6
“Get lost.”
6
Wed, Dec
“Get lost.”
98%1
Q A
The voice was low and familiar, carrying an edge that sent a chill through the air.
I looked up, startled. The crowd that had just been circling me was now scattered, split neatly into two groups on either side of the hallway.
The division couldn’t have been more striking: one half was a frozen wasteland, the floor
and walls coated in a thick layer of ice. The other half was shrouded in swirling black smoke, dark and suffocating.
The sheer power radiating from it was terrifying.
“See, Ms. Handsome? Didn’t I tell you? Coco can protect you now!”
Coco peeked out from behind me, flashing me an innocent smile as if she hadn’t just scared the living daylights out of everyone in the hallway. Her small hands glowed faintly with an eerie blue light pulsing like a heartbeat.
“This is your idea of protection?”
A sharp, sarcastic voice came from behind me.
“If I’d shown up even a second later, that iron rod would’ve smashed down on her.”
Coco frowned, crossing her arms with a huff. “Who asked you to stick your nose in? I didn’t need your help.”
Then she turned to me, her cheeky grin returning. “I just wanted to enjoy being protected
by Ms. Handsome for a little longer! You’re so annoying, Michael!”
Michael.
I whipped around, my heart skipping a beat.
There he was, tall and imposing, dressed in sleek black from head to toe. His arms were crossed over his chest, his sharp features set in a look of mild disdain. A faint smirk played
<
匝
98%1
Q fo
at the corner of his lips, but his dark eyes gleamed with something dangerous.
“It’s really you!” I blurted out, relief flooding through me. “Michael! Thank you for saving me!”
He scoffed, tilting his head slightly. “Oh, so you do remember me. How touching.”
His voice was cold, but there was something teasing about the way he looked at me as if he wasn’t sure whether to be annoyed or amused.
“You’re the one who disappeared for ages,” he continued, his tone sharper now. “And before you left, you made sure to hand out gifts to everyone. Everyone except me.”
“Guess’I wasn’t worth the effort, huh?”
His words stung, but I could tell he wasn’t really angry. This was Michael, after all–he always had a way of making everything sound like both a joke and an accusation at the
same time.
Still, I wasn’t about to let him hold this over me.
“That’s not true!” I protested, stepping closer. “I did prepare something for you! It’s just…. something happened before I could give it to you.”
“Don’t be mad,” I added quickly, trying to smooth things over. “I swear, I made it myself–a set of clothes, actually!”
His expression shifted instantly. The smirk faded, and his eyes widened ever so slightly. A faint blush crept up his ears, though he tried to play it off by clearing his throat.
“You made it yourself?” he asked, his voice unusually soft.
“Yeah!” I said, nodding eagerly. “I made it just for you! I know what it means to give someone handmade clothes–it’s a way of saying they’re really important to you, right?”
“You’re important to me, Michael.”
The blush deepened, spreading from his ears to his neck. For a moment, he looked almost vulnerable, his usual confidence slipping.
Wed, Dec
But then I kept talking.
“And so is Coco! And Hebo! And everyone else! You’re all so important to me!”
The warmth in his expression vanished instantly.
“Idiot.“”
98
Q A
I pouted, crossing my arms. “Why are you always calling me names?”
Behind me, I could hear Coco struggling to hold back her laughter, but she wasn’t doing a very good job of it.
Michael’s gaze flicked to her, sharp as a knife. “What’s so funny? Have you finished the assignments I gave you? Or are you just running around causing trouble again?”
Coco’s smug grin disappeared instantly. She shrank back behind me, her head hanging. like a scolded puppy.
I stepped in front of her, ready to defend her, but Michael didn’t give me the chance to
speak.
“And you,” he snapped, his attention back on me now. His eyes narrowed as he gestured toward me. “What’s with the outfit? A grown man, prancing around in women’s clothes. Do
you
have any
idea how hard you made it for me to find you?”
He frowned, his annoyance palpable. “You know I don’t care that you’re a man, right?”
His words caught me off guard, but his expression suddenly shifted again. His eyes darkened, a dangerous edge creeping into his voice.
“Or…” he began slowly, his tone turning icy, “are you dressed like this for someone else? Who is it? Daniel? Or that pale little performer from the Flower District?”
As he spoke, his hand drifted to the hilt of his sword, his fingers resting on it lightly but purposefully.
I swallowed hard. There was no doubt in my mind–if I gave him a name, he’d march
21:04 Wed, Dec 11
≥98%世
Q A
straight to their door and start swinging.
“N–no!” I stammered, forcing an awkward laugh. “There’s no one else! I swear! Have you ever considered… I might actually be a woman?”
Michael froze, blinking at me in confusion.
“You’re a… what?” he asked, his face a mixture of shock and disbelief.
“You’re a woman?”
His voice grew louder as he started piecing things together.
“Wait a second. You mean to tell me… all those times you bathed with me? And all those late–night conversations, sitting together for hours?”
7
He stared at me, utterly dumbfounded. His hand trembled slightly as he pointed in my direction, his lips moving without managing to form a single word.
I froze, suddenly feeling a little guilty. I mean, okay, sure–I might’ve gotten a little too curious back then. But seriously, who wouldn’t? Eight–pack abs? A martial arts prodigy? Not to mention the whole “descended from a legendary family” thing? You can’t just dangle all that in front of someone and expect them not to wonder.
Besides, I worked really hard to raise his favorability points in the game. It wasn’t like I could let all that effort go to waste. Thinking back on it now, I couldn’t help but smirk. Totally worth it.
“You… you-!” he blurted, finally managing to speak.
