The next morning, under a gray sky, the streets were still half-asleep. Emily stepped off the bus and passed by a tall building with a glass facade, reflecting the cold morning light.
She paused in front of the entrance for a moment.
A year and a half ago, at this exact time, employees used to rush inside to start their day—including Emily. This was where she had worked as a secretary… for that man. Now… yes, she had been fired. At least, not by Ivan—because he had disappeared.
He hadn't traveled. He hadn't resigned. He had quite literally vanished fifteen months ago. Everyone in the company initially thought he had taken a sudden break—after all, even when he was sick, he worked from home. A day passed. Then another. Then an entire week… and he never showed up.
The company tried to contact him—no answer. They reached out to his family after discovering they were well-known figures. They said only one thing: "We disowned him years ago." Then they hung up immediately.
Rumors began to spread. Maybe he was dead in his apartment—from exhaustion, or perhaps a heart attack. Eventually, patience ran out, and the police were notified. They went to his place. Knocked on the door—no response.
They knocked again, harder this time—still nothing. They called him… and once again, no answer. At that point, they forced their way into the apartment without hesitation. After searching the place, they found his keys, documents, and work files. They even found his phone. But Ivan himself… was nowhere to be found. Even stranger—the apartment had been locked from the inside, and the building's cameras never recorded him leaving. The case was eventually closed as a missing person.
Life went on. The investors couldn't wait any longer, so they decided to replace him. What they didn't know was that their choice would turn out to be a disaster. The man they brought in as the new CEO had no experience, no real qualifications. So why was he chosen? The answer was obvious: nepotism.
Simply put, he was a young man in his early twenties, the son of one of the company's major investors. His suit was expensive, but his mind was nothing but barren ground. On his first day, he had no idea what he was doing. And the second day was even worse. Emily stood in front of his desk while he sat in the CEO's chair, striking a pose like a detective with no cases—straight out of a cheap movie.
Then he said, "Do you know what your problem is? " He let out a forced sigh. "You're cold."
She gave no response—except for a slight lift of her eyebrows.
"You don't smile. You don't laugh at my jokes. You don't praise me like the other employees. And I hate that type of person," he said irritably.
"In short… you're fired," he added, pointing toward the door.
That was how Emily lost her job—without protest, without raising her voice. In truth, even after just one day of him being in that position, she already disliked working under him. She believed that as long as he remained there, the company's future would inevitably fall apart.
And that was exactly what happened. Rushed decisions. Failed projects. Reckless investments. Losses piled up, and investors began to withdraw. When the news of the company's bankruptcy reached her a month later, Emily wasn't surprised at all.
Simply because that fool who fired her had arrogantly tried to present himself to the world as a genius—when he didn't even know what he was doing. As for Emily, instead of wasting time in prolonged sadness or crying over what happened, she prepared her résumé—a complete record of her years working with Ivan. She had handled more than half of the company's administrative work, making her résumé so strong that she secured a new job within just one day of being fired.
Her new job wasn't as a secretary this time, but as a warehouse supervisor in a large shopping center. She worked there for a year and a half, during which the warehouse became more organized than ever. The employees found her intimidating, but they said nothing about her—at least she didn't make their lives miserable like the previous supervisors.
She never took a single day off, even on days when everyone else was absent. But this time was different. Emily stepped into her manager's office—a woman in her forties, known for being fair in her work.
"I want a vacation," Emily said.
"How many days?" the manager asked, raising an eyebrow.
"A month," Emily replied.
"A month? You do realize we're in peak season right now," the manager said.
"Alright, but I have a condition. For one week, you'll do the work of four. That means overtime, full organization, and everything in the warehouse prepared so the mall won't be affected during your absence. After that, you'll get your vacation," the manager said.
"Or… you can take just two days off right now," she added.
"I'll take the first option," Emily said.
"Alright. Then I don't want to hear any complaints later about exhaustion," the manager said.
"Don't worry. I won't," Emily replied.
Emily left the office and headed toward her desk. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and started texting Lin.
"Lin, are you there?" Emily typed.
"I'm always here," Lin replied.
"I'll be coming soon. I won't have time to talk this entire week. I have a lot of work waiting for me, and once I'm done… I'll come to you," Emily wrote.
"Emi… you will never regret visiting me," Lin typed.
[Temporary Quest: If the host completes four weeks of work within one week, she will receive 31 system points.]
Another message appeared.
[Points can be used later. The system will explain after the host transfers to Lin's world.]
Emily was surprised, but she didn't waste any time. She immediately returned to her work.
Choosing the first option meant that not a single second could be wasted.
After a week of exhausting work, Emily didn't even bother changing her clothes. The moment she entered her apartment, she tossed her bag aside and collapsed straight onto the bed. The instant her head touched the pillow, she fell asleep without even eating.
As the day passed, silence filled the room—except for the steady rhythm of her breathing, a quiet sign that her body was finally getting the rest it deserved.
The alarm rang. Emily woke up to a heavy feeling in her body—that strange sensation that comes after deep sleep from exhaustion. It almost feels like pain, yet at the same time, it carries a certain kind of relief.
She stared at the ceiling for a moment, then took a deep breath.
The fatigue faded. She had breakfast, got ready, and headed to the mall. Finally—no work. And for an entire month, she wouldn't have to see that dull sight of heavy boxes again.
The moment she arrived at the massive entrance, her shopping mission began.
She moved from one store to another. Sometimes she would pick something up, then decide it didn't suit Lin. At one point, she spotted a small, cute pink teddy bear. Her left eyebrow lifted slightly… before she placed it into the basket.
Emily wasn't buying things randomly. She knew Lin was a gentle and sensitive girl—people like her are drawn to things that are beautiful, warm, and full of emotion. Like a small, decorated music box in the style of the famous Japanese sakura tree. When wound up, it played a soft, soothing melody.
The bags began to pile up. Five hours passed—spent choosing a variety of items, each one carefully picked straight from the heart.
She sat beside a fountain to rest while eating a sandwich for lunch. A message from the system appeared.
[Analysis: All purchased items are not useful for survival in Lin's world.]
"I bought them for Lin, not for you," she said.
[Additional point]
[Reason: Kind action]
Emily ignored the message. She looked at the bags beside her… then suddenly paused. She thought about it—Lin came from another world. That meant her life was completely different, especially since she had grown up within the walls of nobility and castles. A world that lacked something no one in Emily's world could live without… modern snacks.
She quickly grabbed them off the shelves—chips, drinks, all kinds of sweets. Even things she hadn't tried herself, she took anyway. She paused, thinking she might have gone overboard… then added two more boxes. She passed by a bookstore, glanced at the glass display, and saw rows of novels. Since Lin loved reading, she picked the best from every genre.
She returned to her apartment—then immediately went back to the mall again.
This time, she headed to a luggage store and bought three large suitcases. But the problem wasn't the size of the suitcases…It was when she spotted more stores—and walked right into them. Yes. More bags. A second round of shopping—makeup, several dresses, elegant accessories… and of course, those cute pink shopping bags.
She returned to her apartment and placed everything on the floor, beginning to organize and pack. Two suitcases were filled to the brim—yet she still managed to close them.
As for the third one, she packed her own belongings and clothes. Anyone seeing all this would think she was immigrating to another country… not just visiting a friend.
[Question: Is the host planning to open a shop in Lin's world?]
"Maybe," Emily replied.
Emily arranged everything, noticing that the whole day was wasted shopping and she could no longer visit Lin today, so she postponed the matter until tomorrow.
[Do you want to go to Lin's world now?]
"Shut your mouth and let me sleep first," Emily said.