[Main Story Poll] Chapter 3 Pt. 1: K's Apology

Hello! As promised, I'd like to discuss K's apology in their morning scene [Chapter 3 Pt. 1] and whether I should make certain changes to improve it.

Though this post is lengthy, I'd appreciate it if you could read it to the end and help me decide.

K's Apology Scene [Chapter 3 Pt. 1].

For someone like K, coming into the MC's office to apologize during work hours is a big deal.

However, what matters more is the MC's reaction to it, and January's work on the draft and the improvement of certain scenes made me realize that I wasn't entirely happy with how I handled this moment.

In an effort to improve it, I made a change to one of K's flirt options in their apology scene by removing the "I forgive you" part:

The reason for this change is that flirt options could overshadow the reader's desire to choose other options, so including "I forgive you" in those forced the reader to immediately release all tension, even if they might not have felt ready to do so.

This change improved the moment, but I still felt dissatisfied with the outcome.

After reflecting on why something felt off, I realized the core issue lay with the choice structure I provided for how to react to K's apology.

To clarify what I mean by choice structure, I created a table to show the current choice system and compare it with an alternative that could be more suitable for improving K's scene.

A Comparison of Approaches.

Option 1.

This is the standard choice structure I typically offer to the reader, so I don't need to make any changes.

The upside of this structure is that including the flirt option as part of the initial reaction to K's apology feels oddly fitting due to the complex dynamic between K and the MC [K tries to apologize, but the flirt option causes the MC's reaction to shift the tension into something else, which, in a way, undermines the purpose of the apology and leaves the situation unresolved].

The downside is that the flirt options might overshadow the reader's desire to choose any other option in order to create more tension.

Option 2.

This structure was first introduced in Morgan's scene [Chapter 2], where the reader is given a wider range of reactions before being presented with another opportunity to turn the tension into something more personal by choosing the flirt option after the initial reaction to Morgan's apology.

The upside of this structure is that the reader will have more options on how to react without feeling the need to select the flirt option, which can understandably overshadow other choices.

The downside is that it will require more time to implement and add content, but I'm more than willing to make this change if it feels more appealing.

This needs to be decided and done before I start outlining K's scene in Chapter 3 Pt. 2, because the MC's reaction will be important.

That's why I'd be grateful if you could vote for the option that resonates with you most or share your thoughts in the comments if you'd like.

Which option do you find most appealing?