"M-Master… I-I want to…"

"Touch yourself? No. You're not allowed to."

It's now lunchtime, and I'm hiding in one of the bathroom stalls at the office, video calling a stranger who isn't showing his face.

He's dressed mysteriously in a suit and tie, nonchalantly toying with the remote control in his hand. Meanwhile, I am at my wit's end on the bathroom floor, feeling the foreign item inside me pulsing rapidly and sending me straight to the edge.

None of this is consensual.

It all begins with the mysterious "Love Mission" app I accidentally downloaded and installed on my phone.

Last night, Grandma had a sudden stroke and had to be admitted to the ICU.

It came as a huge blow to me. After all, I had only just graduated college and was just starting out in my career from the bottom of the ladder.

There was just too much work to be done at the office. Even after returning to my rented apartment, I still had a presentation deck to prepare.

While flailing around trying to complete my work, I accidentally tapped on a virus link on my phone, and it began downloading a virus application on its own.

The app was called "Love Mission".

Even the name sounded sketchy.

Just as I was about to uninstall it, there was a loud buzz on my phone, and a new message popped up on the screen.

"Congratulations, Player 001! You are now synced to Love Mission. Your first mission is as follows.

"Kindly head over to your front door to collect the photo props and put them on as shown in the manual. Follow the poses on the screen and upload the photos here.

"P.S. If the player gets suspicious of the app, asks others about it, or refuses to complete the missions, they will be punished accordingly."

There were a total of nine photos displayed on the screen in a three-by-three grid, and the model shown in each photo was posing very provocatively. He had his legs folded in all sorts of suggestive positions. It was explicit to say the least.

My face burned, and I quickly looked away.

Just as I was racking my brain, wondering if this was an elaborate prank or scam someone was pulling on me, the apartment doorbell suddenly rang.

Huh? Could that be a coincidence?

I slowly got up and made my way to the door before carefully pushing it open.

Nobody was outside. However, there was a massive box left in the middle of my doorway.

My heart thudded loudly against my ribcage as I gingerly tried lifting it. It wasn't heavy. I looked at the address on the box and saw my name, Nathan Meyers, written there as the recipient. However, the sender's details had been left blank.

The people around me knew that I had a lukewarm personality and got embarrassed very easily. I had been the butt of many jokes and pranks in the past. Of course, I would think that this box was just another of such pranks.

"Who could it be?" I muttered, quickly scanning through my memories to see if I'd accidentally crossed anyone lately.

Could it have been my ex-boyfriend?

I carried the box into my living room and opened it up with some scissors. When I saw what was inside, I immediately turned every shade of crimson.

There was a cat-ear headband, a maid costume, a thong with a fluffy tail attached, and a massive black toy that was long and girthy.

I was flabbergasted.

I immediately grabbed the box again, ready to throw everything out, but the app on my phone seemed to detect my emotions and intentions.

"Beep! Player 001 is detected to be unwilling to follow instructions. A Low-Tier Punishment will be given immediately!"

My phone suddenly buzzed again, but this time, it was a text message from my General Manager, Harry Dawson.

"Nathan, starting tomorrow, you'll be transferred back to the trainee team."

I widened my eyes in shock and despair, nearly dropping the box because of how weak my arms suddenly felt.

I had put in so much effort to achieve my numbers, making me stand out from the rest of the trainees and end up being the only one in my batch to be officially recruited as a permanent employee.

But now, I was being sent back. That meant my pay would be cut in half, and I could be let go anytime. Worse, my ex-boyfriend, Derrick Hemsworth, was the trainee team lead. I also had to return to working with my ex-colleagues, the trainees, who were known for being greedy and spiteful.

This couldn't be real. Someone had to be pulling my leg, and he probably was still in the vicinity!

I couldn't stand it any longer. I stormed toward the door and screamed in anguish. However, the only response I got was a few pitiful meows from Whiskers, who was lounging on the couch.

Whiskers used to be a stray. I had rescued her from the streets and brought her home. She was now staring at me in fright, probably wondering why her normally quiet owner had suddenly lost his temper.

"Beep! Player 001 is detected to be increasingly unwilling to complete the mission. A Mid-Tier Punishment will be given, reflected within the next 24 hours!"

Another punishment? Fine! I wanted to see what this stupid app would try next.

I couldn't even concentrate on my presentation deck anymore and just waited anxiously. Ten minutes later, my phone rang.

It was the hospital. The call came from Bianca Biles, a nurse at the hospital where Grandma had been admitted. She had asked me for my number earlier.

"Nate, I overheard Dr. Ferrell discussing your grandmother. He said that she was in terrible condition, and I thought I'd let you know so you'll have enough time to prepare yourself."

I swear my heart stopped when the call ended. All the color had drained from my face.

