Kim Jisoo lay flat on his back, Ryu Saeyoung sprawled across him like a collapsed mountain. His lungs screamed for air, his ribs creaked in protest, and every attempt to shift ended in failure.
He turned his head stiffly toward Lee Hana, who was doubled over in laughter, tears streaming down her face.
"Stop laughing," Jisoo growled, voice muffled under Saeyoung's shoulder. "Help me."
Hana held up a finger, trying to catch her breath. "N-no… I can't—this is too good—" She dissolved into laughter again.
"Hana!" Jisoo's voice cracked with desperation. He tried pushing Saeyoung off, but the man's body was like lead, refusing to budge an inch. "He's—he's crushing me. If you don't help, I'll die, and then who's going to protect you when the world ends?"
That sobered her just enough for her to kneel beside them, though the grin never left her face. "Fine, fine. Let's get your boyfriend off you."
"Not my—!" Jisoo's protest was cut off by Saeyoung's unconscious head flopping against his chest, making it look disturbingly intimate.
Hana snorted. "Oh, this is amazing. I should've brought popcorn."
"Help!"
She gripped Saeyoung's arm, trying to haul him up. The moment she pulled, she grimaced. "Holy—he's heavy! What does he eat, bricks?"
"Less commentary, more lifting!" Jisoo snapped, pushing with all the strength he had. The two of them managed to shift Saeyoung a few inches before gravity slammed him right back down.
Thud.
Jisoo wheezed. "Hana, you're useless."
"I'm useless?" she shot back, glaring at him as she rubbed her sore arm. "You're the one pinned under him like a pancake! Maybe stop skipping the gym and you'd be able to roll him off yourself."
"This isn't about strength, it's about—ugh—dead weight!" Jisoo shoved again, managing another inch before Saeyoung slid right back into place. His body heat seeped through Jisoo's shirt, uncomfortable and strangely familiar all at once.
Hana crossed her arms, smirking. "You know, if someone walked in right now, they'd get the completely wrong idea."
"They already did," Jisoo muttered darkly, remembering the System's unhelpful comments. "And now you're making it worse."
"Oh, come on, it's funny!" Hana tugged at Saeyoung's other arm. Together, they managed to roll him halfway over, only for his leg to swing back and pin Jisoo's waist.
"Argh!" Jisoo's patience snapped. "System! Get down here and help!"
The small golden-haired boy tilted his head from the counter where he was watching like it was a live drama. "I am only a conceptual entity. Physical assistance is not within my role."
"Then shut up!" Jisoo barked.
The System blinked innocently. "I can provide emotional support. Would you like encouraging words?"
"No!"
"Yes, please," Hana said sweetly, and the System obliged.
"Kim Jisoo, do not despair. Your partner's weight distribution may seem insurmountable, but with effort and teamwork, you may succeed."
Jisoo twitched. "Partner?"
Hana lost it again, laughing so hard she fell backward on the floor. "Oh God, System, I love you."
"You're both insufferable," Jisoo groaned. "This isn't a comedy, this is torture."
Eventually, after ten more minutes of grunting, shoving, and Hana's relentless teasing, they managed to drag Saeyoung onto a couch. He flopped there like a corpse, chest rising and falling shallowly.
Jisoo slumped onto the floor, drenched in sweat. Hana plopped beside him, still grinning. "See? That wasn't so bad. A little couple's workout."
He shot her a glare sharp enough to cut steel. "Say one more word and I'll lock you in the freezer."
"Worth it," she chirped.
Hana glanced at Kim Jisoo, this person remained taciturn even in her dream but with this person on the couch, Kim Jisoo's emotions became apparent as if he was added some sort of drug.
But she liked this type of Savior, one with emotion not the one who looked like a robot on duty.
Jisoo ran a hand over his face, trying to regain composure. "System," he said finally, glancing at the childlike figure. "Who is he? Why is he here?"
The System's expression shifted, his green eyes glinting with something between pride and wariness. "He is Ryu Saeyoung. The Provider of the Monster System."
Jisoo's brow furrowed. "Provider?"
"Yes." The System hopped down lightly, pacing with a measured calmness that reminded Jisoo of a lecturer. "Without him, I would not exist here. He enabled the transfer of the System from the past world into this altered future. He bridged the impossible."
Hana's eyes widened, curiosity overcoming her playful mood. "Wait. So this guy… he built you?"
"Not built," the System corrected. "He provided the essence necessary for my continuity. He is no ordinary human. He is an SSS-grade Immortal Monster."
The words hit like thunder in the silent lab. Jisoo's breath caught. Immortal. Monster. SSS-grade. That was far beyond anything he had ever encountered. He stared at the unconscious figure on the couch—at the man who had hugged him like he was the most precious thing in the world—and struggled to reconcile the image.
"An… immortal monster?" Hana whispered. "But he looks human."
The System's eyes glowed faintly, as though amused. "All monsters do, at the beginning."
Jisoo clenched his fists. "Explain."
But the System shook his head. "Not to you. Not yet. To know more, you must obtain Ryu Saeyoung's consent. Without it, I am not authorized to reveal further."
Frustration surged in Jisoo's chest. "So you're telling me this man—who just collapsed on top of me, nearly suffocating me to death—is carrying secrets that could decide the fate of this world, and I can't know any of it?"
"Yes."
"Unbelievable."
Hana leaned back, arms crossed. "I don't know, Jisoo. Seems pretty believable. You're already dealing with glowing trees, erased children, and apocalypses. An immortal monster roommate isn't much weirder."
"Roommate?!" Jisoo snapped.
Hana smirked. "Oh, come on. You two looked real cozy earlier."
He pinched the bridge of his nose, taking a long breath through gritted teeth. "I hate this timeline."
The System ignored their bickering, his gaze fixed on Saeyoung with something like reverence. "His arrival changes everything. You should prepare yourself. When he wakes, the world around you will not remain the same."
That made both Hana and Jisoo fall silent. For once, her playful grin faded, replaced by unease. Jisoo felt it too—that crawling sense in his gut that life was about to twist again in a direction he couldn't predict.
He glanced at Saeyoung, unconscious but breathing steadily, his hand twitching faintly as though even in sleep he was fighting battles unseen.
The man who had called his name with tears. The man who had hugged him like salvation. The man the System called an SSS-grade Immortal Monster.
Jisoo's chest tightened, though he didn't know why.
"…Then I'll wait," he said quietly. "When he wakes up, he can explain it himself."
He just don't believe the system so much.