Kin heard the horn from his apartment.
He looked out the window. A battered blue truck with wooden sides, parked right outside.
Finally.
He ran down the stairs, two at a time, and burst out the front door.
The delivery guy was already opening the back of the truck. He was a stocky man with a tired face and thick forearms. He looked up at Kin—and froze.
"You're not the guy who bought this stuff."
Kin's heart stopped.
The disguise. Shit. I forgot to remove the mask.
He was still wearing Jan Koval's face—wider jaw, shorter nose, scar on the eyebrow. The delivery guy had seen his real face at the market. Now he saw a stranger.
Kin's mind raced.
Think. Lie. Fast.
"Uh," Kin said. "That was my boyfriend."
The delivery guy blinked. "Your... boyfriend?"
"Yeah." Kin crossed his arms, then thought better of it and uncrossed them. Too masculine. He let his hands fall limp at his wrists. He tilted his head. He tried to look... softer. "He bought everything. I'm just here to receive it. You know how men are. They buy things and then they disappear."
The delivery guy stared at him.
Kin gestured to his own shirt—the grey one Lina had given him. "See? I'm still in my sleep shirt. He left me in bed. Typical."
He added a little flip of his hand. A slight sway of his hips.
The delivery guy's face went through several emotions—confusion, realization, awkwardness, then finally a shrug.
"Whatever, man. Sign here."
He held out a tablet. Kin signed with a flourish. Jan Koval, he wrote, because that was the face he was wearing.
[System Notification]
[Creativity Reward: 500 SN – Successful deception under pressure.]
[Bonus: +2% Mental stability for quick thinking.]
Finally, Kin thought. Something goes right.
The delivery guy whistled to his partner, a skinny kid with acne. "Start moving. Third floor."
They grabbed the bed frame. Kin grabbed a box of sheets and followed them inside.
***
The stairs were narrow.
Kin climbed slowly, box in his arms, trying not to trip. The delivery guys grunted ahead of him. The skinny kid kept glancing back at Kin with a weird look.
Stop looking at me, Kin thought. I'm not actually gay. I just panicked.
They reached the second floor landing.
And there was Lina.
She was standing outside her apartment door, holding a bag of trash. She looked at the movers. Then at Kin.
Her eyes narrowed.
Kin kept his face neutral. Jan Koval's face. Not Kin's. She doesn't know me.
He walked past her without saying anything.
Up the stairs. Third floor. Unlock the door. Dump the box.
He went back down for another load.
Lina was still there. She'd put the trash bag down and was leaning against the wall, arms crossed. Watching.
Kin walked past her again. Head down. Don't make eye contact.
Third trip. Fourth. Fifth.
Each time, her eyes followed him.
On the sixth trip, she spoke.
"Who are you?"
Kin stopped. Turned. "Jan."
"Jan what?"
"Just Jan." He shifted the box in his arms. "I'm helping a friend move."
"What friend?"
"Kin."
Her expression didn't change. "What room?"
Don't say it. Don't say—
"Three," he said. "Third floor."
Her hand shot out and grabbed his arm.
Not gently.
She pulled him close. Her face was inches from his. Her eyes were blazing.
"Why are you playing a trick on me?" she hissed. "Why is Kin moving out without telling me?"
Kin's heart hammered. She's sharp. Too sharp.
"I'm not—he's not moving out," he said quickly. "He's just... furnishing. Buying furniture. That's all."
Lina stared at him for three long seconds.
Then she let go.
She stepped back. Her face smoothed into its usual mask.
"Fine," she said.
She picked up her trash bag and walked away.
She didn't look back.
Kin stood there, box in his arms, heart pounding.
[System Warning]
[Lina's reaction detected: Anger at assumed departure.]
[Analysis: She has formed an emotional bond with "Kin" (original face). Seeing a stranger in his apartment triggered protective aggression.]
[Risk Assessment: If she can become this angry at the thought of you leaving, she can become worse if she discovers the truth.]
[Recommendation: Acquire a changeable facial mask to avoid future recognition conflicts.]
Kin climbed the rest of the stairs and dumped the box.
[Changeable Mask – Features: Instantly switch between saved faces. No time limit. Cost: 32,000 SN.]
[Current Balance: 38,300 SN. Shortfall: 0 SN? Wait. 38,300 - 32,000 = 6,300 remaining. You have enough.]
Kin blinked. Wait. I have enough?
[Correction: You have enough. However, the mask requires a biometric key – a moment of genuine emotional connection with another human. Without it, the mask is just plastic.]
[Side Quest Generated: Win over a woman by the end of today.]
[Reward: Biometric key + Changeable Mask unlocked.]
[Failure: Mask remains locked. Future disguise complications likely.]
Kin stared at the blue text.
"Win over a woman?" he said out loud. "By the end of today?"
[Correct.]
"That's absurd."
[Acknowledged. The quest remains.]
Kin sat down on his new bed and put his head in his hands.
Win over a woman. Today. What am I supposed to do, serenade Lina?
He looked at the yellow flowers on the table.
...No. Absolutely not.
[Time remaining: 10 hours, 23 minutes.]
Kin groaned.