The morning sun painted the sky over Insadong in soft shades of pink and gold as Jin-woo unlocked the doors to Hanok House. His body should have been sore from yesterday's long day office work, evening class, helping close the restaurant but the "Devoted Family Member" title's emotional resilience bonus kept him feeling fresh and focused.
"Already here, Jin-woo-ya?" His aunt emerged from the back, tying her apron around her waist. "You should have slept in it's the weekend!"
"Can't waste good morning hours," he said with a grin, heading to the kitchen to start preparing ingredients. "Plus, I have a few ideas for the menu that I want to run by you and uncle."
NEW TASK INITIATED: "IMPROVE RESTAURANT OPERATIONS"
• DESCRIPTION: Identify ways to boost efficiency and increase revenue at Hanok House
• BASE REWARD: 250 EXP + "Customer Favorite" buff
• BONUS OBJECTIVES:
◦ Create new seasonal menu items: +125 EXP
◦ Optimize inventory ordering to reduce waste: +100 EXP
◦ Develop social media promotion plan: +75 EXP
• SPECIAL NOTE: Your accounting skills are perfectly suited to this task leverage them!
As Jin-woo chopped vegetables for kimchi jjigae, his mind was already analyzing the restaurant's operations. Using his financial analysis skills, he'd quietly reviewed the sales records over the past six months during his previous shifts he'd noticed that certain dishes sold far better on weekends, while others sat unused, leading to unnecessary food waste.
" Aunt Mi-young," he said, pausing with his knife mid-chop, "what if we created a weekend special menu? Focus on dishes that use ingredients we already buy in bulk, and feature seasonal produce. We could also adjust our ordering schedule so we only get what we actually need for each day."
She wiped her hands on her apron and leaned in to look at the notes he'd jotted down on a notepad neat columns of numbers showing sales trends, waste percentages, and potential profit margins.
"Jin-woo-ya… when did you have time to do all this?" she asked, her voice full of wonder. "This is exactly what we've been needing we just never had the head for numbers like you do."
WORK IN PROGRESS:
• Analyzed 6 months of sales data: +50 EXP
• Proposed menu optimization plan: +75 EXP
• SKILL APPLICATION: "FINANCIAL PATTERN RECOGNITION" USED IN NEW CONTEXT – +30 EXP
• CURRENT EXP: 570
• SKILL UNLOCKED: "SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT" – LEVEL 1
◦ Bonus: +20% to efficiency improvements for small businesses + +15% to cost-reduction planning
By 8 AM, the restaurant was open for business, and Jin-woo was manning the front of house taking orders, serving food, and chatting with regular customers. He'd always been a bit shy with strangers, but the "Reliable Team Leader" title gave him a confidence that made interacting with people feel natural.
"Jin-woo-ssi! You're working here too?"
He looked up to find Min-jung standing at the entrance with two of their colleagues from the office. She was wearing casual clothes jeans and a warm sweater and was smiling brightly.
"Surprised?" he asked, hurrying over to seat them at a corner table. "My uncle owns this place. What brings you to Insadong on a Saturday morning?"
"We came to check out the antique market," she said, "and we were looking for somewhere to eat. I had no idea you worked here too you really do never stop working, do you?"
As he took their orders, the system popped up with a new notification:
SOCIAL OPPORTUNITY DETECTED: "BUILD PROFESSIONAL NETWORK"
• DESCRIPTION: Strengthen relationships with colleagues outside of work
• REWARD: 75 EXP + "Team Cohesion" buff
• BONUS OBJECTIVE: Introduce colleagues to family business may lead to new customers/clients: +50 EXP
Jin-woo brought out their food personally his aunt had added extra portions "for your nice friends" and sat down with them for a few minutes between orders. They talked about work, their CPA classes, and plans for the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday.
"Your bulgogi is amazing," one of his colleagues said, finishing his plate. "I'm definitely bringing my family here next weekend. We've been looking for a good traditional restaurant."
"Me too!" Min-jung added. "My parents love hanok-style places they'll be so excited when I tell them about this."
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: "BUILD PROFESSIONAL NETWORK"
• TOTAL REWARD: 125 EXP
• CURRENT EXP: 695
• NOTIFICATION: 3 new potential customers secured for Hanok House repeat business may unlock additional rewards!
• SYSTEM MESSAGE: Professional relationships don't just happen in the office every interaction is an opportunity to grow your network and create mutual benefit.
The morning rush kept Jin-woo busy until noon, and by then, his uncle had arrived to take over so he could head home to study for his CPA exam. As he walked to the subway station, he checked his phone and saw an email from Mr. Choi with details about the hotel chain consulting opportunity.
"Jin-woo-ssi Ms. Jeong spoke highly of you to her friend, Mr. Kang from Golden Tower Hotels. He's looking for someone to help streamline their financial reporting processes across 12 locations nationwide. The pay is excellent 150,000 won per day and it would be a great addition to your resume. Let me know if you're interested by Monday."
150,000 won per day. Jin-woo did a quick calculation in his head even just two days a month would cover his sister's medical bills and leave him with extra to put toward his exam and savings. But he also knew taking on more work would require careful planning.
