I was halfway through saving the story’s villain when my broke, villainous boyfriend suddenly ‘awakened.’ He claimed he’d been reborn and that this time, he was going to change his fate and bravely pursue the woman he truly loved. I just stood there, stunned. He had just finished telling me he loved me, promising to spend the rest of his life with me. How was this any different from cheating? But he said I was just a desperate doormat, clinging to him so tightly that I’d driven the story's heroine away. If I didn’t want him to crush me in the future, I should get the hell away from him. With no other choice, I had to settle for second best: the story's main hero—handsome, wealthy, but emotionally constipated and stubbornly proud. Winning him over was a lot easier. All it took was a couple of slaps and a few stolen kisses to get his affection level rocketing to 99%. And just as the hero and I were wrapped up in a passionate embrace, the villain saw us. His face turned thunderous. "Damn it, Stella. Are you cheating on me?" 1 The moment Xavier ‘awakened,’ we had just finished kissing. He was lounging on the sofa, scrolling through his phone, while I was in the kitchenette washing the dishes from dinner. Suddenly, a flicker of electricity arced outside the window. The lights in the tiny apartment dimmed, and when they flared back to life, the look on Xavier's face was… strange. He stared at the threadbare sofa as if he couldn't believe he was lying on it. He bolted up, tearing through the cramped space, running a frantic loop from the living area to the kitchenette and back. Finally, as if confirming some terrible truth, he let out a triumphant shout. "I'm finally back! I've been reborn!" I heard every word, crystal clear, from the kitchen. My hand trembled, and a bowl slipped from my grasp, clattering loudly in the sink. The sound drew his eyes to me. In that instant, the disgust in his gaze was unmistakable. "You can go home," he said, his voice cold. "Don't worry about the dishes." I numbly wiped my hands on a towel. "Oh. Okay." As I was about to leave, he added, "And Stella? Don't bother coming back." I couldn't bring myself to ask a single question. My head was spinning as I walked down the rickety stairs, the whole world feeling unreal. I stood in a daze at the corner of the block and watched as Xavier, now in a fresh set of clothes, hurried out of the building. Even with my eyes closed, I knew exactly where he was going. He was heading toward the home of the girl he’d always been obsessed with—Lila. After a year of working on him, it had finally come to this. Xavier had already promised me he was ready to build a life with me. He came from nothing, while Lila's family was one of the wealthiest in the city. He was supposed to let go of his hopeless crush. He had promised me, just today, that we would start our new life together. I had been dropped into this story with one mission: win over Xavier. For a year, I’d endured more hardship and done more chores than in my entire twenty years of life. My heart was a tangled mess of emotions. The only thing that kept me going was the fact that somewhere along the way, I had actually fallen for him. Sure, his heart belonged to someone else, but he was undeniably handsome. And while he was usually distant, there were moments, small and fleeting, where he seemed to genuinely care. My System told me I was so close to succeeding. Once I redeemed Xavier, I would receive a handsome reward. I could do anything I wanted. I already had it all planned out: I’d use the money to fund his startup. He was brilliant; he was destined for greatness. And I would finally have the perfect life—a loving, successful husband and all the money we could ever need. But fate had other plans. Just as his affection meter hit 99%, Xavier was reborn. He said he was going to find Lila. And me? I was left to walk home alone, soaked in the cold, miserable rain. 2 Back in my rundown apartment in the old part of town, I lay on my bed, swallowed by misery. The System had been trying to console me for half an hour. “Look, I’m really sorry! It’s not my fault, I swear. It’s those idiots in the Time Bureau. Their screw-up is what caused Xavier’s rebirth.” “Don’t lose hope! I’ll figure something out. I’ll get Xavier to come back to you, okay?” “Worst case… worst case, I’ll give you a bonus voucher! If his startup fails and you have to sell stuff from a food truck to pay off his debts, your income will be double anyone else’s! Just please, don’t cry? Honey, I’m begging you.” His words only made me wail louder. "Waaaaah! So his startup is going to fail, and I’ll have to pay off his debts from a food truck? What kind of cruel fate is this?" "I’ve spent a year trying to