Bianca had kept talking after breaking the bad news to me, but I hadn't been listening to her. I couldn't understand why Grandma's condition would deteriorate so suddenly. My thoughts were all a mess.

If this was what the app meant by a "Mid-Tier Punishment", then what was the "High-Tier Punishment" going to be like?

Would Grandma lose her life?

I had been abandoned as a baby, and Grandma was the person who found me at the garbage dump and raised me. She collected cardboard boxes and aluminium cans for recycling as a living, and she'd even managed to put me through school with what little money she made.

We relied on each other for survival and went through lots of hardships together. She was my only family!

I didn't care if the app was a prank or not anymore. Instead, I quickly tapped on the "Start Mission" button on the screen.

There had been a time limit imposed on the mission. I was supposed to complete the mission within 30 minutes, but because I had hesitated earlier, only ten minutes remained on the countdown.

I gritted my teeth and hurriedly stripped off my clothes. The run-down apartment I rented didn't have central heating, so I was shivering from the cold as I grabbed the cat ears, maid costume, and thong before putting them on.

I didn't even have to check myself in the mirror to know that I was blushing all over from the sheer embarrassment.

After that, I clipped my phone to a stand and tried my best to mimic the poses and expressions in the instructions. I had never struck such sultry poses nor made those kinds of expressions before.

The first pose showed the model lifting his skirt on the maid costume, exposing the fluffy tail straight to the camera.

The second pose showed the model hugging his thighs in an M-shape.

The third pose showed the model crouching over in bed, tongue half out.

I followed every pose for the first eight photos. However, I found myself getting stuck at the ninth and final photo.

The final pose showed the model wearing a mix of emotions on his face, somewhere between pain and pleasure. He was obviously aroused, and there was also a spurt of white coming from his lower half, forming a perfect semi-circle.

I slowly tugged down the elastic band of my thong in shame.

Suddenly, the phone began to chime.

"Beep! Time's up!"

No!

"Beep! You have one chance to extend the mission duration. Would you like to proceed?"

I tapped "Yes" without hesitation.

"Beep! Your time has been extended by 20 minutes. While taking the final photo, kindly call the last person you called on your phone and maintain a conversation for a minimum of three minutes."

What the hell?

However, I'd already come so far in the mission. I just couldn't afford to gamble with Grandma's life, so I decided to throw all caution to the wind.

I tapped on my recent contacts, and the first name that appeared was Felix Kingston.

He was the company's newest trainee, and he had asked me for some information earlier today, right after work.

My first impression of him could be summarized into two words—tall and handsome.

It wasn't an exaggeration at all. Felix had caused a massive commotion at the office when he showed up on his first day of work in his black leather jacket.

His appearance was close to perfect. He stood tall at six-foot-two with a head of soft, fluffy hair, sharp yet impressive facial features, and mesmerizing eyes with a piercing gaze.

Literally every woman at the office had a crush on him. They lightly teased him for most definitely being the most handsome guy on campus in his college days and even joked that he must have lost his way to an idol audition instead.

However, Felix was naturally cold and aloof. He barely acknowledged the women around him with how icy his demeanor was.

Rumor had it that he actually came from a poor background, which led to his current cold and unfriendly personality.

Somehow, I felt like I could empathize with him. I used to be part of the trainee team too, and I'd even taught him how to format his reports a few times in the past.

I didn't know why, but my hand started sliding down my body when Felix's face came into mind. Then, I started touching myself.

When I was close, I called his number.

"Nathan? Can I help you?"

Felix had picked up on the first ring, his voice low and relaxed. Maybe I imagined it, but I thought I felt a hint of teasing in his tone when he addressed me.

Hearing him just say my name with that deep and rich tone of his nearly sent me over the edge.

"H-Hello, Felix… I-I've just been sent back to the trainee team. Can you… Can you please send me a list of requirements that I… I need to prepare beforehand?"

Three minutes later, I finally hung up.

Then, I uploaded the final photo to the app.

With that, I collapsed onto the couch, my entire body flushed red and completely spent as I shivered and gasped for air.

Luckily, the person I had to call was Felix.

I wasn't quite close with him, and he didn't strike me as the type who would gossip or tattle. I couldn't imagine how bad it would have been if I had to call my ex-boyfriend instead.

I thought I managed to hold it together without having exposed myself during the call. At least, I hope I did.

I'd been so anxious when it happened that my mind drew a blank when I tried recalling the details.

"Beep! Good boy. You completed your mission perfectly. Your reward will be distributed shortly.

"Your second mission will be announced within the next 24 hours. Thank you for your patience!"

…

The next morning, I dragged my haggard figure to the company and arrived at work half an hour early, since I was going to have to move desks to a different office.

Also, the app had just informed me of my second mission just this morning.

"Beep! Good morning, Player 001! Your second mission is here!"