The Female Gamer Chapter 1, a manhwa/korean comics/만화 fanfic

I love videogames. Given the option, I play for days at a time, weeks even. I'm a nerd and not ashamed to admit it.

Naturally, this means my social life is lacking. Or rather, I don't have one.

My lack of social life is a deliberate choice. I don't like interacting with people. In a game I examine every dialogue option, but when it comes to real life, I often don't know what to say. Primarily because most of the time I genuinely don't care about the subject of conversation. I know that's not just rude, it's unhealthy. It works for me though, so I can't bring myself to really care about the unhealthiness of it.

Honestly, if you'd asked me about my expectations for the future before yesterday, I'd have answered that I'm going to end up a mindless office-drone by day, a shut-in gamer by night. I'd also occasionally get dragged out into the real world by my best friend against my fierce protestations.

It's not a bad future, if an unambitious one. I was looking forward to it.

Except now I'm fairly convinced that I'm going to end up in an asylum instead. Why?

Yesterday I woke up to a notification.

| You have slept in a bed!
| Your HP and MP have been completely restored.
| All status effects have been removed.

That was what I saw the moment I opened my eyes. A blue screen with black text, floating in front of my eyes and blinking out of existence the moment I finished reading it. Crazy? I thought so too. Well, no, I didn't think it was crazy. I just thought I was still dreaming and only finished waking up after it disappeared. So I shrugged it off and started my day.

That's when things became weird.

Throughout the day, every person I encountered had text floating above their heads, containing a title, a level, and their full name, and I seemed to be the only one able to see it. I have text floating above my head as well, and currently I'm idly gazing at the reflected words in the window beside me.

Who am I?

| The Gamer
| LV4 Han Jee-han

I'm aware that my name is a boy's name. It's the result of a series of improbable events leading up to my birth, ending with me, a girl, getting a boy's name.

So yes, I'm an eighteen year old girl in my second year of high school, and I have a boy's name. I also see text floating above people's heads and posses the title of The Gamer. What does this mean?

No idea.

If I have to take a guess, I'd say I'm a videogame character. Except this is real life so that's impossible. It is.

Doesn't stop me from getting quests.

| Quest: Get To School In Time!

| Quest: Complete The Assigned Homework!

| Quest: Take Out The Trash!

Things I've been doing since forever and suddenly they're popping up as quests. They show not just completely unnecessary descriptions and time limits, but potential rewards and punishments as well.

The rewards and punishments are just as useless as the general descriptions. I don't need a pop-up to know that Mom will be pleased if I take out the trash and pissed if I don't.

What is new, is that I now get exp when I complete these quests. Which led to me gaining a level this morning.

Honestly, yesterday I spent the entire day convinced that I was still dreaming. I went to sleep with the expectation of waking up for real the next morning.

I woke up to another notification instead.

| You have slept in a bed!
| Your HP and MP have been completely restored.
| All status effects have been removed.

So on this second day of being The Gamer, I'm very tentatively entertaining the possibility that this might be real. Or that I've gone crazy, but I like that alternative a lot less. Even if it is the most likely explanation.

I'm kind of disturbed by how little I'm freaking out about this. Shouldn't the possibility of me hallucinating be more scary? Then again, I'm still half convinced that this is all a dream.

Dream or not, I'm planning to get to the bottom of this after school. My games will just have to wait until I've figured this out. I didn't play yesterday either, because the notion of playing a videogame when I might be in one myself is... odd. Very odd.

I'm already starting to feel withdrawal symptoms. My hands itch for a controller.

"You're going to get wrinkles." The voice startles me, making me snap my head around to face the source. I see my best friend smiling down at me while casually leaning against my desk.

| Chunbumoon's Heir
| LV25 Shin Sun-il

I cross my arms with a scowl. This green haired guy with his sunny smile and cheerfully insulting attitude has been my best friend since practically forever. And he's keeping secrets from me. Big ones. How do I know this?

Every person I've encountered, classmates, teachers, and random people of all ages on the streets, have a level somewhere between one at least and ten at the most. Except for Teacher Do, who is level fifteen, but Teacher Do can't be considered normal in anyway, so his unusual level isn't surprising. Or rather, it makes sense that he's the exception to the rule.

