And before he knew it, Wonyoung was holding Siyeon in his arms.
“Rae, hyung…….”
“It’s okay, Siyeon.”
“…….”
“No matter what you say, I’m not leaving.”
At those words, Siyeon’s face twisted with sorrow and despair. He gripped Wonyoung’s body as if trying to push him away, but the gesture also looked as if he was desperately clinging to Wonyoung.
“Hyung, don’t do this. I’m…… I’m just a bastard who only harms you.”
“Why. Why would you suddenly think that?”
Why?
After learning that reason, he spent an entire week drinking nothing but alcohol. It was to the point where he thought it might be better to just drown in liquor and die.
And yet this person, this foolish and stupid man…… came looking for him. Held him.
He didn’t want to say it. Couldn’t he just stay like this, just like this, held in this warmth? This was the first and last person of his life. Never again would anyone else give him affection like this.
Because his life was a gutter. Because in a gutter, there’s nothing but filthy waste and vermin.
‘The fact that I’m even thinking this means I’m already trash.’
If he truly cared for hyung, he wouldn’t have been able to think like this. Even kneeling and begging until death wouldn’t be enough. He knew.
That this was the last chance given to him.
“Hyung, I.”
“If you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to.”
At Wonyoung’s voice, Siyeon shook his head. But the hands holding him only grew more desperate. As if he wouldn’t let Wonyoung go.
He spat out each word, filled with pain.
“……I, ruined your life, hyung.”
“What are you talking about?”
“……It’s my father. The bastard who scammed your parents.”
“What?”
What did he say?
This was truly an unexpected development. Yes, thinking rationally, everyone had their secrets.
Baek Heegang had his mistake from high school, Kyung Taerim had the weakness of losing his sense of smell. So naturally, he had thought Siyeon would have something too. He had thought about it, but…….
“Hyung, I’m, sorry.”
Seeing Siyeon shed tears with a pitiful face, Wonyoung felt his heart breaking.
You fucking bastard game developer, you didn’t have anything else to give Siyeon so you gave him such a shitty setting? Wonyoung felt his blood boiling.
“I was investigating to help you pay off your debt, hyung, and I found out. That your father was also one of the victims created by that bastard who calls himself a father.”
“…….”
“Because of that, your parents only suffered and then died in an accident…… You inherited all that debt. Couldn’t even go to college, had to bounce around relatives’ houses…….”
“Siyeon, I don’t mind at all…….”
“You had to be alone. You had to do everything by yourself. You were still young too, hyung.”
At those words, Wonyoung’s breath caught. It’s not my story. I know that, but my heart lurched.
Because memories of the hardships of living as an orphan flashed by. Memories of always being alone.
His heart…… became strange.
“I’m sorry, hyung. I’m really sorry…….”
“You have nothing, to be sorry for.”
Wonyoung steadied his voice that had cracked before he knew it.
‘You have nothing to be sorry for.’ Wonyoung was about to say that, but then an unexpected notification window appeared before his eyes.
[This is truly shocking and horrifying. You feel betrayed by Siyeon. Your status changes to ‘Cold.’]
[Status: Cold! <（‵ㅡ′）>]
‘What? Don’t mess around. Can’t you see Ki Siyeon is hurt right now?’
But the game didn’t stop. It even brought up choices in succession.
[How long were you planning to hide it? Don’t tell me you were going to pretend not to know like this?]
[Yes, I’m sad too, but you’re right. We…… must have been ill-fated.]
‘Hey! I told you not to mess around!’
Wonyoung had no intention of blaming Siyeon at all. He swore he didn’t resent Siyeon even a speck. In the first place, he wasn’t Narae. The debt, the parents he’d never even seen…….
Rather, he wanted to comfort Siyeon. He wanted to tell him it was okay, that it wasn’t his fault. But why.
‘Is it because I’m not Narae?’
Because this is what Narae would have done? Because in the end I’m just a puppet?
As Wonyoung was feeling a quiet rage, the System appeared without being called.
“Player-nim. What will you do?”
What will I do? Are you kidding?
Wonyoung clenched both fists tightly. And…… took one deep breath.
Soon, contrary to expectation, a calm voice flowed from his mouth.
“I’ve been thinking about this for a while, but is this Narae person you created only worth this much?”
“…….”
“All these choices you present as Narae’s are petty and utterly stupid.”
