Jin's heart pounded in his chest, his skin slick with the clammy sweat of a man who had just experienced pure existential dread. Why did I even think a bath would be a good idea?
Yuna—his supposedly new best friend, even though they'd only known each other for two days—was standing way too comfortably next to him in the bath. And what's worse? She was acting like this was normal. Like this was something she'd been doing with Jin for years. She wasn't even phased that they were both completely naked in a steam-filled room.
"Jin!" Yuna called out in that overly heroic voice of hers, not a care in the world. "The bond between us has grown strong in these two days! Let us seal our friendship in the waters of destiny, together, as true comrades!"
"What the hell are you talking about?!" Jin splashed water everywhere, flailing like a man drowning in a sea of his own desperation. "We've known each other for TWO DAYS! This is NOT how friendships work!!"
But of course, Yuna wasn't listening. She was too busy smiling like a big idiot and casually leaning on the bath's edge, her body relaxed like she was just taking a normal dip with a dude she's known for, I dunno, ages.
Jin felt the steam closing in, the walls pressing in on him. His vision was clouded, his thoughts spiraling out of control. I just wanted a peaceful bath, is that too much to ask?
"Jin, I understand," Yuna continued, clearly trying to comfort him. "The path of heroism is long and full of pain, but we must share it together!"
"WHAT PATH, YOU'RE A GIRL!" Jin screamed. "STOP TALKING LIKE YOU'RE SOME MANLY HERO, THIS IS A BATH!"
Her expression didn't change. "I will always fight by your side, Jin, my true companion. As heroes, we must forge unbreakable bonds, even in the face of the Bath of Eternal Friendship!"
"No!!!" Jin shot out of the bath, barely managing to cover himself with a towel as he bolted for the door. "I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!"
But fate was against him. As he darted into the hallway, hoping to escape this weird, sweaty nightmare, he ran smack into what could only be described as the Mountain of Muscle.
There was no wall—no, this was a group of butlers. Shirtless. Jacked. Their pecs were practically a weapon of mass destruction, their abs carved into what could only be described as... some kind of divine masterpiece.
"...What." Jin blinked, not sure if his brain had short-circuited from the steam or if he was actually standing in front of a collection of superhuman butlers who clearly had no business being in a game like this.
One of the butlers nodded sagely, as though he'd seen this situation a hundred times before. "Ah. A young master seeking strength, I see."
"STRENGTH?! WHAT THE HELL? WHY ARE YOU GUYS EVEN TRAINING LIKE THIS?!" Jin's voice cracked in a panic. This was a nightmare. A full-on nightmare.
The butler smiled proudly. "A true butler must be prepared to serve and protect. And... flex."
Jin stared at him in silence. "...With your muscles?"
The butler looked pleased. "Of course. Strength comes in many forms, young master. And ours... is muscle."
Jin's soul tried to escape his body again. He didn't have the strength to process this. Why is this my life right now?
And just when he thought it couldn't get worse...
From behind, he heard the infuriatingly familiar voice of Yuna.
"Jin! You left so suddenly! Come, let us continue our bath of friendship!"
The butlers turned toward him, their gazes heavy. Jin could feel them judging him. No, no, no—this can't be happening.
"Don't look at me like that!" Jin screeched, throwing his hands in the air. "This is not what it looks like, okay? I'm not here to do anything weird with anyone, just let me go!"
The butlers didn't respond, just gave him that look—the kind of look that only people who spend too much time flexing would give. They nodded to each other, seemingly approving of his... misfortune?
"Lucky kid," one of them muttered under his breath.
Jin felt his heart implode. He had to get out. He didn't care where, just anywhere but here.
He turned, ready to flee.
But then—she appeared.
Yuna, dripping wet, towel hanging loosely around her waist, walked confidently into the scene, her gaze locking with Jin's as if everything was perfectly fine.
"Jin, I've been waiting. Let's continue our bath of eternal friendship, my true companion!"