Yet even Teacher Do's level doesn't reacher higher than fifteen. Sun-il, on the other hand, is level twenty-five. I know for certain that it isn't because he's a kickass martial artist, either. Even ignoring Teacher Do, there are others in our school who practice fighting, both formal and not. Sure, none are at Sun-il's level, not by a long shot, but some of them are still really good. They're also level eight at most.

Not to mention that Sun-il's title is Chunbumoon's Heir instead of something like Studious Son, Rebel With A Cause, Anxious Mother, or any of the other kind of titles I've seen. I've never heard Sun-il mention this Chunbumoon thing either.

My reaction makes Sun-il's smile disappear, a puzzled look appearing instead. "You okay?"

"I'm fine, great, wonderful even," I snap. My best friend is keeping secrets from me. I have a right to be upset.

I ignore the part of me that points out I haven't told him about my own... condition. That's different.

Both Sun-il's brows shoot up and he opens his eyes fully, something uncommon for mister I-like-to-keep-people-guessing-whether-I'm-insulting-them-or-not.

"The scowl on your face says different," he says, worried and offering to help me with whatever I need.

It makes me realize that I'm acting childish. So what if Sun-il has secrets, he must have his reasons. As his best friend, it's my duty to respect that.

Also, I might be hallucinating all this, in which case Sun-il isn't actually keeping secrets from me.

I sigh and bring up a hand to rub my eyes. "Sorry, I'm..." I trail off, not really knowing how to finish that. I'm stressed? Confused? Half convinced that I'm still dreaming? Worried that I might've gone insane?

Sun-il grows more concerned and leans forward to place a hand on my forehead. Why is he– oh, he's checking to see if I have a fever.

I push his hand off with a smile. "I'm not sick, I'm just feeling... off." There, I told him the truth.

"Off? In what way?" Sun-il asks, worry not lessened in any way. I shrug and do my best to make it look casual.

"Just... off," I finish lamely, a clear signal that I don't want to talk about this, because I really don't. Not yet. Not even to him.

Sun-il, getting the message, looks at me with worry a moment longer, before he regains his usual sunny smile. The one that always leaves people wondering if he's mocking them or not.

The guessing stops the moment he opens his mouth. "Jee-han... is it that time of the month?"

I kick the asshole's leg, hard. The resulting ache to my toes is completely worth it.

Sun-il winces, but his smile turns into a grin, pleased that I'm reacting like normal. "So violent. That's no way for a lady to act," he mocks.

"Bite me," I retort, even as I can't help but smile. Sun-il, of course, wags his brow suggestively in return.

"Kinky," he quips. I roll my eyes but feel my smile grow. Secrets or not, this is still my best friend.

"Everyone, shut up and sit down!" Teacher Park's yell brings an end to our conversation. Sun-il chuckles, gives me a lazy salute, and walks towards his seat. I turn my attention to our math teacher. And startle as I read his text.

| Failed Accountant
| LV6 Park Sin-uoo

I mostly manage to mask the laugh that escapes as a cough and duck my head to hide the grin I can't contain. That title explains why Teacher Park is always in such an awful mood.

"Class president, what exercises were assigned?" Teacher Park demands with his ever sour expression.

"The exercises on page two hundred thirteen, Teacher Park," Yoo-jin answers. Everyone obediently opens their books.

So class begins.

Aside from the text floating above everyone's head and the occasional quest popping up, the day continues like normal. After school, I say goodbye to Sun-il, go home, change out of my uniform, and finish my homework. Now, instead of playing a game like I normally would, I'm seated in my chair and staring up at the ceiling of my room.

I am apparently The Gamer. What does that mean?

Still no idea.

Well, that's helpful.

I sigh. I need to think about this logically. What's happening to me seems to imply that I am, somehow, in a videogame. So if this was a new game I just bought, what would I be doing first?

Checking out the options menu.

Except unlike a real game, I don't have a controller. How am I supposed to open the options menu? Is there even an options menu?

I contemplate this for a moment, before I shrug. I won't know for sure until I try.

Bringing up my hand as though I'm holding an imaginary controller, I pretend to open a menu.

Nothing. Should've guessed it wouldn't be that easy. But is the failure caused by a lack of menu, or because of the way I'm trying to open it? Did I click the wrong imaginary button?

I decide to try opening the potential menu by pushing every imaginary button.

