Episode 1
“Will you marry me?”
It wasn’t exactly the kind of thing you should say to a hero who’s pointing his sword at you, but I meant every word of that proposal.
“Why on earth would I do that?”
“Because I like you. And you’re handsome.”
Let’s be honest about one thing: how can a hero be this good-looking?
He was breathing heavily, clutching his sword with trembling hands. A bead of sweat traced down his sharp jawline before dropping to the ground.
At the same time, I felt my own mouth water.
“I refuse.”
“Then come marry me instead.”
Lian’s face twisted in disgust.
Even that twisted expression looked so handsome that my eyes lit up, which only made him look more horrified.
And that horrified look? Also handsome. I couldn’t help but lick my lips.
Ah—don’t get me wrong, I’m not a pervert.
“Stop with the ridiculous jokes and just kill me already.”
“Ridiculous jokes?”
…Why would I ever kill you?
I hadn’t realized my heartfelt confession would be dismissed as a joke. I gave him my best wounded expression and looked up at him like some tragic heroine.
“Did what I said really sound like a joke to you?”
“……”
…So even this face doesn’t work, huh?
He seemed to grip his sword tighter.
Ah, right. Maybe it’s weird to take a marriage proposal seriously when it’s coming from someone looking down on you from a throne.
Recognizing the problem, I stepped down from my seat of power—for the first time since meeting him.
Lian’s crimson eyes followed me, unblinking, as if afraid to lose sight of me even for a moment.
“You’ve already lost. No matter what you do, you can’t win against me. If things stay like this, that human woman will just become Salovan’s new toy.”
“You want me to beg for mercy?”
“That’s right. And if you do, I’ll save her. I told you before, didn’t I? I like you.”
His gaze wavered.
“Go on. Beg me, and I’ll let her live.”
And just as he opened his mouth—
—I reached forward, cupped his chin in my hand, and kissed him.
Even in this tense moment, his lips were warm—softer than anything I’d ever touched. I bit his lower lip lightly, just to make sure he knew this was real.
Lian flinched, and I couldn’t help but smile.
When I pulled back, his jewel-like red eyes trembled as they met mine.
“Still think this is a joke? Do I look like I want to kill you right now?”
He didn’t answer—but at least he wasn’t calling it a game anymore.
“No matter how many heroes appear, the world you dream of will never come.”
Someone who couldn’t even defeat me wasn’t going to bring peace to the world.
“As long as those with true power refuse to move, this world will never change.”
“So you want to borrow my power?”
“No. Not borrow.”
I brushed my thumb over the lips I’d just kissed.
“I want to take you.”
“……”
“When you’re near me, I feel stronger. With you by my side, bringing peace to the world wouldn’t be hard at all.”
He no longer looked at me like I was joking. But I could see hesitation in his eyes—still debating whether to take my hand.
Well, he could think about it.
Not that I’d wait forever.
“I mean it. From the start, you’re the only thing I’ve ever wanted.”
Anyone who’s ever played a dying game knows this feeling.
When your favorite character gets trapped in a doomed world, and you just can’t quit even when everyone else does.
I was the same—I couldn’t leave him behind. I stayed until I watched his tragic death in the bad ending.
So I made a vow.
This time, I won’t waste my chance.
I’ll save you—even if it costs me everything.
❖ ❖ ❖
The shrill ring of my phone shredded the last threads of my sleep.
“Hello…”
My voice was thick with drowsiness.
[Can you really sleep at a time like this?]
That sharp voice snapped me fully awake. I sighed and sat up.
“…Isn’t it bad manners to call early on a weekend morning, Auntie? And what exactly is the emergency?”
[I heard about your little stunt. Donating all your inheritance, huh?]
So that news had already reached her.
Even when my parents were alive, my relatives had always been circling like vultures around the family fortune.
[You’re too young to understand how the world works. You can’t just hand money to strangers like that, you know?]
“Yes, I know. That’s why I’m not handing it to you.”
[You—! Watch your mouth, young lady!]
“It’s my money. I’ll handle it however I want. Like you said, I’m inexperienced with the world—so I’m donating to learn more about it. Please understand.”
