Chapter 3

I returned home and picked out a knife.

I didn’t want to wait any longer.

If I was going to die either way, it seemed better to go on my own terms.

After all, there was no one else at home, so I wouldn’t be disturbing anyone.

Lying on the bed, I stared at the ceiling.

I traced imaginary lines in the air with the knife in my hand and couldn’t help but laugh bitterly at myself.

I had spent twenty years playing this game, always hoping for an escape.

Time, when you looked at it closely, wasn’t all that long.

It passed in the blink of an eye, like a needle through fabric.

But it wasn’t short either.

I had experienced so many unexpected events.

I remembered when Mother remarried, and I was brought into a stranger's home.

Peter had been the one to approach me first, making me trust him completely.

For the first time, I felt I had someone to rely on in this world.

With him, I could live freely, carelessly, and he always had my back.

So, to repay that kindness, I did everything I could to be good to him.

To craft the image of a devoted younger sister, I would skip meals in elementary school and save my pocket money, all so I could buy him limited-edition figures.

When he schemed against others, I covered for him.

When he had stomach pains at 3 a.m., I would buy him medicine while enduring my own menstrual cramps, staying up all night to take care of him.

When he wanted the newest limited-edition watch, I worked through the summer, saving every penny to buy it for him.

I thought, with us so dependent on each other, this was a bond no heroine could ever take from me.

But unfortunately, the heroine’s effect was far too powerful.

Even Peter, a mere supporting male character, was drawn to Faye.

The moment she appeared, she stole the only family bond I had left in this world.

In the end, I didn’t care.

I was a person destined to die.

Everyone dies eventually. It’s just a matter of time.

I cut my wrist and watched as the blood trickled slowly.

I felt the life drain from my body, dizziness overtaking me.

I just wanted to die quietly.

I didn’t want to be a burden to anyone.

To make it look like a suicide and avoid any investigation by the police, I left a note.

[I willingly take my life. Please don’t mourn for me.]

But I doubted anyone would care.

After all, I was far too annoying.

My mind grew increasingly foggy as I reflected on my miserable life.

No matter how hard I tried to pursue my mission, every time Faye made an appearance, everyone was instantly drawn to her and repelled by me.

Just as I thought I could finally leave this dreadful world, I heard the slam of a door.

I felt someone carefully bandaging my arm, and with great effort, I forced my eyes open.

“Have you lost your mind, Luna?”

The man in front of me was Collin Compton, my former tutor. He was seven years older than me.

He had been one of the system's assigned targets.

I remembered when my grades were poor in high school, and my so-called father hired a student from a prestigious university to be my tutor.

At the time, I was desperate to improve my studies, and the system had suggested he was a potential suitor.

So, I used my desire to learn as an excuse to get close to him.

I knew his primary focus was academics, so I crafted a strategy.

I designed a persona as a clumsy beauty, and I clung to him every day.

He even introduced me to his parents.

He said I was the first girl he had ever taken home to meet them.

As expected, his affection for me grew quickly and steadily.

Just when I thought I might finally survive, Faye appeared before me once again.

She shared all of Collin’s interests.

The moment she saw me, she trembled in fear and curled up in his arms, crying.

“I don’t know what I did to make Luna dislike me so much.

“She’s been leading the bullying against me at school. I need to take meds every day just to fall asleep, and I’ve even developed depression.”

Collin had held Faye tightly as though they were long-lost lovers reunited.

“Don’t be afraid. I’ll protect you,” he had said heroically.

That day, Collin had slapped me across the face in front of Faye.

He told me to leave and that from then on, I should treat him like a stranger.

He warned me never to bully Faye again.

And so, my mission was doomed to fail once more.