Questism and Lookism: Am I Suhyeon Kim?

1 week later.

"Hi, Chaerin, aren't you going inside to see them?" Suhyeon asked, shaking the young woman's hand.

"Uh... hi... No, I was just passing by by chance, and when I saw you, I wanted to talk to you for a bit," she replied, nervous and slightly blushing.

"You want to talk to me... about what?" the boy asked curiously.

"Umm... let's walk for a while first," the girl said, still blushing as they both started walking along quiet streets lit only by street lamps.

"Don't you think this place is too silent?" he asked, walking beside her.

"True, there's no noise at all," she answered.

"So? What did you want to talk about?" he insisted, glancing at her.

"I just... just wanted to know how you're doing. I haven't seen you in a while," she replied, trying to hide her true feelings.

—

[System]: Active skill "Credibility Analysis" has been automatically triggered upon detecting nervousness.

—

"It activated automatically? That's new..." Suhyeon thought, intrigued.

—

[System]: The user is completely lying.

—

"She's lying?" he wondered, puzzled.

"Suhyeon, are you okay? You're really quiet," she exclaimed with some concern.

The young woman felt a bit curious but didn't press further.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," the boy replied with a smile.

"I'm glad you're fine. And... you know what? I think you've gotten taller," she said, looking him over carefully.

"Yeah, I grew a bit," he replied, touching his head with his hand.

"When I first saw you, you were just a little taller than me, but now you tower over me. How tall are you?" she asked, nervous and curious.

"I'm 178 centimeters," he answered with a smile.

She felt even more nervous under his gaze but tried to keep the conversation going. Suddenly, she thought of an idea to spend more time together.

"Hey, do you want to walk a bit more with me? There's a place near here that I love," she said, looking at him with bright eyes.

Suhyeon was surprised by the invitation, but he had no reason to refuse.

"Sure, where is it?" he asked, smiling.

"It's on top of the mountain nearby. It's beautiful, peaceful, and has an amazing view," she replied excitedly, taking his hand and gently tugging him along.

He followed her, enjoying the walk and her company. As they walked, she looked for ways to get closer without seeming obvious.

After some time, they reached the top of the mountain, where several benches offered a spectacular view of the illuminated city.

"Wow... it's incredible, you were right," he said, surprised, without letting go of her hand.

"I knew you'd like it," she replied cheerfully.

"Even though we're not officially together, I feel like my heart beats too fast every time I'm with him..." the girl thought, a bit shy.

"What am I thinking? I'm such an idiot... stop it," she scolded herself, shaking her head. But suddenly, the boy gently tugged her hand.

"Come on, let's sit on that bench," he said, giving her a thumbs-up.

"This is the place you wanted to show me. It's really nice," he said, sitting down as she followed.

"Whenever I had a lot on my mind, I'd come here alone. What do you think?" the young woman said with a hint of nostalgia, looking at the city.

"Well... I don't think I'd ever noticed how beautiful the city I live in is. Thanks to you," he answered sincerely.

"Huh? It's nothing," she replied nervously, feeling her face heat up.

"Your face is completely red," he said.

"It's because of the cold...!" she exclaimed quickly.

"Do you like music?" she asked, trying to ease the tension.

"Yeah, I do. What about you?" he replied with a smile.

"I love it. I always listen to relaxing music when I'm stressed," she said with a warm smile.

"The system told me earlier that she was lying... what is she planning with me? Could it be...?" the boy thought as he watched her blushing and happy.

"No way... don't tell me she's..." he thought, surprised, finally noticing the obvious: the young woman had feelings for him.

—

[System]: A side mission has been created.

Objective: Kiss Chaerin.

Reward: Potential increase.

Warning: If you fail to complete the mission, your relationship with her will drop. Time limit: 1 hour.

—

"What?!" Suhyeon exclaimed in shock.

"Ah! Suhyeon?" Chaerin responded, startled by the boy's sudden outburst. His voice had been so loud it made her jump; now she looked at him with concern as she approached cautiously.

"No way! System, how can you do this to me?!" Suhyeon thought, looking up at the sky with closed eyes. His jaw tightened, and his fists clenched. Chaerin could see the tension in his face but didn't understand what was going on.

She stepped closer and gently touched his arm. "Suhyeon? Are you okay?" she asked softly, trying to calm him.

The boy opened his eyes and forced a smile. It wasn't completely genuine, but it was enough to ease Chaerin a little.

"Chaerin, what do you think about kisses?" he suddenly asked, leaning slightly toward her face. His voice was soft, but his gaze was serious, almost hypnotic.

