For the next few days, Seunghoon had only one goal in mind—to climb the ranks.
He woke up early, ate, and then sat in front of his monitor. From morning to night, his routine was the same. Queue up for ranked, grind, and repeat.
He played solo sometimes, but often, he would queue with randoms who invited him to play. He only played with those he considered decent enough who could also play on their own.
Seunghoon didn't like the idea of carrying a team on his own. That would be too tiring, especially for him, who wanted to play for fun while also climbing ranks.
Still, even if he was playing for fun, he took every loss of his seriously. He studied every mistake that he made, and not once did he rage or flame others. Not in chat, but he did in his mind.
He really did focus on improving.
And with that, his win rate also slowly climbed.
43.8% 44.1%… 44.5%… 44.9%…
He was close.
Very close to accomplishing his mission.
On the third day after his mission was given, Seunghoon got out of his bed and went to his desk. The soft glow of his monitor lit up his room once more.
It was already afternoon. He slept early in the morning. He just didn't play but also watched movies the other night.
Seunghoon sat in front of his desk. His hand was on his mouse, while his eyes were locked on his home screen.
'Should I play already?' he asked as his cursor hovered around the game's icon.
It would be so easy to queue up.
Maybe he should play just one game.
He was about to click the game's icon when he paused midway.
"…Wait," he muttered to himself.
His stomach gave a small growl in protest, and for the first time since he woke up, he realized just hos dry his throat felt.
His back also ached a little from sitting too long yesterday. He hadn't even stretched his the morning.
Now… when was the last time he went outside?
Seunghoon leaned back slowly on his gaming chair, staring at the sunlight peeking through his room's window blinds.
Come to think of it, ever since he woke up in this body… he hadn't left the house once.
He doesn't even know the exterior of their house or their street. He also hadn't seen people in days.
'Damn, that's how bad I was playing?' Seunghoon frowned as he realized everything.
"Yeah…I should probably go out." He sighed and shook his head. Playing like this was no good. He didn't want to experience the same hell again that he experienced in his first life.
He vowed that he'll make his body better this time.
With that in mind, Seunghoon stood up and stretched his arms over his head. The bones in his shoulder cracked slightly, and his body felt sluggish from the lack of movement. He grabbed his phone, checked the time, and debated what to eat.
'I hope my mom cooks something…' Seunghook sighed.
He stepped out of his room and walked into the hallway. He blinked his eyes as she adjusted to the brighter light of the living room.
From the living room, he heard the soft clatter of dishes and the rustle of paper bags.
As he went there, he saw his mother by the entryway. She was bent slightly forward as she tried to lift two large boxes from the floor. One looked like it was filled with bottled water and the other was filled with vegetables and groceries.
There was also a small paper bag on the floor that had already tipped over, and a bag of onions was already spilling across the floor.
Seo-Yeon didn't notice him yet. Her brows were lined together, and a little sweat dripped down to her temples. Her lips were pressed in a thin line, showing her seriousness as she carried the groceries inside.
Seunghoon stood still for a moment. He stared at his mother, who looked as if she was having a hard time.
He thought of what to do, but as he watched over, he couldn't help but feel pity for her mother a that state.
Even if their relationship was broken right now, he was still her mother and he didn't want to see her having a hard time.
Seunghoon took a quiet breath and walked forward. He saw how his mother noticed his movement from the side. She turned her head to the side, looking startled to see Seunghoon out of his room.
Before Seo-Yeon could say anything, Seunghoon stepped up beside her.
Without a word, he reached down and picked up the heavier of the two boxes.
His mother froze for a moment, blinking at him in surprise.
'Is that really my son?' Seo-Yeon muttered in her mind as she watched him silently, almost frozen on her steps.
It has been so long since Seunghoon helped her with something. Their ties have been estranged, and since then, their interaction have been limited too.
Seo-Yeon's heart slightly warmed up.
Seunghoon could feel the gaze following him, but he chose to ignore it. He didn't say anything, knowing how awkward it might be. He simply turned around, adjusted the weight of the box in his arms, and walked toward the kitchen to place the box there.
He returned a moment later and picked up the second box too. Still, he didn't mutter any words. He just let his actions speak.
As he walked past his mother again, he caught the smallest flicker of surprise in her expression.
But she didn't speak either.
They were stuck in an awkward silence.
But sometimes Seunghon knew that silence was better than saying the wrong thing.
He hoped they could fix their broken ties one day.