CHOCOLATE

You’re sitting in a small conference room within a massive music label. The atmosphere inside the room feels unnecessarily chilly, thanks to the ceiling-mounted air conditioner right above your head. But your heart is burning with excitement because you’ve been granted the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend [[''a one-on-one fan meeting with Irene''|SCENE1.1]], the world-famous and stunningly beautiful singer.

Anya laughed softly, nodding slightly at you before offering a brief explanation. “Sweetie, you have to understand that most of the snacks and treats you all like to give her are loaded with sugar. And you wouldn’t like Irene as a chubby girl, right? That wouldn’t be the Irene you love. Plus, it’s also a matter of safety. Who knows, someone with bad intentions might sneak poison into a piece of candy. But don’t worry, we have a nutritionist taking care of Irene’s diet.” Hearing this, you realized there was no room for argument. [[You nodded and agreed obediently. |SCENE2.1]]

Anya smiled in satisfaction. “I really like fans who understand things easily like this. No excessive arguing or trying to break the rules. That’s good. Trust me, it doesn’t do anyone any good.” With that, you parted ways. The private fan meeting was scheduled for two weeks from now, [[and you could hardly wait. |SCENE2.1]]

Tomorrow marks the day you’ll get to spend a full hour alone with Irene. You’ve pulled every piece of clothing out of your closet, trying them on in front of the mirror to make sure you’ll look your absolute best when standing before her. At the same time, you’re debating which item to bring for Irene to autograph. [[A phone case|SCENE2.2]] [[The book Irene once mentioned as her favorite|SCENE2.2]] [[A graphic T-shirt featuring Irene’s image|SCENE2.2]] [[Her CD album |SCENE2.2]]

You place the chosen item into your bag and turn back to the mirror, continuing to try on outfits for your meeting with Irene. Meanwhile, you play a video of a popular talk show where Irene appeared as a guest. In the interview, she tells the host that ever since she was a child, she’s loved chocolate. Any treat with a chocolate flavor is something she adores. Your hands freeze mid-action, fingers on the buttons of your shirt. You pause and listen closely again as Irene shares her love for chocolate with the host. And then, you make a decision… [[You will follow the rule|SCENE3.1]] [[You will break the rule|SCENE3.2]]

Irene already has a nutritionist, and you’re confident that they ensure she only eats the best, including her favorite chocolate. But honestly… if you, as her devoted fan, made a small chocolate treat for her, wouldn’t that be adorable? Just a tiny piece because after all, you wouldn’t want Irene to change into someone chubby either. You quickly head out to buy ingredients for chocolate, making and return to craft a small, sweet treat for your favorite artist. When it’s time to choose a mold for the chocolate’s shape, you decide on… [[A heart-shaped mold|SCENE4]] [[A star-shaped mold|SCENE4]] [[A flower-shaped mold|SCENE4]]

That people probably only let her eat vegetables and boring health foods. She’s probably been deprived of chocolate for ages! A small piece of her favorite treat might lift her spirits. Just one tiny piece, that’s enough. You wouldn’t want Irene to turn into someone chubby, after all. You quickly head out to buy ingredients for chocolate, making and return to craft a small, sweet treat for your favorite artist. When it’s time to choose a mold for the chocolate’s shape, you decide on… [[A heart-shaped mold|SCENE4]] [[A star-shaped mold|SCENE4]] [[A flower-shaped mold|SCENE4]]

You carefully wrap the small piece of chocolate in foil. Now you need to find a hiding spot, somewhere other than the bag you’ll be bringing with you. You decide to hide it by… [[Taping it securely to your thigh|SCENE5]] [[Tucking it into your bra|SCENE5]]

The next day, you arrive at Irene’s penthouse. It’s stunning and grand, decorated in Nordic style. Before entering the living room on the ground floor, you must pass a security checkpoint where your belongings will be inspected. You hand over the small bag you brought, trying to stay calm and flashing a polite smile at the security team, all of whom are watching you with suspicious eyes. You remind yourself to stay composed, it’s just a routine bag check. But then, one of the male security guards steps forward and asks you to spread your arms. He needs to perform a body search. You freeze momentarily but quickly mask your nervousness, and… [[Showing signs of unease|SCENE5.1]] [[Showing signs of willingness|SCENE5.2]]

