I froze.
My eyes moved slowly—from the screen…
To the door.
Then back again.
"…What is this?"
I stepped closer.
Carefully.
Like it might disappear if I moved too fast.
But it didn't.
It stayed.
Floating in the air.
Silent.
Glowing faintly.
Real.
I hesitated before reaching out.
My fingers passed through it.
No resistance.
No touch.
"…It's not physical…"
I pulled my hand back quickly.
My heartbeat started picking up.
This wasn't normal.
I turned toward the door again.
Through the gap, I could see my mother moving around in the living room.
Completely normal.
Completely unaware.
"…She can't see it."
I looked back at the screen.
"…So I'm the only one?"
A strange excitement rose inside me.
A system.
Just like the ones I had seen in novels.
Manhwa.
Anime.
The thought felt ridiculous.
Impossible.
And yet—
It was right in front of me.
"Don't tell me…"
A small smile formed on my face.
"Am I actually getting one?"
My heart started beating faster.
For the first time in a long while—
Something felt different.
Something unpredictable.
I stared at the screen again.
System will start at midnight. Please wait.
Midnight.
I checked the time.
Still hours left.
"…So I just wait?"
A part of me wanted to sit there and do nothing.
Just stare.
Just wait.
But another part—
More practical.
More grounded.
"What if this is just in my head?"
I turned toward my desk.
Books were still open.
Notes scattered.
"…If I'm hallucinating, I'm still failing my exam."
That alone was enough to pull me back.
I walked over.
Sat down.
Picked up my pen.
"…Just study."
Even if this wasn't real—
My future was.
But no matter how hard I tried—
My eyes kept drifting back.
To where the screen had appeared.
Midnight was getting closer.
And whether this was real—
Or not—
I had a feeling…
Nothing was going to stay the same.