The Fan Favorite Vodka's Retirement Plan

Vodka had known for a long time that the world he lived in was actually a manga.

And he was just a minor underling who drove for a small-time boss working under the villainous Big Boss.

All he had to do was follow the script until the story wrapped, then retire in style.

That wasn't easy.

Because characters like him usually died when the story wrapped. Retirement was completely out of the question.

Fortunately, he had an all-purpose System.

Vodka used the System to give himself an utterly ordinary, big, burly appearance with no visible eyes, then paired it with a stupid and nasty persona.

Perfect. He was the very picture of a background character.

Now all he had to do was wait for the story to wrap, switch back to his original appearance, and enjoy a cozy retirement with his wife and kids.

But one day, the all-purpose System suddenly said:

Hello, valued user. Your trial period has ended. All functions will cease when the countdown ends. If you're satisfied, please leave a five-star review. To continue using the service, please renew with the official version.

Vodka: ???

Renewing the official version required points, and points could only be earned by getting involved in the main storyline.

At the time, he'd just gotten on a thrilling roller coaster with Big Brother, and his disguise was due to expire in fifteen minutes.

He hadn't even seen the face of the legendary protagonist, the "Shinigami Elementary Schooler."

Vodka: You might not believe this, but I nearly got written out before the main story even began. (smokes)

Theme: Love what you do, whatever your job