“Yes, me!” I said, blinking at him, feigning innocence.
He pointed at himself next as if trying to connect the dots. A long, heavy silence followed before he let out a deep sigh, the kind that said, I give up.
“Fine,” he muttered, as though he’d come to some life–altering conclusion. “I’ll take responsibility for this.”
21:04 Wed, Dec 11
CH
…What?” My stomach twisted in confusion.
He mumbled something after that, but his voice was so lowes
word.
“Take responsibility for what?” I asked, leaning in closer.
I couldn’t make out a single
His head snapped up, his face red with embarrassment. “Why are you asking so many questions?”
I blinked at him, confused, but before I could press further, he sighed again and waved
his hand dismissively. “Whatever. If you’re a woman, so be it. At least that’ll save me some trouble. That said…” His expression darkened slightly. “I’ll need to revise my plans.”
“What plans?” I asked, tilting my head.
He looked away, his voice a little quieter now. “Marriage plans.”
“Wait–what?” I gasped.
“You heard me!” he said, frowning as if I were the unreasonable one.
I stared at him, completely lost. “You’re planning to get married? To who? You never said
anything about having feelings for someone.”
At this, his expression shifted to something between shock and betrayal. He stared at me like I’d just kicked a puppy.
“What do you mean by that?” he demanded. “Are you saying you don’t want to marry
me?”
…What?” My brain screeched to a halt.
“You’ve shared a bed with me,” he continued, his voice raising a notch. “We’ve bathed together! And now you’re telling me you’d rather marry someone else? Who else could it possibly be?”
His words hit me like a lightning bolt. Shared a bed? Bathed together? Oh, no. He wasn’t talking about me. He was talking about my game character.
Wed, Dec 11
98%
“I mean–wait, hold on a second!”
Before I could explain, Coco popped her head out from behind me, her face bright with mischief.
“If bathing together means you have to get married, and then I can marry Ms. Handsome too!” she chirped, clapping her hands.
“What?”
Coco grinned, her eyes sparkling. “Yep! I’m marrying Ms. Handsome! That way, we’ll always be together!”
Michael’s face was darkened by several shades.
Without a word, he grabbed Coco and yanked her away from me. His jaw was tense, his eyes narrowing as he glared at me.
“Answer me,” he growled. “Exactly how many people have
you bathed with?”
I froze, my mouth opening and closing like a fish. Uh… wow, that’s… not an easy question
to answer.
Thinking fast, I took a step forward and grabbed both of their hands, squeezing tightly before Michael could press the issue.
“Let’s not get distracted, okay?” I said quickly. “I have more important questions. How did you two even get here? And where have you been staying?”
The moment I asked, their expressions shifted. Michael’s jaw tightened, and Coco’s usual cheer disappeared entirely. She even shot him a glare, clearly upset about something.
But neither of them answered. Instead, they both tightened their grip on my hands–so
much so that it actually started to hurt.
“Let’s go home,” Michael said firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument.
“Home?” I echoed, confused. “What do you mean, home? What are you even talking
<
about?”
회로 98%
Q A
Before I could get another word out, Michael stomped his foot lightly.
The world around me spun. My stomach flipped, my vision blurred, and by the time the dizziness cleared, I found myself standing in a place that felt both familiar and strange.
“This… is my house?” I murmured, looking around in shock.
No, not my house exactly–but the house from the game. My house. The one I’d spent hours customizing, down to the color of the roof tiles and the placement of the furniture.
It was perfect. An exact replica in every way.
The furniture, the garden, even the crops in the yard–they were all exactly the same as they were before the game shut down. Not just the layout but the tiny details. The height of the plants. The angle of each chair.
“How did you–this is insane!” I said, turning to Michael in awe.
He tilted his chin up slightly, clearly pleased with himself. “It wasn’t that hard.”
Then, with a softer tone, he added, “If you want, you can live here. For as long as you like.”
I blinked, caught completely off guard.
“You always complained about how cramped your dorm was,” he continued. “I figured it must be miserable, living in a shoebox like that. So, now you can stay here instead.”
My chest tightened, a strange ache spreading through me.
They’d been listening to me all this time. Not just hearing, but remembering. And not only that–they’d gone out of their way to solve the problem.
always told myself they were my friends, but sometimes I wondered if I was just being delusional, pouring so much affection into a world that wasn’t real.
But here, at this moment, I knew for sure: the love I gave them wasn’t one–sided.
21:04 Wed, Dec 11
6:98%
Q
fo
Tears welled in my eyes before I could stop them, spilling down my cheeks.
Michael froze, panic flashing across his face. “Why are you crying? You always do this- crying alone over stupid things. Stop it already!”
“Is it the house?” he asked, his voice rising in alarm. “If you don’t like it, just say so! I’ll
change whatever you want!”
His frantic attempts to calm me down only made me cry harder.
I’d never realized how overwhelming it could feel to be loved like this.
Clearly at a loss, Michael clapped his hands together. “Hey! Look over there! Just stop crying, okay? Look!”
I followed his finger, wiping my eyes as I turned.
In the distance, I saw Richard waving at me, a grin on his face.
“Hey, over here!” he called. “Come get some candy, it’s all yours!”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Trust Richard to show up at the weirdest moment, looking like
nothing had changed.
I walked toward him, still sniffling, and took the candy he offered. It was sweet, melting on my tongue, but my attention was drawn elsewhere.
Something on the hem of his shirt caught my eye–a dark patch of red tinged with black.
It wasn’t just a stain.
It looked like blood. Old blood. Seeping out from within.
