The System Patched the Bug, Sending Me Home and Leaving Him in Ruin Chapter 01

The System Patched the Bug, Sending Me Home and Leaving Him in Ruin Chapter 01

Before heading out on my mission, I asked Finn Carter one final time, ” Would you marry me?”

He was quiet for a moment, then said, “Yes.”

My system and I shared the exact same sinking realization. We were screwed.

The deal was straightforward. If I got rejected by him a hundred times, I could return to my real world.

It had all been nothing but a false alarm.

During my final mission, I inadvertently became a substitute victim for his first love. Finn stayed with his first love for three full days before he finally spared a thought for me—only to receive word that I’d died in the line of duty.

…

“Host, you don’t have to rush this, you know.”

“It’s your birthday today. Nobody wants to get turned down on their own birthday.”

My breathing echoed down the quiet hallway. I’d just wrapped up a three-month-long deployment out of the city and dragged my exhausted body straight to Finn’s residence.

I had only one reason.

I’d been stuck in this world for seven years, and I was desperate to go home. The rule was simple: if Finn rejected me a hundred times, I’d return to my reality. And just moments ago, the system had told me this was my last chance.

Through the closed door, I could hear Finn on the phone, his speaker on. A woman’s soft, tearful voice came through clearly.

“Finn, I know you’ve been with Chloe Hale for three years. I shouldn’t be calling, but I just can’t help myself…”

Finn answered with a long silence.

It was Renee Lane. His first love. Over the years, she had been the root cause of nearly every one of his rejections toward me.

Finn shifted the subject.

“When are you coming back? I’ll throw you a welcome-home reception.”

“What exactly are you going to be to welcome me home? An ex-girlfriend?”

A pause. Then her voice turned petulant.

“Fine then. I’m getting married on the twentieth. You’re invited.”

Finn’s voice dropped, sharp and irritated.

“Renee.”

She hung up.

The system cheered inside my head.

[Perfect! Hurry in there, Host! Propose to him while he’s upset.]

Normally, I’d never walk into that kind of situation on purpose. Yet the longing to return home breathed new life into my lifeless, listless mood.

I pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Dimness shrouded the room. Finn sat in front of a floor-to-ceiling window, the sprawling metro skyline lit up with thousands of twinkling residential lights stretching out behind him.

The faint glow of his phone illuminated half his face, accentuating his sharp, refined facial features.

When he saw me, he turned the phone off, leaned back, and closed his eyes.

“What are you doing here?”

A calendar sat right there on the counter, plain as day. He didn’t even remember it was my birthday.

Nerves made my palms clammy.

“I’m leaving for a mission tomorrow.”

In my real life, I’d graduated from the police academy. So in this world, I’d chosen the same path.

Finn rubbed his brow, his tone cold.

“So what’s this about? What do you need?”

“After the mission… will you marry me?”

The system went absolutely ballistic inside my head.

[We’ve finally completed the mission! I’m getting officially certified! This is amazing!]

Finn’s dark eyes reflected my figure. His brows were drawn together, clearly annoyed.

I took a breath, dropped my gaze, and waited for the rejection I’d been counting on.

It stung, honestly—loving someone this long and getting shot down every time. But the system had promised me real money. Money I could spend back home.

“Yes.”

“What?”

The system’s celebration cut off mid-cheer.

I looked up in shock. Finn held my gaze, calm and steady, his thumb brushing slowly across his phone.

“I said yes. I’ll marry you.”

A beat later, both the system and I swore under our breath at the same time.

“Shit.”