During the third month of my cold war with the award-winning actress Evelyn Shaw, we were invited onto a variety show. The segment required us to call the person we loved most, live on air. Spitefully, she dialed her male assistant, Leo. The internet went wild with speculation. I, on the other hand, dialed an unknown number, a line that connected to my mother in another world. The internet responded with a tidal wave of ridicule. Evelyn scoffed, her voice dripping with disdain. "You're an orphan with no one to lean on. What mother? Are you so desperate to save face that you'd hire someone to impersonate her? How pathetic can you get?" I didn't answer. As Evelyn's mocking expression twisted into a cruel smile, I rushed to the window and leaped. The System had told me. All I had to do was die in this world. And I could finally go home to my mother. 1 "You're an orphan with no one to lean on. What mother? Are you so desperate to save face that you'd hire someone to impersonate her? How pathetic can you get?" [Host, as soon as your physical body in this world perishes, you can return home.] The two voices echoed in my mind simultaneously. I stared blankly ahead, lost for a moment. Evelyn, however, thought my gaze was fixed on her and let out another derisive snort. "What's wrong? Can't even find one person you love? What a pathetic existence." Her words triggered a wave of laughter from the studio audience. But I couldn't laugh. She was right. Since arriving in this world and accepting the mission to win her affection, my entire universe had revolved around her. To complete the mission as quickly as possible and return home to cure my mother, I hadn't bothered making any friends. In this strange, alien world, she was all I had. The tabloids had even dubbed me "the world's most stubborn limpet," a shadow that couldn't be shaken off. In the years when our love was at its peak, she loved making promises. "Adrian," she'd whisper, "in this world, I am your family. I will be with you for a lifetime. We'll never be apart." I believed her. Until the first time I walked in on her kissing Leo. She'd explained it away with impatience, her eyes, however, were fixed on Leo, dancing with amusement. "It was just a dare from a game. Can you stop being so paranoid? There's nothing going on between us. Don't be so disgusting." We had a massive fight. Then, three months ago, I walked in on them again, emerging from a bathroom together, clad only in bathrobes. I couldn't lie to myself anymore. This time, she didn't even bother with an explanation. Instead, she deliberately wrapped her arm around Leo. "Fight, fight, fight, that's all you ever do! Why can't you be more like Leo? Oh, right, I forgot. You have no parents, no one ever taught you any grace. I suppose it's only natural you have no manners." In that moment, I finally realized. This precarious relationship of ours was over. And this mission... I couldn't do it anymore. Fortunately, the System didn't force me to complete it. It readily agreed to cancel the mission, even offering me a supplemental reward as a gesture of goodwill, promising to uphold its original pledge to cure my mother. With that, my last hesitation vanished. Snapping back to the present, I lowered my gaze and bit my lip. The System's voice echoed in my mind once more. [Host, after the call, your mother asked me to tell you that she misses you very much.] A sour sting pricked my nose, and my eyes quickly reddened. Yes. I did have someone I loved. I had my mother. And I missed her so, so much. "I want... to go home," I murmured, my voice catching in my throat. Evelyn flinched, a flicker of pity in her eyes, but her words were still sharp. "Adrian, your acting skills are really getting better and better..." I pretended not to hear her. I stood up and walked toward the window. Amidst the panicked shouts of the crew and the crash of falling camera equipment, I didn't hesitate. I leaped. Evelyn, I don't want you anymore. These five years of love, I don't want them either. I just want to go home. 2 I awoke to the sharp, sterile scent of antiseptic. Before I could even rejoice, a familiar voice dragged my thoughts back to reality. "Adrian, you're going to jump off a building and threaten me just because I called Leo? All I did was say a few words to you! Weren't you the one who started the fight?" "If you really wanted to die, you should have picked a higher floor! A three-story fall won't kill you. What's with all the drama?" Evelyn's eyes were shot with red, her face a mask of fury. But beneath the anger, I saw a glint of genuine concern. I stared at her, stunned into silence. Before I could speak, the door opened and Leo rushed in, interrupting us. "Adrian, I'm so sorry. Evelyn was just trying to make you jealous, that's the only reason she called me. I'll disappear. I won't bother you two again." With that, he glanced at Evelyn, his eyes full of a reluctant, pained struggle, and turned to leave. He'd only taken a few steps before Evelyn grabbed his arm, pulling him back. Her expression was grim. "It's not your fault. Why are you leaving? I'll have Adrian clear your name." She turned back to me, her gaze turning to ice. "Adrian, because your little stunt was broadcast live, Leo is now being crucified online. You have to make a statement and explain things. He's innocent. He shouldn't be dragged into your mess." "Because of you, he's being called a homewrecker everywhere he goes. You need to apologize to him. You were in the wrong this time, and I can't just let it slide." I almost wanted to laugh. Because I was with Evelyn, I had been cyberbullied more times than I could count. No matter how many times I moved, her fans always found me. It was only later that I discovered Leo had infiltrated one of her fan groups and leaked my address, my