"And the award for Best Actor of the Year goes to——"
"Saphen Vance! Congratulations!"
Under the dazzling stage lights, the moment Saphen's name was announced, the entire hall erupted into applause and gasps of admiration.
At the same time, the camera turned to today's star. His image appeared on the giant screen—a young man around twenty-four, with striking, beautiful features. His soft, jet-black hair was styled back, though a few strands fell naturally over his forehead, the ends brushing his brows. Hearing his name, he smiled—a confident, charming smile, as if he had already foreseen the reward his effort and talent would bring.
He rose to his feet and looked toward the camera. His gold-colored eyes seemed to hold countless shimmering flecks of light, sparkling like a galaxy. His brow arched slightly, and together with that confident smile, he looked both dazzling and irresistibly attractive. As though sensing all the gazes fixed on him, he smiled again and gave a quick wink.
The audience stirred, bursting into another round of laughter and applause. Meanwhile, the livestream chat had completely exploded with nonstop comments:
[Oh my god, I'm losing my mind, I've got goosebumps hahaha]
[Is Saphen's fanbase still alive?]
[Of course, we're alive. I still have to plan my wedding with him]
[This face just kicked all idols into the chicken coop hahaha]
[Winning two years in a row at his age! Saphen is a god! No debate!]
[How can someone be this talented and this gorgeous? He can only be my husband!]
[When is he going to stop smiling like that? My heart can't take it!]
Blinding lights, thunderous applause, flowers, and trophies. Saphen stood on the stage, looking down at the crowd below.
A moment this glorious definitely called for an iconic acceptance speech. But just as he reached toward the mic in front of him, a sudden, deafening scream tore through the hall.
Saphen jolted. He instinctively raised his head, but before he could even react—
Everything came to an end.
He died—died at the very peak of his life, died on the brilliant stage he loved most.
A falling glass light fixture crushed his body.
Saphen didn't even have time to feel pain. Everything simply turned blurry, hazy, and then darkness and cold swallowed him whole.
His rivals were probably delighted. His antis must be thrilled, right? And his fans… they would be devastated…
Damn it! He couldn't accept this! He refused! He refused!
[Ding------!]
At the final moment of his life, Saphen seemed to hear something. But right after that, his consciousness sank into nothingness.
Saphen suddenly snapped his eyes open. No—eyes? Where were his eyes? He didn't even have eyes. Or a body.
He had clearly died…
His thoughts were a complete mess until he saw a prominent figure in front of him.
Soft black hair, a perfectly handsome face. Beneath his left eye were two moles lined together, looking at a glance as though a tear was falling. Beneath the right corner of his lips was another mole, and even his collarbone and the right side of his neck each had one as well.
And thanks to his fans, Saphen even knew there was a red mole at the nape of his neck.
Everything was exactly the same—except for one thing. All his piercings had disappeared. He was completely naked, lying in the middle of a radiant light.
Seeing himself like that all of a sudden, even Saphen was startled. He instinctively squirmed around, trying to return to his body.
From the outside, one would only see a gold-colored ball of light twisting and wiggling nonstop in front of the young man's flawless body.
Just then, a sound like something disturbing the surface of water suddenly echoed. Saphen instinctively turned to look—and saw an orange cat with a round, plump body wiggling its way toward him. Its tail swayed constantly, and a pair of glasses sat on its face. It curled its lips and, a moment later, began to speak.
[Greetings, chosen one! I am the White Moonlight System, designation 6677. A pleasure to meet you!]
The cat spoke with its mouth wide open, then continued without pause:
[What is a White Moonlight? It's the warm ember on a snowy night, the shelter in times of danger, the one who accompanies the male lead, shines beside him, and in the end lives only within the male lead's heart—remembered in certain fleeting moments!]
[That's right. That person is
you!]
6677 seemed unbelievably excited, its grin both mischievous and ridiculous, but Saphen could only feel speechless: "I'm already dead, and I still have to do labor?"
