Chapter 1

Last night, Grandma had a sudden stroke and had to be admitted to the ICU.

It came as a huge blow to me. After all, I had only just graduated college and was just starting out in my career from the bottom of the ladder.

There was just too much work to be done at the office. Even after returning to my rented apartment, I still had a presentation deck to prepare.

While flailing around trying to complete my work, I accidentally tapped on a virus link on my phone, and it began downloading a virus application on its own.

The app was called "Love Mission".

Even the name sounded sketchy.

Just as I was about to uninstall it, there was a loud buzz on my phone, and a new message popped up on the screen.

"Congratulations, Player 001! You are now synced to Love Mission. Your first mission is as follows.

"Kindly head over to your front door to collect the photo props and put them on as shown in the manual. Follow the poses on the screen and upload the photos here.

"P.S. If the player gets suspicious of the app, asks others about it, or refuses to complete the missions, they will be punished accordingly."

There were a total of nine photos displayed on the screen in a three-by-three grid, and the model shown in each photo was posing very provocatively. He had his legs folded in all sorts of suggestive positions. It was explicit to say the least.

My face burned, and I quickly looked away.

Just as I was racking my brain, wondering if this was an elaborate prank or scam someone was pulling on me, the apartment doorbell suddenly rang.

Huh? Could that be a coincidence?

I slowly got up and made my way to the door before carefully pushing it open.

Nobody was outside. However, there was a massive box left in the middle of my doorway.

My heart thudded loudly against my ribcage as I gingerly tried lifting it. It wasn't heavy. I looked at the address on the box and saw my name, Nathan Meyers, written there as the recipient. However, the sender's details had been left blank.

The people around me knew that I had a lukewarm personality and got embarrassed very easily. I had been the butt of many jokes and pranks in the past. Of course, I would think that this box was just another of such pranks.

"Who could it be?" I muttered, quickly scanning through my memories to see if I'd accidentally crossed anyone lately.

Could it have been my ex-boyfriend?

I carried the box into my living room and opened it up with some scissors. When I saw what was inside, I immediately turned every shade of crimson.

There was a cat-ear headband, a maid costume, a thong with a fluffy tail attached, and a massive black toy that was long and girthy.

I was flabbergasted.

I immediately grabbed the box again, ready to throw everything out, but the app on my phone seemed to detect my emotions and intentions.

"Beep! Player 001 is detected to be unwilling to follow instructions. A Low-Tier Punishment will be given immediately!"

My phone suddenly buzzed again, but this time, it was a text message from my General Manager, Harry Dawson.

"Nathan, starting tomorrow, you'll be transferred back to the trainee team."

I widened my eyes in shock and despair, nearly dropping the box because of how weak my arms suddenly felt.

I had put in so much effort to achieve my numbers, making me stand out from the rest of the trainees and end up being the only one in my batch to be officially recruited as a permanent employee.

But now, I was being sent back. That meant my pay would be cut in half, and I could be let go anytime. Worse, my ex-boyfriend, Derrick Hemsworth, was the trainee team lead. I also had to return to working with my ex-colleagues, the trainees, who were known for being greedy and spiteful.

This couldn't be real. Someone had to be pulling my leg, and he probably was still in the vicinity!

I couldn't stand it any longer. I stormed toward the door and screamed in anguish. However, the only response I got was a few pitiful meows from Whiskers, who was lounging on the couch.

Whiskers used to be a stray. I had rescued her from the streets and brought her home. She was now staring at me in fright, probably wondering why her normally quiet owner had suddenly lost his temper.