After I fail to win over the hearts of all three female leads, the system tells me that I can return to my original world as long as my body dies in this world.
So, I happily order myself a grand meal of carb-based food in the dark basement. After eating my fill, I pull out a coil of rope and get ready to hang myself.
But just as I'm about to stick my head through the noose, I suddenly see comments floating before my eyes.
"Don't do it, Daniel! Elena's just mistreating you because she feels that she should make it up to Ryan! You're actually her favorite brother!"
"That's right! The same applies to your fiancee! Ryan has saved her before, after all! The truth is, whenever she hurts you, she feels her heart wrenching in pain at the same time!"
"Your childhood friend feels nothing but guilt for Ryan. Daniel, don't ever give up, and don't take your own life. If you die, the three of them will go crazy for real!"
As soon as I stepped onto the stool, these bizarre floating comments suddenly appeared in front of me.
Upon reading them, I could only find them absurd.
I'd spent over 20 years pouring my heart and soul into winning over the three female leads of this world. I did everything I could, and yet, because the adopted son of the family threatened to take his own life, they tortured me mercilessly.
Not only that, they forced me to stay in a dingy, windowless basement apartment and saddled me with massive debt, leaving me to be beaten by loan sharks on a daily basis.
Now, the comments were telling me that the person the three women loved most was me. All I could do was find that funny.
Ignoring the comments, I stuck my head through the noose and kicked the stool away, allowing an overwhelming sense of suffocation to wash over me.
Before my eyes appeared Mom and Dad's loving smiles. How nice. I was finally going home.
"Don't worry, everyone! Elena is on her way! She might have a sharp tongue, but she'll save Daniel in the end."
"Exactly! She might say she hates Daniel, but she'll definitely freak out when she sees him trying to take his own life!"
"Ryan once saved all three female leads, so it's only right that they repay him. Cut them some slack, Daniel. Once Ryan and your fiancee marry, the debt will be fully repaid!"
The very next second, the rickety basement door was violently kicked open.
My older sister, Elena Coleman, rushed in and got me down in one swift motion, panic flashing briefly in her eyes.
As I hit the ground hard, all I could think was how unfortunate it was that I wasn't able to see Mom and Dad.
"Daniel Coleman, what kind of act are you pulling this time? Pretending to take your own life? Ryan developed depression because of you.
"He's only having a wedding ceremony with Hazel. It's not like they're actually getting married. Who are you trying to put on a show for?
"Do you think anyone will feel sorry for you if you kill yourself? All I feel is disgust."
Just looking at that familiar face, so full of loathing toward me, made my heart ache in a numb way.
Elena was an illegitimate child of our family. When she first came to our home, everyone disliked her. She was bullied constantly at school, too.
I was the first to take her hand and tell her she was just fine the way she was.
I shared everything I had with her. Knowing she loved the piano, I argued my case with our elders and, after a lot of back-and-forth, won her the opportunity to study under a master pianist.
As for the rare, out-of-print score she liked, it was already reduced to scraps when I found it. I pulled multiple all-nighters to piece it together for her, and I even ruined my eyesight in the process.
She used to give me piggyback rides with a grin on her face, promising she'd always look out for me.
"Danny, you're my little brother. Even if it meant sacrificing myself, I would never let you be hurt in the slightest."
The person who once made such a firm promise completely changed after our family's adopted son, Ryan Coleman, came along.
Ryan would constantly frame me for things I didn't do while pretending to be all innocent. And right when I was about to marry my fiancee, Hazel Flores, he showed up on the rooftop in a white suit, threatening to jump.
In order to appease him, my fiancée and my sister drove me out of the Coleman residence, tricked me into taking on enormous loan shark debts, and got the whole city to turn against me.
For the past three years, I'd been living on the run, beaten whenever I was caught.
I used to have legs that were great at swimming, but now, thanks to the fractures, one of them was permanently crippled.
"I'm so sad. Elena's actually hurting on the inside when she says all of that. She's even clenching her fists."
"This is all because she's still indebted to Ryan. Daniel, I know you are suffering, but you have to put yourself in her shoes. She's only partial to Ryan because of that debt."
"This is too painful to watch. My heart aches for Elena."
How ridiculous. Their so‑called debt of gratitude had nothing to do with me. I had done more than enough for Elena over the past 20 years.
Gazing at Elena, I smiled. "I'm only doing what you wished for. I won't be an eyesore anymore."
Before Elena could even react, I grabbed the knife on the table and slashed hard across my wrist.
"Danny!"
Before I lost consciousness, all I heard was Elena's desperate scream.
I thought this time, it would finally be over, but it wasn't. I woke up when a cup struck me.
Upon opening my eyes, I found Ryan and Hazel standing by my hospital bed. Ryan looked devastated, whereas Hazel was seething with anger.
"Danny, stop hurting yourself because of me, okay? I'll just not marry Hazel anymore."
Pale-faced, Ryan leaned weakly against Hazel, as if he could vanish from sheer misery at any moment.
Hazel immediately steadied him, then fixed me with a cold, aloof gaze.
"What's all this about now? Ryan had to put the wedding on hold because of you. On top of that, he hasn't been eating or sleeping. It's not like we're actually getting married. Who is all this supposed to be for?"