Still nothing.

Maybe I should try opening it in a different way? Like... how about voice activation?

"Open the options menu," I say. And almost jump out of my chair as a window pops up in front of me. I stare.

No frigging way. Yes, I'd been trying to open an options menu, but...

But I just opened an options menu. In real life.

The menu is divided into three categories. Gameplay, Video and Sound. I slowly look over the Gameplay options, the tab the menu opened to.

I stare some more. This is... this is just bizarre.

After another moment of staring, I lift a hand to tap on the first option. A smaller window pops up in front of the main one.

| Auto-Notification
| A brief announcement will appear when The Gamer performs a relevant action or when a relevant action happens to The Gamer.
| Disable: Yes/No

Given that I have no idea what's going on, I figure it's best to keep it on. I tap No. The smaller window disappears.

Leaning back in my chair, I slowly process this impossible situation. Is this really happening?

Apparently it is.

I decide to read the descriptions of the other options. They're basically what their names imply. I keep Auto-Targeting on, but after a moment of deliberation, I turn off the Auto-Dungeon Entry. Sure, part of me is still convinced that this is all a dream, but if it isn't, I don't want to stumble into dungeons without being notified about it. Especially because the description said that enemies can be found there. Which is just... enemies?

Of course, in most games there's always a variety of things to kill. This is real life, though. What would even count as an enemy?

Seeing as I can't exactly answer that just by thinking about it, I continue my exploration and turn on the Auto-Mini Map.

A small circular map appears in the upper right corner of my vision. Even though I was half expecting it, it still startles me into snapping my head towards it. Or rather, I try to. As soon as I move my head, the map moves with me so that it keeps hovering in the upper right corner of my vision. Just like in a game.

I'm looking at a mini map. With a small green arrow in the center indicating what I'm assuming is my position.

Slowly, I get up and walk towards my window. Both the options menu and the mini map follow me, the mini map's environment changing as I move.

I turn in a full circle. The green arrow spins around.

So bizarre.

I return to my chair and give the mini map hovering at the edge of my vision another long look, before opening the next tab on the options menu.

| Video
| – Brightness: 50%
| – Color: 50%

My confusion starts to make way for curiosity. What would happen if I change the brightness? I can guess, obviously, but...

But will it actually work?

Only one way to find out.

Clicking on Brightness offers a sliding scale, and in one quick movement, I slide it to the maximum level. And immediately squeeze my eyes shut with a startled yelp, blinded by sudden light. Squinting through one eye, I spot the menu and quickly reduce the brightness until I can open both eyes. Everything is still too bright, but it's no longer impossible to see.

Brightness. It does exactly as advertised.

Even more curious than before, I lower the brightness further than normal, making everything darken. Aside from the menu and mini map, those remain the same. Well, they seem to be becoming brighter, but that's because everything else is becoming darker and darker as I keep lowering the brightness. It's like I turned off the light and then some.

When I reach zero, I'm surrounded by complete darkness. I spin my chair around, watching the darkness around me with wide eyes. This is...

This is amazing.

With a grin, I return the brightness back to normal and turn turn my attention to the color option. Sure enough, raising it makes all colors become more and more intense. At maximum, it forces me to squint in order to keep seeing. I don't stop grinning.

My walls are a blinding yellow, my bedsheets are an impossible red, and the night sky out the window looks like something straight out of a kid's show.

This is so cool!

I lower the color to zero and laugh with delight as everything aside from the menu and map turns black-and-white. I lift my hand to stare at my now light grey skin with fascination, before returning the color to normal. I open the Sound tab, excited to see what else I can do.

| Sound
| – Ambient Noise: 50%

It might only be one option, but it sounds like a good one.

Heh. Sounds like.

With a grin, I max it out. And immediately I cover my ears with a pained wince as I'm bombarded with noise. I have no clue what it is I'm hearing but it's all so loud!

Determined to figure out just what it is I'm hearing, I slowly lower my hands and do my best to concentrate on one sound. The easiest one to focus on is a persistent buzzing all around me.

No, it isn't coming from all around me. It's coming from... above me?

I lift my head, wondering what could be causing this. A mosquito? This really doesn't sound like a mosquito to be honest, but what else could it be? I'm not seeing anything other than my lamp–

Am I... am I hearing the lightbulb itself? As in, the electricity running through it?

