*POV Bai Xue*
Sweat streamed down my face in salty rivers, dripping onto the white, cold floor of the cell.
Thirty push-ups.
That was my usual limit. My arms trembled like dry leaves in the wind, my muscles screaming for mercy. But I didn't stop.
"Thirty-one…"
My elbows gave out and my chest hit the ground with a dull thud. The familiar burning spread through my ribs, and for a moment, I just lay there, panting, tasting blood on my lip where my teeth had torn the skin.
I looked up at the TV screen high on the wall.
Ryuu was sleeping now. Or unconscious, maybe. It was hard to tell the difference.
Bai Ning was there, of course. She always was.
A motionless shadow beside the bed, her pale fingers tracing possessive circles on his scalp, as if he were a pet.
My stomach churned.
I knew what happened in that room when the lights went out.
The silhouettes cast by the medical equipment lights painted a disturbing picture in my mind. Even more so with those disgusting sounds and Bai Ning's voice coming from the TV speakers.
The marks on his body during the morning "baths," the exhausted and nauseated expression he wore when he woke up, the way he flinched at her touch...
That woman was touching what was mine.
"Thirty-two."
I forced my arms to lift me again, anger burning hotter than muscle pain. My nails scraped against the floor.
For someone who couldn't even do five push-ups before, I had improved very quickly.
I was stronger than I was a week ago.
I could do thirty push-ups instead of five. I could squat fifty times before my legs gave out. I could do sit-ups until my abdomen felt like it was on fire and I couldn't even laugh anymore.
But it wasn't enough.
It was never enough.
Because while I crawled on the floor like an insect, sweating and bleeding to gain scraps of strength, that woman—that thing—was out there, wrapping my Ryuu in her filthy arms, kissing him with those snake-like lips, doing God knows what to him while I...
While I couldn't do anything.
"Thirty—"
My arms failed completely. This time, I couldn't even push myself back up. I sprawled on the floor, my face pressed against the cold surface, tears spilling out without permission.
"No… don't cry…"
I clenched my teeth and tried to swallow the sobs, but it was useless. They came anyway, shaking my shoulders, tearing ugly, broken sounds from my throat.
What was the point of training? What was the point of getting stronger?
Even if I could do a hundred push-ups, two hundred, a thousand—I would still be a fragile human against an aberration like my mother. I would never be strong enough to take Ryuu away from her. Never…
Bai Ning wanted to torture me… And the worst part was that she was succeeding. I swore I wouldn't give her the satisfaction of seeing me defeated… But it seems I really am useless.
The TV screen showed his sleeping face. So beautiful. So broken. So mine.
"I'm sorry…" I whispered to the image, reaching out a trembling hand to touch the cold pixels. "I'm sorry for being so weak…"
[So you admit that you're weak.]
I froze.
That voice didn't come from the cell's speakers or the TV. It felt like it was inside my head.
[Interesting. Very interesting. A soul so broken, yet so… hungry. What are you hungry for, Bai Xue?]
I slowly lifted my head, eyes wide. The air around me seemed to thicken, and a bluish, pulsing light began to materialize in front of me, floating in the center of the cell like a dying star.
And then, a rectangular screen opened.
It was like a computer window, but projected in the air, translucent and glowing. Runes I didn't recognize danced along its edges, and in the center, there was text in perfectly clear letters.
[Drowning Love System activated.]
[Compatible host detected: Bai Xue.]
[Love desperation level: 98%. Activation condition fulfilled.]
"What…" My voice came out hoarse, dragged. "What is this?"
[A system, as I just said. Specifically, the Drowning Love System. I exist to help pathetic souls like you, who are drowning in an impossible love and can't swim on their own.]
The screen flickered, and a new line of text appeared, accompanied by a pulsing heart emoji.
[In short: I will help you win your love. But first… you need to choose a target.]
My heart, which had been drowning in despair moments ago, pounded so hard it hurt.
"Help… me win him?"
[Everyone has a destiny. Everyone has a story. But souls like yours, who love so intensely that they destroy themselves, are rare. I feed on that intensity, and in return, I offer power. Simple, isn't it?]
The screen glowed again.
[Now, choose the target of your love.]
I didn't hesitate. Not for a second.
"Bai Ryuu."
The letters of his name danced on the screen for a moment, as if the system were processing.
[Verifying…]
[Analyzing emotional connection…]
[Analyzing interaction history…]
The screen remained still for a long minute. The silence was so dense I could hear my own blood pulsing in my ears.
[Alert. Critical information detected.]
I frowned. "What?"
[The target "Bai Ryuu" does not exist.]
The world stopped.
"W… what?"
[The individual designated as "Bai Ryuu," firstborn of the Bai family and your biological brother, died several years ago. Cause of death: hypothermia. Age at time of death: 5 years old. Current status: deceased.]
I felt the ground open beneath my feet.
"No…" My voice came out weak, a whisper that barely sounded like air.
"No, that's a lie. He's right there. He's right there!"
I pointed shakily at the TV screen, where the image of the sleeping Ryuu still glowed.
