I Joined a Dating Sim Game and Got the Horror Boss Instead

In the year 2224, I won the lottery to participate in a romance otome game. As long as I maxed out the male lead’s affection meter, I would clear the game and walk away with a ten-million credit reward.But the moment I entered the game, the system malfunctioned and completely lost contact with me.Luckily, I had been briefed beforehand: the male lead I needed to romance would have white hair. Everyone else in the game would have black hair.So the day I spotted a boy in a school uniform with silver-white hair, my heart just about exploded. I had finally found my target.A breeze lifted the ends of his silver-white hair, revealing a striking face. His skin was pale and luminous, his frame tall and slender, his whole presence cool and distant.What made my excitement spike even more was how much he resembled my real-life idol, Wayne—top celebrity, national heartthrob, the man I had fangirled over for three whole years.It looked like the developers had modeled the game’s male lead

So I shamelessly said, “But I’m scared.”To be fair, I had been genuinely terrified earlier, but now I was mostly acting.Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aaron’s expression grow even stranger. Even so, he still didn’t push me away.Clinging to him, I told him everything that had happened. “Maybe someone was just pulling a prank. Honestly, there are no real ghosts. I’m a firm believer in science.”Aaron replied calmly, “Probably. Someone must have done it on purpose to scare you.”“That is so messed up.” I fumed.He gave me a faint, unreadable smile. “And what exactly were you doing out here?”“I came to look for a key,” I admitted. “They said the dorm manager has it.”Aaron looked at me for a long moment, his eyes full of meaning. “Then go get it.”I tightened my grip on his arm immediately. “But what if someone jumps out and scares me again? Can you come with me? Please?”I played it up. He didn’t walk me back, so I kept clutching his sleeve like a koala.He finally had

What I didn’t notice at all was that the three guys lying on the ground looked absolutely miserable. But since they’d already committed to playing dead, they had no choice but to keep pretending.Aaron looked at me for a long moment, as if he could see straight through me.The next second, his lips curled into a smile.I froze. My heart immediately spun out of control.His face already resembled my idol Wayne, but I’d always admired him the way one admires a pretty face.This feeling was different.My heartbeat jumped like a startled fawn and even the tip of my tongue tasted sweet. I had never felt this way before, not even the day I lined up for eight hours just to see Wayne at a fan signing.Aaron had smiled before, but never like this. Never this bright.“Alright,” he said softly.Night fell deeper and deeper…---Faculty OfficeThe homeroom teacher handed a stack of exam papers to Aaron, all respectful and deferential.Aaron took a red pen and pulled out one sheet titl

I had doubted things before, but since I already assumed this was an otome game, every red flag got shoved to the back of my mind.That entire drunken haze vanished in an instant.“What do I do now?” I whispered to the system in my head.“Given the… unusual circumstances, the system will now perform an emergency shutdown. Visual feed has been censored. Goodbye, host. See you tomorrow. Hopefully, you survive until then.”Before I could even scream, the system cut the connection.I looked up and met the man’s crimson eyes. My smile faltered. “Are you… maybe a little tired?”He smiled. “I am not tired. Go on.”That was sarcasm. Absolutely sarcasm. I could hear it loud and clear.My heartbeat went feral.This was the final boss of a horror game. And I had tied him up. And climbed on top of him. And announced I was going to “take control.”Once he transformed, he would definitely tear me into pieces.I forced a groan, covered my head, and squeezed my eyes shut. “I feel so sleepy.

At lunch, I deliberately avoided Aaron. I didn’t dare follow him around like I used to, clinging to him like a piece of grass stuck to his shoe.One week later.I had just stepped into the classroom when Aaron stopped me.He looked like he had cornered a mouse, brows drawn tight.“You haven’t eaten lunch with me all week. You’re acting strange.”Did he notice something? Was he testing me?“I’m… dieting. I don’t want to eat lunch,” I said, grabbing the first excuse that came to mind.His frown deepened.“You don’t need to diet. It’s bad for your health.”Then he turned and walked away.When class was about to start, he finally returned—holding a large bag of snacks, bread, and milk, which he put directly on my desk.“Eat. Don’t starve yourself.”I stared at the food in shock.I used to bring him snacks every day. Now he was giving me some? Voluntarily?I felt almost flattered.Maybe all the snacks I gave him did work a little. Even a horror-game final boss returns a favor w