The interactive feature went live—zero votes.82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaBlA05Nxw5
Crew scrambled into emergency review meeting.82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4wNJ2LICJa
The boss proposed casting a vote as self-rescue,82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOpCDbl4oV1
successfully stepping back into the audience.
82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKRRvHMo39s
The meeting room lights were stark white.82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr7laiTHWOC
Cold-toned light reflected off the ceiling,82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmurQzlYwo5
yet never reached the hearts of those seated inside.
The director was seated at the long table,82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4xRlRTXki7
holding the freshly printed reports in his hands.82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXLuAp3JJko
He flipped through them in silence for a moment,82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPoOkrxEqKQ
then, only then, slowly lifted his gaze.
“Today is already the day after the interactive mode went live.”
“Nearly a day and a half has passed…”
“We haven’t received a single audience vote.”
The air stilled for a moment.
“Although the interaction was designed from the outset82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJZ9F9yaWhF
to enhance immersion and not to require voting—”
“since it was also meant to give the audience a low-barrier way82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuhpX7kejxd
to take part in the creation,82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHn51H8izlj
we still need to talk about this phenomenon.”
As he finished speaking, the manager opened a laptop82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeq3LWvMaXQ
and added calmly,
“I’ve already gone back over the interaction flow with the tech team.”
"Across the platforms we’ve enabled,82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3PYguhHngK
the form links on Penana and Vocus are set in blue,82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcOfyurWrtC
in line with the common visual expectation for hyperlinks."
He pulled it up on the screen and displayed it for everyone to see.
“But on CxC, the text is displayed in gray.82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS8fvfCam0J
The system doesn’t support color changes.”
“For now, all we can do is emphasize it in bold.82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoshKsXFBHK
That limitation could be why some readers may have missed it.”
The art lead crossed her arms and tilted her head.
“So there’s nothing we can do on the technical side?”
“At the moment, that appears to be the case.”
The director let his gaze fall from the projection back to the table,82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD75vx0C8sL
a faint furrow forming between his brows.
“Then, looking at the content itself—82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYTg7YDt1zJ
did we set the timing of the vote in a way that was too hard to ease into?”
At that, the screenwriter adjusted his glasses82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrrMX4yi2Tw
and flipped open a draft of the script.
“In Episode Fifteen of The Hidden Moon and the Sea of Dawn,82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEnwkwWT5ge
Father Liu leads a rescue operation,82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg7LhHngeLx
and despite being gravely injured, the rabbit insists on coming along.”
“The sequence builds to its final moments,82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJCRPpXpr3J
where the enemy resorts to a do-or-die gambit,82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAMrjF9Ye6m
launching a covert strike against Liu Xiyu82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIdKuifCwE4
just before the rescue succeeds.”
“At the moment the rabbit senses something is wrong,82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoOJDm15AUH
the line appears in the story—‘Her heartbeat cuts out for a beat.’”
“That’s the trigger point we designed for the interactive option.”
He then shifted his tone,82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDAEeoe2M4m
and read the passage aloud in a lower voice:
82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxpAClPvpSe
“Xiyu! No—!”
“Uhh…”
The wind cuts like a blade.82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaqXH4Vi6ud
Her claws can barely hold,82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ87DkQexE3W
yet her eyes remain fixed on the raised cuff—
Option A: I can’t let her get hurt… I can do this… I’ll make it to her… I can…!82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgWKGtoeum2
Option B: My claws… really are almost out of strength… but if I don’t try… I’ll hate myself for the rest of my life.
82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUTl4KF2Pt9
After hearing the passage, the art lead gave a small nod.
“Shifting into the character’s perspective at the peak of emotional tension,82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnu174oedEJ
then using choices to push the story into branching paths of fate…”
“There’s nothing wrong with the story itself.”
The director swept his gaze around the room, his tone easing.
“It seems we had the script, the platform, and the timing all arranged in advance.
The audience may simply not be used to this kind of format yet.”
“But we never really discussed what to do82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWxIhxeJDvA
if no one votes at all.”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0h73sw7sGw
the boss, who had spent the entire meeting tucked into the corner,82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡubkXfhy0Ga
radiating low pressure and near-total invisibility—82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxWoEhityCa
suddenly looked up, as if a keyword had switched him on,82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXDXNYVjk7L
and sprang to his feet.
“Wait!”
He seized everyone’s attention,82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmBaMmKnNpE
his expression uncharacteristically serious.
“Listen to me, everyone!”
He took a deep breath first,82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxKGc3mltUe
as if carefully weighing his words,82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnkarPC4fYj
before speaking cautiously.
“What I mean is…”
“Is there any chance that…”
“—if no audience members vote,82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIj7M0mkt8o
does that mean I could… regain my voting eligibility?”
His words started coming faster,82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeyr5Ks9Qkv
his emotions rising with them.
“I wasn’t allowed to vote before, for the sake of fairness, right?82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn8xR6N5nrm
But—”
“If nobody’s voting,82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgsZ6LNKFp7
what fairness is there to protect?!”
He thumped his chest,82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoGAL3XGprJ
as if rediscovering the meaning of life.
“And to avoid spoilers,82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrzix9KroeK
I didn’t take part in the story design at all!82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7HVdGi0bI8
I have no idea what any of the choices actually lead to!”
“I am an audience member!82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIuNqk96C1y
You can’t take even this chance away from me!”
As he said this,82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3i7vKR5W8M
his voice began to waver,82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUZPMFbdSXy
a clear sheen of moisture gathering at the corners of his eyes.
The entire meeting room fell into silence.
The screenwriter was the first to agree.
“Actually… that does make sense.”
The art lead bit down on the end of her pen and muttered under her breath,
“True. At this point, the only person in the entire crew who doesn’t know what happens next82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3RuKmR2dcU
is the boss.”
The director propped his chin on one hand and looked toward the manager.
“We’ll need to check with the marketing team to see if this is feasible.”
“I’ll contact them right away.”
The manager lowered his head and sent a message.
The boss sat tensely,82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSwO9nqdVOr
his hands clasped and pressed tight to his forehead,82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNlVzph3TGd
as if waiting for a verdict to be read aloud.
Ten minutes later, the manager looked up.
“The marketing team said it was possible—but on one condition:82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZEn3LEax0
only if there are truly no audience votes82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxG2u6c0Oeq
may the boss cast a vote as a supplement.”
At this, the boss reacted as if he had hit the jackpot.82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvRgzLniH1o
He bolted toward the conference table in a single bound82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo8rjCa3HsG
and ran three full laps around it.
“I! CAN! VOTE! NOW!”
The director watched his back, a smile in his voice.
“Then tell me which option you want to vote for first.”
“If voting closes and there are still no audience votes,82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1WbRzLPleh
we’ll go with your choice.”
The boss made his decision without a second’s hesitation.
“B! I choose B!”
His voice trembled, emotion running high.
“Snff… A-Yue is hurt that badly—82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu5KxGlpZqy
how could it not hurt…?”
Emotion surging, he squatted back into the corner mid-rant,82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg2zch1Zj70
his face flushed, knees hugged to his chest,82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtIOFMkyLTF
plunging into his own CP-fueled imagination,82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe1zd9wTw1g
muttering the characters’ inner monologues to himself.
The others ignored his usual meltdown mode,82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqVADeeWJpm
lowering their heads to handle the next set of assignments,82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkFry2UxXVD
as if this interruption were just another part of the routine—
because to them,
it truly was.”
ns216.73.216.98da2
and then Add to home screen.