This all began at a time most people refer to as "midnight."
I'm not sure if it was exactly twelve o'clock—I never actually looked at a clock. What I do remember is that the dorm room was unnaturally silent, wrapped in a dense stillness—a quiet that only comes after everyone has given up their fight against sleep. The air felt frozen in place—heavy, stagnant—and I was similarly trapped: half-sunk into my bed, caught in the limbo between unconsciousness and wakefulness.
It was then that I felt it—an excruciating burn behind my eyes. It was like staring at the sun through closed eyelids: a fierce, scorching light pressing against the thin skin. At first, I thought someone in the room had turned on a desk lamp. But there were no footsteps, no rustling. Just that light—relentless, intrusive, unnaturally mechanical.
I groaned and shielded my face with my arm. It did nothing. The light remained. I waited. Five minutes? Ten? It didn't fade. If anything, it intensified—an oppressive heat, not warmth, searing my face. It felt as if something was floating just inches away from my skin.
Finally, I gave in. Half-annoyed, half-alarmed, I cracked one eye open. And the sight that met me burned away my last wisps of drowsiness—the floating mechanical orb.
It looked like some kind of machine, yet unlike anything I'd ever seen. A golden sphere, hovering a few feet off the floor, casting sharp shadows across walls and ceiling. Its skin glowed softly, with circuit-like veins pulsing beneath a metallic surface. It was as if godly craftsmanship had collided with factory precision—utterly alien.
Then it moved. It pivoted silently toward me. A circular lens at its center lit up, projecting a soft blue hologram into the air. Strange symbols flickered into view before morphing into English. A voice—synthetic yet warm—spoke:
"Congratulations, dear CL. You have been selected by the KR Committee for participation in the new program: Credit Life / Enjoy Life First. Here is your contract. Please review it carefully before proceeding."
A thin metallic panel extended from its side—like a contract, faintly glowing, each line of text shifting every few seconds, as though testing my comprehension.
My heart thundered. My mind raced with questions: Who is CL? What's the KR Committee? What does "Enjoy Life First" mean? Was this a dream? Most importantly—how did it know my name?
"Please choose three abilities you desire," the voice instructed.
In a daze, I replied, "Abilities? Anything?"
"Yes."
I closed my eyes and whispered, "I want to be fit… super intelligent… and… I want… my senior's love…"
"Fit ✅. Super intelligent ✅. 'Senior's love' is not an ability. Invalid choice. Please choose again."
"Ah—okay, then… I want to be popular."
"Popularity ✅."
The next morning, I woke to a pounding head. [What a strange dream… I didn't sleep at all.] I swung my legs off the bed. But something was… different. Strange. Light. I pressed my hand to my stomach—
"Whoa!" I gasped—six-pack abs glared back at me.
In the mirror, my waist was lean, my face sharper—every contour new and refined. My whole body had been replaced overnight.
On my desk sat another copy of that paper—the same contract from the orb. I flipped it over and read the back:
Credit Life / Enjoy Life First
Daily Tasks
Fit: Run 5 km, one hour of exercise (details omitted), every day for six months
Super Intelligent: Read assigned papers/books, play brain-teaser games, six months straight
Popularity: Read interpersonal-relationship books, make eye contact with ten people daily, compliment five people daily, six months straight
I was completely baffled. Was this for real? But my mind felt so clear. "Credit Life"—enjoy first, pay later? What happens if I don't follow it? There's no penalty listed… But I didn't want trouble, so I decided to stick with it.
Just then, my phone buzzed: [Senior ❤️].
My heart nearly stopped. This can't be happening… is this dream?
I answered, "Hello? Good morning, Senpai."
"Good morning~ it's a bit sudden, but do you have dinner plans tonight? If not, would you like to join me? It's on me," she said, her voice like a bell.
My throat closed up, then I stammered, "I… I'm free! I'd love that!"
Her laughter tinkled in my ear. Then, in class, the teacher called on me unexpectedly. I answered without hesitation, and the whole class burst into laughter. My thoughts flowed freely: "The answer is… because…" I sank back into my seat, amazed: [I'm… actually brilliant!]
Three weeks into the daily routine, I felt drained. Was all this effort worth it? If I skipped a day, would something awful happen? It wasn't in writing… but I kept going, just in case.
Two months later, Haruna and I had been dating for a month, and today we planned a trip. But I'd skipped my workout that day. The next morning—
Nothing dramatic. Maybe it was just… emptiness? Then Haruna pulled me into bed—so close I could barely breathe. I couldn't think straight.
So I gave up trying to follow the plan exactly—there were no penalties listed, so why worry?
Life became fun again. Who knows? It might have been more than a year later. Haruna graduated, and we began a long-distance relationship.
Then one day, I peed—bright red blood. I almost fainted. I rushed to a urology clinic. Tests came back normal. The doctor said, "You probably imagined it. Blame lack of sleep."
But that red was real—bright, vivid red, like a burst vessel. At home, the toilet was clean. What was happening?
Then came constant thirst, frequent bathroom trips, brain fog—I googled "diabetes." Test results came back normal. The doctor suggested anxiety. My performance suffered so much in the lab that my supervisor said, "Take three months off."
My life smashed to pieces.
I moved in with Haruna. She said, "You're being overly anxious." But curiously, she noted, "You're in bed all day and still look great." That startled me, and I ran home to grab the contract.
It had changed:
Credit Life
Current Debt
Fit: 14 years remaining…
Super Intelligent: 3 years remaining…
Popular ✅ Paid off