I froze.
My eyes darted toward the door, then back at the screen.
"…What?"
I stepped closer, hesitating, half-expecting it to disappear.
But it didn't.
It stayed there—steady, glowing, real.
I glanced outside my room again, watching my mother move around like everything was completely normal.
No reaction.
No sign that she could see it.
"…So I'm the only one?"
A strange thought crept into my mind.
A system.
Just like in the novels… the manga… the manhwa… the anime I had spent countless hours consuming.
My heartbeat quickened.
"Don't tell me…"
Excitement and disbelief mixed together inside me.
"Am I actually getting one?"
I stared at the screen again.
System will start at midnight. Please wait.
Now it was just a waiting game.
And the prize?
Something I had only ever imagined.
Still, a small part of me stayed grounded.
"What if I'm just sick… hallucinating or something?"
I turned toward my desk, where my books were still open.
"…I should study. Just in case."
Even if this wasn't real, my exam definitely was.
But as I picked up my book, my eyes kept drifting back to where the screen had appeared.
Midnight was getting closer.
And whether this was real… or not—
Everything was about to change.