Chapter 4: My new tutor

An awkward silence settled over the room, heavy and uncomfortable. I shifted slightly in my seat, unsure of what to say. Finally, the man cleared his throat and broke the silence.

"Well… let me introduce myself," he began, his tone formal but with a hint of warmth. "My name is Mr. Hyun. I'm 25, and I was hired by your mother to be your tutor. I teach at a school, but I also tutor privately for manners or school subjects, depending on what's needed."

So, this guy was here to tutor me. I glanced at him, sizing him up. He looked every bit the part, from the serious expression to the notebook held against his chest. Math tutor, huh?

Mr. Hyun pulled out a stack of papers from his bag and handed them over. "These are for you to fill out, just for identity verification," he explained, watching me as I skimmed over the forms. I couldn't bring myself to care. Filling out forms? Doing assignments? In a world that felt like some sort of strange video game?

Then he handed me a worksheet, neat rows of math problems and questions. "Here's some work to start with," he said. "It'll help me gauge where you're at."

But I was hardly in the mood. I set the paper aside, my laziness kicking in. "I'm good, thanks," I replied, leaning back in my chair. I had no intention of doing this right now.

Mr. Hyun gave me a slightly exasperated look. "You're a stubborn one, aren't you?" he sighed. "Please, just fill out the forms at least."

But I still refused, feeling defiant and oddly amused at the idea of resisting instructions from what felt like an NPC in a game.

I closed my eyes, making it clear that I had zero interest in following his requests. I thought he'd take the hint and back off, but in the back of my mind, I felt my "task" already loading. Still, maybe if I pretended hard enough, he'd give up and leave.

Instead, I suddenly felt my chair being pulled, the wheels squeaking as Mr. Hyun rolled me right up to him. He leaned over, gripping the arms of the chair, his face just inches from mine with a serious, intense look. His eyes narrowed, and for a moment, I was taken aback. So this calm-looking, polite guy had a side like this—sharp and unexpectedly firm.

His sudden intensity startled me, but I quickly brushed it off. Maybe if I pushed him enough, I could get him to quit. To make my point, I smirked and flipped him off, watching his expression.

Just then, the "task" I'd been waiting for finally finished loading, and I glanced at the small prompt that appeared: Listen to him.

I sighed inwardly. Fantastic. Now, I was supposed to actually pay attention to him? This was going to be a pain, but it seemed like I didn't have much of a choice.

With a reluctant sigh, I leaned back and finally gave in, picking up a pen and starting to fill out the papers. Mr. Hyun watched me closely, his eyes scanning each line as I wrote.

"So, you're 22, huh?" he remarked, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "Quite old for someone who's struggling with math."

I could tell he was trying to get under my skin, so I decided to play along. "Yeah," I shot back with a grin. "And you're pretty young for a teacher. Needed the money, huh? Couldn't stand being a broke little—"

I cut myself off with a laugh, enjoying the challenge. Mr. Hyun glanced at me, clearly unruffled by my jab. He gave a dry smile before responding, his tone annoyed but calm. "Alright, love, I really don't feel like arguing over something so pointless. Just brush it off and finish the papers for me, would you?"

He was twisting a strand of his hair absentmindedly, and his offhand "love" caught me by surprise.

"Is calling me 'love' supposed to be some kind of weird attempt at seduction?" I scoffed, letting him know I was far from comfortable with it. "In case you didn't know, I don't believe in love."

He raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "Oh, trust me, I have no intention of 'stealing' you," he replied smoothly. "I'm married. And I say 'love' because that's what I call people—it's a habit."

I didn't have a quick comeback this time, so I just rolled my eyes and went back to filling out the form, wondering what other surprises this guy had up his sleeve.

After hours of grueling work, I felt completely drained. I just wanted to quit, but thankfully, the clock finally struck 7 p.m. Mr. Hyun packed up his things and headed downstairs, and I felt a wave of relief wash over me. Good riddance—he'd been nothing but a show-off the whole time.

Once he was gone, I threw myself onto the plush bed, savoring the feeling as a pleasant shiver of happiness ran through me. I noticed that the "task" was now marked complete, but before I could relax, a new one began loading. I groaned. How long was this going to last? The creator of this bizarre experience hadn't given me any hint as to when it would end.

Needing a break, I decided to go outside for some fresh air. I wrapped myself in a cozy, long jacket and headed out, letting the cold evening breeze hit my face. A little snack run sounded good, so I wandered over to a nearby convenience store. I was minding my own business, browsing the shelves, when I spotted someone familiar at the end of the aisle.

It was Mr. Hyun, and he wasn't alone. Standing beside him was a blonde-haired, brown-eyed woman in a tight, short red dress. At first, I thought maybe she was just a friend, but then I saw them kiss, and a wave of disgust hit me. I wanted to look away. Her dress was striking, and it was clear she enjoyed the attention as she leaned into him with his arm wrapped around her.

Part of me felt a little bad for him—he looked like the kind of guy who'd rather avoid attention—but I reminded myself it wasn't any of my business. I turned away, finished grabbing my snacks, and headed back home, still feeling tired but with my mind lingering on the sight of Mr. Hyun and the woman.

Was that his wife? I wondered, feeling an odd mixture of curiosity and confusion. And if it was, why was she dressed like that? The thought nagged at me as I walked back, but I shrugged it off. Whatever Mr. Hyun did outside of tutoring was none of my concern… or at least, that's what I told myself.