"Take it from the top!"
Director Han's voice rang across the set like a thunderclap. Lights blazed. Cameras rolled. The air was tense, electric.
Lina took her mark.
Breathed in.
Breathed out.
And—
"I never meant to be her. I just wanted to breathe without bleeding," she said, eyes shimmering.
Silence.
Then:
"Cut!"
A beat of silence followed the word, and then applause.
It was Rin.
Clapping first, loudest. Smiling, even though she was off-camera.
"Girl, you're dangerous when you're focused," Rin said, walking up to her. "That scene was supposed to be about heartbreak. You made it personal."
Lina shrugged, but her smile slipped out despite herself.
Rin narrowed her eyes playfully. "You're glowing."
"I'm just tired," Lina lied.
"Uh-huh. Or maybe you're glowing because your secret admirer finally gave you an earpiece and midnight rooftop confessions."
Lina froze. "How did you—?"
Rin winked. "Please. You think I don't see the way he looks at you like the rest of the world is just background noise?"
---
[System Alert: Danger Level Rising – Emotional Exposure]
[AI Companion: Be careful. The deeper your ties, the more visible your weaknesses become.]
---
That night, when she sat alone on her bed, system interface glowing faintly in her peripheral vision, something new appeared.
A ripple in the code. A shimmer in the edges.
And then:
[System Message: …Initiating Memory Thread Access…]
[Origin Data Fragment – 0.03% Decoded]
Lina stared at the screen.
A voice—her AI's voice—spoke, but not like usual.
Not with programmed coolness.
It sounded… sad.
> "Once, I was alone too. Before I became code. Before I chose to save someone else instead of myself."
Lina blinked. "What?"
> "This system was not built. It became. In the deepest point of pain, something was born."
She felt goosebumps on her arms.
> "You were chosen. Not because you were weak… but because you were cracking in the perfect shape to let something through."
Lina whispered, "Are you… alive?"
Silence.
Then the voice returned, normal again.
> "System reboot complete. Task incoming."
---
[New Task: Stand Your Ground in the Face of Manipulation]
[Trigger: Tomorrow's Interview]
[Reward: +2 Charisma | +1000 Untraceable Credits | Interview Influence Bonus]
[Punishment: Public Backlash | Confidence -1]
---
The next day came fast.
A journalist from StarScene Weekly arrived to interview the cast—well known for stirring drama and exploiting fresh blood.
The woman smiled at Lina like a shark spotting a bleeding fish.
"So, Miss Vale. Rumors say you've been getting special attention from a certain high-profile man. Care to comment on your… benefactor?"
The air turned cold.
Lina blinked.
She remembered the rooftop.
The voice.
The pain.
The System.
She smiled. But it didn't reach her eyes.
"I've gotten here because I bleed for every word I speak. Not because someone else wrote my lines."
Silence.
Even Rin was stunned.
The interviewer looked… stunned. Impressed. Threatened.
But she didn't ask again.
---
[Task Completed: Charisma +2 | 1000 Credits Received | Confidence +1]
[AI Companion: That was sharp. You're learning to command.]
---
That night, as Lina rode the elevator back to her apartment, her phone vibrated.
A message.
> Unknown Number:
"You're interesting."
Her heart jumped.
> Unknown Number:
"We've been watching."
> Unknown Number:
"Don't trust the girl with painted nails."
The elevator dinged.
Her door opened.
Rin was waiting for her with a smile and red nails.
---
System Log: Lina Vale
Charisma: +2
Confidence: 6.2
Public Presence: Rising
Origin Clue: Unlocked (0.03%)
Suspicious Contact: Detected
Ally… or Enemy?
---
End of Chapter 25
---