Chapter 1
When I opened my eyes, a semi-transparent panel was hovering in front of me.
It read: [Welcome to the Rule-Bending Horror Game: Trap of Love.
[Current Instance: The Daily Life of a Gentle Boyfriend
[Difficulty: S
[Survival Rate: 0.03%
[Your Identity: Female Lead
[Objective: Make your boyfriend "Raul Donnelly" say the words "I love you."]
I stared at the survival rate for three seconds.
0.03%.
In other words, only three out of ten thousand people make it out alive.
Trap of Love? More like a slaughterhouse.
*****
"You're awake?" A gentle voice came from above me.
I jerked my head up and saw a man standing by the bed, holding a tray. He was dressed in white loungewear, his sleeves rolled up to his forearms, showing off his toned wrists.
Sunlight slipped through the curtains, shining on his profile. He looked like something out of a movie.
His name was Raul Donnelly. According to the system, he was my boyfriend and we lived together.
"I made you some oatmeal," Raul said, setting the tray on the nightstand. He reached out and gently touched my forehead. "Your fever's gone, but you still need to eat something.
"Last night you hit 102.2°F. I thought I was going to lose you."
Raul's voice was soft and careful, almost like he was afraid of startling something. When his fingers brushed my skin, they were warm, carrying just the right touch of concern.
If that panel wasn't still floating in the corner of my vision, I might've really believe him.
The panel read: [Affection level: 85.
[Current stage: The honeymoon phase.
[Warning: 977 players dead so far in this instance.
[Tip: Don't believe a word he says.]
That last line was flashing in red.
I lowered my lashes, took the bowl of oatmeal, and scooped up a spoonful, acting all docile. The oatmeal was warm and tasted pretty good.
"Is it good?" Raul sat by the bed, watching me, smiling.
"Yes," I said.
His eyes curved, and he gently tousled my hair. "Take your time eating. I'll go get you some water."
He stood up and walked out. As he passed the full-length mirror, I noticed his step pause for a split second. It was so quick, almost like a trick of the eye, but I caught it. He was looking at himself in the mirror.
Or rather, he was watching me through the mirror.
Because of the angle, he could see every move I made on the bed without turning around.
The panel now read: [Tip: There are special rules in this instance. You'll have to uncover them yourself.
[Tip: Every time you break a rule, you lose 10% of your sanity meter.
[Zero sanity will result in permanent death.]
Permanent death, huh?
I set the bowl aside, took a deep breath, and started scanning the room.
Light gray curtains, deep blue bedding, a warm lamp on the nightstand... Everything looked so ordinary, almost too normal for an S-level scenario with only a 0.03% survival rate.
But then I noticed something strange. There wasn't a single sharp object in the room. No scissors, no box cutters, and not even a nail clipper.
The nightstand drawer was locked, the closet handles were rounded wooden knobs, and even the lamp base had smooth, curved edges.
By the time Raul came back with a glass of water, I'd already finished the oatmeal. He handed me the water, casually picked up the empty bowl, and checked my forehead again.
"You're still a bit warm," Raul said, frowning. "Do you want to take another fever med?"
"Sure," I said.
While he went to get the medicine, I sneaked a glance at the system panel. Three minutes in, and I was still alive. But that didn't mean much. The 977 players before me probably died in some seemingly ordinary moment.
Raul handed me the pill, watched me swallow it, then suddenly leaned in closer.
He was so close I could see the curve of his lashes. His eyes were a deep blue, like a cornflower, full of softness and warmth, not a hint of threat.
"Baby," he murmured.
My heart skipped a beat.
It wasn't because I was swooning or anything. It was because when he called me "baby," the affection meter in the corner jumped from 85 to 86.
So the affection level really could go up.
But at the same time, the survival rate dropped from 0.03% to 0.02%.
"Yeah?" I asked, trying to sound normal.
Raul smiled, then pressed a kiss to my forehead. It was so light, like a feather brushing my skin, lingering for a couple of seconds.
Then he said something that made my skin crawl.
"Don't be afraid. I won't let you die," Raul murmured.
He sounded so gentle and confident, like the kind of sweet promise a caring boyfriend would make to calm one down.
But how did he know I was afraid?