Chapter 2
This world was hands down my favorite.
I had a gorgeous mom, a loaded dad, and I was their one and only. My grandparents on both sides adored me just as much.
I wanted to stay here for good. The System promised that if I could win Alex over, I could settle down in this world and never have to run another mission.
Of course, the price was handing over all the mission points I'd racked up over the years.
Those points could've let me live like a queen back in the real world.
But honestly, what I craved most was the love I got in this world.
Alex Pierce was the male lead in this world—the classic angst novel protagonist, doomed to endless suffering.
The whole story was basically written just to torment him, piling misery after misery on the male lead.
The readers complained so much about how brutally he was treated that the System showed up, just to help the tortured male lead finally find some love.
I arrived in this world when Nina was just a freshman in high school.
Alex's parents and mine were longtime friends, so we ended up seeing each other a lot.
But he was always super aloof—never said more than five words to me the whole time.
The longest sentence I ever got out of him was when I really pushed his buttons.
"Nina, can you stop sticking to me all the time?" he grumbled.
I just kept sticking to him, totally unfazed.
"If I'm not sticking to you, who else should I stick to? Got any recommendations?" I shot back.
He just went silent.
For all three years of high school, I was basically his number one simp—always fawning over him, never missing a chance to stick by his side.
Every year, I'd give him gifts—flowers, cakes, perfume, even gold bracelets. Like clockwork.
On graduation day, he looked at me, bouquet in hand, with this look of total resignation.
That was the first time I ever heard him sound like anything other than just plain annoyed.
"Nina, I'm a guy," he said.
I just beamed at him. "Of course I know you're a guy! Who says guys can't get gifts like these?"
After that, he seemed a little less exasperated with me—probably realized there was just no shaking me off.
Besides, I even busted my ass to get into the same college as him.
The moment Alex walked in and saw Evan in my apartment, plus me standing there wrapped in nothing but a towel, his expression turned stormy.
"Nina, what the hell are you doing?" he snapped.
Honestly, seeing him just made my head pound even more. Could someone please have some sympathy for a girl who was on her period and completely falling apart?
"I'm staying here tonight. If you want to talk, let's do it tomorrow—I'm going to bed," I said.
With that, I flicked off the living room lights and headed straight for my bedroom.
Right before closing my door, I called back, "Hey, please shut my door when you leave. Thanks."
And just like that, I left the two of them standing there in the dark, staring at each other.
I was exhausted, so as soon as I hit the bed, I fell asleep almost instantly.
The next morning, I was jolted awake by my phone ringing.
It was my agent, Talia Johnson.
"Hey, Talia," I mumbled, still half-asleep.
I kept my eyes closed, pressing the phone to my ear, my voice all lazy and groggy.
But Talia was yelling so loud today, I thought my eardrums might burst.
"Nina! You and Evan got caught on camera!" she shouted.
My eyes flew open. No way! Evan was a total heartthrob, and his fangirls were crazy about him. I was just a random nobody.
If this got out, I'd be roasted online for sure.
I hung up and immediately checked the trending topics.
Hastag: [Possible Girlfriend of Evan Lee]
It was trending at number one. I clicked in and saw there was only one photo—Evan and me sitting in the car.
Evan's face was crystal clear, but I was hunched over, feeling sick, so my face was totally hidden.
I let out a huge sigh of relief.
Then another message popped up on my phone.
[Got time to talk? I brought breakfast. I'm outside your apartment]
It was Alex.
I didn't bother replying. Instead, I summoned the System in my mind.
"System, check Alex's favorability for me."
"Received. Query in progress. Alex Pierce's favorability: 96." The System responded.
I let out a snort.
Wow, it actually dropped a point. It used to be 97.
I was starting to feel like, screw it, whatever.
"Can it switch to a side character who's been tortured by the heroine instead?"
The System shot back, cold as ever, "No."
Well. I was really stuck.
With a sigh, I got up, went to the door, and let Alex inside.
"Nina, I brought you your favorite ravioli and soy milk," Alex said.
I grabbed the breakfast without hesitation and gave a casual "thanks."
We both settled onto the couch. I kept quiet, and he just sat there with me, not saying a word, until I polished off the ravioli.
I finally broke the silence. "You didn't go to work today?"
Seeing I was acting normal, Alex handed me a napkin and wiped the garlic chili sauce from my mouth, just like he always did.
"Yeah, I skipped work today. I was worried you were still mad at me," he said.
A little smirk played at my lips, and I put on my usual proud look.
"So, you finally realize you messed up?" I teased.
"Yeah, I know," he replied.
"And what exactly did you do wrong?" I pressed.
"Everything," he said, totally sincere.
He looked at me with such genuine affection, like his eyes were overflowing with love for me.
But damn it, he was still four points short.
He stuck with me all day—we binge-watched shows in the morning.
In the afternoon, we played games together. Not once did we bring up what happened yesterday.
That night, I was curled up in his arms on the couch, scrolling through my phone.
I noticed the top trending topic had changed. [Evan Lee Responds.]
Curious about what he'd posted, I tapped in to check it out.
There was a new post from him.
[She's not my girlfriend yet.]
The comments section exploded.
[Did I just see that? Evan just spilled the tea?]
[Even a total heartthrob can't get the girl he likes?]
[I'm heartbroken. The person I secretly like has a crush on someone else.]
Seeing all those comments, I was totally thrown off. Wait, did Evan actually like me?
"Nina, can I ask you for a favor?"
His words snapped me back to reality.
I glanced at him, a bit puzzled. "What is it?"
"Grace said she got fired from the hotel. She really cares about that job, and since it's your family's business, I was wondering if you could... maybe help her out?" he said, trailing off.
But I cut him off before he could finish.
"Stop! Alex, did you spend the whole day with me just for this? Her getting fired has nothing to do with me. If she couldn't do her job, it's only natural that she got let go. I have no obligation to rehire her, and honestly, I don't want to."
Alex stared at me for a couple of seconds, his brows knitting together.
"Nina, you've never had to worry about making ends meet. You don't know how tough it is for people to hold down a job," he said.
This time, I really couldn't help but roll my eyes.
"Alex, when did you get so high and mighty? What about the cleaners working before dawn, the old folks picking up trash on the street, the elderly running stalls, or the patients in hospitals who can't afford treatment? Who doesn't have it hard?" I retorted.