Cool!

What else am I hearing?

I close my eyes in order to better concentrate. After a few moments, I finally manage to focus on a muted... sizzling?

It's a vaguely familiar sound, though I can't quite place it. Where do I know this from? And where is it coming from?

...It's coming from downstairs. What could–

My jaw drops.

I'm hearing Mom cook. Specifically, she's stir frying something. And I'm able to hear it from inside my room. With a closed door and an entire floor between us.

I start laughing with delight but immediately cut myself off, surprised. My voice didn't sound louder than usual, making it sound incredibly odd in comparison to all the other things I'm hearing. Why isn't my voice– ambient noise. Of course.

With a grin, I turn the ambient noise to zero.

Complete and utter silence. The only thing I'm still hearing is my own breathing and the pounding of my heart, the sounds abnormally loud because of the lack of any other.

This is awesome!

Ridiculously pleased, I return the ambient noise to normal. Alright, I've checked out all the options and they're amazing. What next? Aside from closing the options menu. And maybe turning off the mini map? It's kind of distracting.

I turn off the mini map. Now I just need to close the options menu. I'm guessing that's voice activated as well.

"Close the options menu." Sure enough, the menu pops out of existence as though it was never there.

For some reason that makes what I've just done truly sink in. Makes me realize that this is really real.

My life has been turned into a videogame.

I get up to start pacing. What does this mean? What does this mean for me? How is this possible? This shouldn't be possible!

Of course, I could still be hallucinating all this, but I'm going to ignore that option for as long as I can. Which means this has to be real. Except that's impossible. Except apparently it isn't, because the only other option is that I've gone insane.

Alright then. In that case, what should I do next? What would I do in a game?

Check out my character.

Can I even do that? What would I have to say in order to make the screen appear? If there even is a screen.

Well, best to start with the basics.

"Open the... status menu?" I ask more than command. And watch with glee as another window pops open.

| Name: Han Jee-han
| Class: The Gamer
| Level: 4 – Next Level: 2,31%

| HP: 100/100
| MP: 50/50

| STR: 7
| VIT: 7
| AGI: 13
| INT: 8
| WIS: 9
| LUK: 9

| Points: 5
| Cash: ₩ 3000

I squeal, unable to believe how awesome this is. It even shows how much cash I have!

With a huge grin, I tap on each stat to read their description. Everything is basically what I expected, though the description of my class is interesting, if fairly useless.

| Class: The Gamer
| The Gamer is a person who interacts with the real world as though it is a videogame.

So, nothing I haven't already figured out myself. Still, it's nice to have confirmation from another source. Unless I've gone insane of course, then I've only gotten confirmation by my own hallucinating mind.

What really catches my interest are the five points I have. Points I can distribute across my stats.

I look over my stats, both uncertain and even more curious than before. Can I really improve my... body, I suppose, just by distributing points? In a game, of course, but for all that I now believe that this is actually happening to me, the fact remains that this is real life. It's one thing to open menus, another thing entirely to magically improve myself. Is that actually possible?

Only one way to find out.

I get up and lift my chair with both hands, doing my best to memorize exactly how it feels. Placing it back down, I put three points into strength, turning it from a seven into a nice round ten. I lift my chair again.

My jaw drops.

It worked. It actually worked! My chair is lighter than before!

I stare at the chair I'm holding up with amazement, mind completely blown. I've just become stronger in a literal instant!

Does that mean I can become instantly smarter as well?

I quickly put my chair down and put my final two points in intelligence, which increases my mp to seventy.

I wait.

...Well, I suppose it's difficult to determine whether I've gotten smarter just by standing here. But what should I do to test it? Solve another math problem?

I grimace. I hate math. This needs to be tested, though. The sooner the better.

"Close the status screen," I order while dropping back into the chair, and roll myself towards my desk. Grabbing my math book, I pick out a problem and start solving it. The result?

Inconclusive. It doesn't feel like I solved it faster than usual, and it didn't feel easier to solve either. On the other hand, I have no idea how it feels to be smarter, so maybe I did get smarter but just don't realize it? Guess I have to try again after getting some more points.

Right then. I've checked both the options and my stats. What next?

Inventory.

I open my mouth to try to call it up– I stop as I'm struck with a sudden thought. Do I even need say, open?