Jin's face turned redder than a tomato, his voice cracking under the weight of absolute humiliation. "I'm done. Screw this game."
Please, please just let me wake up.
Jin was done. He couldn't take it anymore. His mind was a battlefield of absurdity, and all he wanted was for it to stop.
"I'M DONE!" He screamed. His voice was a high-pitched squeak of someone who had completely snapped. "I don't care anymore, I'm so done with this game!"
Yuna just stood there, her expression still way too calm for the situation, looking at him like he was the weird one. "Jin, you're being dramatic. We're just continuing our bath of eternal friendship! What's the big deal?"
"WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL?!" Jin's hands flew up in the air in sheer disbelief. "What do you mean what's the big deal?! We're both naked and I'm stuck with a bunch of jacked butlers and you're treating this like it's NORMAL!"
Yuna tilted her head. "Hmm... Well, we are heroes. Heroes need to have strong bonds."
"HEROES DON'T DO BATHS LIKE THIS!!" Jin flailed again, his towel barely staying in place, the steam from the bath now feeling like it was closing in on him like the jaws of some giant, mythical monster. "And you! You're not even acting like a girl! Stop with the manly hero act, it's making everything so much worse!!"
The butlers, standing off to the side like some weird, muscle-bound chorus line, began nodding in agreement.
"Strength in friendship, young master," one of them said, flexing his biceps so hard Jin swore he heard them creak. "The path of the true butler requires us to serve... and flex."
"FLEX?! I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR FLEXING!" Jin shouted, finally losing what little control he had left. "I JUST WANT OUT! WHY DOES THIS GAME HATE ME SO MUCH?!"
Before he could even think of a plan to escape, a familiar, all-too-comfortable hand landed on his shoulder.
"Jin!" Yuna said, beaming like this was all a great adventure. "I've been waiting for you to calm down! Now, let's finish our bath together."
Jin whipped around to face her, his face flushed with what could only be described as pure panic and embarrassment. "No! NO! I'm NOT doing this! I'd rather get hit with a hundred lightning bolts than get in that water with you again!"
Yuna, totally oblivious to his suffering, simply shrugged. "It's just the Bath of Eternal Friendship, Jin. Nothing to be afraid of. You need to embrace the bond, you know?"
"EMBRACE THE BOND?!" Jin had officially lost it. "I CANNOT EMBRACE ANYTHING! I AM NOT HERE FOR THIS! I JUST WANNA GO BACK TO MY NORMAL LIFE, WHERE I CAN NOT END UP IN STUPID BATHS WITH MANLY HEROES AND MUSCLE-BOUND NPCs!"
His feet gave out from under him as the steam got thicker, causing him to stumble and almost faceplant into the floor.
But of course, in true video game fashion, it wasn't over. No, that would've been too easy.
[System Message:][Bath of Eternal Friendship: Achievement Unlocked!]
[ You have forged an unbreakable bond of eternal friendship with Yuna! Warning: The bond will now be forced upon you, and you must continue the bath to complete the event.]
The message was like a cruel joke at this point. Jin collapsed back into the water with a resounding splash. His body was like jelly—he had no fight left in him.
Yuna, not even pausing, plopped back down beside him in the bath like it was just another day in the life of a hero.
"Ah, there we go," Yuna said cheerfully, stretching out. "Feels good, huh? It's like our bond is being renewed."
Jin just sat there, defeated, water up to his chin, staring blankly at the ceiling. His soul was floating somewhere far, far away.
"Please... just... let me wake up... please..." Jin muttered under his breath.
"Wake up? Oh, we're not going anywhere, Jin," Yuna said, casually. "We're going to be best friends forever! It's destiny."
"DESTINY?!"
Jin's regret hit an all-time high.
But no matter how much he screamed inside his head, there was no escape. The game had already claimed him. And now, he was stuck in a never-ending nightmare of friendship, baths, and way-too-manly girl NPCs.