He Took the Bullet… For HER

Eight years.

That's how long I'd spent chasing after Elijah, the so-called disabled spiritual leader. And after all that time, his affection for me had barely ticked up to a pathetic one percent. Still, it was enough for him to finally take me somewhere—a concert.

Then I saw her.

The lead singer looked exactly like his first love.

My heart shattered. I turned to leave—just as gunfire erupted.

In a flash, Elijah leaped from his wheelchair, shoving me aside as he lunged onto the stage. A bullet meant for her struck him instead.

The force of his push sent me crashing to the ground. Pain exploded in my side—I'd been hit too.

The system's voice rang cold in my ears: Mission failed.

So I did the only thing left.

I activated the emotion-blocking system.

No more love. No more pain. Just… nothing.

Chaos swallowed the concert hall. Elijah clutched Jessica—Jessica—against him, his arm bleeding, his voice raw with panic.

"Are you okay? Don't scare me. Please, don't die."

I'd never seen him like this. The man known for his icy composure, who never showed a flicker of emotion, was breaking over a stranger.

Because she wasn't a stranger.

She was a ghost from his past.

And I?

I was just the fool who'd wasted eight years on a lie.

Blood pooled beneath me. The system's voice was distant.

Host, you're dying.

Then it hit me—all those years, every small victory when his affection finally inched up…

It was never for me.

It was for her.

"The exit portal isn't ready," the system said. "Three days. You can leave in three days."

Three days.

I watched Elijah scoop Jessica into his arms, his eyes wild, screaming for a doctor.

Not once did he look back.

Not once did he even remember me.

Pathetic.

"System," I whispered, tears cutting down my face. "Activate the emotion blocker. Now."

A pause. "Host, you only have three days left. Are you sure?"