[Training!] Attendance Check and Position Promotion

I was sleeping soundly when a noisy commotion filtered in from beyond the window.

"Yawn..."

Stretching languidly, I peeked outside. Sure enough, a truck loaded with vegetables was cruising through the alleys, blaring its announcements. From the looks of it, it was already heading into the afternoon.

"...Let's see."

Flopping back onto the blanket, I grabbed my smartphone to check the time.

"Slept a long time."

I thought I'd gone to bed early last night, but it was already pointing to 11 a.m. At this rate, I might end up late to classes every day once the semester started after break. It was enough to make me worry.

Tsk, smacking my lips, I habitually checked for any overnight KakaoTalk messages. Unfortunately, there were no personal ones—just a flood from group chats.

Just as expected.

'Should I grab some food?'

As I started to sit up with that thought, a notification popped up at the top of my smartphone screen.

"What the...? It has an attendance check too?"

This was some seriously tempting bait. In most games, attendance rewards were pretty generous. Especially since there were no strings attached—just log in once a day and get something. For a user, that was pretty damn appealing.

Gulp. After swallowing dryly and hesitating for a moment, I launched the Manager App.

'Yeah, just a quick attendance check...'

I tried to convince myself, but deep down, I knew the truth. I'd already fallen for this game's hook!

"Oh..."

Even if I'd fallen for it, the reward was solid. A random skill box would've been better, but a random item box was nothing to sneeze at right now.

'Wonder what it'll be.'

Calming my pounding heart, I claimed the Random Item Box.

"Position promotion?"

I let out a surprised voice without thinking. I hadn't even imagined an item like this existed.

'Position promotion... does that mean what I think it does?'

It wasn't specified in detail, but if I was right, it had to be related to jobs or careers.

For example, using it on Eunha, a college student, would bump her up to intern—the next step.

"That's good."

If my level were higher, I could slot a woman from my list into some company's VP spot and make her president. Of course, that'd require my level to be high enough.

"...President feels a bit unreal, though."

Clicking my tongue, I pondered who to use it on. I wanted to save it, but sadly, it had a time limit.

'Eunha?'

She was only a sophomore, but landing an internship at a good company would be a huge opportunity.

'...Nah.'

I shook my head after a moment. The woman in my list wasn't the real Eunha—it was a virtual version. Using it on her wouldn't translate to the real one. And even if it was the real Eunha in my list, I couldn't drag her into this mysterious game.

'That leaves Kim Minseo and Yu Seoyeon.'

One was an aspiring volleyball player, the other an office intern. Using the item here would make Minseo a trainee player, and Seoyeon a full-time employee for sure.

"Yeah, this seems best."

"Minseo, have you thought about what I mentioned before?"

"Yes..."

"So, what do you say? Wanna switch to coach now?"

At the coach's question, Minseo wiped the sweat dangling from her chin with the back of her hand and turned her head away.

She knew it herself. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make it as a player. And to top it off, her age was catching up.

At this point, switching to coach as the director suggested and focusing on training players was the best path.

"Can I... try a bit longer?"

"Minseo, it's getting hard to keep you on the roster these days."

"I'm sorry."

"No, I'm not saying that to make you feel bad. You know how much I care about you, right? So, isn't it time to let go? Hmm?"

Minseo bit her lower lip hard at the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠coach's blunt words. Of course, she didn't resent her for it. If anything, she was grateful for all the care the coach had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shown her.

Honestly, she'd held on this long because the coach believed in her. And Minseo had trained hard to live up to that faith.

But for some reason, when games started, her skills vanished. At first, she thought it was nerves. With more matches, she'd find her groove.

But despite that optimism, her performance tanked in the team rankings, leading to relegation all the way here.

"I'm sorry. Please give me a little more time to think."

The coach seemed to accept she couldn't push further, shaking her head as she replied.

"Fine. But I can't give you much. Got it?"

"Yes. Thank you. I'll do my best."

With that, Minseo returned to the court.

'Two or three more games ahead... or maybe just one.'

The coach would decide her fate based on those. And when that time came, she'd have to choose: quit playing and become a coach, or look for another team to continue as a player.

'...If only I could play like those girls.'

Minseo couldn't hide her envy watching the younger players. They'd escape this level soon and hit pro stages. Sure, some might get cut like her, but having climbed this far, most would get at least one pro shot.

'While me...'

She'd fallen without even touching pro. She'd played amateur leagues plenty, but poor results meant constant backlash. Online, they sneered she only played volleyball for her looks.

'...No, it's fine. I can do it! I'll prove it next game!'

Grinding her teeth, she steeled herself. She had talent—she knew it. One more pro shot, and she'd shine.

Plenty of late-bloomers had succeeded before.

Clap! Clap!

Slapping her cheeks hard, Minseo took a big step forward. And ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in that instant, her vision went pitch black.

'Huh? Th-this is...!'

Recognizing the familiar scene, Minseo flailed her arms desperately. But her resistance was futile—hands and legs bound tight to the chair.