Rin Lee died doing what he did best.
Working unpaid overtime.
According to the official company report, it was a tragic medical emergency. According to his coworkers...
It was a disaster waiting to happen.
They found him slumped over his keyboard just after midnight. One hand still gripped a computer mouse that had long since stopped responding.
The other rested beside a spilled can of energy drink. His monitor displayed hundreds of lines of unfinished code.
And, hidden behind three work windows... A web novel.
If he had survived another thirty seconds... He probably would have minimized it before anyone noticed.
Unfortunately... Deadlines, caffeine, and fate were equally unforgiving.
Darkness.
Complete. Absolute.
"...Seriously?"
Rin's own voice echoed somewhere around him.
"I die once, and this is the customer service?"
Nothing answered. He sighed dramatically.
"I didn't even finish the latest chapter."
Silence.
"...Do you know how rude that is?"
Still nothing. He folded his arms.
"If the author kills the General before I get an ending, I'm filing a complaint."
Another pause.
"...Actually."
He looked around.
"I'd settle for an afterlife with Wi-Fi."
No response.
"Great. I'm dead. I finally die, and Heaven doesn't even have internet."
He pinched the bridge of his nose.
"...Mom's going to be so disappointed."
His thoughts drifted. His apartment. The convenience store downstairs.
Three-minute instant noodles. His favorite café. The endless train rides he used to complain about. Funny.
He already missed all of it.
"...No."
He shook his head.
"This has to be a dream. People don't just die from overtime."
A beat.
"...Right?"
He immediately answered himself.
"...Actually...Yeah, they do."
Silence. Then Rin nodded confidently.
"I've solved it. This is stress-induced hallucination. The solution is obvious."
He clasped his hands together.
"I'm going back to sleep...Good night."
Warmth. A gentle breeze brushed across his face. Birds chirped somewhere nearby.
Rin slowly opened one eye. Blue. An endless, impossibly clear blue sky stretched above him.
Clouds drifted lazily across it. Not the stained office ceiling. Not fluorescent lights. Sky.
"...Huh."
He blinked several times.
"...Either Heaven got a renovation...or HR finally lost it."
He sat up. Grass.
Soft. Bright green.
Wildflowers shimmered around him as though tiny fragments of light were trapped inside every petal.
The entire meadow sparkled with an almost unreal beauty. Far in the distance... A castle stood atop rolling hills.
Behind it...
Two suns hung peacefully in the sky.
Rin stared.
One sun. Then the other. Then back again.
"...That's...Two."
He looked down at himself.
Same clothes. Same hoodie. Same sneakers. Same wristwatch. He checked his pulse.
Nothing.
"...Okay."
He slapped himself. Hard.
"Ow."
He frowned.
"...Why did that hurt?"
A dangerous thought slowly formed.
"No. No. No, absolutely not."
He stood. Pointed accusingly at the sky.
"I refuse. I am not getting isekai. That only happens to overworked office workers."
He paused.
"...Wait...Oh. I am that one..."
A blue light flickered beside him.
Then—
A translucent window unfolded into existence.
Clean. Bright. Floating effortlessly in the air.
[Welcome, Host.]
[Initializing Narrative Support System...]
...
[Compatibility Confirmed.]
Rin stared.
"...No."
More text appeared.
[Congratulations!]
[You have been selected by the BL System.]
[Complete emotional progression events to preserve Story Integrity.]
[Failure may result in irreversible narrative collapse.]
Rin read the message twice. Then a third time.
Finally...
He looked straight into the floating window.
"...I'm sorry. I think you made a typo."
The screen blinked.
[No typo detected.]
"...BL."
[Correct.]
"...As in..."
He pointed between himself... And absolutely nobody.
"...Boys' Love?"
[Correct.]
"...No."
He shook his head firmly.
"No, thank you. I believe you have the wrong protagonist."
The screen chimed happily.
[Request denied.]
"I didn't request. I refused."
[Refusal denied.]
"...That's illegal."
[Current world legislation does not prohibit it.]
Rin slowly covered his face.
"I miss labor laws already."
The window ignored him.
[Tutorial begins.]
"No."
[Tutorial begins.]
"I said no."
[Your opinion has been recorded.]
[It will not affect the tutorial.]
"...You're the worst software I've ever used."
[Thank you.]
"...That wasn't a compliment."
The System beeped cheerfully. As if it genuinely couldn't tell the difference.
Then—
A new message appeared.
[Mission 1]
[Locate the Male Lead.]
[Hint: He is approaching.]
The air changed. Warm sunlight disappeared behind drifting clouds.
Wind swept across the meadow. It carried the faint scent of smoke. And something else.
Ash.
Rin slowly turned. At first... He saw only darkness gathering between the distant trees.
Then... A figure emerged.
Tall. Broad-shouldered. Wrapped in a crimson cloak that moved without the wind.
Black horns curved elegantly from his temples. Golden eyes met Rin's across the field.
For the briefest moment... Something strange flickered through Rin's chest.
Not recognition. Not fear. Something...
Uncomfortably familiar.
As if, somehow... They had met before. The feeling vanished before he could grasp it.
"...Well."
He swallowed.
"He definitely doesn't look like a tax accountant."
The stranger stopped several paces away. His gaze never left Rin.
"So..."
His voice was calm. Low. Powerful enough to silence the wind itself.
"The summoning succeeded."
Rin blinked. The stranger studied him for another long moment.
Then quietly asked—
"...Are you...my destined consort?"
Silence.
Rin looked at him. Then at the floating System. Then back again.
"...Excuse me?"
The System chimed happily.
[New Objective Unlocked.]
[Fluster the Male Lead..]
[Reward: +10 Favorability.]
Rin slowly looked toward the sky.
"..."
Then, with all the dignity he could muster...
He shouted.
"WHAT KIND OF STORY DID I DIE INTO?!"