The Beginning of Change

Seong-min took the opportunity to head up to the rooftop.

His legs had healed enough that he figured he could make the climb.

It had been a full month since he'd last been up there, and the feeling was strangely new.

Same as ever.

Standing on the rooftop, he thought it looked exactly as it had a month ago.

While he was at it, he decided to check the rooftop room as well.

He punched in the door-lock code and stepped inside. Kicking off his shoes in the kitchen area, he opened the closed door and went into the room.

"It's clean."

The room was surprisingly spotless. The blankets had been neatly folded and set to one side.

Auntie must have cleaned for me.

Knowing he couldn't stay here, she must have kept the place tidy so it wouldn't fall into disarray.

She's a genuinely good person.

A house left empty for a whole month, and yet there wasn't a speck of dust or anything that needed touching.

Stepping back out onto the rooftop, Seong-min walked over to the railing.

The morning view beyond the roof filled his eyes just as it always had. The neighboring rooftops came into view as well.

Same rooftop I've always looked at.

Seeing it after a full month made everything feel fresh again.

He let himself soak in that new feeling for a while, then glanced around.

"What should I try first?"

He needed to run some experiments. Specifically, whether exercise really raised his EXP.

"Let's try walking slowly."

He was still holding back from anything more strenuous, so Seong-min began walking a slow circuit around the rooftop. Walking exercise, basically. A moderate pace. Matching his stride to a steady rhythm.

It hardly seemed like real exercise, but the term "walking exercise" hadn't come from nowhere. Born as a safe form of physical activity for older adults, walking clearly burned calories in proportion to distance covered, stimulated metabolism, and improved blood circulation. It was genuine exercise — that was why it earned the name. Seong-min paced back and forth around the rooftop at a normal walking speed, nothing hurried.

After walking for a while, he stopped and opened the Status Window with a pounding heart.

"Huh?!"

His face went slack with surprise. The holographic Status Window floating before his eyes had clearly changed. The EXP that had been sitting at five percent had somehow become seven percent.

I was right! Exercise really does raise EXP…!

It was a tremendous discovery. His hunch had been correct.

Yes…! Now that I know how to raise EXP…!

He'd been fretting over what he'd do if he was wrong, but there was nothing to worry about at all. Now that it was confirmed that exercise built EXP, Seong-min's face lit up with excitement, and he started walking even faster than before.

"What are you doing…?"

Hye-suk appeared on the rooftop just then, looking puzzled.

"Oh? Auntie!"

Seong-min stopped mid-stride at the sight of her coming up.

"I was doing walking exercises…!"

"Walking exercises?"

"Yes! I stepped out into the yard for a bit and my legs felt better than I expected. So I came up to the rooftop for the first time in ages, and I was in such a good mood I figured I'd try some walking…!"

"Still, be careful… You only took the bandages off yesterday."

"Hahaha… You're right."

He scratched the back of his head awkwardly, but he was in far too good a mood to care.

"Is breakfast ready?"

"Mm-hmm. You weren't coming, so I checked the yard, and when you weren't there either I came up to look."

"Ah, I see. Sorry for making you worry. Let's go down and eat!"

Seong-min headed for the stairs and came back down to the first floor with Hye-suk.

"Are your legs really all right?"

"Heh heh heh… Look at this. I'm coming down the stairs just fine, aren't I?"

"Looks like you really are fully healed."

"That's what I've been saying~! I feel like I could run right now if I wanted…!"

"Still, no overdoing it for a while."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Once inside the house, Seong-min went to the bathroom, relieved himself, and washed his hands at the sink.

I can build EXP! Exercise really does raise it!

His chest was fluttering; he felt fantastic. Now that he knew how to raise EXP, all he had to do was exercise, accumulate experience, and earn points.

And then I can raise my stats, right?

Just thinking about it made his heart race.

He left the bathroom and headed for the kitchen table.

"Whoa~! Galbijjim for breakfast today?!"

"Mm-hmm. You like galbijjim, don't you, Seong-min?"

"I love it~! Man… actual galbijjim…!"

