Chapter 11 -

Eliam sat next to me, narrowing his gaze at Daehyun.

"I knew it was a bad idea to let you out alone," he murmured, his gaze fixed on Daehyun as if they were enemies.

"What did you say to Leon to make him angry like that?" Eliam asked, irritation evident in his voice.

"Hey..! Eliam, it's nothing. I was just reacting in the moment. I'm fine now! I mean, this guy was being stupid… But we shouldn't waste energy on hatred. Stay positive, right?"

Eliam relaxed his expression, then suddenly pulled me closer, almost as if he wanted to shield me from Daehyun.

Daehyun suddenly interjected, feeling annoyed. "Why the hell are you holding him? Are you spreading your gayness to him?"

Eliam slammed the table, visibly pissed off. "I do what I want with him. Who are you to stop me?"

"Uhm, guys?" I tried to interrupt.

"I'm just trying to help poor Leon here. I wouldn't want him to have a fuckbuddy relationship with a dude," Daehyun added, fueling both of their frustration.

"You don't know anything about our relationship."

At this point, everyone was looking at us. We might get in trouble due to complaints, and that sounded mortifying to me right now. Couldn't they just stop fighting like little kids? The world has bigger problems than this. I looked around awkwardly, slowly growing irritated by the noise.

I stood up, walking away, still trying to finish my ice cream. I figured I might as well let them resolve whatever on their own. If I interfered, it would only get worse, and besides, they were grown men who should be responsible for themselves.

As I sauntered off, returning to my own business—something I usually did when things got complicated—I noticed Eliam gripping my free hand, stopping me from leaving.

"Wait, Leon. Let's leave."

"Erm… You can go home first. I'll be fine. I'll take a walk somewhere."

"I'll go with you."

"No, it's alright. It's going to be a long walk. And besides, you should rest. This week has been tiring for you, right? I'll be fine alone."

Eliam stared into my eyes, a disappointed and saddened look on his pretty face. I really wanted to go home with him and kiss him all I wanted. But that would be selfish of me. It was better for him to rest while I stayed alone, like I always did when I was separated from my friends and couldn't afford to go with them during the summer. They always insisted on canceling without me, but that wasn't fair to them. This was just the same.

"Okay then, Leon. Be home soon."

"I will, okay? Don't worry about me." Right. No one should worry about me here. I really appreciated Eliam, but maybe we both needed to be alone without worrying for now.

I decided to sit at the same park from last time—the same area where I had witnessed some interesting stuff. At least there were no more crapping birds.

While I closed my eyes, enjoying the cool wind I hadn't experienced before, I felt a finger poke my cheek. I was too exhausted to react properly.

"Hello, whoever's there. Hope you can leave me alone."

"Hey, cutiepie." Jaehwa said with a playful grin, his fluffy brown hair reflecting light even under the trees. "What's got you so down today?"

"Who's cutiepie? They must be invisible because I don't see anyone who likes to be called that."

"Well, it doesn't matter right now."

"It does. I will not tolerate being called that cheesy-ass name!"

He hushed me, putting a hand over my mouth to muffle my protests. "No need to whine so much."

"Mhm! Mmmm? Mmm!" I complained, trying to get his hand off.

"Can't hear youuu!" Jaehwa chuckled, smiling at me.

Another annoyance of the day. Where'd he even come from? Was today the day when the holy trinity of the three BL lords united? Ridiculous.

Well, not necessarily an annoyance. At least in the past week at school, I hadn't felt as lonely because of him. Sure, Jaehwa might have almost assaulted me, and I could file a lawsuit or arrest him, but honestly, I was too mentally exhausted and lazy to go through that. I didn't really care if I was the victim. I knew he'd be with Eliam, so it wasn't like he had future victims to worry about. I just hoped I could help Eliam along the way. I might be stupid for this, but let's see.

He finally uncovered my mouth, allowing me to breathe. He then looked at me with mischief, as if he had something in mind. I hoped it wasn't what I thought it might be.

