The next morning, sunlight filtered through the hospital room's window, gently waking me. My body felt stiff, but the pain had subsided.
I glanced down to see my mother still lying beside me, her hand firmly gripping mine even in her sleep. I smiled softly, glad she was able to rest.
As I shifted slightly, trying not to disturb her, something caught my attention—a faint glow in my mind, like before. The Rizz system was back.
Ding!
A notification appeared in front of me, hovering in my vision. I squinted, trying to focus on the words.
[First Mission: Rizz your mother.]
I blinked in disbelief. What?
My heart skipped a beat, and I quickly scanned the rest of the message.
[You have 15 days to complete the mission. Time is ticking.]
What kind of absurd mission was this? Rizz my mother? I sat up slowly, trying not to wake her. My mind raced, trying to make sense of what I was reading.
Before I could think further, another notification popped up, this time with a message from Gaia.
[Gaia: I know what you're thinking, and yes, this is your first mission. If you pass, the system will continue and grow stronger. If you fail, I'll take the system from you and give it to someone else.]
I felt my stomach twist in confusion and frustration. "Gaia," I whispered under my breath, hoping to reach her, "Are you serious right now? This mission is ridiculous. And 15 days? Why such a short time?"
There was a brief pause before Gaia's voice echoed in my mind, calm and unbothered.
[Gaia: Time is ticking, and we don't have the luxury of stretching it out. There are bigger threats looming, and you need to grow stronger quickly. This is a test—if you can't handle it, you're not ready for the challenges ahead.]
I shook my head, my frustration growing. "But why this mission? I mean, rizz my mother? You've got to be kidding me. I'm not doing that!"
[Gaia: Whether you like it or not, this is the mission. And the clock is already ticking. You either do it and prove yourself, or the system will be stripped from you. It's that simple.]
I stared at the message, my mind racing. The clock was already ticking, and I had no idea what to do. How was I supposed to even approach this? The whole thing felt wrong, absurd, and impossible.
As if sensing my hesitation, Gaia added one final note.
[Gaia: You're stronger than you think. Don't waste time. You have 15 days—make it count.]
The notification disappeared, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I glanced at my mother, still peacefully sleeping beside me, completely unaware of the insane mission I had just received.
How was I going to handle this?
After a few moments, she started to stir. Her eyes fluttered open, and as she became aware of where she was, her expression shifted from calm to absolute shock. Her face turned bright red as she quickly sat up, looking around, clearly confused.
"I-I'm so sorry!" she stammered, scrambling to sit back in the chair beside the bed. "I don't know how I ended up here. I must've fallen asleep… I'm sorry!"
Her face was still flushed with embarrassment as she nervously adjusted the blanket around me, avoiding my gaze.
I smiled softly, trying to reassure her. "It's alright, Mom. Don't think too much about it. You were just tired, and I didn't want to wake you up. You needed the rest."
She glanced at me, still looking a bit embarrassed. "But… I shouldn't have…"
I shook my head gently. "It's fine, really. I didn't mind. You've been through a lot worrying about me, and you needed to sleep. I just made sure you were comfortable. That's all."
She sighed, finally relaxing a little. "Thank you. I just… I was so worried about you. I must've dozed off besides you without realizing."
I gave her a small smile. "You've been taking care of me all this time. It's only fair I take care of you too, even if it's just making sure you're comfortable while you sleep."
Her expression softened, and she reached out, giving my hand another squeeze. "You're too kind, you know that?"
"That's only for you, the person I care about the most," I said.
"How did you turn out like this?" My mother sighed.
"I just learned from the best, I have your and dad's genes in me." I replied with a wink, making her smile.
As we both settled into a more comfortable silence, I couldn't help but think about what happened after I woke up. That mission from the Rizz system… rizz my mom within 15 days? It was ridiculous. How could I even begin to think about that?
But then, Gaia's words echoed in my mind—time was ticking. If I didn't pass this first mission, she'd take the system away from me and choose someone else.
I sighed inwardly. This was going to be a nightmare.
My mom, still sitting beside me, looked at me with concern. "What's on your mind, sweetheart?"
I forced a smile. "Nothing, Mom. Just thinking about what's next."
My mom stayed by my side all morning, taking care of everything for me. She helped me wash up, made sure I ate the breakfast the nurses brought, and didn't let me do a single thing.
Every time I tried to sit up or move, she was right there, fussing over me. She adjusted my pillow, tucked the blanket around me, and kept asking if I needed more water or if I was comfortable. Her overprotective side was in full force.
"Are you still in pain?" she asked softly, brushing my hair out of my face like she used to when I was a kid.
I gave her a small smile. "A bit, but nothing too bad. I'll be fine."
She frowned, clearly not convinced. "You need to rest. Don't try to push yourself too much. Let me handle everything."
"Mom, I'm okay. I can manage," I said, trying to reassure her, but she wasn't having it.
"No, you can't. Just stay still and let me take care of you," she insisted, her tone leaving no room for argument.
I sighed but nodded, knowing there was no point in arguing with her when she was in this mode.
After a bit of rest, I decided to check on Jin Woo. He hadn't woken up yet, and the thought of him still being in a coma was gnawing at me.
More than that, I wanted to know how he escaped out of there alive, and I was worried about Jin-Ah, afterall her mom was in vegetative state, dad missing and now Jin woo in coma, it's my duty to look after her in such time, afterall she's a family to me. I told my mom I wanted to visit him, and she insisted on coming along.
We made our way to Jin Woo's room, where his younger sister, Jin-Ah, was sitting beside his bed. She looked tired, her eyes red from crying. As soon as she saw me, she jumped up and rushed over, hugging me tightly.
"Oppa, Jin Woo isn't waking up!" she sobbed, burying her face in my chest.
I hugged her back, trying to comfort her. "Hey, don't cry, Jin-Ah. He's strong. He'll wake up soon, I promise."
"But… it's been so long," she whispered, her voice shaking. "What if he doesn't…?"
I pulled back slightly, looking her in the eyes. "Listen, Jin Woo is tougher than anyone I know. If he doesn't wake up soon, I'll kick his ass for making you worry so much. He'll be fine."
A small, shaky laugh escaped her lips, though her eyes were still filled with tears. "You really think so?"
"I know so," I said, giving her a confident smile. "He won't stay down for long."
My mother, who had been quietly watching, stepped forward and gently placed a hand on Jin-Ah's shoulder. "Sweetheart, why don't you go freshen up and get some rest? You've been here for hours, and your mom is all alone too. Stay with her for a while, and I'll check on her later. I'll bring some food for you as well. Go rest, dear."
Jin-Ah hesitated, looking at her brother. "But… what if something happens while I'm gone?"
"Don't worry," my mother said softly, giving her a warm smile. "I'll stay right here with him. And your brother will keep watch too. We won't leave his side, I promise."
I nodded, giving her a reassuring look. "Yeah, Jin-Ah, go take care of yourself for a bit. I'll be right here looking after this idiot. We'll make sure nothing happens."
After a brief pause, Jin-Ah finally nodded. "Okay… Thank you both. I'll be back soon." She gave one last glance at Jin Woo before hugging me tightly one last time before quietly leaving the room while still sobbing silently.
[A/N:- This is still a new fic, my priority still is MHA fic, which I wish to finish quickly, so I'm letting you know, the updates of this fic will be slow in comparison to mha fic, if you wish you can join my Patreon, where I'll be posting 6 chapters a week, 3 of MHA and 3 of this fic.
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https://patreon.com/EmperorNumix ]