Watching him practically swoon with emotion, Hye-suk covered her mouth and laughed.

"Hohoho. Enough fussing — just sit down and eat."

"Thank you for the meal!"

Seong-min picked up a piece of short rib and took a big bite.

He chewed, savoring it. The meat was tender, the seasoning had soaked all the way through, and it was genuinely sweet and delicious.

"This is so good~! Auntie Hye-suk's cooking really is the best!"

He flashed a thumbs-up with such theatrical enthusiasm that Hye-suk burst into another hearty laugh.

"All right, all right~! Just eat and enjoy it!"

"I'm serious — you could sell this! Open a restaurant and people would line up!"

"Yes, yes~ I hear you. Now please just eat~!"

"I'm not kidding, I mean it~"

"Hohoho."

Watching Seong-min devour the galbijjim with such pure delight was enough to make her feel full without taking a single bite. That was how thoroughly he enjoyed it.

"Ahh~ I'm stuffed."

He'd cleaned his rice bowl, polished off every side dish without pickiness, and even emptied the pot the galbijjim had come in.

"You really do eat well, Seong-min."

"That's how good your cooking is, Auntie. Truly the best breakfast ever~!"

"And when was it ever not?"

"Heh heh heh… As if. I've always eaten well."

He brushed it off with a sly grin, and Hye-suk rose from her seat to clear the table.

"I ate so well — let me help."

"Just put the dishes in the sink for me."

"Want me to do the washing up?"

"No need~"

"I feel bad after eating that well…"

"Then how about you make the coffee?"

"Coffee? Sure~! I make a mean iced coffee, you know~! I'll mix two cups with café-quality ratios!"

"Yes, yes~ Mr. Barista. I'm counting on you~"

Humming under his breath with pure high spirits as he prepared two cups of coffee, Seong-min put a smile on Hye-suk's face that refused to leave.

Once she'd finished the dishes, peeled off the rubber gloves, and dried her hands, she headed into the living room — only to find Seong-min already on his feet, clapping.

Clap, clap, clap.

"Great work, Auntie~! The cold coffee's ready, so please, have a seat right here!"

Hye-suk sat as invited and picked up ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the glass of iced americano with ice floating on top.

"Let's see if those ratios are as good as you claim."

"They're spectacular, I tell you!"

"We'll know once I taste it~ Mr. Barista."

"You definitely won't be disappointed."

She brought the glass to her lips and took a sip.

"Well?"

Seong-min watched her with an expectant look.

"Hmm~"

Hye-suk didn't answer right away.

"It's good, right?"

"Let me try one more sip."

She carefully took another taste, and only then did a smile spread across her face.

"Good. This passes!"

"Nice~!"

He clenched both fists in celebration, and Hye-suk burst out laughing.

"Hohoho."

"What's so funny?"

"Your reactions, Seong-min. They're hilarious."

"Mine?"

"Mm-hmm."

"That's weird — I wasn't trying to be funny."

"I just~ find the way you react entertaining."

"Ah… I see."

The sight of him scratching the back of his head filled Hye-suk with a quiet happiness. Living alone in this house, Seong-min had changed the whole atmosphere. He might think of himself as a tenant receiving her care and help, but for Hye-suk — who had sent her son overseas and lived with the hollow loneliness of an empty home — Seong-min's presence had been a comfort in more ways than one.

For the next several days, Seong-min lived much as he had during his recovery. Even though he was fully healed, the idea was to take it easy a while longer. So he spent those days resting at home — but he didn't simply idle. In between, he did walking exercises and bodyweight workouts. Of course, never where Hye-suk could see him. He didn't want to worry her for no reason.

And so, in just a few days, Seong-min earned a single Stat Point.

Status Window.

His points had gone from zero to one, and his EXP had climbed all the way to twenty-one percent.

Having to sneak in workouts while watching for Auntie definitely slows down the EXP gain.

Even so, earning a single point left him deeply moved.

Sitting on the bed with his arms crossed, Seong-min wore a serious expression.

Where should I invest this?

