After being reborn into a new world, the system assigned me four male leads and a mission to complete. As long as I successfully won over one of them, I would be able to come back to life, as I had died in a car accident in my original world.

However, I failed with all four. Every one of them fell in love with the female lead of that world instead.

Because of that, they turned their hostility toward me, hurling cruel words and even telling me to die. In the end, I failed my mission, and I chose to leave that world.

Only when they saw my body did they completely break down.

"Sorry, but your time is up. You've failed the mission, and you can't try anymore," the mysterious voice of the system told me as I stood outside the grand wedding hall.

Inside, Patrick Smith and Lucia Jones were sharing a kiss on stage. Patrick was the last guy I was supposed to win over. However, like the rest, I did not succeed.

When I first arrived in this world, the system promised me a deal—if I could win the heart of just one of the four guys it picked for me within 25 years, I would get to go back to my real life.

However, 25 years went by, and I did not manage to win over any of them. Maybe it was just my fate.

I walked all the way to the busiest overpass I could find.

The system told me I had to face failure on my own. As I looked at the cars zooming by, I remembered all the cold looks from those guys. It was all because of Lucia Jones, the one everyone loved.

The system said it was not my fault. After all, Lucia was the star, and the guys just could not help but fall for her.

I gazed up at the clear blue sky. Was I always meant to fail just because I was a side character?

I did not want to think about it anymore. I was ready to give up.

I closed my eyes and stepped into the rush of cars. Suddenly, there was a loud screech of brakes, and then an angry shout.

"Yoana, if you're going to do something crazy, at least don't do it here where everyone can see!"

My eyes snapped open, and there was Jim Harris, my brother in this world and one of the guys I was supposed to win over. The system had said that if I could make him care about me 100%, I would complete my mission.

However, he fell for Lucia too.

When Lucia said she was raped because of me, Jim believed her right away and started to hate me with all his heart.

He pulled me into the car, drove to the nearby riverbank, and then yanked me out and slapped me hard. "If you're going to die, don't do it where everyone can see. Otherwise, you'll cause trouble for others even after you're gone. I've picked out a spot for you. If you want to die, do it here, and do it fast!"

His slap made my head spin, and I almost could not stand up. I had pretended to try to end my life in front of him more than once.

Back then, he only had eyes for Lucia. I thought if I pretended to die, he would feel sorry for me and listen to my side of the story. I never really wanted to die.

He probably thought I was just pretending again, sure that I would not really do it.

"Jim, what are you doing here? Why didn't you go to Lucia's wedding? Did you come out here because of me?" I looked up at him, my voice filled with a sadness I could not hide.

He had just been at the wedding. Did he leave because he saw me go and was worried something might happen to me? I still had a little bit of hope for him.

However, the next thing Jim said tore my hopes to pieces.

"Quit dreaming. I didn't come for you. I was getting Lucia's gown, and then I ran into you, acting all crazy! Listen, Yoana, stop trying to trick me into feeling sorry for you."

Looking at his angry face, I let out a sad laugh.

I had thought he was really worried about me, and that was why he came after me. However, I was wrong.

I had always known that my brother was head over heels for Lucia. He was like her puppy, always following her around, even though Lucia liked Patrick. He was willing to let her be with someone else. He even ran around doing things for her wedding.

His love knew no bounds.

I did not want to say anything more. I just turned around and walked step by step into the river.

Jim must have thought I was just trying to scare him. He stood on the bank, teasing me, "Hurry up. Why are you so slow? If you're going to die, do it fast and don't keep me from helping Lucia!"

I sped up, letting the river water drench me. Gradually, it went over my head. The freezing water filled my mouth, and I could not breathe.

I was finally leaving.

However, in the next second, someone yanked me up hard.

Jim hit me across the face. "You really dared to do it! Yoana, who do you think you are?"

He spoke as he dragged me back to shore. "Listen to me. Your life was given to you by Mom, and you can't just throw it away."

Mom was the kindest person in the world to me. I did not want to leave her, but I had to go.

After Jim stopped my suicide attempt, I made up an excuse to go home.

He shouted after me, "So what if Patrick got married? You like him, don't you? Then you should let him be with the person he truly loves! That's what real love is!"

