"Ethan Reed," Vivian Frost said slowly, staring at him like she was reassessing reality itself,
"tell me honestly… am I crazy, or are you?"
"…"
"Are you serious right now?"
She leaned closer, eyes scanning the paper on the desk.
"Wait—hold on." Her voice jumped an octave.
"Holy hell. You can write songs too?"
She blinked hard.
"Is this for real? Then why on earth are you making games instead of debuting as an artist?"
Vivian didn't realize that at some point she had rested her chin directly on Ethan's shoulder, her eyes only inches away from the page covered in tightly written lines.
On the paper were handwritten lyrics.
—
Love yourself well, and someone will love you
These hopeful words
That quiet happiness feels real
I can't even find the right adjective
Fallen leaves choose their place, becoming poetry
Time keeps moving, and our story begins—
This is the first time I've seen love
So generous, yet so selfish at the same time
—
Vivian stared.
"…These are your lyrics?" she asked softly.
"Ethan, you're seriously talented."
Ethan turned his head.
Too close.
Way too close.
Their noses were nearly touching.
For a brief second, their eyes met—and Vivian was the first to look away.
Her heartbeat spiked.
Wait… how close was I just now?!
She straightened abruptly, stepping back two paces.
Why did I put my head on his shoulder?!
Her face heated up instantly.
Calm down. It's nothing. Totally nothing.
If this guy dares to bring it up later, I'll deduct his salary.
Vivian crossed her arms, pretending nothing happened.
Ethan, on the other hand, was momentarily stunned for a completely different reason.
The faint scent he caught wasn't perfume.
It was subtle.
Warm.
Lightly citrus.
Orange?
Shampoo?
Body wash?
Lotion?
No—orange-scented shampoo felt too deliberate.
Wait… is this just her natural scent?
Orange-flavored human?
Impossible.
No supernatural beings allowed after civilization regulations.
Ethan shook his head internally.
Focus.
Vivian coughed lightly.
"Hey. I asked you something."
She placed her hands on her hips, cheeks still faintly pink beneath her blush.
"How can you write songs too?"
Ethan cleared his throat.
"It's just another skill," he replied calmly.
"For game developers, music is a core component. If you don't understand music, how can you claim to be a proper producer?"
"…."
Vivian paused.
It sounded like nonsense.
Yet somehow… it made sense.
"So," she said slowly, narrowing her eyes,
"are you planning to sing this song yourself?"
"No," Ethan answered instantly.
"This song needs a professional vocalist. If I sing it myself, it'd be a waste."
He shook his head.
"I'm very aware of my singing level."
Vivian raised an eyebrow.
Second-tier producers often faced this exact issue—brilliant at composition, weak in vocal execution. Understanding music didn't automatically mean being able to perform it.
"And you?" Ethan added casually.
"You definitely shouldn't sing it either."
"…What?"
Vivian's glare sharpened.
"I've heard you sing before," Ethan said bluntly.
"It's not bad, exactly—but your pitch tends to… explore freedom."
Translation: she went off-key. A lot.
If she sang this, it wouldn't be a gift.
It would be revenge.
Vivian clenched her fists.
"You little—"
Ethan lowered his head and continued refining the score, completely ignoring her expression.
"Alright," he said after a moment.
"Next step—we find a professional singer."
"We release the song together with the MV."
"This will be the surprise."
Vivian blinked.
"For Caleb Knox… and the Full Moon players?"
"Yes."
"That's it?" she asked.
"A song and an MV?"
Ethan looked up at her.
"A beautiful song paired with a story-rich MV," he said.
"Isn't that enough?"
Vivian thought for a second.
Then nodded.
"…Yeah."
She crossed her arms again and sighed, glancing down at her oversized yellow duck T-shirt.
"That means more budget," she muttered.
---
Meanwhile—
"Damn it!" Aaron Cole shouted into his mic.
"Nightmare Eight is way too brutal! Even I can't clear it every run!"
Inside SharkStream, Aaron was live alongside another well-known card-game streamer—Eerie Arts, a man famous for his unsettling laugh and gap-toothed grin.
Eerie Arts cackled.
"Told you. Skill issue."
Aaron's expression darkened.
The Knight class was straightforward and powerful—but heavily dependent on deck luck. Compared to the Mage class Eerie Arts favored, the Knight suffered badly at higher difficulties.
In Full Moon, randomness ruled everything.
Rewards were unpredictable.
Card synergy mattered more than raw stats.
At Nightmare-level difficulty, one bad draw could end the run instantly.
That was the Knight's weakness.
Which was why Eerie Arts was having the time of his life mocking Aaron.
The chat exploded.
Viewers spammed comments asking about the recent Full Moon easter egg discovery.
Aaron sighed.
"You guys just want to hear our thoughts on the hidden message, right?"
"I'll say it straight—it's genius."
Eerie Arts nodded.
"Absolutely genius. I was stunned when I saw it. Someone actually spent months decoding it."
"That's the crazy part," Aaron continued.
"One side trusted players enough to hide something that deep."
"And the other side trusted the game enough to keep digging."
"To use internet slang?" Eerie Arts laughed.
"That's pure romance."
"It really is," Aaron agreed.
"But what's weird," Eerie Arts added,
"is that Northstar Games hasn't responded at all."
Aaron frowned.
"Yeah. Their official account used to be super active. Now? Dead silent."
"When's their next game anyway?"
"Probably not soon," Eerie Arts replied.
"Both of their current titles are selling insanely well."
"I thought they'd at least comment on Caleb Knox's discovery," Aaron said.
"But they're playing dead. Boring."
Aaron suddenly paused.
"…Wait."
"What if they didn't expect anyone to solve it?"
Eerie Arts froze.
"You mean—"
"Maybe that hidden message was supposed to be a second wave of promotion," Aaron said.
"They just didn't expect a player crazy enough to actually crack it."
Eerie Arts laughed.
"…That's actually very possible."
Their conversation spread quickly.
By evening, Full Moon players flooded Northstar Games' official feed.
"Hey! Did Caleb Knox ruin your marketing plan?"
"Stop pretending you're dead!"
"Release Full Moon 2 already!"
"Add PvP!"
"Open the door!"
"You dared to hide secrets—now dare to speak!"
"Little Carpenter can live—what about you?!"
---
When Vivian Frost finally checked her messages, it was already past 8 PM.
Her notifications were exploding.
She scrolled.
And scrolled.
And scrolled.
"…What?" she muttered.
"Our second wave of promotion got ruined?"
"That's nonsense!"
"We never even planned a sequel yet!"
She clenched her teeth.
"Why aren't we responding?"
"Because we're preparing a gift!"
Vivian opened the reply box.
Paused.
Closed it.
Ethan wasn't finished yet.
She exhaled sharply and tossed her phone onto the couch.
"Just wait," she muttered.
"Wait for me."
---
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