Time to find out.

"Inventory," I say. Sure enough, another window pops up, displaying two screens side by side. One hold a faceless character model riddles with small squares, some of which are filled with miniaturized icons of the clothing I'm wearing.

I have an equipment screen. That's so cool.

Even more interesting than that is the window besides it, filled entirely with bank squares. It seems I do have an inventory, and it's completely empty.

Can I put stuff into it? It sounds like a stupid question, I know that, but...

But can I actually put stuff into it?

Quickly looking around for something to put away, I spot a pen and pick it up. With bated breath, I tap it against the inventory screen.

There's a small flash and I feel the pen leave my hands. The first square gains an icon of a miniaturized pen.

I gape, jaw slack and eyes as wide as they can go. It worked. It actually worked! I have an actual working inventory!

I jump up with a squeal and spin around in glee. The sheer potential this has! I can carry around anything I want! I can–

Wait. Is there a size limit on the items I can put into it? Can I put away items larger than the screen itself?

To answer this question, I pick up my chair and lift it towards my inventory. Another small flash later, the chair is gone and the second square gets an icon as well. I feel a huge grin grow.

If there's a size limit, it's a big one.

I spin around with glee once more, needing to express my giddiness because this. Is. Awesome!

With a flourish, I tap the image of the chair. And quickly move to catch it as it drops out of my inventory, barely managing to prevent it from falling to the floor. Laughing, I put it down and do another happy spin.

Why did I ever worry about this? It's the best thing to ever happen to me!

"Jee-han, dinner's ready!" Mom's yell startles me more than the pop-up does, making me spin towards the door on instinct even though she shouted from downstairs.

| Quest: Have A Nice Dinner!

"Coming!" I yell back while tapping on the quest. I already know what it's going to say, but I still want to check out the details.

I close all my windows and am delighted all over again just from seeing them disappear. Then my grin falters, excitement making way for uncertainty instead. I've been avoiding Mom since yesterday. With good reason.

A reason I'm confronted with the moment I arrive downstairs.

| –?–
| LV? Han Jung-sook

Yeah. That.

I... don't know what to think about this. Or what to do about it. Just like with Sun-il, it's obvious that Mom is keeping secrets. Unlike Sun-il, this is my mom. The thought of her keeping secrets from me is both easier and harder to bear.

All parents keep secrets from their children. Doesn't make me feel any less betrayed, no matter how irrational I know that is.

"Are you just going to stand there? Sit down and eat up," Mom orders as she finishes setting the table. Mom isn't one for conversation. Or politeness.

Even without our physical similarities, no one will ever be able to deny that I'm her daughter.

I sit down while doing my best not to stare at the question marks floating above her head. Mom sits down as well and looks me over intently, making me feel even more uncomfortable. It also makes worry start to rise.

Has she figured out what's going on with me? Anyone else, I'd say that's impossible, but this is Mom. She knows everything. That's without getting into the question marks and what they might mean. Does Mom have the same... condition as me?

Power? Ability? The Gamer class? What should I even call this?

...Can I see Mom's stats like I can my own?

"You're distracted," Mom declares, pulling me from my thoughts. I'll try to call up her stats after dinner.

"I am," I agree, knowing better than try to lie to her. Mom always knows.

Mom frowns. I can tell that it isn't because of anger, but I'm not sure what it means instead. Even being her daughter, I often have difficulties figuring out what she's thinking. Personally, I blame her absurdly young appearance. You'd never guess that Mom is almost forty years old, she looks like she's in her mid-twenties at most. We look more like sisters than mother and daughter.

"Are you alright?" Mom demands, and I realize that she's frowning because she's worried about me.

I smile, my uncertainty and faint betrayal replaced by warmth and affection. This is my mom. I love her and she loves me. Her keeping secrets is insignificant next to that.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I answer softly.

Mom gives a curt nod. "Good. Now eat up."

With a chuckle, I do just that. With Dad overseas, we eat in silence like usual. Neither Mom nor I are big talkers.

It's nice.

| Quest: Have A Nice Dinner!
| Completed

AN: I present: a female Jee-Han! Because why not :p

As you can see, there are already some slight differences happening compared to canon, and those differences will only grow as the story continues.

Hope you enjoyed!