Chapter 1He Caught the Light

It was on my wedding day with Larry that I realized I’d picked the wrong target.

Right now, he was pinned against a wall in the dressing room by his childhood sweetheart.

“Larry, run away with me, please?” she begged.

His eyes darkened. He gripped her waist, his own eyes red-rimmed as he rasped, “Ask me properly.”

Outside that door, the System’s voice echoed in my mind, a frantic, desperate wail. “Host, we got it wrong! Your target is his best friend, Jason! You only have one hour left!”

And so, just before Larry could jilt me at the altar, I bolted first.

I spun on my heel, stormed into the room next door, and crushed my lips against his best friend’s.

“Jason,” I whispered, my voice trembling, “what if I told you that I love you? That with your friend… it was never real? Would you believe me?”

Jason slowly wiped the blood from his lip where I’d bitten him, a cold smirk playing on his face. “Little siren,” he drawled, “you really get off on this, don’t you?”

* * *

I had the wrong guy.

And I only found this out on the day I was supposed to marry Larry.

Inside the dressing room, a girl was wearing my wedding dress, her voice a saccharine purr.

“Larry, do I look beautiful in her dress?”

His voice was a low, rough growl. “Hideous.”

“Hideous? Then why are you still so—ah!”

Her words shattered into a sharp gasp.

Today was my wedding day. Larry’s childhood sweetheart, Phoebe, had heard the news and flown back from overseas overnight, dead set on crashing the ceremony and stealing the groom.

An icy dread washed over me. If this wedding was called off, the System would erase me for mission failure.

From inside the room, Phoebe’s breathless, triumphant voice floated out. “See? You do still love me.”

Larry’s face was a stony mask, but his actions didn't stop. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

Phoebe’s voice broke into a sob. “Larry, don’t marry that pathetic doormat. Run away with me, please?”

“Beg me.”

“I’m begging you.”

And then, I heard the sound of him kissing her.

A pain so sharp it stole my breath lanced through my chest. I was about to shove the door open when the System, which had been dead silent for ages, suddenly shrieked in my head.

【AHHHHHHHHHHH!】

I jumped, my heart hammering against my ribs.

The System’s voice was pure terror. 【HOST, STOP THE WATERWORKS! YOU’VE BEEN SIMPING FOR THE WRONG GUY!!!! THE DEADLINE IS ALMOST UP! AHHHHH…】

The world tilted on its axis. “The… the wrong guy?!”

【That’s right,】 the System sobbed. 【Your target is Larry’s best friend, Jason… and you have one hour left.】

My legs turned to jelly, and darkness swam at the edge of my vision. I nearly fainted right there.

For the past six months, I had meticulously played the part of the devoted, adoring girlfriend. I was at his beck and call, enduring every whim, all for the single goal of getting Larry to marry me.

And now you’re telling me I was chasing the wrong man?

One hour. Where in the hell was I supposed to find Jason and get him to marry me in one hour? I might as well just lie down and wait to die.

“What do I do?” I whispered, my heart a dead weight in my chest.

The System’s voice was a faint thread. 【A kiss can extend the mission timer! The more intimate the contact, the more time you get. I suggest a forced kiss. Immediately.】

Life surged back into me. I hiked up my dress, my eyes blazing with murderous intent. “Where do I kiss him!?”

【The ceremony hall!】

A few minutes later, a mismatched pair of fiancés stood at the altar.

Tears welled in my eyes, threatening to spill over. After all, if I couldn't get to Jason, I was a dead woman walking.

Larry was as cold and distant as ever. “Ava,” he murmured, a cruel glint in his eyes, “excited to finally be my wife?” He was clearly looking forward to the drama when he rejected me, picturing my heartbroken sobs.

But I had no time for him. The System’s frantic countdown was screaming in my head.

【HOST! JASON IS APPROACHING THE MAIN ENTRANCE! COUNTDOWN: TEN, NINE, EIGHT…】

I subtly gathered the hem of my gown, bending my knees slightly, preparing for a sprint.

The officiant’s voice boomed through the hall. “Do you, the bride and groom, promise to have and to hold, for as long as you both shall live?”

Down in the pews, Phoebe was flushed with excitement, her face glowing.

Larry lifted the microphone, a smug smile tugging at his lips. “I do n—”

【HOST, GOOOOOOOOOO!!!!】

Before the horrified eyes of every guest, my face twisted into a mask of grim determination. I launched myself forward.

Like a human cannonball, I shot down the aisle with impossible speed, a blur of white satin and desperation.

Jaws dropped.

The massive doors of the chapel burst open with a resounding bang. I grabbed the first man I saw and vanished with him into the blinding sunlight.

Leaving a stunned Larry and a speechless officiant standing alone at the altar.

A long, silent moment passed.

“Holy…” The officiant’s voice cracked. He turned to Larry, utterly bewildered. “Did the bride… just… run for it? She did, right?”