win over this useless villain! I’ve washed 680 plates, 315 glasses, and 262 spoons! I’ve mopped this floor 363 times! Do you have any idea what I've been through?" "My hands… my beautiful hands are covered in calluses! I’m only eighteen! What kind of life is this? Waaaah!" "I'm going rogue! I'm embracing my dark side! I'll stab that bastard who made me suffer, and we can all just die together! (hic!)" The System sounded like it was having a migraine. “No, no, no, don’t do that! Sweetheart, please, let’s just think of another way.” “Okay, look. You go to class tomorrow like normal. I’ll go negotiate with the Time Bureau and see if we can get the old Xavier back.” “If… if we can’t, I’ll request a transfer from my superiors. I’ll get you a new target to win over. How does that sound?” My tear-filled eyes widened. "Really?" “Yes.” "The new guy has to be hotter than Xavier." “…Okay.” "And he can't be broke. I'm done washing dishes." “…Fine.” "And damn it, after a whole year with Xavier, all I got was a kiss! I’m way too expensive for that. The next one has to be someone I can actually sleep with." “…I’ll do my best, but I can’t exactly control the hero’s desires, you know.” "I don't care! Waaaah! Otherwise, I'm going rogue! I'm going dark! I’m gonna stab that bastard who made me suffer!" “…” Finally, after the System repeatedly promised to fix the situation as soon as possible, I cried myself to sleep. The next morning, I did my best to hide my swollen eyes and headed to school. 3 With final exams just around the corner, the classroom should have been silent with the frantic energy of last-minute studying. But as I reached the door, I heard a loud voice cut through the quiet. "No way, Xavier! You actually went and confessed to Lila? Did she say yes?" Another voice chimed in. "Of course, she did! Did you see the show he put on yesterday? It was epic." "Fireworks, a sea of flowers, and the most romantic confession ever. Lila was so moved she threw herself right into his arms." Then, a girl’s voice—my deskmate, Chloe. "Wait a minute, Xavier. Aren't you with Stella?" The classroom fell silent. Everyone knew I’d spent the last year chasing Xavier relentlessly. Even knowing he was in love with someone else, I brought him meals, cleaned his apartment, and basically became his personal doormat until he finally gave in. Just a few days ago, Xavier had openly walked out of the classroom holding my hand. When someone asked where they were going, he’d said, "Home with my girlfriend." It was a public declaration. Now, only a few days later, he was confessing his love to another girl. It was a low blow, even for him. Xavier knew it too. But he wasn’t worried about my feelings; he was worried about Lila’s. He explained coolly, "Stella and I are just friends. Believe what you want." "She was the one who was obsessed, following me around like a lost puppy. It made Lila misunderstand, thinking I was taken, and that’s why she kept her distance." "We cleared the air last night. From now on, the only person on my mind, by my side, and holding my hand will be Lila. I belong to her." Cheers erupted. Through the crack in the door, I saw Lila’s cheeks flush a delicate pink. Xavier gazed at her, his eyes full of a devotion he’d never shown me—the look of someone who had found a lost treasure. A sharp pain lanced through my chest. I wanted to cry. I had truly fallen for him, so how could it not hurt? Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to be calm. I pushed the door open and walked in, my eyes immediately meeting Xavier's cold, indifferent stare. The moment he saw me, he instinctively moved to shield Lila, his brow furrowed. "What are you doing here?" My voice was just as sharp. "I’m here for class." "You'd better just stick to that and keep your mouth shut. You know what will happen if you don't." 4 He talked a big game, but right now, Xavier was nothing more than the school’s token charity case heartthrob. Besides his good grades, he probably couldn’t even win a fight against me. I didn’t have the energy to argue. I just slumped into my seat and buried my head in my arms. Xavier and Lila sat behind me, their whispered conversations a constant torment. I overheard Lila worrying about whether I was hurt or sad. Hearing that, a complicated mix of feelings churned inside me. In the original story, Lila really was a good person. Despite being neglected by her family, she was kind and gentle, always willing to help others. A walking ray of sunshine. It wasn't her fault that people were drawn to her. People like Xavier, who fell for her after she showed him a small kindness. He felt he was unworthy of her, and the internal struggle twisted him into a bitter, depressed man. After graduation, Lila’s