I slowly opened my eyes, the only thing spinning in my head was a heavy headache and memories that made my heart pound.
Wait a second… didn't I die before, to that girl, and now I'm being punished by the system in the void world?
I rose from my spot, checking the place around me. I had been lying next to my wife, Luna, who was still deep asleep.
I leaned closer, studying her face, slapping it several times. She woke up from my light strikes, fear gripping her.
"Klo, what's wrong with you?" she asked me, her voice trembling.
It felt like my body had been possessed by fear and horror at the situation I was in. Weren't Luna and the others crying for me?
I grabbed the edge of her clothes, apologizing for everything.
"I'm sorry… sorry for everything, and for dragging you with me into this world."
A question mark etched itself over Luna's head as she stared at me.
"What do you mean, Klo?"
I looked up at her face, not averting my gaze.
"Tell me… have you ever died before, specifically inside a hospital?"
Luna froze, her eyes widening at what I said. The best way to describe the moment was a stab.
"Haha, is this some kind of joke? Tell me?" Luna went on, her lips cracking from dryness.
"Just answer me!"
Luna lowered her head, whispering faintly. "Yes… my condition was terrible since birth, and at my death I reincarnated into this world as the daughter of a duke—"
Before she could finish, she collapsed to the floor while I bit my fingers in regret. I brought both hands together to cover my face.
I jumped up and left my room. I was in the castle, so the nearest balcony would be beside me.
I went to the spot that crossed my mind, closed the balcony door behind me, and sat there staring at the night stars.
Luna followed me until I heard the door open behind me. She came closer to sit by my side, her pale face weighing heavier on me with every frame.
"Why did you think of this? You can tell me, I am your wife after all."
I looked at her with cold eyes, laced with despair.
"Do you know Ethan?"
"Y-yes, he was a novelist from my world. I used to chat with him, we'd talk about his story that revolved around heroes and the villain Klo–… sorry."
"It's fine. That bastard Ethan is right in front of you now, cursing himself and the story he dragged you into."
Tears streamed down Luna's face as she trembled.
"Yeah… you can punch me, insult me. In the end, I'm nothing but the one who threw us into this mess, into this filthy world."
"No!"
She cut me off while I was spitting out sharp, hopeless words. Why does she still deny the truth?
"I knew from the beginning that you weren't Klo. Klo was a disgusting man. That day, had the duke challenged him, Klo would've killed him."
I swallowed hard, staring into her eyes that reflected the color of the sky. The horizon had started to brighten.
"If you were really Klo, you wouldn't have thought of the phone. Did you forget I was your very first fan of that novel? Every day in that hospital bed, I'd finish the chapters and reread them. I followed you from the very start until—"
Her words twisted me inside. Damn it, when does this end?
"You can leave. I'm not the Klo you loved. I'm just Ethan, the depressed writer."
"No, I didn't stay just for Klo himself. I stayed for what was inside Klo."
I smiled as I stood, walked closer to Luna, and flicked her on the forehead.
"Ouch ~"
"Idiot. Thank you for that… you were my refuge in every problem."
Before I left, she grabbed my hand, waiting for an answer to the question she had asked.
"I often imagine us being killed, or you dying. I was really scared for you… can you stay with me for a while?"
"Hah, those are just your imaginations. Besides, where did that cold-girl look disappear to?"
"No, it's just—"
"Just go back to sleep. Tomorrow we've got a bright new day."