It was an important decision. If he was going to use these stats to change his life and get real help from them, he needed to think carefully.

So where would investing this point do him the most good?

The Banter stat… does that boost my way with words? Doesn't seem like I need it right now. And the Appearance stat is probably about how I look.

Seong-min's face was not a handsome one. Objectively speaking, it was fair to say he fell on the unattractive side of ordinary. His jaw was angular, and overall his features were flat and unremarkable. By any honest measure of looks, he was plain at best — and leaning ugly.

Yeah. I have to own it. I'm on the ugly side.

Seong-min could look at his own appearance objectively. Comparing his face in the mirror to the kind of men people called "hunks" made the gap painfully obvious. On top of that, his angular jaw kept him from looking refined, and his head was larger than average. His height, at least, wasn't short — he stood at 177 cm. Not towering past 180, but 177 wasn't small either.

If I raise the Appearance stat, will my looks change like I got plastic surgery?

There was no way to know. But it was labeled Appearance, so some kind of change seemed likely.

Next was the Vigor stat.

Vigor… sounds like it literally boosts your sexual stamina?

What was vigor, exactly? It was a word used broadly as slang — sometimes meaning a man's energy, sometimes encompassing erection quality and sexual performance altogether.

Raising this would definitely be beneficial.

Seong-min's vigor was thoroughly average. Naturally, he was a lifelong virgin when it came to girlfriends — a true lifelong solo. But that didn't mean he had zero experience with women. Brothels existed, after all. Having visited a few times, Seong-min knew perfectly well that his stamina in bed was ordinary. His equipment was neither large nor small — just plain average. In every sexual respect, Seong-min was utterly unremarkable.

Vigor, huh…

Raising it would improve his sexual stamina, which would be nice enough.

Next up was Martial Power.

Does Martial Power make me better at fighting?

That seemed likely. But how, exactly? Would his strength increase? There was no way to know until he raised it.

Lastly, Seong-min considered the Physicality stat. Physicality. Literally meaning things like bodily endurance and stamina.

If I raise Physicality, does my lung capacity improve? Something like that?

That felt right.

After thinking it through, Seong-min reached a conclusion.

Right. The key to raising EXP is exercise. And what's most important if you want to exercise for a long time? Ultimately, Physicality has to be the foundation.

That meant the stat he needed to raise right now wasn't Banter, Appearance, Vigor, or Martial Power — it was Physicality.

All right.

Decision made, Seong-min swallowed dryly and invested his single Stat Point into Physicality.

Done!

At last, his Physicality stat was at eleven.

Will there be any change?

He'd only raised it by one, so he couldn't be sure. But since exercise was confirmed to build EXP, the priority right now was raising Physicality to improve his cardiorespiratory endurance and build a body that could work out longer.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Especially after a full month of recovery, his body had probably gone quite soft.

With his direction set, Seong-min squeezed in workouts whenever he could and steadily accumulated EXP.

A week passed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that way.

"I'll be heading out, then."

"Go on~"

A week later, Seong-min returned to the rooftop room. After a week of recovery mixed with intermittent exercise, he stepped out the front gate with a vigorous stride.

I already checked the location on my phone!

Heading toward his destination, Seong-min steeled his resolve.

He left the alley, walked about ten minutes along the main road, entered a five-story building, and stood in front of the elevator. He pressed the button. The doors opened, he stepped in, and hit the button for the fifth floor.

The elevator doors slid shut, and as it rose, Seong-min gathered himself.

This is where it really starts.

Watching the elevator climb floor by floor, he pictured the future ahead. He had been given a Status Window, and through it he could forge real change. He hadn't learned much, and he was just an ordinary nobody of a citizen — but Seong-min painted hope and dreamed of what came next.

Let's start with what I can do right now.

There was no need to rush. Just as he had put in his own quiet effort during that week of recovery, today marked the beginning of another kind of effort.

The beginning of change.

The elevator chime announced the floor as the doors opened. Seong-min stepped out with confidence and walked straight ahead — not to anywhere else, but to the gym.