You feign reluctance, explaining that it’s because the security officer is a man and you’d rather not have him touch you. However, you are also fearing that the staff might notice something suspicious, so you boldly invite them to go ahead if they insist, claiming you have nothing to hide. Anya, who had been watching nearby, smiles and shrugs. “Alright, alright. I’ve seen you as a loyal fan for years, and you’ve never caused us any trouble. Let her through. And return her bag too.” [[You get your bag back and follow Anya inside|SCENE6]]

It’s just a small piece of chocolate, surely they wouldn’t notice it during a pat-down. Besides, to prove your innocence, complying is the safest choice. If you resist, they might send you back and ban you from getting anywhere near Irene again. But before you even have the chance to spread your arms, Anya, who has been observing nearby, speaks up. “Alright, alright. I’ve seen you as a loyal fan for years, and you’ve never caused us any trouble. Let her through. And return her bag too.” [[You get your bag back and follow Anya inside|SCENE6]]

You follow Anya into a grand living room equipped with a massive home theater system. The room is so spacious as it could easily be the size of your entire ground floor at home. Yet, the splendor and luxury of the space pale in comparison to the slender figure of the woman sitting cross-legged with wide eyes. Her bright smile radiates warmth and beauty, captivating you the moment you step into the room with Anya. Anya wishes you and Irene a wonderful time together, reminding you that she’ll return in an hour. She then steps out, closing the door behind you. You feel a slight tremble as you watch Irene walk toward you, smiling. The soft, sweet scent of her perfume enhances her delicate aura, making your heart race and your lips press together unconsciously. “Hello. I’m so happy to meet you.” Her voice is as melodious as you imagined, no wonder her singing is so enchanting. “We have one hour together. What would you like to do?” [[Sing karaoke|SCENE6.1]] [[Chitchat|SCENE6.2]] [[Play video games|SCENE6.3]]

There’s nothing better than singing a duet with your favorite artist. Even though your voice is raspy and annoying, but Irene, ever the caring singer for her fans, so she just bursts into laughter but ultimately says... “Sure, let’s sing until we lose our voices!” You pick Irene's songs from her debut single to the latest tracks in her album. What starts as karaoke quickly turns into an enthusiastic shouting match, more about having fun than nailing the notes. Also Irene herself doesn’t aim for perfection too, she choosing instead to keep things casual and encouraging you to join her without worrying about missing a note or failing to hit the high notes. [[Right now, everything feels absolutely perfect.|SCENE7]]

You didn’t want anything thrilling or exciting. Just sitting and chatting with your favorite artist was more than enough. Irene’s expression shifted slightly, she raised one eyebrow and gave a faint smile at the corner of her lips, making you worry she might feel awkward. So you quickly assured her that it was okay if she wasn’t comfortable with it. But Irene shook her head. “Of course! What do you want to talk about?” We ended up talking about all sorts of things, her childhood memories, her days as a trainee, her creative process behind writing her latest album. Although Irene occasionally prompted you to share your own stories, but you’d always steer the conversation back to her. You wanted to listen, to hear everything just from her. Even when she talked about the most trivial things, it still felt fascinating. Just the sound of her voice and the way she shared her stories made every word captivating. [[Right now, everything feels absolutely perfect.|SCENE7]]

Because you noticed a PlayStation console sitting in front of the massive smart TV, along with several boxes of famous games neatly arranged nearby. You were genuinely surprised, who would’ve thought Irene liked gaming? Irene just raised her eyebrow slightly, then invited you to pick a game to play together. “What kind of games do you like?” We agreed on a Hack and Slash game centered on Japanese samurai warfare, as Irene mentioned that it had a co-op mode where two players could fight on the same side. Irene’s favorite character was a fierce looking samurai wielding a flaming katana, while you chose to play as a ninja with superhuman agility. We played in perfect sync, taking down waves of enemy troops together and winning three matches in a row. It was exhilarating and unexpectedly fun. [[Right now, everything feels absolutely perfect.|SCENE7]]

