Jin... did you maybe forget something?"
Gulp.
She took a long breath and visibly relaxed. A little.
"I'm happy you're working out," she said, voice stern but calmer. "But please tell me next time before you vanish into the wild. Now hurry and get ready—you're going to be late for school. And if you are... I'll be really mad."
Jin's eyes darted to the clock.
7:30 AM.
For a split second, pride swelled in his chest. He'd finished the full routine thirty minutes earlier than yesterday.
Then panic overtook his rational thoughts.
"Crap—school!"
He bolted for the stairs like a man on fire, mind already racing through what to wear, whether his backpack was packed, and how many teachers he'd need to charm to make it through the day alive.
As Jin loaded his backpack into the car, he paused with his tennis racquet in hand. For a moment, he just held it; fingers brushing over the worn grip like it was an old friend.
It was an older Wilton Burn model, scuffed and faded from years of use. The grey frame still held faint streaks of orange, and the strings, some off-brand grey ones he couldn't even name, looked dull but familiar.
Jin let out a soft chuckle. "Man… this thing got me through some rough days."
"Jin, hurry up!" his mom called from the driver's seat, impatience tapping into her voice.
"Right! coming!"
He gently placed the racquet in the back, shut the trunk, and hopped into the front seat. As the engine started and they pulled out of the driveway, Jin found his eyes drifting toward the direction of his school. His hand trembling slightly with a mix of nerves and excitement.
(A/N): I got 3 chapter out today. Please be proud of me.