NOVEL NEXT Chapter 11: Chapter 11
Rowan stared at Rafayel, who stood frozen like a statue, his face unreadable after the accidental peck on the cheek. For a moment, the silence stretched awkwardly between them. Finally, Rowan rolled his eyes and reached out, poking Rafayel's forehead lightly.
"Hey, snap out of it. What's wrong with you?" Rowan asked, his voice tinged with exasperation.
Rafayel blinked rapidly, seeming to come back to life. His face morphed from shock to outrage in seconds, and he pointed at Rowan dramatically.
"You..you are an insolent fool! Do you have any idea what you just did?! That was my first kiss!"
Rowan blinked at him in confusion. "What? That wasn't even a kiss. It was just a peck. On your cheek. For, like, two seconds."
"It still counts!" Rafayel shot back, his tone filled with righteous indignation. He clutched his chest dramatically, as though mourning a great loss. "You've stolen something precious from me!"
Rowan sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Oh, for the love of..stop being so dramatic. It wasn't that serious."
"It was serious to me!" Rafayel retorted, spinning on his heel and pacing like a man delivering a tragic soliloquy. "That moment was supposed to be special, memorable, perfect. And you've ruined it!"
Rowan groaned, throwing his hands in the air. "Fine, I'm sorry for... stealing your 'first kiss,' or whatever you want to call it. Can we move on now?"
Before Rafayel could respond, a familiar chime echoed in Rowan's ears. His eyes widened as the system's notification appeared in his vision:
[Kindle Unlocked!]
Rowan frowned, hesitating for a moment before tapping the notification. A small projection materialized before him, displaying a vivid replay of the earlier moment. It showed him tripping, accidentally brushing his lips against Rafayel's cheek, and Rafayel's stunned expression.
"What the hell?" Rowan muttered under his breath, his face heating up. "The system recorded that? It can do that?"
His shock deepened as he realized the system had automatically stored the memory under a category titled "Memories." He hadn't even known such a feature existed in the game.
Rafayel, noticing Rowan's distracted expression, narrowed his eyes. "What are you muttering about now?"
"N-nothing!" Rowan stammered, quickly dismissing the projection and willing himself to calm down.
Rafayel looked unimpressed but didn't press further. Meanwhile, Rowan was internally panicking, both at the revelation of the system's recording capabilities and at the absurdity of the situation.
---
Two days had passed since the accidental peck on the cheek. Rowan was quickly losing his patience. Rafayel had been avoiding him like the plague. Although they still exchanged words when necessary, Rafayel made sure to keep as much distance between them as possible. Anytime Rowan came within a few feet, Rafayel would retreat to the farthest corner of the room.
Rowan found the irony maddening. For someone who had made such a dramatic fuss about a "kiss," Rafayel was the one acting absurdly. It didn't help that the system seemed intent on throwing fuel on the fire.
[Mission: Increase Rafayel's affinity by 5% within three days.]
"Yeah, right. How am I supposed to do that when he won't even look at me?" Rowan muttered under his breath, glaring at the notification.
To make matters worse, there was no countdown for this mission. While that meant he wouldn't be punished for failing, the constant reminders were infuriating.
After wrapping up his cleaning duties in the studio, Rowan finally decided he'd had enough. Rafayel was perched at his easel, painting with the same grace and precision as ever. Rowan stormed over and planted himself nearby.
"Okay, we need to talk," Rowan began, crossing his arms.
Rafayel didn't even glance up. "About what?"
"Oh, don't play dumb," Rowan snapped. "You've been avoiding me since the, uh... incident."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Rafayel replied, his tone dripping with feigned innocence.
"Oh, please. You're acting like I kissed you on the lips in front of an audience. It was a peck. On your cheek."
"It was a kiss," Rafayel insisted firmly, still not looking at him.
Rowan groaned. "You're being ridiculous. Are you seriously not tired of this?"
Rafayel's brush paused mid-stroke, but he didn't respond. Rowan sighed, his irritation bubbling over.
"Look, if it bothers you that much, I'll say it again: I'm sorry, okay? But you've got to stop acting like I committed some unspeakable crime."
At last, Rafayel set down his brush and turned to glare at Rowan. "You wouldn't understand," he said, his voice quieter but still tinged with frustration.
Rowan opened his mouth to reply, but the system interrupted him:
[Affinity 15%]
Rowan groaned audibly. "Great. Just great. Now it's going down. Thanks for nothing," he muttered under his breath.
Another notification popped up:
[New Mission: Make Rafayel flustered. Avoid making him angry.]
Rowan ran a hand through his hair, exasperated. "Fantastic. Now I have to play flirty just to make this guy stop sulking?"
"What are you mumbling about now?" Rafayel asked suspiciously, resuming his painting.
Ignoring the question, Rowan focused on Rafayel, considering his next move. How was he supposed to make someone flustered without crossing a line? He wasn't exactly experienced in the art of seduction especially not with another guy.
"This system is turning the game into a BL. Why me?" Rowan grumbled internally.
Lost in thought, Rowan didn't notice that Rafayel had stopped painting again. When he realized they were now staring directly at each other, Rafayel raised an eyebrow.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
Snapped out of his daze, Rowan stepped closer, examining Rafayel's face intently.
"What are you doing?" Rafayel asked, his voice tinged with suspicion and a hint of nervousness.
Rowan didn't answer immediately. Instead, he tilted his head, studying Rafayel's features like a work of art.
Finally, he spoke, his tone surprisingly serious. "You know, you're really handsome. And pretty, too. Your eyes... they're so unique. It's like they're pulling me in."
Rafayel's mouth fell open slightly, his cheeks flushing. "W-what?"
Rowan didn't stop there. He reached out, gently brushing his fingers against Rafayel's cheek. "Your skin is so soft, too. I'm honestly kind of jealous."
"Wha-" Rafayel stammered, leaning back instinctively but too stunned to pull away entirely.
Rowan continued, oblivious to Rafayel's growing discomfort. "Seriously, if I looked like you, I bet girls would be lining up to marry me."
That was the breaking point. Rafayel quickly stepped back, putting distance between them. "Are you praising me just to make me forgive you?"
Rowan shook his head, a genuine smile lighting up his face. "No, I'm just telling the truth."
Rafayel froze, his eyes wide in shock. For a brief moment, a faint smile flickered across his lips but when he realized it, he quickly wiped it away, lightly slapping his own cheek.
"Ridiculous," he muttered, turning back to his painting. "I'm meeting someone later, so don't wait for me."
As he left, Rowan stared after him, confused. "I was just being honest. Shouldn't he be happy I complimented him?"
The system chimed in again:
[Mission Success!]
Rowan stared at the mission success notification, blinking in confusion. He leaned back in the chair, rubbing his temples as if it would help him make sense of things.
"What the hell? I didn't even do anything," he muttered to himself. "Is this system broken or something?"
The system, as if reading his mind, chimed with a message:
[System functioning properly. Mission success due to the target's improved mood and shift in emotional perception toward the host.]
Rowan groaned, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. "Improved mood? Shift in perception? All I did was talk to him like a normal person."
The system didn't respond, leaving Rowan to stew in his thoughts. He looked at the empty studio, where Rafayel's painting stood half-finished on the easel.
"Why am I even stressing about this?" he muttered, standing up and brushing himself off. "If the system says I succeeded, I guess I succeeded. Whatever."