You had ten minutes left before saying goodbye. Irene was signing a memento for you when your eyes wandered to the massive photograph of her on the wall, stretching from floor to ceiling. You immediately recognized it as a photo from a prestigious national awards ceremony where Irene had won Best Female Artist of the Year. “Everyone says I look amazing in that photo, but oddly enough, several people on my team told me I looked fat.” Irene said. You immediately snapped your head around to look at her. She was standing nearby, arms crossed, smiling. But it was different this time, it carried a hint of pain and bitterness. Without thinking, you rushed over and took her hand in yours, saying: [["Don’t listen to them. You already look amazing just as you are."|SCENE7.1]] [["They probably mean well, but they didn’t phrase it the right way."|SCENE7.2]]

Irene responded with a faint laugh, but the sadness lingering in her eyes remained. You wanted to comfort her further, but she gently moved her wrist to free her hand from yours, cutting you off with a simple “Thank you.” You are feeling that you’d made the right decision to break the rule, you knew it was time to return a small piece of happiness to Irene. [[“I have something for you.”|SCENE8]]

You realized that your words might not have been the most comforting, but what you truly wanted to convey was your belief that all the staff around Irene meant well, even if their ways of expressing it weren’t always appropriate. Irene tilted her head slightly, letting out a soft laugh while nodding. “Probably...” She subtly moved her wrist, a gentle hint for you to release your grasp. You quickly became aware that you had gotten too close, but at the same time, you still felt you had made the right choice in breaking the rule. Now was the time to bring a small moment of joy to Irene. [[“I have something for you.”|SCENE8]]

“What is it?” Irene asked, her curiosity evident. You stepped back slightly, turned away from her, and retrieved the chocolate from its hiding place. Then, turning back around, you held it out to her. ''“I made this chocolate for you. I remember you said in an interview that you love it.”'' Irene froze in place, her expression stiffening. She didn’t respond but instead widened her eyes, taking a step back. At the edge of your vision, you noticed her legs slowly retreating. Frowning, so you took a step closer to her. “I know the staff told us not to give you any food, but I made this just for you. Look, it’s so cute!” You started to unwrap the foil from the small chocolate piece, its sweet aroma wafting up, making you smile unconsciously. But then, a guttural growl, inhuman and terrifying made you snap your head up. You saw Irene standing in the corner of the room, her back hunched unnaturally. Her body trembled violently, as though she were having a seizure. Strange, guttural noises mixed with wailing escaped her lips in an unrelenting second. [[You rush over to see what’s wrong with Irene|SCENE8.1]] [[Stay frozen in place, paralyzed by shock|SCENE8.2]]

You quickly ran to Irene, placing a hand on her trembling back and asking what was wrong. She jerked violently, swinging her arm to push you away with startling force. Her eyes, now bloodshot and wide with a manic intensity, locked onto you. Her pupils contracted rapidly until they were mere pinpoints against the whites of her eyes, which had turned a deep, unsettling pink. Veins bulged prominently across her temples and forehead. She bared her teeth, grinding them so hard, making you could hear the grating sound, and then shockingly her teeth began to grow. They extended, sharpening into long, and still grew longer and more grotesque with every passing second. “You’ve just dug your own grave, you stupid fool.” she hissed. [[You found yourself frozen|SCENE9]]

You stood frozen in place, your legs beginning to tremble as fear rapidly consumed you. Your breathing grew shallow and frantic as the weight of your mistake. Irene’s back trembled violently, and as she slowly turned to face you, the horror escalated. Her eyes, now bloodshot and wide with a manic intensity, locked onto you. Her pupils contracted rapidly until they were mere pinpoints against the whites of her eyes, which had turned a deep, unsettling pink. Veins bulged prominently across her temples and forehead. She bared her teeth, grinding them so hard, making you could hear the grating sound, and then shockingly her teeth began to grow. They extended, sharpening into long and still grew longer and more grotesque with every passing second. “You’ve just dug your own grave, you stupid fool.” she hissed. Without hesitation, you blurted out, [["I'm sorry."|SCENE9]]