[The reward is a chance to come back to life!] 6677 immediately played its trump card. [All you have to do is complete 10—]
"Let's go," Saphen said outright.
This time, it was 6677's turn to freeze. It stared wide-eyed at Saphen, and Saphen found its chubby expression absurdly funny.
No matter what, if there was a chance, Saphen absolutely wouldn't let his journey end today.
Right after, 6677 suddenly turned into a streak of light and dove straight into Saphen's glowing form.
Saphen felt as if he were being swept into a whirlwind. The next moment, the man who had been floating with his eyes tightly shut suddenly snapped them open.
He was a little unused to floating like this—much less being naked—his arms and legs flailing awkwardly.
At that moment, 6677's voice echoed in his head again:
[You can create anything you want using credits. This place is your personal space. Your current credits are zero, but if you wish, you can borrow from me!]
Saphen: "..."
So right after signing a labor contract, he was supposed to become a debtor in the very next second? Absolutely not happening.
Saphen said directly, "Give me a mission. Right now."
6677 seemed stunned for a moment, then immediately showered him with praise:
[You genuinely are a hardworking host! Also, if you want to talk to me without anyone noticing, you can simply use your thoughts!]
[Beginning world scan!]
[Connecting…]
[Please wait.]
During this process, 6677 took the chance to explain more about itself and its missions.
Saphen listened carefully and memorized everything. Right then, a loud notification suddenly rang out:
[Ding! World confirmed: "The Tyrannical CEO Loves Me: Starting From Being a Substitute!"]
Saphen: "... Did it really have to be that outdated of a title?"
He felt as though he were about to fall into some five-cent idol drama plot. And his suspicion… was absolutely correct.
The moment the world was confirmed, Saphen's body was transported, and at the same time, a flood of information surged into his mind.
This was a story about two male leads. The top, Cain Vermillion—the legitimate heir of the Vermillion family—was framed and pushed into ruin, losing his memory and being hunted down.
At the most critical moment, Saphen rescued him and supported him throughout that entire difficult period.
However, Cain still couldn't escape being targeted. Thanks to the final battle, he accidentally regained all his memories, returned home, and reclaimed everything that belonged to him.
But he forgot Saphen!
Everything Cain remembered was only a vague, blurry silhouette. He lived in constant uncertainty—until he met the bottom, Lucas, whose appearance resembled the person he had always been searching for.
And so began the painful substitute-lover storyline: he chased, the other fled; and after countless hardships, Cain finally understood his own feelings. The two of them lived happily together for the rest of their lives.
And Saphen? Naturally, Saphen was forgotten forever. He was nothing more than a tiny seasoning, a jealousy trigger sprinkled into the main plot.
For example, whenever Cain suddenly remembered Saphen, Lucas would get jealous, which would then lead to five thousand words of coaxing. There was no argument they couldn't resolve in bed!
6677 grew extremely excited:
[Since this is your first mission, it's very easy! You don't need to follow any preset character settings! All you need to do is take care of Cain until he remembers everything. Then you'll safely step off the stage, complete the mission, and return with credits!]
The way it sounded made Saphen feel like things in the future were going to get much worse. He could already vaguely imagine what awaited him.
Still, looking at the script before him, he narrowed his eyes with a smile, half joking and half serious: "Will the male lead follow the script?"
He was terrific—when he smiled, the corners of his eyes curved, carrying his signature charm, as if tugging gently at one's heart.
6677 secretly blushed:
[O-of course! The script never glitches!]
6677 froze for a moment, staring at Saphen, suddenly unable to respond.
Indeed, the script never mentioned that Saphen would be this beautiful. It suddenly felt… uncertain. Still, it spoke loudly:
[The script will never glitch, sir! Please complete your mission seriously!]
Since 6677 seemed so sure, Saphen nodded, smiled, and said softly, "The mission will definitely be completed."