Chapter Twelve: Back to Reality

Jiwon stood in front of the mirror, his school uniform hanging looser than it had in months. The drastic weight loss was undeniable. His face had slimmed down, his stomach no longer bulged over his waistband, and his legs were toned from the countless hours of forced exercise. He should have felt proud, but the exhaustion weighed heavily on him. He had barely slept, haunted by the system's relentless demands.

[Reminder: School Day. Vocal Warm-ups After.]

The notification echoed in his mind, a constant reminder that even while at school, the system was watching, waiting for the next opportunity to push him.

He slipped on his backpack, feeling the familiar tension in his chest as he braced himself for the day ahead. School had never been a safe place for him—his bullies always lurking, waiting for their moment to strike. And even though he had changed physically, the dread of facing them again made his stomach churn.

The walk to school felt longer than usual. His legs were sore, his body still adjusting to the rapid changes. He hadn't told anyone about the system, not even his parents, and the secret weighed on him as heavily as the physical transformation.

As he walked into the schoolyard, the usual groups of students gathered in their cliques. Jiwon kept his head down, hoping to slip by unnoticed.

"Hey, isn't that Jiwon?"

The voice cut through the air like a knife. Jiwon flinched, his heart sinking. He recognized the voice immediately—Minho, the ringleader of the group that had tormented him for months.

Minho approached, followed by his usual crew. They surrounded Jiwon, sizing him up, their eyes scanning his now-thinner frame.

"Well, well, look who decided to lose some weight," Minho sneered, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "What happened, Jiwon? Did you finally get tired of being a fat loser?"

Jiwon clenched his fists, the familiar wave of shame washing over him. He wanted to tell them to leave him alone, to stand up for himself, but the system's voice interrupted his thoughts.

[Do Not Engage. Stay Focused on the Goal.]

He bit his tongue, forcing himself to stay silent, but his lack of response only seemed to fuel Minho's cruelty.

Minho shoved him lightly, just enough to make him stumble. "What's wrong? You lose weight, but you're still as pathetic as ever?"

The crowd around them laughed, a harsh chorus that echoed in Jiwon's ears. He could feel the heat rising to his face, the shame crawling up his throat like bile. He hadn't anticipated this—the way his transformation would only invite new kinds of mockery. Before, they had taunted him for his weight, but now they mocked him for trying to change.

"I mean, look at you," another boy, Jae, chimed in. "You think losing a few kilos is gonna make you one of us? You're still the same loser you've always been."

Jiwon's hands shook, the urge to retaliate swelling within him. He could feel the eyes of the crowd boring into him, waiting to see what he would do. But before he could speak, Minho grabbed his backpack and yanked it off his shoulders, sending it crashing to the ground.

"That's enough!" a voice shouted from behind the crowd.

Everyone turned to see a teacher approaching, her stern expression freezing Minho in his tracks. He gave Jiwon one last shove before backing off, a smirk playing on his lips.

"This isn't over, Jiwon. Not by a long shot," he muttered under his breath, before walking away with his crew.

The teacher helped Jiwon pick up his bag, giving him a sympathetic look. "Are you okay?"

Jiwon nodded, his throat tight. He didn't trust himself to speak, afraid that if he did, the flood of emotions would overwhelm him.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Jiwon kept his head down in class, barely able to concentrate on the lessons. The weight of what had happened in the schoolyard lingered with him, an oppressive presence that made it hard to breathe. Even though he had changed so much, the world around him hadn't.

At lunch, he found a quiet corner to sit in, his appetite nonexistent despite the meager meal of vegetables he had earned. The other students chattered and laughed around him, but he felt like he was watching from the outside, disconnected and alone.

The system, as always, was unrelenting.

[Afternoon Vocal Warm-up Begins in 15 Minutes.]

Jiwon sighed, forcing himself to drink water and prepare for another round of training once school was over. The system didn't care about his emotional state or the humiliation he had just endured. All it cared about was progress.

But as he sat there, picking at the vegetables, he wondered how much longer he could endure this. How much more could he take before something inside him broke? The weight of the transformation, the pressure of the system, and the cruelty of his peers were all crushing him from different angles, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold it all together.

He glanced at his phone, the screen lighting up with yet another reminder:

[Stay Focused. Your Dream is Within Reach.]

But Jiwon wasn't so sure anymore.