family went bankrupt. To save them, she was forced to marry the proud, emotionally distant hero, becoming a lonely trophy wife. Xavier, after becoming a successful entrepreneur, met her again. They had a drawn-out, painful affair that finally made her husband realize his own feelings, and he won her back in a dramatic reconciliation. But now, Lila was with Xavier. I wondered what would happen to her brooding, rich-boy husband. The System was partly to blame for this mess. Fine, I thought bitterly. We can all get punished together. My foul mood killed my appetite. At lunchtime, while everyone else left, I stayed behind, dozing at my desk. Oh, I wasn't entirely alone. Lila and Xavier were still there. Xavier was holding the bento box I’d made for him yesterday, patiently feeding Lila. "Here, babe, open up. It’s your favorite, sweet and sour ribs. Just one bite, ahhh~" Lila glanced nervously in my direction. "Don't do that, someone's here." "Don't worry about her. She can't hear us." "That's ridiculous. How could she not hear from this close?" "Trust me, she can't. We could make out right here, and she wouldn't hear a thing." "Stop it." I gritted my teeth and endured the sound of them finishing the meal I had prepared. Then, Xavier walked over to my desk. He dropped the empty bento box with a clatter. "Stella. Wash this and put it back in my desk." I blinked. What? I picked up the box, and with a flick of my wrist, sent it sailing across the room. It landed squarely in the corner trash can. "No, thanks." Xavier took a sharp breath, his face contorting with anger. But then he remembered Lila was watching. He leaned in close, his voice a low hiss only I could hear. "You're still trying to win me over, aren't you? Don't you want to complete your mission?" A chill ran down my spine. He knew? He knew about my mission? He smirked, as if reading my mind. "Of course, I know you’re a transmigrator. I know you’re here to win me over, to get my affection points." "Before, you had to be my girlfriend to get those points. But now I have Lila, and I can't let her feel insecure. So, you’ll just have to be the one who suffers." "From now on, you do my laundry, cook my meals, and I’ll decide if you get any points for it." "If you keep me happy, who knows? Maybe one day you’ll get to go back to your own world." "What do you think, Stella? Aren't I being merciful?" he finished with a smug wink. Watching him walk away with his arm around Lila, I suddenly realized something. This wasn't the Xavier I had let into my heart. 5 After school, Xavier cornered me again. He tossed me a key. "Go to my place and get your stuff. And while you're there, clean up a bit. I'll give you 0.5 affection points." "And don't try any funny business," he warned. "I can see right through your pathetic little schemes." Staring at the thin piece of metal in my hand, I felt my sanity begin to fray. I screamed for the System in my head, but the useless thing was dead silent. Swallowing my rage, I headed to Xavier's apartment. I had to. What if the System failed to negotiate a deal? Winning Xavier over might still be my only way home. Damn it. He had me right where he wanted me. I walked back into that familiar little apartment. I’d been here countless times. Most of the things inside were things I’d bought. The pink slipcover for the sofa, the white lace curtains, the refrigerator, the washing machine, the water heater. I had paid for all of it with money I’d earned from part-time jobs since I arrived in this world. I’d imagined that once I completed my mission, this would be our love nest, every item a memory of our journey together. But I never, ever imagined that just as I was about to succeed, he would be reborn. And that he wouldn't want me anymore. My nose started to burn. I felt like the world's biggest fool. Young, heartbroken, and exploited. I packed my clothes and shoes, along with some small decorations I’d bought. They were mine; I wasn't letting him throw them away. I pulled open a drawer. The salary I’d earned last month was supposed to be in there—3,215 dollars. It was meant to cover his living expenses. Now, the drawer was empty. The words from this morning echoed in my mind: fireworks, a sea of flowers. A hot wave of anger washed over me. Dumping me was one thing, but taking all my money? That was too much. My fingers closed around a lighter on the counter. I could burn this whole damn place to the ground. Then I could find a knife and stab that bastard. After I was executed, maybe I'd finally get to go home. Just as the flame licked the edge of the curtain, the System's voice shrieked in my mind. "AAAAAHHHH! STOP! STELLA, LET GO OF THE CURTAIN!"
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