Max rushed back to his studio, his face flushed with embarrassment. Once inside his office, he slumped into his chair, trying to process the disaster he'd just endured.
He hadn't felt such humiliation in his life. Well, maybe once—back on Earth—when he had finally convinced his new girlfriend to take things to the next level. Just as he undressed, ready for a passionate moment, he froze in shock. What he discovered wasn't her "lion's den," but rather... another lion. That moment had left him utterly stunned, a "level 80 shock." But today's incident? It was easily a "level 95 shock."
Why? Because shouting "Fuck you" in public, repeatedly and involuntarily, wasn't just embarrassing—it was social suicide. People already thought he was crazy. To Max, there was no greater insult than being humiliated like this in front of strangers.
In hindsight, Max tried to piece together the scenes:
At the café, when he thought he called the waiter, the words "Waiter..." came out of his mouth—or so he believed. But to everyone else, it was "Fuck you." Twice. No wonder the other patrons gave him strange looks, thinking some lunatic had invaded their peaceful café.
Then, on the street, when the lady asked him for directions, Max thought he politely replied that he didn't know the address. However, the lady and by passer —"Mr. Hero"—heard "Fuck you" instead. When Max tried to explain, thinking he was clarifying the situation, the curse only intensified. His attempts at reasoning produced 4–5 loud "Fuck yous" in succession, enraging Mr. Hero to the point where he beat Max senseless.
Reliving these moments in his head, Max cursed himself—and Dolly. That devilish woman had provoked him into losing his temper, and now, thanks to the system's punishment, he was stuck in this nightmare.
"What did I even do in my past life to deserve being trapped by this devil?" he muttered to himself, questioning his rotten luck. Maybe he had committed some heinous sin, and Dolly was exacting her revenge. Or maybe she was just playing these cruel games for her own amusement. After all, she was probably laughing her heart out at Max's misery right now.
Determined to avoid further embarrassment, Max resolved not to leave his office until the curse wore off. But fate had other plans.
The studio door creaked open, and one by one, Dylan Warriors entered the room. Their faces were brimming with hope, as if they were about to embark on a fantastic journey.
Dylan stepped into Max's office, flashing a bright smile. "Good morning, Master!" he said cheerfully.
Max, lost in his thoughts about surviving the curse, snapped out of his daze. His eyes widened as he stared at Dylan, panic creeping into his mind. How am I supposed to communicate without this turning into another disaster?
Sensing Max's silence, Dylan felt something was off. Assuming Max was still hungover from the party, Dylan repeated, this time louder, "GOOD MORNING, MASTER!"
Max had no idea how to respond. He simply nodded and gestured for Dylan to leave, hoping to avoid a conversation.
Disappointed, Dylan left the office, muttering to himself, "Maybe I shouldn't invite Master to parties anymore. He's probably dealing with a bad hangover."
Inside the office, Max groaned. "Ugh... Can't you people wait until after noon? What's the rush? I haven't even thought about the project yet!" he fumed silently, suppressing his frustration.
Max wished those guys had arrived at 1 PM. By then, his curse would've ended, and they could have discussed the project without any drama.
Just as this thought crossed his mind, his phone started ringing. It was Jameson. Out of habit, Max quickly picked up the call and said, "Hello." But, of course, what Jameson heard was "Fuck you."
Jameson, now furious, shouted back, "Oye, bastard! What's wrong with you? First, you text me 'fuck you,' and now you're saying it over the phone? Are you drunk this early in the morning?"
"Shit..." Max muttered, But of course, "Fuck you" slipped out, and Jameson got even more furious. Max quickly ended the call.
Rubbing his temples in frustration. "Why does three hours feel like an eternity today?" He glanced at the clock—it had only been one hour since the curse began. The remaining three hours stretched before him like an endless desert.
Meanwhile, Dolly sat beside him, lounging on a chair with a bucket of popcorn in hand and oversized sunglasses perched on her face. She looked like she was watching the most entertaining show of her life. Every time Max squirmed in embarrassment or cursed his luck, her laughter grew louder.
Max clenched his fists, the urge to retaliate bubbling inside him. If the punishment system didn't exist, Dolly wouldn't have dared to mock him like this. He would've made sure of it. But even the thought of acting out against her felt like a distant dream. The fear of more punishments—and the uncertainty of her power—kept him rooted in his misery.
All he could do was sit there, endure, and wait for those cursed hours to end.
Unable to say or write anything else, Max drifted into his imagination—his cartoonish world where he started walking down the street with a cheerful smile. Suddenly, four beautiful cartoon women appeared before him. Cartoon Max greeted them warmly, saying, "Good morning, ladies." But instead, the words that came out of his mouth were, "Fu*k you, ladies."
In response, all four women slapped him hard, leaving him flattened like a pancake. Just like Looney Tunes, Cartoon Max inflated himself by blowing air into his thumb, restoring his original form, and continued on his way.
A little later, Cartoon Max stopped in front of a girl. In his hand, he held a cartoonish red rose, looking as if he'd been waiting forever for this moment—to propose to her. Today was finally the day.
"Rose, I've waited so long for this moment. Today, I'll finally tell you what's in my heart!" Cartoon Max declared in an overly dramatic tone.
"W-What is it ? Just say it already!" Rose, anticipating his words, nervously waited with excitement.
"I really... I really want to marry you. In my dreams, I've done it so many times, but they've only ever been dreams. If you say yes, you'll make my dreams come true!" Cartoon Max confessed his feelings passionately.
But something went wrong. Instead of saying "marry you," the words "Fu*k you" came out of his mouth.
In a flash, a slap landed squarely on Cartoon Max's cheek, sending him spinning. His imagination shattered—BOOM!—snapping him back to reality.
Max realized he'd been imagining his situation, but in reality, the curse ensured that no words other than "Fu*k you" could escape his lips. That was the stark difference between him and his cartoon counterpart.
To distract himself, Max opened the mission panel.
[ Main Mission: 1st and Last Tutorial ]
| Mission: Create a movie so well-loved that it directly earns a spot on the Blessed Screen. ( No copy-paste allowed )
| Duration: 1 Year
| Rewards: 1st: 1 million FP
2nd: 1-year Memory Pack
3rd: Eternal Eye
[ Warning: Failure to complete the mission within the given timeframe will result in the host's soul being erased from existence, with no possibility of reincarnation. ]
"What… What kind of absurd mission is this? And what type of tutorial is this supposed to be? Isn't this just about directing a simple movie? Ahhh, I'm going to lose my mind at this rate!"
Max felt like the ground beneath his feet had disappeared. What was this mystery, and what exactly was he being prepared for? He stood there, dumbfounded, unable to process the gravity of the situation.