Drip... drip... drip.
In a dark room, the sound of dripping water echoed softly as droplets hit the cold floor.
A single dim light bulb hung from the ceiling, swaying slightly. Beneath it, two people stood.
One was tied to a metal chair, and the other stood in front of him, holding a gun aimed straight at his head.
And you might ask — who's the one tied to the chair?
Yeah... that's me.
> "Hey, idiot! If you had voted yes on my novel, it would've passed the test!"
The man in front of me yelled.
And you — I can already tell you're wondering how we ended up here, right?
Alright then, let's go back a day...
Actually, let's go back a night before this mess started.
Yesterday, I was sitting in my chair, doing my usual job.
And you might ask — what job?
Fine, I'll tell you~
I read novels online, analyze them, and give my honest review.
Yeah, it's not exactly the dream job for most people...
But for a genius like me? It's perfect.
You might ask — why do you call yourself a genius?
Well, of course, I have the best degree a university can offer.
Yes, that's right. You can praise me now!
Ahem. Anyway, back to the main point.
Last night, I had just finished reading a classic novel — you know the type: an overpowered hero, a harem, and a predictable plot.
Not bad, really... until I reached the ending.
Do you know who the final villain was?
A random side character from the beginning of the story!
And right before the final clash between the hero and the villain — the author cut the chapter.
What did he write at the end?
> "Guess what happens next."
You can already imagine my reaction, right?
Of course, I closed the story and voted Not Approved for the test.
But… I didn't notice one little thing.
The number of people who voted Yes and No were exactly the same.
And I… I was the deciding vote.
Because of me, the novel got rejected.
Not that I knew that, of course!
I just closed my laptop, cursed the author for his terrible ending, and went to sleep peacefully.
...Until I woke up tied to a chair, with a man pointing a gun at my head, screaming about how his "masterpiece" got rejected.
Yeah — the author himself.
I looked at him and said,
"Relax, okay? You can try again next year. I'll vote for you next time, alright?"
He glared at me and shouted,
> "Shut up, you bastard! Don't try to negotiate — today's your last day!"
I blinked. Wow. This guy seriously needed therapy.
Then he shouted again,
> "If it wasn't for you, my novel would be in the spotlight!"
Spotlight? Bro, we're literally in a dark basement.
Fine then, time for my final weapon — my words.
"Listen, man. Just take a deep breath and put down the gun, alright?
Let's make a deal — I'll help you rewrite your novel for the next test.
You failed this time because the backstory was weak and the plot was a mess, but with my genius ideas and your writing, we could make something great.
Just drop the gun and we'll talk this through."
I said it as calmly as possible, like a professional giving free advice to a hopeless client.
His hand trembled slightly.
Wait, was that working...?
Oh no. No, that's not a good sign.
Then he screamed again,
> "What do you mean my story isn't good?! My story is world-class! THIS IS YOUR LAST DAY!"
At that point, I ran out of patience.
I thought, "Screw it. If I'm going to die, I might as well speak the truth."
So I took a deep breath and yelled,
> "You idiot! Your story is TRASH!
Trash worse than what I see on the street! I don't even have words to describe how bad it is!
Your hero's just some muscle-brained harem collector — what's so 'world-class' about that?!"
> "And that ending?! A side character becomes the final boss?! Are you kidding me?!
And 'Guess what happens next'? Why the hell should I guess?!"
> "Go to hell, you and your stupid novel!"
A deep silence filled the room.
Even the dripping water seemed to stop, as if it didn't want to witness what came next.
Then—
BANG!
The gunshot echoed.
The light flickered.
And my vision slowly faded to black...
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