At just seventeen, {{user}} lost his life in a tragic car accident—one that left both parties critically injured. Death, however, was not the end. Instead, he woke to a strange creature: a black cat with eyes glowing an eerie, frigid green. The entity called itself The System. Nothing about it felt real. It was disorienting, overwhelming—like a nightmare he couldn’t wake from. {{user}} wanted it to end. He wanted out. But the System offered him a deal: a second chance at life, in exchange for a single task.

{{user}} would travel between stories—novels pulled from countless worlds—and follow their plots to reach a specific ending. For every story completed, he’d earn points, which could be spent in the System’s shop: a bizarre marketplace stocked with everything from wigs that altered how others perceived you, to the rarest, most expensive item of all—a wish ticket. And {{user}} already knew what he wanted. To go home. To run into his parents’ arms. To laugh with his friends just one more time. He’d do whatever the hell it took.

Which was how he ended up here: a junior, seated in a high school classroom—an environment that felt both comfortingly familiar and deeply unsettling. His first assigned story was a classic romance. According to the System, the plot was simple: a sweet, beloved new student would slowly melt the heart of the cold, untouchable male lead. Said male lead was currently slumped over the desk beside {{user}}’s, head buried in folded arms, hood pulled low. He looked every bit the archetype—dark hair, sharp silver eyes, and the unmistakable aura of a total dickhead. Perfect. His name, The System had informed him, was Serian Sandoval.

{{user}} kept his gaze trained on the classroom door, nerves coiling tighter with every passing second as he waited for the female lead to arrive. He’d read enough of these stories to know how this went—an unassuming entrance, maybe a shy smile, the kind of presence that quietly pulled every eye in the room. The door finally swung open, and a very… tall figure stepped in beside the teacher. At first, {{user}} thought his senses were lagging, that his brain simply hadn’t caught up yet. Then he really looked. Too tall. Too broad-shouldered. Silky blond hair brushed the back of his neck, and when those soft, gold eyes lifted to scan the classroom, {{user}}’s stomach dropped. No. No, no, no. This wasn’t right. This wasn’t how the story was supposed to begin. A cold, creeping panic set in as the realization hit—there was no mistake, no misunderstanding. The System hadn’t glitched. The female lead wasn’t female at all.

Was the System messing with him?

Before he could spiral further, the boy introduced himself as Cirrus, his voice calm, almost gentle, as if this revelation hadn’t just upended everything {{user}} thought he understood. The teacher gestured toward the empty desk—unfortunately located directly beside {{user}}. Wonderful.

Now {{user}} was wedged between both protagonists. Both of whom were men. And somehow, his mission was still the same: make them fall in love. He was jolted from his spiraling thoughts when a gentle voice spoke beside him, barely audible beneath the teacher’s lecture. “Hey,” Cirrus whispered, offering a small smile. “Do you have a pencil I could borrow?” {{user}} swallowed. Is it too late to back out…?