Cherreads

The Deal: Between Love and Favors

Zanne_Days
In debt and desperate to pay for his mother’s surgery, Salin accepts a risky proposal: to pretend to be the fiancé of Jun-ho, heir to a powerful mafia family. In exchange, his debt will be forgiven, but there’s a condition. Salin must help him with something no one else could: facing his trauma and lack of libido. ~~~ — You’re trembling… — Salin murmured against his lips. Jun-ho closed his eyes, trying not to pull away. — Keep going — he whispered, voice hoarse. — If I run again… I’ll never get better. — I shouldn’t… — I want to. ~~~ Mature content. This story deals with psychological trauma, involuntary substance use, attempted abuse, and themes related to organized crime, healing process, intense romance, and therapy. There are no explicit scenes or graphic language, but the content may be sensitive. Reader discretion is advised. New chapters from Tuesday to Friday. (usually every day)
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My SSS Rank System

***his life had never been worse, hopeless, miserable...and alone. until he heard the sound... That small sound, like the chiming of a bell, Ding! Yes, that's the one, the sound that changed his life.*** He had always been the weakest. Laughed at by the villagers. Scorned by the hunters. Ignored by the world. Born without magic in a land where even children could tame flames or speak to beasts, Kael was a mistake in everyone’s eyes. He couldn't lift a training sword, summon a familiar, or even sense mana. Not even a flicker. Not even a spark. Not until the day the world cracked open before him. That day, rain poured like the sky wept for him. He knelt beside his sister’s broken pendant, the last thing he had of her. Mud caked his fingers. Blood stained the ground. And then— That sound. So soft, so sudden, it cut through the storm. Ding! A chime. A bell, bright and delicate, like hope itself. > [Congratulations, Host. You have been selected by the SSS Rank System.] [Initialization begins…] His breath caught. His heart skipped. And the sky— The sky stopped crying. From that moment, Kael was no longer the weakest. He just hadn't awakened yet. ***The world of Aerthrial is steeped in mana, spirit beasts, and ancient legacies. Power is everything—measured in Ranks (F to SSS). Guilds protect the world, magic academies train the elite, and the strongest become Archons—those who command dragons, bend space, or rewrite fate. No one has ever possessed an SSS Rank System. Until now.*** **** Main Character: Name: Kael Ardyn Age: 15 (at start) Background: Orphan, magicless, often bullied. His sister died protecting him from a beast raid, and he carries her pendant. Core Trait: Empathetic and underestimated—kind but sharp, and he slowly gains tactical brilliance. Goal: Become strong enough to change the broken world that scorned the weak. System Core Mechanics: SSS Rank System: Grants Kael access to a unique tiered skill tree, beast contracts, evolution paths, and system quests. Has both active abilities (combat) and passive blessings (intuition, mana growth). As Kael emotionally evolves, the System itself evolves, gaining sentience over time. Also hides an ancient “Truth Protocol”—
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