After dinner, Da Uyen and I didn't talk much like we usually did.
Maybe because of what happened that afternoon, there was this strange, indescribable atmosphere lingering between us.
I sat on the sofa, pretending to look at my phone.
Meanwhile, Da Uyen sat beside me doing homework.
At first glance, everything looked perfectly normal.
But in reality, neither of us was focused on what we were doing.
The rain outside still hadn't stopped.
Every now and then, low rumbles of thunder echoed through the air.
It was almost bedtime when I finally stood up.
"...Let's go to sleep."
Da Uyen lightly nodded and answered cheerfully,
"Okay."
When we stepped into the room, I looked at the bed, then glanced at Da Uyen standing behind me, and suddenly felt a little nervous.
…We're just sleeping.
What am I even overthinking for?
I cleared my throat softly before climbing onto the bed first.
Then, very seriously, I placed a long pillow between us.
Da Uyen stood beside the bed, staring at that "boundary" for a few seconds.
Then he looked up at me.
I felt a little guilty, but still tried to stay calm.
"...Sleep properly."
Hearing that, Da Uyen softly hummed in response.
So obedient.
So obedient that it made me feel like I was the only one having weird thoughts.
After turning off the lights, the room fell into silence.
Only the faint glow of the night lamp and the sound of rain outside the window remained.
At first, I was still awake.
Lying stiffly while staring at the ceiling.
But after a while, hearing the steady breathing beside me, I slightly turned my head to look over.
Da Uyen seemed to have fallen asleep.
His long eyelashes rested quietly.
Under the dim night light, his face looked strangely gentle and well-behaved.
I watched him for a few seconds before quietly sitting up and carefully adjusting his blanket.
Then I whispered softly,
"…606."
The air in the room wavered slightly.
A beam of light appeared in midair before gradually taking the shape of a person.
The beautiful young woman with long hair and smiling eyes appeared with a playful grin.
"Oh my~ the host actually called me out on his own today?"
"Could it be… you missed me already?"
I looked at her speechlessly.
"...Stop being narcissistic."
606 pouted.
"The host is so cold-hearted."
I stood up, pulled Da Uyen's blanket over him once more, then lowered my voice.
"Let's talk outside."
"Sure thing."
606 happily followed me out of the room.
The bedroom door quietly closed behind us.
And I didn't notice at all… that the person who was supposed to be "asleep" on the bed slowly opened his eyes.
Da Uyen lay there silently.
His gaze rested on the closed door.
Quiet.
No one could tell what he was thinking.
Outside in the living room, I sat down on the sofa, resting my chin on one hand.
606 sat across from me, curiously staring at me.
"So? Why did you call me out today?"
I replied calmly,
"The mission progress."
606 let out an "ah" before immediately opening the system interface.
A blue screen appeared in midair.
I glanced at it.
Then paused slightly.
The progress bar had already reached 85%.
But what caught my attention more than anything else… was its color.
Black.
I frowned.
"...Why is it this color?"
Even 606 looked a little surprised.
"That's strange."
"Normally, completed progress bars are gold or blue…"
I stared at it for a few more seconds before pushing the matter aside.
"…Can you create a new identity for me?"
Hearing that, 606 immediately raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
"What are you planning to do, Host?"
I leaned back against the sofa.
"My mission."
606 rested her chin on her hand while looking at me.
"Of course, of course."
"As long as you have enough points, you can do anything you want."
"Do I have enough?"
606 checked for a moment before nodding.
"More than enough."
Then her expression suddenly turned more serious.
"But have you really thought this through?"
"Once the transaction is complete, there's no taking it back."
I stayed silent for a few seconds.
Then let out a faint laugh.
"…If I fail, I'll just start over."
"What's there to be afraid of?"
606 stared at me for a long while before smiling as well.
"Alright then."
"Let's call it a deal."
After chatting about random things for a bit longer, I finally stood up and returned to the bedroom.
When I opened the door and walked in, Da Uyen was still lying quietly on the bed as if deeply asleep.
I let out a soft sigh of relief.
For some reason, I felt strangely guilty.
I carefully lay down beside him, making sure not to wake him.
But my thoughts kept circling around that black progress bar.
Did I overlook something…?
Those vague thoughts slowly dragged me into sleep.
The next morning.
The shrill ringing of a phone echoed beside my ear.
I frowned and rubbed my eyes.
Still half asleep, my hand instinctively reached toward the person beside me.
Soft…
Without thinking, I gave it a little squeeze.
"…Ah."
A hoarse voice sounded right above my head.
I froze.
"…Brother A Xuyen?"
I opened my eyes.
Right in front of me was… a firm patch of warm skin.
At some point, my hand had slipped underneath Da Uyen's shirt.
And it was resting directly on his chest.
The room instantly fell silent.
I turned to stone.
Da Uyen's face was already completely red.
His ears were red.
His neck was red.
Even his eyelashes trembled slightly.
I immediately pulled my hand back as if electrocuted.
"I-I didn't mean to!"
I hurriedly explained.
"I just woke up, so my brain wasn't fully awake yet—"
But before I could finish speaking, Da Uyen gently held my hand.
I froze again.
His face was so red that he didn't even dare look directly at me.
Yet he still slowly guided my hand back onto his stomach, gradually moving it upward. His movements caused his defined abs to become exposed, making anyone both jealous and…
His voice was so soft it was almost a whisper.
"…If you want to…"
"…it's okay."