However, I did not like him. I just wanted to stay alive and get back home. That was why I got close to him.

…

I bought a rope and went to a deserted park.

I knew I could not do it at home. Mom was still there, and I could not bear the thought of frightening her.

Standing alone beneath the trees, I prepared to end everything. Looking at what lay before me, I let out a quiet, self-mocking laugh. I had lived in this world for a full 25 years.

It was not very long, because it all passed in the blink of an eye. Yet it was not very short either, because I had been through so much.

Back then, Jim did not like having me as a sister. He believed my birth would steal our parents' love from him. That was why winning him over had been especially difficult.

However, I used to believe that if I was truly sincere, he would eventually come to accept me. Back then, I used to skip meals at school and save my lunch money just to buy him a gaming console. When he caused trouble, I was the one who took the fall for him.

When he felt sick in the middle of the night, I was the one who ran through the pouring rain to get his medicine and stayed up caring for him all night. When he had his eyes on a pair of sneakers that cost 450 dollars, I spent two entire months during summer break working to earn enough to buy them for him.

Little by little, I could feel him starting to warm up to me.

Just when I thought I was finally making progress, Lucia showed up, and all my years of effort seemed to vanish.

I guessed it did not matter anymore. I might as well think of those past 20 years as nothing more than a dream.

I stood on a rock and tried to end it all. The choking sensation hit me instantly. I fought back instinctively, but I still tried not to make any noise.

I did not want to draw attention to myself.

Oh, and to avoid frightening anyone, I had also left a note behind.

[Don't worry, I'm now a star shining in the sky.]

Slowly, my mind started to blur. As death loomed close, a rush of memories from this world flew through my mind. No matter how hard I tried, Lucia always seemed to win. Everyone liked her more than me.

Just when I thought it was the end for me, someone suddenly lifted me up.

I was grateful to be taking in fresh air and breathed deeply.

"Yoana, have you lost your mind?"

The man in front of me was Calvin Scott, my former doctor. He was eight years older than me. He was also a man I had once tried to get close to.

Back when I was diagnosed with depression, he was the one who treated me. The system told me that he could be someone I could connect with, so I spent a lot of time trying to be good to him.

We shared meals, painted together, and visited amusement parks. He even introduced me to his beloved grandmother. He told me I was the first woman to ever step into his old house.

His feelings for me grew quickly. I was sure it would work out this time.

However, Lucia showed up again.

Right in front of me, she burst into tears and said to Calvin, "Dr. Scott, Yoana got someone to hurt me. I can't sleep, and all I see in my dreams are those scary moments. I just want to end it all."

Just like that, Calvin hugged her in front of me. "Don't be scared. I'm here for you."

That same day, Calvin, with eyes red from anger, yelled at me to go away. He said I was only pretending to be sad to make him feel sorry for me, and he even called me gross.

Just like that, I failed in my mission once more.

…

I could not help but laugh at the irony of it all. Twice in one day, I tried to end it all, and both times, I bumped into someone I had tried to charm before. Was the world really that small?

"Aren't you supposed to be at Lucia's wedding right now?" I spoke without any feeling, my eyes just staring blankly at him.

He was a good-looking guy with a nice voice, and he was always kind to women. That was how he once helped me come out of my dark place. However, he was also the one who pushed me back into an even darker hole.

"I wasn't feeling well and needed to get some air. Is that a problem?" He frowned, looking totally annoyed.

He was really into Lucia too. He even gave up his chance to study abroad for her. Today was her wedding day, which was probably why he was upset.

"Why are you trying to do something so drastic here? Or did you know I was close by and thought this might make me feel bad for you? Yoana, can you stop acting all sad in front of me? Can't you try something new?"

I heard him, but my expression did not change. I had heard that kind of talk from him more than once.

However, I was not pretending. I really was depressed. Why could he not see that? Did they always have to blame me for everything just because I was not loved?

I kept quiet and got up to leave. As I walked away, I started to think up another way to end it all.

I had never felt so lost before.

It seemed Calvin was scared I might actually do something to hurt myself. He grabbed me and brought me back to his place.