It was like that with Ki Siyeon, and the same with Kyung Taerim. Only mentioning endings or route closures to hurt others.
It was the game itself that made him give too much affection, yet the game tried to force him to accept this was virtual. As if playing with him. As if trying to bring him unhappiness.
“Whining and being embarrassed are both fine. But these people are precious to Narae too, aren’t they? I can’t allow them to be hurt. Whether they’re game characters or scenarios given settings.”
The System was unresponsive. Like an object. And soon he asked in a mechanical voice.
“Then what would you like to do?”
“I told you before. That changing the game requires a price. I want to change these choices. Whatever price I have to pay.”
“…….”
The System was silent for a while. In the meantime, light flickered in the sphere as if calculating something. Before long, permission came from the System.
“Understood.”
“…….”
“If Player-nim feels Narae’s emotions fully and still feels inclined to forgive Ki Siyeon, we will accept that as a legitimate development.”
“That means…….”
“We’ll return Narae’s memories to you.”
With those final words, suddenly too much information poured into Wonyoung’s mind like a flood.
“Ugh……!”
With a splitting headache, Wonyoung clutched his head. Everything was flowing. All of Narae’s past.
* * *
“Please save them.”
Narae knelt down. The pitying gazes of people around converged on one spot.
“Please save my parents. Please. I’ll find the surgery costs somehow.”
He’d already used loan sharks for the first surgery. But they said a second surgery was needed. Both mother and father.
It was news of an accident like a bolt from the blue. Narae, who had been working a night shift job, ran to the hospital like crazy and saw his parents covered in blood.
They said it was a car accident. But whether it was really an ‘accident’ was unknown. His parents, who were only kind, probably didn’t want to be a burden to their son. They might have thought that taking the debt with their lives was the only thing they could do for their only remaining child.
But even if that was true, Narae couldn’t just let go. He had to save his parents. Somehow.
So he knelt like this. Even though he knew this wouldn’t solve anything, his foolish self only knew how to beg.
“I’ll somehow get the money. Really. If my parents don’t have this surgery, they’ll die……. H-here. This is all my assets. I’ll give you this first, and I’ll definitely bring the rest of the money.”
Narae was naive and stupid. To such a person, the world was always cruel.
This time too, there was no exception.
The doctor, who had been narrowing his brow as if making a difficult decision, said carefully.
“Then, we’ll operate on one person first. Which one would you like?”
“Excuse me?”
Narae asked blankly, unable to even straighten his knees that he’d bent.
Do what?
“Of course I know it’s never an easy decision, but it’s difficult to operate on both. We’re also taking a loss…….”
The doctor continued making excuses about his position and the hospital’s stance, but it didn’t reach Narae’s ears. He had to choose one between father and mother.
The father who was scammed. The mother who collapsed watching such a father.
Even so, the father who gave him crumpled money as allowance every day. The mother who woke up at dawn to pack lunch boxes lest her son go hungry.
“I…….”
Why, why did it come to this?
“I.”
Where did it go wrong? Ah, yes. The scam. From when we were scammed.
Lost all the money they had, debt piled up, interest accumulated…….
Father spent his days as a day laborer drinking, Mother worked at a restaurant groaning every night. And he…… gave up going to college and worked 20 hours out of 24.
This was the result.
“I…….”
Narae chose. As if selecting a choice in a game.
And he failed.
* * *
“Gasp……!”
When Wonyoung came to his senses, it was the pure white space where he first met the System.
Wonyoung was lying face down on the floor, coughing and gasping for breath.
Narae’s memories had returned. Even the most painful times, all of them.
Narae had chosen one person then, and the surgery went well but the prognosis was poor and he ended up losing even that person. The one who couldn’t receive surgery also passed away just the same.
Wonyoung saw all those scenes as Narae. From the point when he learned he’d been scammed, to working himself to the bone, being taken advantage of like a fool, and finally losing his parents.
Wonyoung touched his own cheek. His cheek was wet before he knew it. He didn’t know himself whether this was because Narae’s emotions had transferred, or if it was compassion toward Narae.
“Is this, a game? Is it really a game?”
“…….”
The System remained silent. Just calmly, this time waiting for Heo Wonyoung’s choice.
His body trembled, and sorrow still welled up. Not just Narae’s, but Wonyoung’s own emotions were also rising to the surface.
