[System Notification: Time-limited mission issued.]
The cold, mechanical voice exploded in Shawn's mind without warning, like an ice pick dipped in poison, stabbing viciously into his taut nerves.
[Mission Content: Forcefully kiss Simon immediately.]
[Time Limit: 3 minutes.]
[Mission Reward: $3,000, reward void after timeout.]
A string of bright red numbers appeared in the corner of his vision, mercilessly beginning to count down: 02:59.
"Damn system!" he cursed internally, each word as if squeezed from between his teeth. His mind went completely blank, all his thoughts and logic crashing from the sudden mission. All he could feel was the roar of blood rushing to his head and an immense resistance.
"Are we still on for game night tonight, to keep climbing the ranks?" Simon's voice came from in front of him, clear and steady, but Shawn felt completely lost. "Are you even listening?"
02:41.
He snapped back to reality, his gaze struggling to focus on Simon's face. There was a hint of concerned confusion on that face, and his deep eyes were watching him, trying to read something from his stiff expression.
"Yeah," he heard himself answer drily, his voice as unfamiliar as a stranger's. "Sure. Tonight. Got it."
"You seem... off," Simon frowned, leaning forward half an inch. "Is everything okay?"
02:00.
His concern was like a scalding branding iron, making the protagonist's whole body tremble. How could he be okay? An absurd time limit was forcing him to do something he didn't even dare to think about. His heart was pounding wildly.
"I'm fine," he forced a smile that was uglier than a crying face. "Just... thinking about something."
01:55.
This isn't working. Time was ticking away. He knew that if he failed the mission, the $3,000 that was almost in his grasp would be gone. His conflicted heart grew more and more tangled, tightening its grip. He looked at Simon, at the growing worry in his eyes due to his strange behavior, and a do-or-die madness began to fester in the bottom of his heart.
01:23.
"What are you thinking about?" Simon asked again, his voice holding an insistence that couldn't be ignored.
The protagonist didn't answer. In his world, there was only the constantly shrinking red number and his own increasingly heavy breathing.
00:48.
Enough.
00:30.
Fuck it.
I'm sorry, Simon. I don't want to do this, but the damn system is just offering too much!
He decided to throw all caution to the wind.
Before Simon could speak again, the protagonist took a sudden step forward, almost lunging at him. His hands were trembling, yet they held an irresistible force as he grabbed Simon's cheeks. In the instant that utter shock and bewilderment flashed in Simon's eyes, he closed his eyes and kissed him hard.
Time seemed to freeze in that moment.
The initial impact was rough and chaotic. The protagonist had no thoughts in his mind, only the $3,000 he would get for completing the mission. He could feel the slight stubble on Simon's skin, could hear the suppressed, short gasp from his throat. Simon's lips were warmer and softer than he had imagined, with a faint, bitter taste of coffee.
Simon's body instantly went rigid as stone. His hands came up subconsciously, as if to push him away.
But in those few seconds of stalemate, a certain chemical reaction began to quietly take place.
The immense pressure created by the system seemed to have found a release. As their lips pressed together, his cortisol levels seemed to drop, replaced by a strange, dizzying warmth. The countdown in his brain was forcibly muted. An unfamiliar, tingling pleasure started from the point of contact, spreading through his limbs like an electric current.
The hands holding Simon's cheeks unconsciously loosened their grip.
And Simon felt the same change. The initial shock and the anger of being violated, just as he was about to push the other away, were replaced by an indescribable attraction. This kiss was rough and clumsy, yet it carried a sweet warmth. He could feel the other's body trembling, could taste that unconcealed innocence.
Then, the warm current swept over him as well.
Simon's raised hands stopped in mid-air. Then, one of them slowly, firmly, moved up and cupped the back of the protagonist's neck. His fingers pressed forcefully into the roots of his hair, with an undeniable strength, tilting his head back slightly to deepen the kiss.
The power instantly changed hands.
Shawn's breath hitched. If the kiss before had been a chaotic collision led by him, now, he had become the completely passive recipient. Simon's lips were no longer gentle, but had become extremely aggressive, demanding and assertive, prying open his teeth and thrusting inside. It was no longer a simple kiss, but a plunder, a declaration.
Shawn's brain completely shut down. He could only let out an instinctive whimper. He was enveloped by that powerful, unfamiliar scent, his legs growing weak, barely able to stand.
Simon sensed his retreat. His other hand slammed against Shawn's chest, and a powerful force pushed Shawn back, step by step. The soles of his shoes scraped softly against the floor until, with a dull "thud," the protagonist's back hit the cold wall hard.
There was no escape.
He was completely trapped between Simon and the wall. Simon's body pressed tightly against him, his scalding body heat transferring through the thin fabric of their clothes, almost burning him. The kiss grew more intense, like a wildfire spreading across a plain, threatening to burn all his reason and thoughts to ashes.
In the midst of this suffocating, intense entanglement, the system's voice sounded.
[Congratulations, foolish host, on perfectly completing the mission.]
[Reward has been distributed: $3,000, Charm +0.5, current [5.6].]
[Current Simon affection level: 80%.]
As the sound of the phone notification for the deposit rang out, the doorknob made a soft "click."
The door was pushed open.
Jessica stood in the doorway, the smile not yet faded from her face, seemingly holding something in her hands. But in the next second, all expression on her face froze, replaced by a blank, utter disbelief.
In her line of sight were two people, entangled, kissing intensely and wildly in a way she had never imagined.
With a "smack," the cake in Jessica's hands fell to the floor and shattered.