phone number, my private information. When Evelyn found out, all she did was frown. "Leo wouldn't do something like that. As my assistant, he knows how the industry works. Someone must have been impersonating him." Later, when I was cast in a role opposite her, I was viciously attacked online for "riding her coattails." I couldn't take it anymore. I gathered evidence and went to the police. When the investigation led back to Leo, Evelyn had simply looked at me with disappointment, taken Leo by the arm, and led him away. "Infamy is still a form of fame, Adrian. This is the fastest way for you to get noticed, to stand on equal footing with me. I'll help clean up your image later. Leo was just trying to help." That was the first time the thought of escape had truly entered my mind. But because I loved her, I chose to stay. Reality was now showing me just how laughable that choice had been. Was Leo innocent? No. But none of it mattered anymore. My thoughts cleared. I tossed my phone to Evelyn, my face a calm, empty slate. "Fine. I'm sorry. Post whatever clarification you want." "When this is over," I added, my voice flat, "I'm going home." 3 The System seemed to sense my resolve. [Soon, Host. Very soon.] Evelyn stared at me for a moment, then expertly unlocked my phone and quickly typed out a statement. When she handed it back, her gaze was complicated. "Adrian, after all these years, your lock screen is still that photo." I didn't speak, just glanced at the screen. It was a picture of the two of us holding a birthday cake, our smiles brilliant, our eyes full of love. I felt a pang of nostalgia. Back then, she wasn't a famous actress. She was a nobody, running from audition to audition, working as a stand-in. When my birthday finally came around, she had scraped together all her money to buy me an exquisitely beautiful, expensive cake. "Adrian," she had said, "thank you for staying with me. I'll buy you the most beautiful, most expensive cake every year from now on. We have to stay together forever." Later, when she became famous, she kept her promise. But somewhere along the way, the cakes and gifts had turned cold and sharp. The sweetness was gone, replaced by a lingering, endless bitterness. I spent a week in the hospital bed, and as I recovered, I found myself scouting for a more suitable place to die. The day I was discharged, Evelyn came to pick me up. The hospital entrance was swarmed with her fans. The moment they saw me, the curses began. "Just die, Adrian! Why didn't you die when you jumped!" "You manipulative, attention-seeking leech! You're disgusting!" The words went in one ear and out the other. After all these years, I was used to it. Even at industry parties, when I took drinks for her and was groped by lecherous producers, I could maintain my composure, down the alcohol with a practiced smile, and say, "My conscience is clear. I'm not afraid of rumors." Evelyn took it as truth. She thought I was thick-skinned, good-natured, with a high tolerance for pain. She praised my broad-mindedness more than once. But the truth was, I was simply numb from the pain, so hurt that my face had forgotten how to show it. After finally shaking off the fans, Evelyn's car pulled up in front of me. The passenger window rolled down, revealing Leo's triumphant face. "Adrian, get in, quick! Your hate mob is going to be back any second. Don't let us get caught in the crossfire, haha." He was teasing, but Evelyn didn't seem to mind. She smiled at him, an unconscious softness in her eyes. The passenger seat, once exclusively mine, had long since become his. My heart still ached. But it didn't matter. I took two steps back, hailed a taxi, and went back to the small apartment I was renting alone. 4 I sold most of my possessions and donated the money to a charity for children in remote mountain regions. I had the shards of porcelain ready. Just as I was about to drag one across my wrist, the doorbell rang. Outside stood a grim-faced Evelyn, with Leo right behind her, holding a cake box. "Adrian, are you determined to fight with me? I really don't understand what you're upset about this time!" she exclaimed, then sighed, her gaze heavy as she looked at me. It was a look of weary resignation. "Fine. It's your birthday today. I won't hold it against you. I brought you a cake. I came specifically to celebrate with you." She gestured at Leo. "You should thank him for the cake. If he didn't know the owner of the bakery, we wouldn't have been able to get one made on such short notice." In years past, I would have already pulled her into my arms. But not today. I didn't want to. Leo handed me the cake and wished me a happy birthday. My eyes, however, were fixed on the familiar necklace around his neck. As if sensing my gaze, Leo touched it self-consciously. "Evelyn gave it to me. I saw it and said I liked it, so she just gave it to me." Evelyn nodded, walking past me into the apartment as if she owned the place. "It's just a necklace. It was old anyway. It was just sitting around gathering dust. If Leo likes it, he can have it. I never really liked it that much to begin with." My body went rigid. I stared, frozen. That necklace... I had given it to her when we first got together. It had cost over two thousand, which wasn't much, but it was all the money I had in the world. It was a matching couple's set. "I'll treasure it for the rest of my life!" she had declared. "It's a testament to our love, it has special meaning! If I ever lose it, you can punish me by never letting me see you again, okay?" Every year on her birthday, she had loved wearing it with me. Last year, she stopped. I hadn't asked why. I just never imagined I would see it on Leo. Evelyn. This time, your words are finally coming true.
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