He opened the system's new "Schedule Optimization" feature that had unlocked at Level 2:
SCHEDULE OPTIMIZATION TOOL
• CURRENT COMMITMENTS:
◦ Full-time work (Mon-Fri: 8 AM – 6 PM)
◦ CPA classes (Mon/Wed/Fri: 7 PM – 10 PM)
◦ Restaurant work (Sat/Sun: 6 AM – 12 PM)
• AVAILABLE TIME SLOTS FOR ADDITIONAL WORK:
◦ Tues/Thu evenings (7 PM – 9 PM)
◦ Sunday afternoons (1 PM – 5 PM)
◦ Early mornings (4:30 AM – 6 AM) – not recommended for daily use
• OPTIMIZATION SUGGESTION: Assign hotel consulting work to Tues/Thu evenings and alternate Sunday afternoons. This will maintain work-life balance while maximizing earnings and EXP gain.
• BENEFIT: +10% to all task completion speeds when following optimized schedule.
Jin-woo smiled the system wasn't just about making him work harder, it was about working smarter. He typed out a quick reply to Mr. Choi saying he was interested and would be happy to meet with Mr. Kang.
Back at his studio apartment, Jin-woo settled in at his small desk to study. With his "Tax Strategy Planning" skill at Level 2, he flew through the individual tax law material. He'd downloaded a practice test app, and when he took his first mock exam for the section, he scored 82% far higher than he'd expected to at this stage.
LEARNING PROGRESS:
• Completed 4 chapters of study material: +80 EXP
• Scored 82% on practice test: +60 EXP
• SKILL IMPROVEMENT: "TAX STRATEGY PLANNING" – NOW LEVEL 3
◦ Bonus increased to +45% understanding of tax codes + +25% tax optimization ability
• CURRENT EXP: 835
• PROGRESS TOWARD "CPA EXAM SECTION 1" TASK: 35% COMPLETE
• SYSTEM NOTE: With consistent study, you're on track to exceed the bonus objective of 90% or higher!
As the afternoon sun started to fade, Jin-woo took a break to call his sister, Eun-mi, who was living with their parents in Busan while recovering from surgery.
"Oppa! I was just about to call you," she said excitedly as soon as she picked up. "The doctor said my latest test results are great I might be able to go back to university next semester!"
"That's amazing, Eun-mi-ya!" Jin-woo felt a warmth spread through his chest that had nothing to do with the system's bonuses. "I'm so proud of you."
"Mom said you're doing well at work too," she added. "She keeps telling all her friends that her son is the hardest working man in Seoul. But oppa… please don't push yourself too hard. We're doing okay you don't have to carry everything by yourself."
Jin-woo looked around his small apartment the worn-out bed, the cracked mirror, the desk covered in study materials and work documents. But for the first time, it didn't feel like a place of struggle. It felt like a launching pad.
"I'm not carrying everything alone anymore, Eun-mi-ya," he said softly. "I've got help good people who believe in me, and I'm finally starting to see where all this work is taking me. When you come to Seoul for university, I'll have a nice place for you to stay I promise."
FAMILY RELATIONSHIP PROGRESS:
• Provided emotional support to sister: +60 EXP
• Set positive goals for family: +45 EXP
• CURRENT EXP: 940
• TITLE IMPROVEMENT: "DEVOTED FAMILY MEMBER" – NOW LEVEL 2
◦ Bonus increased to +20% emotional resilience + +15% focus under pressure
• SPECIAL REWARD: "FAMILY BLESSING" BUFF
◦ Effect: +25% to all positive outcomes for 7 days your loved ones' support is your greatest strength.
That evening, Jin-woo decided to treat himself to something he'd been putting off for months a visit to the PC bang down the street to play his favorite online game for a few hours. He'd always loved gaming, but had given it up years ago to focus on work and family.
As he logged into the game, he noticed the system had adapted to his leisure time:
LEISURE ACTIVITY DETECTED: "RECREATIONAL GAMING"
• DESCRIPTION: Taking time for hobbies reduces stress and improves mental clarity
• REWARD: 50 EXP + "Stress Relief" buff
◦ Buff effect: +15% to learning efficiency for 24 hours
• SYSTEM MESSAGE: Rest is not a waste of time – it's an investment in your ability to work hard and perform at your best. A balanced life leads to sustainable success.
For two hours, Jin-woo forgot about spreadsheets, tax codes, and restaurant operations. He laughed as he teamed up with other players to complete a difficult dungeon, and even helped a new player learn the game's mechanics earning another 30 EXP for mentoring.
When he left the PC bang just before midnight, he felt more relaxed and focused than he had in years. The city was quiet now, but he could still see the lights of offices in tall buildings other hard workers putting in late hours, just like he used to do alone.
But he wasn't alone anymore. He had his family, his new colleagues and friends, and a system that was dedicated to rewarding every bit of effort he put in.
As he walked back to his apartment, he checked his system status one more time:
USER PROFILE: LEE JIN-WOO
• LEVEL: 2 (940/1000 EXP TO LEVEL 3)
• CURRENT TITLES:
◦ Detail-Oriented Professional (Level 1)
◦ Reliable Team Leader (Level 1)
◦ Devoted Family Member (Level 2)
• KEY SKILLS:
◦ Financial Pattern Recognition (Level 2)
◦ Tax Strategy Planning (Level 3)
◦ Small Business Management (Level 1)
• NEXT UPCOMING TASKS:
◦ Meet with Ms. Jeong (Monday 9 AM)
◦ Meet with Mr. Kang (Monday 2 PM)
◦ CPA class (Monday 7 PM)
◦ Implement restaurant changes (Saturday)
Jin-woo climbed the stairs to his apartment, his steps light and confident. Tomorrow would be another long day – maybe the busiest one yet – but for the first time in his life, he was looking forward to it.
The system wanted him to work really hard.
And he was ready to show it just how much he was capable of.