A Door That Opens on a Dare

The first time it manifested was in front of Hyeon Jaeyul, when he was unconscious.

And the second time was right after I heard a voice begging to be saved.

“It seems to activate when there’s someone nearby who needs help, even if it’s not my intention.”

Both times, the situation involved someone who needed help.

‘Only goodwill.’

Of course that phrase came to mind.

If the system was interfering with my ability, then it meant it wanted me to act out of goodwill.

“Wow. That’s one hell of an altruistic ability.”

Jeong Iheon, who had been quietly listening, let out a scoffing laugh and said it mockingly.

At his sharp reaction, Won-gyeong’s gaze lingered briefly on Jeong Iheon.

Won-gyeong didn’t look pleased.

Hyeon Jaeyul, who had been lost in thought after hearing my opinion, spoke in a flat voice.

“It is an altruistic ability.

What Doya did when she woke me up isn’t something you can do without goodwill.”

“…What happened?”

“If Doya doesn’t allow it, I won’t say.”

Won-gyeong asked, but Hyeon Jaeyul answered firmly, just like when I’d asked about Jeong Iheon’s ability.

I was certain nothing about that day would slip from his mouth.

Everyone except Hyeon Jaeyul stared at me with curiosity, but I ignored their gazes and thought.

‘No matter how I look at it, my ability definitely involves the system in some way.’

This trash system keeps trying to entangle me with other people, acting like it wants me to stop the end of the world.

Before, it used to tell me to “move according to the system’s instructions.”

Now, it felt like it was forcibly throwing me into other people’s consciousness or into situations where I had no choice but to act.

‘Has the system gotten stronger?’

That chilling thought flashed through my mind.

I tried to shake it off.

If that were true, my life would get even more spectacular.

And I absolutely hated that idea.

This system that keeps forcibly interfering in my life.

If it’s really connected to my ability, then maybe if I learn to control it, I could find a way to stop the system.

Holding onto that hopeful thought, I reached down and grabbed Ju Noeul’s hand, which was hanging loosely.

Ju Noeul jolted like a startled cat and turned to look at me.

“W-what. Why.”

“Why are you so startled? We’re starting today.”

Ju Noeul, who’d been about to pull his hand away, calmed down when he heard that.

His heart was pounding like crazy. It was loud.

He was seriously like a live fish.

As I listened to that rapid rhythm, I also listened to the others talking.

“The condition ‘someone who needs help nearby’ is too vague.”

“We still haven’t confirmed what range qualifies as ‘nearby.’”

“It’s not even a confirmed condition yet.”

“Still, it’s better to avoid risks as much as possible. If anything seems off, don’t approach Doya.”

“You look like you want to say ‘don’t approach her even if nothing’s off.’”

Jeong Iheon was grinding away at Won-gyeong’s nerves again.

That bastard really seems to enjoy getting under people’s skin.

“If there’s nothing wrong, wouldn’t it be fine to get close?”

Except for Hyeon Jaeyul, who had almost no emotional fluctuations and just did what he was told.

To Ju Noeul, Won-gyeong, and me, Jeong Iheon kept provoking us with that infuriating grin.

But when Hyeon Jaeyul spoke to him, Jeong Iheon would make a Tibetan fox-like expression.

The look of someone facing an opponent they couldn’t communicate with.

Watching his gentle Arctic fox face turn into a Tibetan fox in real time, I silently cheered for Hyeon Jaeyul.

‘Make him more frustrated. More. Just frustrate him to death, Hyeon Jaeyul!’

“Yeah. If there’s nothing wrong, it’s fine to get close.”

“Okay.”

But Jeong Iheon was more skilled.

He chose not to engage with Hyeon Jaeyul at all.

At Jeong Iheon’s half-hearted reply, Hyeon Jaeyul simply nodded again.

Despite his looks, he really lived a half-assed life.

Watching the three men come to a conclusion about my ability, I wondered how long I’d have to stay with this bizarre group.

I really hoped we’d part ways soon.

“There’s a small rift about thirty meters ahead.”

“Jeong Iheon, take Doya and move back.”

Won-gyeong’s sharp voice rang out.

It happened while we were heading back to camp, our discussion about my ability ending sooner than expected.

Hyeon Jaeyul stopping and speaking became the trigger.

The rift itself didn’t seem related to my ability, but Won-gyeong reacted immediately, on edge.

“Should we deal with it before going?”

“Yeah.”

“Ah, can’t we just pass by something that small?”

From a distance, with me on Jeong Iheon’s back, Jeong Iheon and I watched as the others looked toward the rift.