The young woman was speechless. She could feel her heart pounding fast. Why was he asking that?

"I know this could stir strong feelings in her... it could even bring me closer to a relationship... but I'm decided. I won't play with Chaerin's feelings," Suhyeon thought, swallowing hard.

"About kisses..." the girl murmured, nervous, trying to buy time.

"Yeah... have you ever kissed anyone before?" he pressed, not taking his eyes off hers.

Chaerin looked away, completely flustered. "I... I haven't kissed anyone yet..." she replied softly.

Suhyeon let out a short laugh, though his own nerves were far from calm. "I don't know exactly what I'm doing... but I know I have to kiss her.

It's that feeling of a first kiss: the racing heart, the confusion, the uncertainty... and that pull to get closer without being able to stop it," he thought, feeling a strange warmth in his chest.

"I hope she doesn't hate me after this," he thought again, pulse quickening.

He leaned closer until his warm breath brushed Chaerin's ear. "Do you want to know what it feels like to kiss someone?" he whispered.

Chaerin's eyes widened in surprise, but then she nodded slightly, murmuring in a trembling voice: "Uh... I... I do want to know..."

Gently, Suhyeon held her chin between his fingers and guided her face until their eyes met. Then he kissed her. It was a soft, delicate kiss, almost shy, but full of nerves. At first she froze in surprise, but then closed her eyes and let the moment flow, intertwining her hands with his.

Though it lasted only seconds, it felt eternal to both of them. When they pulled away, both were breathing heavily and felt a faint dizziness.

"Did you like it?" Suhyeon asked, searching her bright eyes.

Chaerin nodded slowly, still processing what had just happened. "Yeah... I'm fine," she replied faintly.

He smiled, gently caressing her cheek. "I'm glad you're fine."

The girl lowered her gaze, nervous under his intense look, but she also felt protected. She didn't know exactly what was happening between them, but she knew for sure that she wanted to stay close to him. Without thinking, she hugged him tightly.

"Uh... this is... something," Suhyeon thought, still trying to process what had happened. But right then, the system appeared before his eyes, interrupting his thoughts.

—

[System]: Mission complete. As a reward, your potential will increase depending on the option you choose.

—

"My potential will increase depending on the option I choose?" Suhyeon thought, surprised by the system's offer.

—

[System]: You have 3 options: box 1, box 2, and box 3.

—

The system projected a hologram with three floating wooden boxes, each engraved with its number and a faint mysterious glow.

"I see..." Suhyeon thought, observing the boxes carefully, while Chaerin hugged him tighter, noticing his sudden silence.

"System, give me box number 2," Suhyeon decided without hesitation. In that instant, the box marked with the number two lit up brightly.

—

[System]: Congratulations. Your potential has increased by 2 levels. Your potential is now S.

—

"Well, that's not bad at all," Suhyeon thought, smiling with satisfaction, but seeing Chaerin's expectant face brought him back to reality.

"Suhyeon... I like you," Chaerin said softly, the blush spreading across her cheeks.

"Well... I..." Suhyeon murmured, feeling his heart beating faster than usual. He wasn't used to being this nervous.

"I knew this moment would come... and I don't regret it. Though I can't deny it... I think I'm starting to like Chaerin too," he thought, feeling a strange warmth in his chest.

"Since I met her, I've always seen her as someone strong, with clear goals... the way she helped me without hesitation... She's someone I truly want to know better," Suhyeon reflected, taking a breath before speaking.

"Chaerin, all this time I've known you, I've seen that you're a girl with character, supportive, and with clear goals... and that made me realize that I want to be with you and give my best so we can be together," he finally said, looking at her with a sincere smile.

Chaerin felt her heart pounding hard. Her eyes shone with tears of happiness and, without thinking further, she kissed him. It was a passionate, long kiss that seemed to stop time for both of them.

When they pulled away, Chaerin was still trembling slightly. "So... are we dating now?" she asked, with a mix of shyness and excitement.

"Isn't it obvious?" Suhyeon replied, smiling before kissing her again, this time softly.

—

[System]: You have completed a side mission. You have been rewarded with a girlfriend.

—

---

Author's Note:

Some of you are probably wondering: "What's the deal with those boxes?"

Well, they're not just for show. These boxes will play a crucial role later on, and what they reveal won't follow the usual system rules.

The next chapter will focus on Johan Seong and will be divided into three parts, each with over 3,000 words to thoroughly develop his story with Suhyeon.