The One They Never Chose

"Sorry, but your time is up. You've failed the mission, and you can't try anymore," the mysterious voice of the system told me as I stood outside the grand wedding hall.

Inside, Patrick Smith and Lucia Jones were sharing a kiss on stage. Patrick was the last guy I was supposed to win over. However, like the rest, I did not succeed.

When I first arrived in this world, the system promised me a deal—if I could win the heart of just one of the four guys it picked for me within 25 years, I would get to go back to my real life.

However, 25 years went by, and I did not manage to win over any of them. Maybe it was just my fate.

I walked all the way to the busiest overpass I could find.

The system told me I had to face failure on my own. As I looked at the cars zooming by, I remembered all the cold looks from those guys. It was all because of Lucia Jones, the one everyone loved.

The system said it was not my fault. After all, Lucia was the star, and the guys just could not help but fall for her.

I gazed up at the clear blue sky. Was I always meant to fail just because I was a side character?

I did not want to think about it anymore. I was ready to give up.

I closed my eyes and stepped into the rush of cars. Suddenly, there was a loud screech of brakes, and then an angry shout.

"Yoana, if you're going to do something crazy, at least don't do it here where everyone can see!"

My eyes snapped open, and there was Jim Harris, my brother in this world and one of the guys I was supposed to win over. The system had said that if I could make him care about me 100%, I would complete my mission.

However, he fell for Lucia too.

When Lucia said she was raped because of me, Jim believed her right away and started to hate me with all his heart.

He pulled me into the car, drove to the nearby riverbank, and then yanked me out and slapped me hard. "If you're going to die, don't do it where everyone can see. Otherwise, you'll cause trouble for others even after you're gone. I've picked out a spot for you. If you want to die, do it here, and do it fast!"

His slap made my head spin, and I almost could not stand up. I had pretended to try to end my life in front of him more than once.

Back then, he only had eyes for Lucia. I thought if I pretended to die, he would feel sorry for me and listen to my side of the story. I never really wanted to die.

He probably thought I was just pretending again, sure that I would not really do it.

"Jim, what are you doing here? Why didn't you go to Lucia's wedding? Did you come out here because of me?" I looked up at him, my voice filled with a sadness I could not hide.

He had just been at the wedding. Did he leave because he saw me go and was worried something might happen to me? I still had a little bit of hope for him.