The system went silent for a moment, as if looking where I pointed.
[Reanalyzing…]
[Correction. The individual in the image is not Bai Ryuu.]
[Identity verified: Kurokawa Ryuu. Age: 25. Status: Alive. Affiliation: Adoptive son of Bai Ning, legally registered at age 8. Origin: Orphan, biological parents unknown. No blood relation to the Bai family.]
Kurokawa.
Adopted.
No blood relation.
I should have been in shock. I should have been horrified, confused, devastated by the revelation that the brother I thought I had was dead before I was even born.
But what came out of my lips was laughter.
At first low, shaky, as if I had forgotten how to laugh. Then louder, freer, more hysterical.
"He's not my brother…"
The words tasted like honey and poison on my tongue.
"He's not my brother!"
I shouted at the ceiling, at the cameras, at the whole world. The tears were still falling, but now they were hot tears of joy, of relief, of a happiness so overwhelming it hurt.
For days, I carried the guilt of loving my own blood. At first, I called myself sick, perverted, a monster, until I accepted that I loved my own brother. But it wasn't true. It was never true.
He wasn't my brother.
We could be together.
No! We WILL be together!
[Apologies, Host, but I must point out a logistical issue.]
The system's voice sounded again, almost bored.
[Consider selecting another target. I recommend Gu Sheng.]
My laughter died instantly. "What?"
[Gu Sheng. Heir to the Gu empire, protagonist of the main destiny. The rewards for loving him would be exponentially greater. He is destined for great achievements, and his affection route is—]
"No!" The word came out fast and merciless, like a whip crack.
[Host—]
"I said no." My voice was cold now. "I don't want Gu Sheng. I don't want his destiny, his rewards, or anything related to him. I want Kurokawa Ryuu. Set him as my target. Now."
[You are making a tactical mistake. Kurokawa Ryuu's potential is—]
"I don't care about his potential!" My hands clenched into fists. "You said you'd help me win my love. My love is him. It's always been him. If you can't accept that, then disappear and let me train in peace."
The system fell silent for a long moment. I could feel its reluctance, its silent frustration. But then, with an almost audible sigh, the screen lit up again.
[Target locked.]
[Love target set: Kurokawa Ryuu.]
[Target level: Undetermined (growing).]
[Current Love Points: 0.]
[Quests available soon.]
I let out a breath I didn't even realize I was holding.
"Thank you."
[Don't thank me. I'm doing this against my will. You are an incredibly stubborn host.]
[Well, regarding the system, there are status windows, quests, a shop… those basic things.]
I almost laughed again.
"You said I can earn points. How does it work?"
[Simple. You gain points by performing actions motivated by genuine love for your target. The more intense the love, the more points. The higher the target's level, the more points. These points can be exchanged in the System Shop for items, skills, and attributes.]
"Attributes?" My eyes lit up. "What kind of attributes?"
[Strength. Agility. Vitality. Charm. Intelligence. Everything a pathetic human like you needs to stop being pathetic.]
I ignored the insult. My mind was already spinning, calculating, planning.
"You also said you can show me my status."
[Correct.]
"Show me."
Another screen materialized in front of me.
____
Host Status: Bai Xue
Attributes:
· Strength: 1.3 (Human average: 1.0)
· Agility: 1.4
· Vitality: 1.5
· Charm: 6
· Intelligence: 5
Love Points: 0
Skills: None.
[System Evaluation: Slightly above average, but still pathetic.]
____
I looked at the numbers for a moment.
Then I smiled.
"Pathetic, huh?"
I walked to the center of the cell and positioned myself to do push-ups again. My arms still hurt. My muscles were still screaming.
But now, every fiber of my body burned with renewed motivation.
"Then let's change that."
I lowered myself, palms firm against the cold floor.
"One…"
My body went down. Up. The familiar burn in my arms came, but I didn't stop.
[Ding! +1 Love Point.]
"Two…"
[Ding! +1 Love Point.]
"Three…"
[Ding! +1 Love Point.]
With each push-up, the system's sound echoed through the cell. And with each sound, my smile grew.
The system fell silent for a moment, as if stunned, and I could feel its confusion through the floating screen beside me.
[Host… you are generating points just by doing push-ups while thinking about him. That shouldn't be—]
"Four."
[Ding! +1 Love Point.]
[You are insane.]
"Maybe." My laughter echoed through the empty cell, mixed with the sound of my hands hitting the floor. "But it's this insane love that will get me out of here."
"And when I get out…"
I looked at the TV screen, where Ryuu slept, that filthy shadow by his side, and my eyes gleamed with a silent promise.
"…nothing in this world will ever separate me from him again."
[Ding! +2 Love Points.]
[I give up trying to understand humans.]
*End of POV*
+++++
Well… I didn't expect there would still be people reading this. I even feel a bit embarrassed for having stopped writing halfway through. So I'm getting back to writing now—at least two or three chapters a week, until I finish this first arc. After that, I'll see whether I keep writing or not.