The Reputation Game
Chapter 9: The Reputation Game
8:02 a.m. – Rooftop of the Music Department Building
The air was thin, washed with the scent of concrete dust and summer humidity. Choi Sunjae stood with one hand in his pocket, the other resting on the rusted guardrail. Hair down. Eyes hidden.
He'd come here to breathe.
The aftermath of his fight with Vin Jin had already started to ripple through the school. He could feel it in the way the stares lingered just a little too long. The way the halls quieted when he passed.
Vin's pride was shattered. Not publicly—there was no audience, no one to witness what had transpired except for Mary Kim, who hadn't said a word since. But that was almost worse. The silence carried weight.
It wasn't just that he'd made Vin kneel.
It was the way he'd done it. Effortlessly. Like it was nothing.
I mean that was the rumors going around school. No one believed it at first but after they saw vin with a few bruises they started believung it.
He remember the moment when their eyes locked.
The red in his irises had shown. Just for a second. But enough.
He didnt know why, but he lost all control.
Sunjae had seen it. The flicker of fear.
He smiled faintly to himself.
Then the System flickered.
[New Quest Unlocked – Reputation Game]
Objective: Build your name beyond the school.
Paths Available: Any. Mercenary, Hero, Menace, Ghost, Trickster.
Reward: System Expansion + Access to External Comms
Optional: Accept an external job to test your notoriety.
Sunjae tilted his head.
"A reputation quest, huh…"
He swiped through the translucent interface with his finger, scrolling past the generic mission text. One line near the bottom caught his eye:
Recommended Alignment: Freelance Enforcer (Mercenary-Type)
Inspired Reference Detected: Kim Goo / White Tiger Job Center.
His smile sharpened.
"You're giving me homework… based on Goo?"
He closed the interface with a flick.
"I'm in."
11:24 a.m. – West Wing, Fashion Department
Rumors already followed him like a trailing shadow. Sunjae hadn't said a word, but whispers slipped between departments like smoke.
"The transfer kid made Vin Jin bleed, right?"
"No—Vin didn't even touch him."
"I heard he fights like a ghost. He moves before you blink."
"Didn't Taesung transfer schools after fighting him?"
He wandered the fashion corridor like a ghost haunting the wrong genre of manga—hands in pockets, lollipop in his mouth.
Behind his bangs, his eyes scanned the bulletin board, where students pinned complaints, lost-and-founds, and dumb messages like "stop stealing my green markers."
One note stood out.
"Need someone to recover a stolen portfolio. Reward: ₩10,000 or 3 banana milks. Will pay in full."
Signed: Yuri – 2nd Year, Fashion Dept.
Sunjae smirked and tore the note down.
"You had me at banana milk."
12:15 p.m. – Outside the Greenhouse Storage
The thief wasn't hard to find.
Sunjae had trailed him during lunch—a weasel-looking third-year with oily hair and anxious hands. The guy had taken the sketches and tried to pawn them off to another student in a nearby art club.
Sunjae stepped out from behind the bushes.
"You look like someone who'd cry over getting locked in a supply closet."
The thief spun around, startled.
"Who the hell are—?"
Sunjae was already in front of him.
He twisted the guy's wrist just enough to drop the portfolio. Then opened the greenhouse door, shoved him inside, and calmly wedged a mop handle through the latch.
"Think about your decisions. Maybe draw about it."
[Quest Mini-Update:]
Local Reputation +5
New Title Unlocked: 'Oddjob Menace'
Sunjae dusted off his hands and walked away, portfolio in arm.
1:30 p.m. – Campus Courtyard
The fashion girl, Yuri, stared at him in disbelief.
"You actually got it back? But… I didn't even leave my name—"
"I'm good at reading messy handwriting," Sunjae said, dropping the portfolio into her arms. "Payment's due."
She blinked. "...Three banana milks, right?"
"Warm."
"You're insane."
He smiled without answering and turned away.
Behind him, she whispered to a friend, "Is he like… for hire or something?"
That was the third time today someone asked that.
And that's when Sunjae had an idea.
3:00 p.m. – Basketball Court Bleachers
Using a discarded cardboard box and a red marker he stole from the teacher's desk, Sunjae wrote the words:
"Mercenary Office – Talk to me if you've got a problem. Pay in snacks or weird favors."
He propped it up beside him on the bleachers and laid back, arms behind his head. The sign swayed slightly in the breeze.
'Heheheh, im such a genius'
He thought while rubbing his nose with his fingers
4:10 p.m. – System Notification
[Reputation Rising – Local Notoriety Achieved]
Students now whisper your name in other departments. Expect external requests soon.
...
Edjduueeudusw8ehsnsu8dhfhehsus
What am i writing broooo😭😭😭