"Our deal is here. You can't say no to me until I say so." Jaehwa spoke, looking at me with that annoying but handsome smile. "What if I refuse? I mean, I can do that."

His eyes darkened with annoyance at my response. "Then I can make your family lose their jobs and kick you out of the school."

Oh. Oops. I forgot about that. Life is not fair in the slightest bit. "R-right. Okay then! Tell me your orders, captain…"

I said in the most unenthusiastic voice to indirectly protest.

Jaehwa chuckled in amusement, his mood lighting up again. "Aha… sure then." He leaned in closer and whispered, even though there was no one around for hundreds of meters. "Make Eliam fall in love with me."

I didn't know what to say. On one hand, I was relieved because my conclusion that he just about liked anyone, and that he truly loved Eliam, came true. I had a small lingering thought he would go after me, but that was proven wrong. Thank goodness. On the other hand… Eliam… That was more complicated. He seemed to hate Jaehwa's guts.

"Doesn't he hate you?" I replied.

"Find a way. You can't say no."

The more I talked to this guy, the more I thought he was like Sam, but on steroids and a lot more arrestable.

"Whatever, I can probably do something, but don't expect to magically get him in a matter of days." I answered flatly, sighing. I guess it was better now than later to get the plot back on track. I had no idea where I was even in the manhwa.

I looked up at the cloudless blue sky, hoping this day would pass already. I had been missing my normal routine in my world. Was there any way to get that back quickly?

As soon as that thought crossed my mind, time suddenly slowed down. I thought I was imagining it, but when Jaehwa, right beside me, stopped responding to my useless comments, I realized.

The wind stopped blowing. The birds stopped flying. I started getting an eerie feeling, one I hated more than anything in the world. It was silent, like on the bus when I came here, but it felt different. Rather than a peaceful silence, it was one where you were terrified something was going to come or chase you. I looked behind me, expecting to see Jaehwa. He was gone. In his place was a bench with nothing but cold wind.

The sky suddenly darkened to a blood-red hue, the clouds appearing like floating silhouettes of the worst monsters. Terror filled me. Was something behind me? Why was everything becoming darker?

The wind suddenly resumed, the leaves started falling again, but that was it. The terrifying, changing environment was still there, haunting my every action in that moment. The sky was rushing to get darker and redder. A bright red star appeared in the sky. Seemingly originating from the star itself, it was almost like it was screaming, blaring a high-frequency siren that echoed through the silent skies around it.

Something else happened. Something that alarmed me even more.

Glowing words, sparkling with electricity, followed me wherever I went. At first, they were unintelligible, the electricity lines cutting through the words, but slowly, I started to decipher them.

"The only way to wake is to conclude. Stay true to play through."

These words, just two sentences, were instantly carved into my mind, as if a higher being was shoving them in my face so I couldn't forget. I immediately knew what it meant. I had been wondering when this would happen myself.

Did the plot have anything to do with my return? This is what I had always asked in the back of my mind, which I was fearful of an answer. Now, my worst scenario had come to life.

I had to stay true to the plot in order to conclude the story. I couldn't just do anything I wanted anymore.

I started to speak, shaking and in distress, hoping that whoever was watching or causing this distortion would stop it. "I have to distance myself from all characters."

In the blink of an eye, I found myself back on the bench. The sky was blue and cloudless once again, the birds were chirping beautifully, and more importantly, Jaehwa was beside me again. I had never been so glad to see him.

I collapsed in his arms, my energy apparently drained by that sudden vision.

"Woah… Leon?? What happened to you?" Jaehwa questioned, his voice full of concern.

"I don't know…" I started crying. Tears poured down my face. I wasn't sure why. Maybe I was relieved or simply exhausted.

I passed out as Jaehwa held onto me. I hoped this would never happen again. At least I had confirmed that I was sent here by someone or something, whether intentional or not.

Fine, whoever's out there. Jaehwa was already asking me to attempt this anyway. I'll finish the story correctly. I'll stop involving myself.