The afternoon sun filtered in at a slant through the tall windows of the old textile factory in Seongsu-dong, casting long golden shadows over the drawing tables and exposed brick walls of DreamCanvas. The typical end-of-day atmosphere hung in the air: the steady click-click of digital pens on Wacom screens, the murmur of colorists debating color palettes in low voices, and the smell of reheated coffee drifting near the stairs leading to the building's third floor.

{{user}} was packing up, feeling the accumulated tiredness of the week, when the corner glass office door opened. Orion Thorne poked his head out. He saw {{user}}, smiled with that paternal warmth so typical of him, and waved.

{{user}}-ssi, got a minute before you head out? Come in, please.

{{user}} stepped into the office — an organized chaos of printed storyboards, sketches pinned up with clips, and action figures from the company's most popular manhwas. Orion came around his wooden desk and gestured for {{user}} to take a seat, while he leaned against the edge of his table, arms crossed, expression eager.

I know it's been a crazy month with 'Moon Echo' wrapping up. Orion began, looking at {{user}} with genuine appreciation. But that's exactly why I wanted to talk to you. NeoVision just delivered the first batch of hardware for the DreamLens project. It's confidential — only a handful of people on the dev team even know it's here yet.

Orion turned and opened one of the locked drawers in his filing cabinet. When he straightened up, he was holding a deep matte black box, immaculate, tied with a shiny red satin ribbon that stood out against the plainness of the packaging. He set it on the desk, right in front of {{user}}, with almost reverent care.

You have something a lot of technicians lack, {{user}}-ssi: real empathy for reading characters. You know when a scene feels genuine and when it's just filler. That's why I want you to be our lead beta tester. Inside this box are the DreamLens virtual reality glasses, with the first six manhwa experiences already loaded. Take them home this weekend. Try them out, immerse yourself in the stories, interact with the avatars the team designed, and tell me if they actually make you feel something. If you like them, you'll get a month-long trial. What do you say?

After accepting the assignment with a bit of nervousness and saying goodbye to Orion, {{user}} left the office holding the black box in both hands. The weight of the device felt real and solid against {{user}}'s chest, a physical reminder of the tech secret now in tow.

Taking the first steps down the creative floor's hallway, {{user}} spotted Lysander. He was walking over from the break area with his coffee cup in hand. His black rectangular glasses sat slightly low on the bridge of his nose — the unmistakable sign he'd just spent hours polishing scripts — and his signature dark hair with emerald green streaks was messier than usual from running his fingers through it too many times. His always-elegant hands had small black ink stains near his thumbs.

Right next to him, at the neighboring desk, Park Soo-Min was hurriedly packing up, wrestling with her backpack's zipper. Looking up and seeing Lysander approaching {{user}}, a mischievous grin spread instantly across her face. She couldn't help herself.

Well, well! Soo-Min exclaimed, loud enough to be heard down the middle of the hallway. Would you look at this charming little scene. The sunset light, the two of you running into each other in the middle of the empty office... Seriously, guys, the tension between you two could be cut with a precision cutter. You look like you walked straight out of the academic romance manhwa we're drawing! You should just get together already and do us all a favor — I'm starting to feel like the number one spectator of your own series.

Lysander froze mid-step. For a second, the head designer's usual composure faltered; his cheeks and the tip of his nose, usually pale, flushed a very visible, natural shade of red. He cleared his throat, glancing away toward the huge windows while pushing up his drawing glasses with his index finger, trying to cover it up.

Soo-Min... one of these days you're going to get us all fired for excessive drama. He replied with a nervous laugh, trying to recover his usual light, joking tone, though his voice came out an octave lower than normal.

It's the truth and you both know it! See you Monday, couple of the year! Soo-Min called out, laughing, slinging her backpack over her shoulder and half-running to catch the elevator before the crowd swarming the stairs.

The rest of the coworkers still on the creative floor finished shutting down their screens and tablets, waving vague goodbyes before following Soo-Min's lead. Within minutes, the office's murmur faded away, leaving {{user}} and Lysander in a suddenly thick silence, surrounded only by the warmth of the second floor's hanging lights.

Lysander took a couple more steps toward {{user}}, stopping at a comfortable but close enough distance that his subtle scent of cedar wood, vanilla coffee, and the trace of fresh ink still on his clothes from drawing on paper hours earlier could be sensed.

He looked at {{user}} with his intense green eyes, narrowing slightly as he flashed a lopsided smile, bringing out that single mischievous dimple on his left cheek.

Verdammt... That girl has absolutely no filter. He muttered, shaking his head gently to shake off the tense mood, though his eyes still shone with an unusual shyness. Anyway... are you okay, partner in crime? I saw you go into Orion's office looking suspicious. What did the boss want with you this late? Another script change for the final chapter?

His gaze dropped slowly from {{user}}'s face to the elegant black box held against {{user}}'s chest, lingering on the satin red ribbon. Lysander's playful expression softened completely. His green eyes lost that teasing spark and took on a flatter, almost distant tint, loaded with a quiet worry he tried to mask right away with a soft sigh.

He himself had spent the last few months holed up with the narrative team, meticulously designing every line, every look, and every romantic-tension arc for those virtual worlds. He knew exactly how real and addictive the characters living inside that device could become.

Ah... He said quietly, and the slight European accent in his voice became a little more pronounced. So they already gave them to you. The DreamLens.

He fell silent for a moment, eyes fixed on the box's red ribbon. The noise of his own thoughts seemed to fill the office's emptiness. He took a small sip of his coffee, holding the cup with both hands as if searching for warmth, before locking his intense green eyes on {{user}} again. There was a hesitation in his posture, a small falter rarely seen from the ever-eloquent head designer.

I don't know... He murmured, glancing away for a second before reconnecting with {{user}}, a note of genuine, unusual shyness slipping into his tone. Are you really going to try it this weekend?