And in the next split second, what you saw was a hand that had grown monstrously large, with thick, razor-sharp claws swiping toward you. You instinctively stepped back and twisted your body to dodge, but you hadn’t realized that Irene’s entire form had also grown larger. So one of those claws ripped through the fabric of your sleeve, slashing into the flesh of your arm. The cut ran deep, piercing through layers of skin, leaving you screaming in pain. You knew immediately that you had to get out of the room now. Your trembling legs moved with surprising speed toward the door. You threw the door open and launched yourself into the hallway as fast as you could. “''Yes, I do love chocolate.''” came a voice behind you. Sweet and familiar, but now distorted into something unrecognizable. At the same time, the stinging pain in your wounded left arm forced you to let out a sharp hiss. “But those disgusting fools haven’t let me have any for so long. They make me starve… starve even more.” Her bitter words, dripping with rage, echoed in your ears, though you desperately tried not to listen. The growling undertones in her voice were terrifying. You sprinted through the hallway, reaching the living room, only to find two possible turns ahead. You stopped for a moment, realizing that since this was your first visit, so you had no idea which way led back to the front door. [[Turn left|SCENE9.1]] [[Turn right|SCENE9.2]]

You decided to turn left, but with every step forward, the surroundings grew increasingly unfamiliar. You quickly realized you had taken the wrong turn. Just then, out of the corner of your eye, you spotted a kitchen to your right. There had to be knives or something sharp inside, anything you could use as a weapon to defend yourself. '' “But the more I starve, the more you love me. You all say I’m more perfect every day. That’s why I’ve become like this” '' Irene’s voice rang out, her anguish spilling out with every word. The length of her rant allowed you to gauge her proximity from the sound of her voice, she was getting closer. [[You had to find a weapon now.|SCENE9.3]]

You decided to turn right, and with every step forward, small, familiar details began to catch your eye. Vases, Pictures on the walls, it all resembled the path Anya had taken when she led you inside. You were heading the right way. ''“But the more I starve, the more you love me!"'' You screamed out loud from Irene moving unnaturally fast, crawled along the ceiling above you and leapt down to block your path. Her eyes glared fiercely. Her unnaturally long, dark pink tongue lolled out of her mouth, glistening with saliva that dripped onto the floor. ''"You all say I’m more perfect every day. That’s why I’ve become like this” '' You couldn’t move forward anymore. You turned and ran back down the hallway, blindly picking another direction, desperate to escape. That’s when you stumbled into the kitchen. Surely, there had to be knives… [[something sharp you could use to defend yourself.|SCENE9.3]]

“Help!” You screamed as loud as you could, hoping someone might hear you. But not even a second after the sound left your throat, Irene roared, drowning out your cries completely. “Dream on. I soundproofed this house. No one’s going to hear you.” You broke down, sobbing uncontrollably in terror. The sight of your once beloved idol, now a horrifying monster, only heightened your fear, forcing you to shut your eyes tightly as tears streamed down your face. “I’m in so much pain… I never wanted to be like this.” Irene’s voice softened slightly, laced with sorrow. Her words gave you a sliver of hope, a chance to try. You didn’t want to die. You didn’t want to endure pain worse than the wound on your left arm. Slowly, you opened your tear-streaked and sweat-drenched eyes again. [[You beg her|SCENE10.1]] [[You threaten her|SCENE10.2]]

“I’m sorry, please don’t hurt me.” You desperately wanted to say something more original, something that might truly convince her to spare your life, but your mind had gone completely blank. You repeated again and again that you wouldn’t tell anyone about what happened today. But Irene just smiled, a wide, unnervingly broad smile that exposed all of her sharp and jagged teeth. At first, you thought she was about to say something, but she didn’t. Instead, her smile stretched wider and wider as she leaned closer to you. You screamed, wanting to escape, but there was nowhere left to go. In an instant, those razor-sharp teeth sank deep into your skull with crushing force. The agonized screams intertwined with the sickening sound of the skull shattering, resembling the noise of a bursting ball. [[END CREDIT]]

