Chapter 1: The Day It All Changed
They say be careful what you wish for. I didn't listen.
One moment, I was doom-scrolling through Reddit at 2 a.m., half-laughing at a Two and a Half Men meme, the next… darkness. Like, full-on "screen turned off" darkness. Then a voice—calm, deep, powerful—spoke right into my skull.
"You have been chosen. Two wishes. No take-backs."
I don't know why I didn't hesitate. Maybe because part of me wanted out of my mediocre life. I'd seen enough anime and isekai stories to know how this worked.
"First wish: I want a genius-level IQ—like, Tony Stark meets Sherlock Holmes level."
"Granted."
"Second wish: I want to be one of the most handsome men in the world. Not just good-looking. I want women to pause when I enter a room."
"Also granted. Enjoy your new life."
Before I could ask where that life would be, everything went white.
When I came to, I was standing in a giant beach house. The sun was way too bright. There was a cheap suitcase in my hand. A woman was arguing with a sad-looking man next to me.
"You're not dumping him on your brother again, Alan! Grow up!"
Judith.
Alan.
And... me?
I looked down. My arms were short. My hands were pudgy. My voice—when I accidentally mumbled, "What the hell?"—was high-pitched and whiny.
I'd been dropped into the body of Jake Harper.
Only this Jake Harper had a brain firing at 200 IQ and facial structure that could give Brad Pitt in Troy a run for his money.
I wasn't just Jake Harper. I was the upgraded version.