I’d never even thought of it as my money. So giving it away didn’t hurt much.
But clearly, my aunt felt differently.
[You really think everyone’s just going to sit quietly and let you do this?]
I rolled my eyes. “You can threaten me all you want—it won’t make any money appear.”
[You—!]
I hung up, sighed, and fell back into bed.
My parents had died in a car crash two years ago. I’d spent all that time agonizing over what to do with the inheritance.
In the end, I decided to donate most of it—leaving only what I needed to live and a small emergency fund.
“Ugh… I’m so done with all of this.”
I buried my face in the pillow and groaned. Then the phone rang again.
This time, the name [Poopyhead 💩] popped up.
So many people wanted me this morning. I answered lazily.
“What.”
[Are you seriously still sleeping?!]
Do I need permission to nap on weekends now?
Her energy was way too high for this hour.
“Why is everyone obsessed with my sleep schedule today…”
[Cut the crap and get online—your favorite’s new storyline just dropped!]
…What?
I shot up in bed and glanced at the calendar.
August 25th. Lian’s birthday.
I’d even circled it in red.
“Wait—it’s the 25th today?!”
[Yeah. How do you have a job and still not know what day it is?]
“Gotta go, bye.”
[Wait—]
“What?”
A long sigh came from the other end.
[Don’t take it too hard, okay? If it’s bad, just come over. We’ll drink beer.]
Then she hung up.
“…What’s that supposed to mean?”
Feeling uneasy, I quickly opened the game app on my phone.
The title screen filled my vision.
[A Flower Blooming on the Battlefield]
Even now, that name was so cringe.
“Battleflower” for short—the game where you recruit heroes to defeat the Demon Lords threatening the world.
And, of course, my favorite character was one of those heroes.
“Oh! There’s a birthday event!”
Thank god I’d saved up in-game currency and even pre-purchased some just for this day.
With my heart pounding, I tapped on the event banner.
“Oh my god…”
Black hair like the night sky.
Eyes red like the sun.
A face marked by pain and despair.
He had his sword stabbed into the ground, staring up at the heavens—my cold, beautiful hero.
Lian Serius.
“…Insane. Absolutely insane.”
Tears welled up, but I forced myself to focus on the gacha screen.
I had to get him.
I could only afford fifty pulls, though. My hands trembled as I hovered over the [10x Summon] button.
Deep breath. No bad thoughts.
I pressed it.
Ten beams of light flared across the screen—revealing the faces of new heroes one by one.
None of them were him.
“Haah…”
That sigh came from my soul.
Even my aunt hadn’t made me feel this hopeless.
Fine. Forty more tries.
But before I knew it, I’d burned through all my currency.
No Lian. Not even a glimpse.
“Ughhh! This stupid game!!”
Screaming into my pillow, I opened the fan community app, desperate to see if others were having the same luck—or if something else was wrong.
Then I saw the posts. And my blood ran cold.
“I stuck with this game through every bug and update, but this is too much. Even if the world’s ending, killing everyone? Seriously? What kind of dev writes that? Are they just announcing the shutdown?”
That new illustration of Lian—wounded, staring at the sky—
wasn’t a celebration.
It was the end. The world’s destruction. His death.
“My favorite dies…? On his birthday?”
From day one, I’d only played because of him.
And now, on his special day, they killed him off.
“Too cruel… way too cruel…”
So that’s why my friend told me not to take it too hard.
Tears blurred my vision. I wiped them away and stepped into the street, not really watching where I was going.
Across the crosswalk, a man with short black hair and striking red eyes walked past.
…Lian?
No. Impossible. My favorite character only existed inside the game.
But still—
“Excuse me! Hey!”
He didn’t turn.
“Lian!”
At the sound of that name, he froze—and looked back at me, eyes wide.
Then came the screech of tires.
A flash of pain. The hard asphalt. Silence.
Ah… I guess I’m dying too.
I did say today felt unlucky.
My aunt’s call… the bad ending… everything.
Blood blurred my sight. Through it, I saw the man—Lian?—running toward me, shouting something I couldn’t hear.
My consciousness slipped away.
And that was the end of my not-so-long, not-so-short life.
