Chapter 234
Why was she here? Was this the entrance to the underworld? But she had just heard her system’s voice...
Unable to move under the invisible restraints binding her body, Suzy could only lie there in confusion.
It wasn’t as if she hadn’t tried to struggle. It wasn’t as if she had simply given up. She had fought against it. Again and again. Yet the force imprisoning her was far more powerful than she had imagined.
No matter how hard she resisted, she could not break free.
[Host... I... save you... don’t...]
The system’s voice reached her once more, yet beneath the distortion, she could hear something she had never heard before.
It was the first time her system had ever displayed such obvious emotion.
What had happened? Had something gone terribly wrong? Something related to her?
If she remembered correctly, the system had said it was going to save her.
So she really was dying.
The realization settled over her with surprising calmness. Countless chaotic thoughts flooded her mind.
The only thing she could be certain of was this: She was dying.
As for the cause... If her guess was correct, it was probably because she had killed Wendy.
Perhaps this was Heaven’s punishment. After all, Wendy had been the heroine. A world without its protagonist probably had no reason to continue existing.
A bitter sigh echoed in her thoughts.
Looks like I made a very serious mistake.
But if she died, what would happen afterward?
Would this world continue to exist? Or would it collapse entirely?
What about Leonard and Thomas? What would happen to them?
The questions multiplied endlessly. The more she thought, the worse her headache became.
Eventually, she closed her eyes.
Enough.
There was no point in tormenting herself.
She should rest. Perhaps for the last time.
[HOST!!]
Just as darkness was about to swallow her again, the system’s voice rang out, much clearer than before.
Suzy’s eyes flew open.
[Host, look over here!]
Almost instinctively, she turned toward the source of the voice.
Within the endless darkness, she spotted a tiny glimmer of light.
It was weak, barely visible, yet against the boundless black surrounding her, it stood out like a beacon.
"System?"
Shock filled her.
It really was the system. It had somehow found its way here.
[Host, I’m here to save you!]
This time, its voice sounded clearly inside her mind. Immediately afterward, Suzy felt a strange force wrap around her.
A gentle pull... Something was trying to draw her out of this dark and endless space.
***
"Has she still not woken up?"
"No. Right now, she needs rest. Noah, it’s late. You should go to sleep. I’ll stay here and watch over her."
"...But I’m worried about her. Liam, when will she wake up?"
"I don’t know."
"She hasn’t even had any water. What if something happens to her?"
"Don’t worry. I’ll figure something out."
"What can you even do? Liam, you have to help Suzy..."
A faint sob escaped the boy.
"Be good. I will. It’s getting late, and your body hasn’t fully recovered yet. You need to rest."
"...Okay."
The reply came reluctantly.
"Liam, if Suzy wakes up, promise you’ll tell me immediately."
"I know. Now go."
Clutching his stuffed bear tightly to his chest, Noah slowly walked toward the door.
Every few steps, he turned back. Again and again. His gaze remained fixed on the figure lying on the bed.
"Suzy..."
The soft whisper trembled with worry.
Not far away, a pale and fragile young woman lay motionless beneath the blankets.
It was Suzy.
Liam sat beside the bed, quietly keeping watch.
Noah lingered at the doorway for several long moments before finally pulling the door shut.
Click.
The room fell silent. Now only Liam and Suzy remained.
Liam’s gaze never left her face. His delicate brows were drawn together in concern. His lips were pressed into a thin line.
Slowly, he reached out. His cool fingertips brushed gently against Suzy’s cheek. Her skin was just as cold.
The chill seeped through his fingers. There was almost no warmth left in her body. No sign of life.
***
One day passed.
Suzy still did not wake.
Liam changed her dressings. He cared for her meticulously. Stayed by her side. Watched over her every hour.
Yet despite everything he did, there was still no indication that Suzy would open her eyes.
Neither Thomas nor Leonard, whom Liam had rescued alongside her, showed any signs of waking either.
No matter how much he thought about it, Liam could not figure out what the three of them had experienced.
The previous day, he had vaguely heard a disturbance coming from the stairwell.
By the time he arrived, Suzy had already collapsed unconscious.
The narrow stairwell had been littered with bodies.
Four people lay scattered across the steps.
One of them was dead.
It was Wendy.
After briefly dealing with Wendy’s corpse, Liam had carried Suzy, Leonard, and Thomas back to his apartment one by one.
He had examined Leonard and Thomas thoroughly. Neither of them appeared seriously injured. They were simply trapped in an unusually deep sleep.
Suzy was the only one who had sustained visible wounds.
The moment he brought her home, Liam treated her injuries using the medicinal ointment she had previously given Noah.
Fortunately, the medicine worked.
When he first discovered the wound, the flesh around it had already begun darkening ominously.
After cleaning and applying the ointment, the discoloration gradually faded and returned to a normal color.
But despite that improvement, Suzy showed no signs of waking.
Liam’s fingertips drifted from her cheek to her lips. The skin was dry and slightly cracked. She had gone an entire day without drinking water.
Several times, Liam had tried feeding her. Every attempt had failed.
This couldn’t continue.
Once dehydration set in, the consequences would become far more serious.
He picked up the glass of water resting on the table and carefully scooped a small amount with a spoon.
Gently, he touched it to her lips. A little water slipped between them. The rest trickled down the corner of her mouth, traced a path along her jawline, and disappeared into the hollow of her neck, dampening the collar of her shirt.
Another failure. Not the first one. Every previous attempt had ended exactly the same way.
Liam sighed quietly.
He tried again. The result was no different. Suzy simply could not swallow.
Any water he managed to feed her flowed right back out, as though her unconscious body were silently refusing it.
Setting the spoon aside, Liam picked up a towel and gently wiped away the moisture clinging to her lips.
His movements were exceptionally careful.
At this point, he genuinely did not know what else he could do.
Back then, it had been Suzy who dragged Noah back from death’s doorstep. Now that she was the one in danger, he could not stand by and do nothing. Not after everything she had done for them. Not after all the help she had given him.
Whether out of gratitude or simple human decency, abandoning her was impossible.
And deep down... He simply did not want anything to happen to her.
Liam set down the glass and stared at her for a long time.
Her lips, which had briefly been moistened, had already become dry once more.
Then an absurd thought suddenly entered his mind.
His entire body stiffened. A strange flush spread across his pale cheeks.
No. That was not a good idea. Not at all.
But every time his gaze landed on her cracked lips, a voice inside him whispered the same thing.
Do it. You have to help her.
Liam closed his eyes and struggled with himself for several moments.
Eventually, he picked up the glass again and took a mouthful of water.
Then slowly leaned down and... His lips touched hers.
His lips were cool against her dry skin. Carefully, he parted her lips and gently coaxed her mouth open.
Little by little, he transferred the water. The liquid slid down Suzy’s throat.
A faint swallowing sound followed. Liam’s eyes immediately brightened.
It worked!
He straightened slightly and looked at her. Her tightly furrowed brows seemed to relax just a little.
A surge of relief flooded his chest.
Perhaps he should have tried this method sooner.
Taking another mouthful of water, Liam lowered himself again. This time, he remained there longer. Before he realized it, he had fed her nearly half the glass.
The process was hardly easy on him. He had to be extremely careful throughout.
His cheeks gradually turned crimson from holding his breath and maintaining such close contact.
That should be enough...
The thought had barely crossed his mind when he prepared to pull away.
At that exact moment, the lashes resting against Suzy’s pale cheeks trembled softly.
Liam froze. His mind went completely blank.
For a single distracted second, he forgot to move.
Then, beneath him, Suzy slowly opened her eyes.
Their gazes met.