Comments appeared again. "Oh my gosh! Did anyone else notice how tightly Hazel's fists were clenched? Hurting the male lead with cruel words hurts her even more than it hurts him."
"Out of gratitude, she has to go along with what Ryan wants to keep him happy. Daniel has to endure it for now."
"Don't cry, Daniel. Once the wedding is over, all your suffering will pay off, and you'll finally be the star of your own happy story!"
"Hazel is just keeping her love hidden. The deeper her feelings, the more she holds back. I'm practically dying from the emotional pain!"
The comments didn't make me happy in the slightest. Instead, memories of Hazel suddenly surfaced.
Back in high school, I'd spent two years abroad as an exchange student. That was when I met Hazel.
She'd been framed by her father's illegitimate son and driven overseas with barely any money to her name. She had been as miserable as a homeless person.
I was the one who took her in. As she was a pampered young lady who didn't know how to do anything for herself, I cooked every meal, managed the house, and took care of her until she was back to her old self.
With my constant, meticulous care, she went from cold and distant to gentle and soft.
She would secretly sketch me while I was asleep, then write "my husband" beside it in Fleruean.
Once we were back in the country, I helped her win back her place in the family. She had said she wanted to marry me, to have the grandest wedding imaginable. But after Ryan saved her life, everything changed.
Hazel, who was once incredibly gentle, began to hate me and reject me. She was disgusted just by the sound of my name.
Even the hand I used to play the violin was broken on her orders, all because of a "debt of gratitude", something utterly ridiculous that they didn't even know the truth about.
With nothing left to say, I merely lowered my head. "I don't want anything. I just want an end to this. Having lost everything, the only thing left that is mine is my own life."
"Why does Daniel keep saying things that hurt the female lead?"
"Honestly, the male lead is kind of disgusting. The female lead is devoted and endures everything in silence. What more does he want from her?"
The comments kept talking about me, but in reality, they were just using me as a tool for their shipping fantasy. To them, only the female leads' pain ever mattered.
Hazel's lashes quivered. Instinctively, she reached out, as if to pat my head the way she used to. But she quickly withdrew her hand, a cold laugh escaping her lips.
"Did you think pulling a stunt like this would make us feel sorry for you? If you want to die that badly, go do it somewhere else and be an eyesore elsewhere!"
Hazel shot me a contemptuous glance and, without warning, ordered her people to tie me up.
I thrashed about in panic. "What are you doing?"
"You wish for death, no? Then I won't let you have it that easily. I'll make your life unbearable and death impossible!"
They dumped me in a remote psychiatric hospital. I recognized the place instantly because it belonged to Ophelia.
I was strapped to a hospital bed. Ophelia walked in with her phone, her voice soft and gentle as she spoke to Ryan. "Get some good rest, Ryan. You have nothing to worry about. I'll definitely be at your wedding."
When she looked my way, all I saw in her eyes was pure disdain. "Hah! Hazel already told me everything. You're now using suicide stunts to get attention, Daniel? You're seriously shameless."
A comment appeared. "Here comes the proud Ophelia!"
"She's just jealous that Daniel is always with his fiancee, so she's deliberately acting cold to get his attention."
"That's so funny. She deliberately called Ryan to talk to him in front of the male lead. Her act is absolutely precious!"
The young woman whom the comments were calling precious and proud was currently hurling the most vicious words at me.
She was Ophelia Gill, my childhood friend. She used to follow me around when we were kids and was like a little sister to me.
When we were 15, we were caught in an avalanche while skiing together. I had to dig her out of the snow bit by bit and carry her down the mountain.
Because of that, I ended up with severe frostbite and was rushed straight into the ICU. After Ophelia woke up, she stood outside my hospital room for several days, her eyes red, refusing to rest.
However long I was unconscious, that was how long she was there. When I finally woke up, she threw herself into my arms, crying and calling me stupid.
"I'd rather die myself than let anything happen to you, Danny."
At the time, she was sincere, and I stroked her head with a smile while comforting her. The Ophelia in my memories was completely different from the one before me now.
"You like flirting with death, right? Then go ahead and have a good time in this psychiatric hospital."
With a wave of her hand, a group of people in white coats immediately appeared behind her. They came at me with syringes and, without a word, injected something into my arm.
Struggling desperately, I couldn't help calling out Ophelia's name.
I begged her to save me, on account of having saved her on that mountain back then. Yet, she merely lowered her head to glance at me before walking out with her eyes shut.
They jammed unknown pills into my mouth before making me swallow them with water.
I closed my eyes in despair, tears streaming down my cheeks. The past few months felt like hell on earth.
Whenever I woke up, they force-fed me medicine, gave me injections, subjected me to electric shocks, and gave me nothing but expired, moldy food.
I didn't even feel human anymore after going through the torture. I couldn't even muster the strength to end my life.
A few comments popped up. "Am I the only one who thinks this is going too far? Why is the female lead just letting the male lead be treated like this?"
"What do you know? This is just how angst stories go. It's brutal at first, then blissfulness follows."
"They're right. Why didn't you mention how miserable the female lead feels on the inside? Can you show some sympathy for her for once? Jeez."
After a full month of torment, I was finally going to be taken out. Ophelia walked into the hospital room. When she saw how frail I looked, her gaze wavered slightly. She asked, "Have you learned your lesson?"
