game chapter 1

Back then, I thought everything would end easily. After all, I knew the safest, most perfect ending. “I was trying to get the ending with Raphelt, that psycho pervert!”

A year ago, I was deeply engrossed in a dating sim called Yansi’s Mafia Conquest. I’d bought the game chip after friends pestered me to try it, then promptly forgot about it. Rediscovering it while cleaning was my downfall. I’d sworn off games since childhood, but that day, for some reason, it beckoned. And then… what was this insane immersion? I was hooked instantly.

“Anyone who’s collected the past fragments, please spoil the flashback scenes!”

“Anyone know the sad ending?”

And what was this about a heroine and villainess route? Was it yuri, perhaps? Not only were there multiple hidden endings, but the detailed storyline and setting felt tailor-made for me. It even had that rare, dark, and gritty atmosphere I loved. Utterly captivated, I focused on achieving one of the five endings… but failed, failed, and failed again. It was my fifth attempt. 

“Passion and talent are two different things,” I sighed. Exhausted after all the failures, I decided on one last try. I opened my meticulously compiled strategy guide, and suddenly, a bright white flash erupted before my eyes, plunging everything into darkness. Like a game over screen. I blacked out.

When I opened my eyes again and looked around, I knew instantly. This was the Absinthe mansion, home to the mafia group in Yansi’s Mafia Conquest, and I was Ren Maharani, a low-ranking executive in the organization. How could I not recognize this place, a house I’d virtually lived in while trying to reach the ending? And where else would you find a woman with cartoonishly pink hair and golden eyes?

“What the…” Am I dead? If so, when did it happen? 

“I woke up in another world inside a fictional story! Where have I heard this one before?” My confusion was short-lived, interrupted by an unexpected visitor. A blond man entered the open door and stared blankly at my bewildered face. After a brief silence, he jumped back as if he’d seen a ghost and yelled down the hall, “Brother, Ren’s awake! She’s finally come to!”

That was a year ago.

***

The game’s story went something like this: Yansi Habanera, the cherished only daughter of the fallen Habanera trading family, lost her entire family overnight, becoming an orphan. The culprit? An executive of the Absinthe mafia. Upon learning this, Yansi vowed revenge and infiltrated the Absinthe mansion under a false identity. The game’s ultimate goal, and Yansi’s objective, was singular: to conquer the hearts of the Absinthe executives and uncover her family’s killer. 

Why she needed to seduce men for revenge was beyond me, but that was the premise. It was a dating sim, after all, so I just went with it. There was also this flimsy backstory about Yansi falling in love with one of the men during her quest for vengeance. And one more thing: whether it was a bug or a playful addition, there was an ending where she ended up with me. What was this, a GL game? Suspicious. Anyway, achieving this goal meant successfully completing the game. And a successful completion meant… escaping this game and returning to my real life, right? Since there was no other apparent way out, I decided to follow the game’s flow.

The character I was inhabiting, Ren Maharani, was essentially villain fodder—a pretty face destined to die mysteriously after interfering between Yansi and the male leads. Talk about dying young! While Yansi, the lovely protagonist, enjoyed the attention of four men, choosing her favorite for a happily-ever-after, my fate was less appealing.

“Ren, it’s time you moved up from the bottom ranks. I know you’re down there on purpose.”

Raphelt. That psycho pervert. The four Absinthe executives were all criminals, yet undeniably handsome. Raphelt was one of them. With lightly curled auburn hair, green eyes, and a seductively deep voice, he looked like he’d stepped out of a fairytale, a stark contrast to his dark profession. Despite his gentle appearance, his reckless personality contributed significantly to the game’s mature rating.

“Get lost.”

“Why is our little Ren in such a bad mood again?” He’d probably be thrilled if I batted my eyelashes at him. Instead, I kicked him in the shin.

“Ouch. Little Ren always hates me.” Did he get some kind of thrill from being hit? Despite the direct impact, he clung to my waist, nuzzling against me before finally pulling away. According to the original story, he had a crush on Ren initially, but his affections shifted to Yansi once she appeared. His route was also notoriously difficult, making him a character most players avoided. The reason? His intense infatuation with Ren made it challenging for Yansi to pursue him.

“Oh, a new recruit is joining today. I hear she’ll be working as an attendant until she becomes a full-fledged executive.”

“I heard that too.” Our heroine has finally arrived!

“I bet she’ll be assigned to Scior.”

“Probably. That position’s been open for a while.” Since Scior’s previous attendant was injured on a mission, it was highly likely Yansi would fill the vacancy.

“I hope she’s pretty.” Raphelt added in a teasing, boyish tone.

“What if she’s prettier than Ren?” He was trying to get under my skin, but I wasn’t biting. Yansi was, after all, the undisputed beauty of the game’s world.