Chapter 1
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Repeater Student Ryu Sia
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Ryu Sia had failed her college entrance exam.
It was only natural. Throughout high school, she had poured her energy into other dreams instead of studying, and the results were starkly reflected in her scores.
That other dream set her apart from the average high schooler.
She had set her sights on stardom in the entertainment industry. But only recently had she come to the crushing realization that it was impossible.
Ryu Sia already possessed a pure, innocent beauty and aura—flawless on the outside. Yet she had a glaring deficiency in the basic skills required for the biz.
Her dancing was, to put it kindly, nothing to write home about, and her singing relied heavily on studio magic.
If she'd had any other talent, she might have scraped by with a debut somehow.
The kind of innate "it factor"—that effortless charm and quick-witted reactivity on camera that people call star quality. She had none of it. Her ceiling was flashing a sweet, dimpled smile while perched prettily in her seat.
It didn't take her agency long to figure out her potential stopped at her looks. The once-promising trainee Ryu Sia was promptly cut loose.
She felt unmoored in an instant. Amid the gnawing anxiety of What do I do now?, she watched trainees she'd dismissed as inferior debut one after another and soar to success.
Impatience clawed at her. The sinking feeling of being left behind. Wasn't I better than them? She burned to prove her superiority somehow.
Studying. This time, I'll conquer studying. She wanted to show she outshone others intellectually too. That the beautiful, stunning Ryu Sia also had brains to match.
No matter how fierce her ambition, a year and a half of effort barely nudged her grades.
Maybe that's why, after the exam, Ryu Sia neatly tore her score report to shreds.
The college entrance exam wasn't some game of chance, so a sheet plastered with 5s meant nothing to her.
Given her total lack of foundation, it was actually a massive leap forward. But satisfaction? Not even close.
Below average. Korean student average! Acceptance was impossible, let alone pride. How could she flaunt superiority with mediocrity?
She, who craved to lord it over everyone, convinced herself it was just practice—a stepping stone.
Bad condition this time around. Not enough prep time.
Next exam, with one more year... she'd never see scores this pathetic again.
Her decision to retake was lightning-quick. So quick she even thought, Hey, since I jumped the gun, maybe a little playtime's okay?
Just a bit more fun. Stress kills focus, and I grinded hard for that year and a half...
Cloaking herself in excuses, time trickled away.
"Haah..."
It was a situation that drew out nothing but sighs.
Ryu Sia stared holes into her June mock exam score report.
This test's results roughly dictated her future university. It was that crucial. Having tanked it, she desperately wanted to downplay its weight.
"I had a blast playing, but I didn't think I'd bomb this hard."
She muttered to herself in lament, gnawing her lower lip until it nearly bruised, eyes locked on the paper.
A whisper of improvement—subtle enough to describe it that way. She'd started at 6th grade level; eight months later, the gains were negligible.
"Hng... At this rate, entrance exam's toast... Total disaster!"
With no one around to hear her whining from the corner of her room, Ryu Sia pouted blankly at the empty air before flinging the score sheet away in spiteful fury.
As if mocking her, the flimsy paper didn't soar—it fluttered tauntingly around the room before smacking into the corner.
Specifically, right by the VR-like device.
"Useless pile of overpriced junk."
The brain-activation learning aid device. GK Group's shiny new toy for test-takers and researchers.
Its performance was stellar. During the free trial, her scores had spiked noticeably.
It felt like her mind was sorting itself—knowledge crystallizing vividly, gaps filling refreshingly like a dry sponge slurping water.
Purely on upward trajectory, it dwarfed her pre-device days.
She could've aced every subject by exam day, or so it seemed.
She'd daydreamed headlines like Meet Perfect-Scorer Ryu Sia or "Studying Felt Easiest": Exclusive with the Gorgeous Top-Scorer.
Entrance exam triumph felt inevitable.
...Right up until the free trial expired.
Then GK hit her with their "reasonable fee." The catch? It was an absurd, sky-high sum.
The first couple weeks were bearable. The problem was the predatory pricing—skyrocketing over time.
As the exam loomed, fees ballooned exponentially. Ryu Sia couldn't foot the bill.
Her family wasn't hurting for cash but solidly comfortable; even they found it steep.
Worse, post-trial, the knowledge she'd built evaporated like mist.
As if it had all been a mirage from the device—poof, wiped clean.
That June mock had savagely crushed her faint hope of lingering benefits, delivering this hopeless verdict.
"I kept slacking because I trusted this thing..."
She toed the machine, toppling it with a nudge, murmuring her grudge low.
"How's something this pricey even legal...?"
Regret was unavoidable. With that device, she'd truly felt superior.
"Hiiing... If I could just use it again, I'd nail this entrance exam...!"
Placating her frustration, she plopped down at her desk.
"Gotta do something, seriously..." Trying to tidy her chaotic thoughts by diving into a workbook, anxiety made the words swim unreadably.
Is everyone else using these devices but me?
Grinding solo like this? Bound to fall behind...
Dark thoughts swarmed her mind.
Forcing calm, she powered through four hours of study, but the solid progress from before? Nowhere in sight.
Deprivation.
The gulf between device-on and device-off was pure agony for her.
"Studying's legit impossible... Hng..."
Maybe a quick break—
[A new email has arrived]
"Huh?" Reading the new email's subject, she jolted in surprise.
[(Ad) GK Learning Aid Free Use Event]
An ad email from GK Group. She figured it'd be some bogus 1-in-50,000 lottery, but clicking revealed—shockingly—an install guide for free access.
Congratulations! You've been selected for GK Group's beta program to enhance user experience!
Experience GK-STUDY reborn with new firmware for even more powerful learning effects.
All close beta testers get 6 months FREE GK-STUDY access!
"Whoa...! For real?!"
Excitement nearly made her fumble her phone. Six months—even after the exam, plenty of buffer.
Seoul National University, here comes Ryu Sia...!
Felt like striking lottery gold without buying a ticket. Luck like this hitting her? She'd never won a single gacha pull; it felt surreal as a dream.
A dream—too sweet for reality.
Anyone a tad more cynical would've smelled the rat.
Did I even apply for that beta...? The doubt flickered briefly.
But the footer screamed [Beta program: First-come, first-served—closing soon!] Luxury of hesitation? Gone. She dove into the install guide.
Score panic plus FCFS frenzy blinded her to red flags.
[Manual firmware update starting]
[New permissions requested due to update]
[Requesting new permissions for enhanced learning assistance]
[Deep Psychological Access Permission][Memory Storage Access Permission]
She tapped agree without a second thought. GK Group harming her? No way—that flimsy logic held her trust.
[New permission requested for added stress management feature]
Oh, stress management too? Nice.
No more tossing over vague dread and inferiority.
[Sensory Adjustment Area Access Permission]
[1-1) Permission Definition: Collect and analyze comprehensive user body data to...]
She speed-scrolled the dense terms and slammed full agree.
Split-second call: FCFS wait? No thanks. Besides, who reads the fine print to the end?
Hit [Agree], wrapping the tedium. A jaunty pa-ram-pam! chimed completion.
Clueless that the cheery fanfare sealed the end of her 19 years, she slipped on the learning aid with glee.
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