Daphne felt exhausted.
Every inch of her body ached, her shoulders tight, the soles of her feet throbbing in protest.
She had spent years perfecting her ability to command boardrooms for hours without breaking a sweat, had dominated hostile business negotiations in six-inch stilettos, and had sprinted through airports in luxury heels without complaint.
But today?
After an entire day of playing a lowly secretary to a moody CEO?
She was one wrong move away from throwing those cursed shoes out the window.
> 'I remember why I hated these things in my teenage years. Who the hell thought heels were a good idea?'
She stumbled toward the tiny bed in her equally tiny excuse of an apartment and collapsed onto the mattress.
It squeaked.
The kind of weak, pathetic noise that perfectly reflected how she currently felt.
Han Li's life sucked.
Daphne groaned and forced herself back onto her feet, rolling her shoulders.
The stiffness wouldn't go away unless she took a proper shower.
Dragging herself toward the small bathroom, she turned on the flickering light and glanced at the cheap wall-mounted mirror above the sink.
And then—
She froze.
Staring back at her was… herself.
But not quite.
She stepped closer, running a hand over her face, tilting her head as she examined the reflection.
It was her face, alright—but something was off.
She looked… weaker.
There was a subtle hollowness to her cheeks. A lack of sharpness in her jawline.
Her eyes were the same, dark and piercing, but the confidence was missing, the fire in them duller.
She wasn't just her usual self in a different world—she was a malnourished, exhausted, slightly pathetic version of herself.
Daphne squinted at her arms, raising them experimentally.
They looked skinny.
Too skinny.
The toned muscle she had spent hours working on in her previous life?
Gone.
She sucked in a breath, pulling up the loose-fitting secretary blouse she was still wearing and—
Oh.
Her abs were gone.
Not faded.
Not softened.
Completely. Fucking. Gone.
She ran a hand over her stomach, her fingertips brushing against the faint outline of protruding ribs.
> 'Where the hell is my body that I spent hours working on?'
She twisted slightly, testing her flexibility.
Her strength was embarrassing.
She looked like she could barely carry her own body weight, let alone charm women with the confidence of someone who could deadlift them effortlessly.
Her lips parted in horror.
> 'How am I supposed to get girls like this?!'
She clenched a fist, watching how her forearm barely flexed.
> 'I look like I'd pass out if I tried to do ten push-ups.'
A sharp, robotic chime interrupted her thoughts.
> [You are supposed to help the Male Lead build a harem.]
Daphne slammed her fist against the sink.
"FUCK OFF."
> System 404: […Processing host aggression…]
System 404: […This is verbal abuse.]*
Daphne took a deep breath, gripping the edges of the sink.
This was fine.
Everything was fine.
She would fix this.
She would get her body back.
She would get her strength back.
And most importantly—
She would ruin the Male Lead's life in the process.
> System 404: [Requesting Host Compliance.]
Daphne: "Request denied."
Daphne stared at her reflection one more time, her mind whirring.
Then, a thought hit her.
> 'Is there a way to turn off the system?'
She straightened, hands on her hips, and focused.
The moment she thought about a settings menu, a faint blue interface appeared in front of her.
> [SYSTEM 404: BASIC FUNCTIONS]
Mission Tracking: ACTIVE
Harem Building Notifications: ACTIVE
Voice Alerts: ACTIVE
Guidance Assistance: ACTIVE
World Restrictions: ACTIVE
Daphne grinned.
She clicked "Voice Alerts."
> [Would you like to mute System 404?]
[YES] [NO]
She slammed YES so fast the screen glitched.
---
Blissful Silence
System 404 froze.
Then—
> […SYSTEM MUTED.]
For the first time since arriving in this godforsaken world…
Silence.
Daphne exhaled, pressing a hand to her chest dramatically.
> 'Finally. Some peace and quiet.'
She rolled her shoulders again, stepping away from the mirror.
Tomorrow, she had work to do.
But for now?
She was going to enjoy this small victory.
And then figure out a workout plan before she lost her mind completely.
---
Meanwhile, in the System Core
…
> System 404: [ERROR. ERROR. ERROR.]
System 404: [HOST HAS DISABLED ALL AUDIO ALERTS.]*
System 404: […I have lost control of this situation.]*
System 404: [Should I… cry? Is that an option?]