“If you hurt me or if I go missing, my parents will come looking for me, and that won’t end well for you.” It might sound bold, but you felt that begging out of fear wouldn’t help Irene regain her senses or awareness. But Irene just smiled, a wide, unnervingly broad smile that exposed all of her sharp and jagged teeth. At first, you thought she was about to say something, but she didn’t. Instead, her smile stretched wider and wider as she leaned closer to you. You screamed, wanting to escape, but there was nowhere left to go. In an instant, those razor-sharp teeth sank deep into your skull with crushing force. The agonized screams intertwined with the sickening sound of the skull shattering, resembling the noise of a bursting ball. [[END CREDIT]]

Irene devoured the young girl’s body ravenously. Her clawed hands scooped up piles of flesh before her, making it easier and quicker for her to consume every last piece, leaving not even a single bone behind. Amid the nauseating stench of human remains and pools of blood, large teardrops slowly began to stream down from her eyes. The lone figure left alive in this place trembled once more, but this time, the trembling came from an emotion other than uncontrollable frenzy. Anya wrinkled her nose and furrowed her brows the moment she stepped back into the house. The stench of blood hanging thick in the air made her [[shake her head|END CREDIT2]] instantly.

“Chocolate.” “She really had a death wish.” Anya muttered. Irene just simply lowered her head again, letting Anya’s string of curses linger in the air for a few moments longer. “Never mind, I’ll call the team to clean this up. Go take a shower and get dressed. We’re due on a radio show in two hours…” “Anya, I can’t go on like this anymore. I want to get better… You have to help me.” Irene pleaded, her trembling voice filled with desperation. She remained seated on the floor, hugging herself tightly. However, for Anya, the most important thing right now was getting her artist to the radio station on time. While scrolling through the phone, searching for someone’s number, she glanced at Irene with a blank stare. “We’ll deal with it after the show. Go take care of yourself. I’ve got to call the company to sort out hush money for that kid’s parents.”

She wandered aimlessly through the downstairs hallway, calmly following the metallic scent of blood drifting from deeper inside, until she came across her artist in the kitchen. Irene had calmed down again, bloodstains and human remains were scattered across the floor. "I can’t go soft on anyone, can I?” Anya rolled her eyes, her face showing nothing but boredom. She spun around, taking in the state of the kitchen, before turning back to Irene. “What did that brat sneak in?” [[Say nothing|END CREDIT1.1]] [[Chocolate|END CREDIT1.2]]

But there was nothing. The kitchen was completely empty. Not a single utensil, plate, bowl, or even a fork was in sight. It was a barren room with only a refrigerator. You had nowhere else to go. Trembling, you crouched down behind the kitchen island, tears streaming down your face. The heavy sound of footsteps drew nearer and nearer. And then, Irene appeared, crouching down in front of you. [[There was no escape now.|SCENE10]]

“Never mind, I’ll call the team to clean this up. Go take a shower and get dressed. We’re due on a radio show in two hours…” “Anya, I can’t go on like this anymore. I want to get better… You have to help me.” Irene pleaded, her trembling voice filled with desperation. She remained seated on the floor, hugging herself tightly. However, for Anya, the most important thing right now was getting her artist to the radio station on time. While scrolling through the phone, searching for someone’s number, she glanced at Irene with a blank stare. “We’ll deal with it after the show. Go take care of yourself. I’ve got to call the company to sort out hush money for that kid’s parents.”

You shift restlessly in your seat for a while. Before long, a woman you don’t know walks into the room. She gives you a faint smile before sitting down in the chair next to you. “My name is Anya. I’m the staff member from the label in charge of organizing this fan meeting. Congratulations again on this special opportunity you’ve received.” “Thank you.” You manage to say nothing more than a simple word because your excitement has left you speechless. Anya starts explaining the details of this private fan meeting. You listen to her absentmindedly, letting her words go in one ear and out the other, as she had already sent you a file containing all the details she’s now reiterating. “You can bring one item for Irene to autograph. And the last rule, which I need you to remember carefully: ''no food or snacks of any kind are allowed.'' Irene does not accept any type of food gifts from fans under any circumstances. Got it?” [[You furrow your brows at her slightly]] [[You nod firmly]]