Common Sense Alteration: The Canned Coffee's Reward

I am Kim Juwan, a second-year student majoring in business administration at Nuri University. Late at night, I was typing away at the student support center, buried in work. Tap. Click-clack. Tap. I was a work-study student earning money through a part-time job at the school, but... 'Starting the second year and already slaving away like this.' I had thought it would be an easy gig when I applied, yet here I was pulling an all-nighter. It made sense, though. Since I lived in the dorms, I didn't have to worry about missing the last bus no matter how late I stayed.

The team leader had flashed me a cheerful grin before dumping his work on me and strolling out the door. "Haha, thanks~ You're in the dorm anyway, so it's fine, right?" Two seats to my right, someone else was also typing furiously. Click-clack. Tap. Click-clack. A girl was working there as well. She was another work-study student, and like me, she lived in the dorms—the women's dorm, to be precise. Her name was Lee Ayoung. The first time I saw her face, I had been genuinely startled by how pretty she was. She had flawless skin, bright and beautiful eyes, and short hair that suited her perfectly. Whether it was her clear gaze or her always-calm voice, she carried an air of purity and innocence. On top of that, she was kind to everyone. She always greeted me first with a bright smile. It was no surprise that someone with her mysterious yet pure looks and gentle personality had become fairly well-known around campus. Every guy who walked into the student support center would freeze for a second, eyes drawn straight to her.

Click-clack. Tap. Tap. The reason she was working late like me was purely because of her kindness. "It looks like there's a lot for you to handle alone, so I'll help. I live in the dorms too, so I don't have to worry about the last bus." I had felt genuinely grateful when she volunteered so ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠readily. 'She's like an angel, seriously.' Thanks to her, the work was wrapping up faster than expected. With some breathing room, I glanced sideways at her. Click-clack. Tap. Click-clack. Ayoung was focused on her tasks. Even her profile while concentrating ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was so beautiful that my eyes kept drifting toward her. She wore a white shirt under a cardigan, a pleated skirt, and low-heeled shoes. 'Damn, she's really pretty.' The short hair framed her face perfectly. The left side of her hair was always tucked behind her ear, revealing only her left ear, and the earring dangling there added an extra touch of charm. Plenty of guys dropped by the student support center just to catch a glimpse of her like this. Of course, Lee Ayoung already had a boyfriend—a tall, handsome guy who seemed perfect for her. He was the same year and same major as me, but I didn't really know him. The business department was huge; just being in the same year and major didn't mean everyone knew each other. My gaze drifted back to Ayoung. 'Lucky bastard. So lucky.' The thought that such a kind, innocent girl was his girlfriend made me envious just imagining it. It wasn't only her purity—her slender, graceful figure naturally stirred protective instincts. When we first started working together about a week ago, I had been convinced she must be from the dance department. 'I overheard her telling someone she did ballet as a kid...' There was no other way her body could have such beautiful curves. Lost in these thoughts, I stole another glance at her. Then, at that exact moment...

Creak. I had tried to be careful, but my weight must have shifted, and the old chair let out a noise. In the quiet student support center late at night, that single "creak" from my chair echoed loudly, as if announcing that I had been staring at Ayoung.

"Hm?" 'Crap!' Hearing the sound, Ayoung turned her head toward me. Startled, I quickly pretended to inspect the chair, deliberately rocking it to make more noise.

Creak. Creak. Creak. "This chair is pretty old, so it makes a lot of noise, right? Sometimes it distracts me too and I can't focus." Ayoung offered me a small smile and spoke kindly. She seemed to have bought my clumsy act. I was relieved it worked, though my heart had skipped a beat. 'Idiot! Moron! You should've just glanced normally! What if our eyes met when it's just the two of us in here?' I scolded myself furiously inside. But her beautiful appearance had an irresistible pull that kept drawing my eyes. Just then—

"Whoa!" Creak! I couldn't help but be shocked by the translucent quest window that had suddenly appeared in midair. As a result, I instinctively jerked backward, and a startled sound escaped my lips. Ayoung turned to look at me again. "What's wrong?" "Ah... it's nothing." After denying it, I pulled my chair back to its original spot and tried to act normal, but the translucent quest window was clearly floating in the air right in front of me. 'What the hell is this?' It was strange enough that some kind of information window had appeared in the air, but the text written on it was even harder to understand. Repayment for canned coffee being oral sex? That made no sense. Oral sex... did that mean a woman sucking a man's genitals with her mouth? But what woman would give oral sex just because someone bought her canned coffee? I also couldn't make sense of the term "common sense alteration" written in the quest window. Then one phrase caught my eye. 'The woman working overtime?' Could it be referring to Ayoung? Gulp. Without realizing it, I swallowed hard as an obscene image flashed through my mind. But the quest window clearly seemed to mean Ayoung when it said "the woman working overtime." Just then, the quest window updated with a new notification.

I stared blankly at the notification before starting to organize my thoughts. 'Has my head... gone weird?' There was no explanation for this situation unless I had lost my mind. Maybe I had some terrifying illness like a brain tumor and was hallucinating. Gulp. Even as I told myself that, I could feel my mouth going completely dry. One thought refused to leave my mind. 'What if it's real?' If it was real, what would happen? Would that lewd fantasy that had just crossed my mind actually become reality? 'There's nothing to lose. Why not? Giving someone canned coffee isn't weird or anything.' 'She stayed late because of me, so she might do that much!' 'Yeah. A simple favor could easily lead to that!' Using the excuse of a simple favor, I filled my heart with lustful thoughts. In the end, even though it was stupid, I decided to give it a try. If nothing happened, I would go straight to the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hospital tomorrow morning for a brain scan. Besides, our university had a hospital attached to the campus, so it was easy to get there. I stood up from my seat and headed toward the vending machine near the building entrance. "Juwan, where are you going?" We had only been working together for about a week, so Ayoung still called me with the polite "ssi" suffix. That was understandable—she was so pretty that even talking to her felt difficult. Saying something like "Just call me oppa" was completely out of the question for me. "Ah. I... I'm just thirsty." Click-clack. Tap. Tap. While I made a vague excuse and left the student support center, I could hear Ayoung typing again behind me. I felt a little guilty leaving her working late just for me. After walking a short distance down the hallway, I reached the vending machine. 'Let's see.' I rummaged through my pockets. Luckily, my wallet had exactly 1,200 won—the price of a drink. 'This coffee was only 800 won in the military, I think.' Thinking that even a small canned coffee was pretty expensive, I inserted the bill and selected one. With a pounding heart, I headed back to the student support center. 'Ha. What am I even thinking? Am I actually crazy?' Even while thinking that, my feet kept moving toward the student support center without hesitation. Twitch. Once again, an obscene image of Ayoung flashed through my mind. I could feel my grip ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tightening on the canned coffee. My face flushed slightly as I stepped back into the student support center. There, Lee Ayoung was still working hard. "I bought this on the way out. Here, have some." "Oh my~ Thank you." I handed her the coffee as if it were nothing and sat back down to resume my work. My heart was racing as I watched for her reaction, but nothing unusual happened. 'Ha. Of course. It was never going to make sense.' Just then—

'Huh?' Rattle. I turned my head at the sudden sound of a chair rolling beside me. There, Lee Ayoung—who had been working hard just moments ago—was standing up and walking toward me.