In a dimly lit room plagued by the acrid scent of stale beverages and canned food, a young man sat on a cushion directly across from an LED flat screen propped against the wall. He had a tangled mass of hazel brown hair and blue eyes framed by the bags he had acquired from five days straight of constant gaming. He was a game tester, a professional at that, but for the first time, he was unable to finish a game on time. The client was getting impatient, so he had decided to go all out today, refusing himself the pleasure of shut eyes until he saw the words "The End."
A stool sat in front of him, its surface crowded with snacks and drinks ranging from soda to pre-brewed coffee, fried chips, honeyed buns, noodles, and others arranged in an order that would not make sense to the average person. He was probably headed for indigestion or food poisoning at this rate, mostly due to his lackadaisical attitude toward the mess his room had become. But that was the last thing on his mind.
"Come on, just fucking kiss her already," he cursed, agitated by the constant setbacks and replays that had evolved into a grueling monotony. He could not even remember the last time he had proper rest this past month, or even a bath. He had missed various lectures, and most of his coursemates had called in worried, but he had dismissed their concerns with a promise of normalcy in the coming week.
"Damn it, I should not have agreed," he muttered, massaging his brow as the words appeared on screen: [Affection -10].
This was a dating sim, the very sort of game he had once bragged was "all too easy." But his dilemma at this very moment was understandable, given this was not your typical romance dating sim with a myriad of scenarios that equaled a great number of good endings. This was a fine blend of adventure, action, romance, and violence. Extremely difficult to get a happy ending. And it was a game yet to be revealed to the world, one likely to cause quite a stir in the gaming community. He had no idea if this was even a dating sim anymore, given the level of violence and darkness he had encountered after triggering wrong [Events] or making wrong decisions in his interactions with the female heroines.
But aside from the frustrating gameplay, the game was a marvel he could not deny. The level of mechanics put into it, the world building, the character personalization. It felt almost real.
[Ding!]
A chiming sound suddenly resounded through his room. He grabbed his phone to find a message from his so-called client.
[Time is up.]
That was all it said.
"What in the world?" He clicked his tongue and groaned in annoyance. This sort of cryptic message was nothing new. It was the client's odd way of communicating with him. Even when he had received the game, the only message that accompanied it was [Finish it]. A cryptic and creepy client, he had thought, but this was surprising. Yes, the time they had agreed upon had ended a minute ago, but it was still midnight, which was supposed to be his saving grace. Did this mean he was going to have to return the down payment he had received?
"Hah, yeah, I am done with this shit."
With a sigh of resignation, he dropped the gamepad on the stool and leaned back into the soft embrace of his plush cushion, deciding he would return the money. All this was definitely not worth the stress it had cost him. But strangely enough, he felt this odd feeling. Was it a sense of obligation or egotism? He could not tell. All he knew was that he had to finish what he started, or else...
With another sigh, he grabbed the gamepad and embarked on another round of the grueling monotony, determined to see it through to the end.
◆◆◆
[3:00 AM]
It was past midnight, an undeniably ungodly hour to be gaming, but the young man had a different opinion. He was finally seeing a breakthrough after countless hours of deciding and evading triggers for [Events]. He was finally going to see his long-awaited ending. But just before he could watch the cutscene that signified the near end of the game, something mysterious happened.
The TV... it shut off on its own.
"What the... no, no, no, no, no, no, no!"
Grabbing and pulling at his hair, he paced around the room in frustration. What happened? There was still electricity, so why? After a while, he walked up to the TV and pressed the [On] button, which showed no response. Then he went for the sockets. He unplugged and replugged the cables in another area, but still, no response. The console was down, and so was the TV. The strangeness of it was disturbing.
Suddenly, he got an idea. He retrieved a paper clip, and with some tinkering, he painstakingly ejected the DVD from the console. Just then, power returned to the TV and console.
"You have got to be kidding me," he laughed dryly.
But then he pushed the DVD back into the console.
Tzz!
Just as before, the TV and console lost power.
"Just what the fuck is going on here?!" he yelled.
But suddenly...
Clank!
Jolting around, he found the shadowy figure of what appeared to be a person standing just before the door. Strange, given he was especially sure he had locked that door.
"What are yo... oh, it is you." He had been about to lash out when the figure stepped closer and he could now make out who it was from the silhouette.
"What are you doing here at this time of night, Mr. Ben?" he asked, staring at the janitor who worked in the building.
"What do you think?" was the man's response.
"Could it be due to my rowdiness? Did the others complain?" asked the young man, massaging his brow.
"No, Mark. No one did."
"What?" Mark blurted, looking at the man incredulously. "Then why?"
"I am sorry," was all the man said as he dropped the bucket he held.
"What are you..." Mark tried to speak, but his words got stuck in his throat as the man pulled out what appeared to be a gun.
"W-what do you plan on doing with that?" he stuttered, leaning against the TV.
"Time is up," was the man's response.
Before he could even retort...
"Huh?" he mumbled, feeling cold and a painful sensation in his chest. He looked down only to find a hole straight through it. "H-how? There was... n-no sound."
He crumpled to the ground, pulling down the TV with him.
Bam.
His gaze tilted to the man looming in front of him.
"Why?" said Mark, in a desperate need to understand the reason for such cruelty.
The man said nothing.
Then darkness claimed him.