At some point, the boy had sidled up next to us.

Ju Noeul looked annoyed at the idea of worrying about every little rift.

“You guys go close it.”

“And you?”

“There are two pieces of luggage here. We need two people on this side too.”

“If that’s the case, I can—”

“It’ll take about an hour anyway. I’ll stay here and check her ability.”

Won-gyeong frowned slightly, but he seemed to find Ju Noeul’s opinion reasonable.

Without dragging it out, he disappeared toward the rift with Hyeon Jaeyul.

“They’re going to handle the rift. They’ll be back in about an hour.”

It was information I already knew, but I nodded after hearing Ju Noeul’s rough explanation anyway.

And then, while I was being held in Jeong Iheon’s arms, lazily swinging my feet as he looked around for a place to rest—

[Main Scenario ‘2 – Companionship’ in progress.]

[Distance from the required target for the main scenario has increased.]

[Main scenario progression is impossible.]

[An event for the closest individual to the player will be automatically initiated.]

[Closest individual to the player confirmed.]

[Event for target ‘Jeong Iheon’ will begin.]

No, wait—!?

I flinched violently as I saw the system window appear in midair.

Jeong Iheon glanced down at me, as if asking what was wrong.

[Generating event based on player affinity.]

[!! Player affinity measurement is currently suspended.]

[A random event will be generated….]

[Generating random event….]

This damn system never listens to a word I say.

I didn’t know what kind of event would appear, but I was certain it wouldn’t be anything good.

The game’s genre, which I’d been ignoring because no events had triggered until now, suddenly came to mind.

‘This is a 19+ dating sim!’

Then of course the events would be that kind!

Why Jeong Iheon of all people?

It would’ve been better if the event triggered with Ju Noeul instead.

Ever since that night, Jeong Iheon had been stirring up some irritating, gnawing feeling in my chest.

Maybe my sudden thrashing looked strange, because Jeong Iheon was staring straight down at me.

[Random event generation complete!]

[Event Field ‘Closed Room’ created.]

[For smooth event progression, Event Field ‘Rift’ will be generated.]

The system kept spewing messages, not even giving Jeong Iheon a chance to hide his expression as he looked at me.

It’s generating a ‘rift’…?

As soon as I focused on that word, my mind went cold, like a bucket of ice water had been dumped on me.

‘How can the system generate a rift?’

Before I could finish that thought, a familiar sensation crashed over me.

The feeling of entering a rift.

That exact sensation of the world flipping upside down.

[Entering ‘Jeong Iheon’ Event Field ‘Closed Room’.]

[Event Objective Generated!]

[All individuals within this field must escape within the field time limit of ‘six hours’.]

[Upon completing the objective, the door will open.
There are a total of five rooms.]

[Failure to escape will result in a penalty to the player.]

[Objective Generated: ‘Truth’ or ‘Dare’.]

[The player and the target will alternate asking and answering questions.
Each must complete one question and one answer for a door to open.]

[Dare objectives will be generated within the event field.]

[[TIP! Avoid high-difficulty questions!
No matter how curious you are, ask easy questions!]]

Without asking for either my consent or Jeong Iheon’s, the event began on its own.

Despite being dropped into a rift out of nowhere, Jeong Iheon didn’t look particularly flustered.

He even landed carefully so I wouldn’t be hurt by the impact.

Rather than panicking, he looked accustomed to situations like this.

I found myself wondering how many rifts he’d dealt with to move so smoothly.

While I used the system to check the rift’s properties, Jeong Iheon looked around the white room, still holding me.

Just as the system said, it was a ‘closed room.’

“Yeah.
Locked, as expected.”

Still in Jeong Iheon’s arms, I twisted the doorknob attached to one of the four walls.

When it rattled uselessly, Jeong Iheon spoke as if he hadn’t expected anything else.

Falling into a rift and immediately finding an exit would’ve been stranger.

He looked around the empty white room as he continued.

“These kinds of rifts have been popping up a lot lately.
The condition to exit should appear soon.
Let’s wait a bit.”

“Like the one you mentioned before?”

“Yeah.
The kind that requires at least two people to leave.”

I checked the escape conditions I already knew through the system and waited, just like Jeong Iheon suggested.

I was curious how the information I had from the system would manifest in reality.

Jeong Iheon didn’t speak, and I didn’t bother starting a conversation either.

I quietly examined the white walls and ceiling.

Before long, black letters began to slowly appear on the ceiling.

Since I was being held, it was easier for me to look up.

I tugged on Jeong Iheon’s collar and pointed upward.

His gaze followed my finger.