The second level 2
1208 Words
You felt a pang of regret.
If only you had taken the reward and bailed earlier…!
But there was no turning back now—you had to clear this level first.
You gathered your resolve and took stock of the "soldiers" in front of you.
The makeup products looked fancy, but it had been so long since you last put on makeup that you barely remembered the steps. Do you start with primer, foundation, or sunscreen?
Oh, and should you wear contact lenses?
Luckily, you had some experience with wearing contacts. You used to think they’d make a huge difference to your looks, but once you put them on, you were still just… you. Maybe your eyes looked a tiny bit bigger, maybe not.
So you decided not to waste any more time.
You quickly ran through the order in your head: contacts, sunscreen, primer, foundation, concealer, eye makeup, blush, lipstick.
That seemed right, didn’t it?
With the steps sorted, you stared at the products again, feeling stuck.
Help.
You were more of a makeup theory “expert”… No, more like a makeup theory i***t. And theory is one thing, but actually applying it? That’s a whole different story.
How were you supposed to make all of this work on your face?
You opened the box of disposable contact lenses. The amber color was so pretty, you couldn’t help but imagine how stunning you’d look with them on.
You managed to get one in.
Glancing at the clock, it was already 7:40. No time for admiring yourself. You grabbed the second lens and just as you were about to pop it in—
Your phone rang.
The name "Sis" flashed on the screen.
Sis?
You were an only child in real life, and you’d always been a little envious of your roommate B, who had a younger brother. She often complained about how annoying he was, but you could tell it was a “happy” kind of complaining. He’d even bring her snacks from home sometimes.
You wondered what kind of sister this “Sis” was.
Curiosity got the better of you, and you answered the call with your pinky finger.
“Sis, you’re going on a date with that guy today, right?” a girl’s voice chirped, casual and cheeky.
She sounded straightforward, and the fact that she knew about your date meant she must be close to “you.”
You tried to sound affectionate. “Yeah, why? What’s up?”
“Nothing. I just told Mom and Dad about it, that’s all.”
Your heart dropped. “Why would you tell them?!”
Is this what having a sister is like?
“I thought you might be broke, so I got you 200 bucks from Mom and Dad,” she said, like she’d just done you the biggest favor.
“Thanks…”
“As your agent, I’ll be taking a 50% cut. That’s fair, right?”
“…”
Agent or vampire?
You glanced at the clock. “I don’t have time for this. Just send me the hundred bucks, bye.”
You hung up on her.
Talking to her had cost you another 3 minutes, and you hadn’t even managed to get the second contact in.
This had to be the game’s way of throwing obstacles at you—a classic level villain.
Even though the game allowed you to enjoy “girly privileges” like being late, you wanted to be on time if possible.
One, out of politeness; and two, because if you were late, he might get annoyed. No matter how good you looked, that would probably ruin your chances of getting a compliment.
You continued with your makeup.
You weren’t as skilled as other girls, but you managed to get everything onto your face in the right order.
Looking in the mirror, you had to admit, it didn’t turn out too bad. For someone who hadn’t done this in a while, you still had it.
The “you” in the game looked pretty similar to the real you, but with better skin—smooth and glowing, like you’d been using face masks every day for a month. The makeup went on perfectly.
Feeling pleased with this enhanced version of yourself, you grabbed your purse and headed to the movie theater.
At 8:30 in the morning, there weren’t many people around the theater—it hadn’t even opened yet.
That made it easy to spot your “boyfriend.”
He wasn’t any worse than Louis. He stood about six feet tall, dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, with short, neat hair that gave him a youthful vibe.
When you approached, he smiled at you.
Whoa, he had dimples!
“Uh, am I late?” You didn’t know what to call him, so you kept it vague.
“You are,” he said.
“Huh?” You checked your phone for the time.
“Just kidding,” he laughed, ruffling your hair before you could react.
Your face flushed red as an apple.
Oh my god.
You’d never been on a date with a guy before. The closest you’d gotten was helping the math class rep carry homework back in school.
And this guy was way cuter than the math rep!
He leaned down, face-to-face with you, studying you closely.
Your heart raced.
You felt both nervous and excited.
Was this it? Were you about to pass the level?
“You’ve got…” he started.
You tilted your head. “Hmm?”
“There’s something on your eyelashes.”
“...?”
“Hold still.” He reached up, lightly brushing your lashes to remove whatever it was.
He held up his finger to show you. “See? Black stuff.”
You: “…”
It’s mascara!!
Really? Black stuff?
You must’ve messed up your mascara—spider lashes, classic newbie mistake.
Ugh, bad start.
Not giving up, you asked, “So, what do you think? How do I look today?”
“What?”
“I mean, how do I look?” You spun around in front of him, determined to get a compliment.
It’s a first date—he has to say something nice, right?
“You put on makeup today?”
“Yeah!” Your eyes lit up, waiting for the next part.
“Hmm…” He hummed for a while.
You pressed, “I did, so…?”
“Then—”
Suddenly, he grabbed your wrist and started walking. “You didn’t eat breakfast, did you? I’m hungry too. Let’s get something to eat.”
Stumbling a few steps, you blurted, “What?!”
“How about a café?” he suggested.
You: “What?!?”
Who has a date at a café?!
“Or pasta? I know a great pasta place nearby. The food is amazing.”
“What the—”
You yanked your hand free, forcing him to stop.
He finally turned back.
After three seconds of staring at each other, he sighed. “Fine, if you want milk, we can get milk.”
Who said anything about milk?!
You like burgers for breakfast!
Wait.
This date is a total disaster…
Fuming, you ended the level and restarted the game!
- Writer
