The weekdays in the illusion passed in the blink of an eye.
Living in a world that seemed to have no end, Nigel took the time to figure out what laws governed this place.
This illusion was a seamless blend of Nigel’s memories. People he had once known back on Earth had indistinct faces, and their names were impossible to make out.
On top of that, people who hadn’t existed in his original world appeared in the illusion. Inas, who now held the position of Nigel’s lover, was naturally included. Kay had become the friendly younger guy next door, casually suggesting they go to a PC bang together. Schumacher suddenly turned into Nigel’s uncle, grinning as he dropped by with some side dishes.
It was all absurdly peaceful—and everyone got along.
The illusion, which merged both realities within Nigel’s cognition, began to show its seams upon closer inspection. Odd inconsistencies popped out like discordant notes in a song. But because it wasn’t real, even when things were slightly off, everything still ran smoothly.
Nigel was beginning to understand why this illusion was so dangerous. While he could sense some dissonance from how it differed from reality, there was no strong sense of rejection. And of course—this place was built from the ground up based on Nigel’s innermost desires. It had read him to his core and faithfully recreated his vague wishes.
The word “abyss” had conjured up something far more sinister in his imagination, but this place was more like a dream world.
His sister—whose fate had been unknown due to an accident—was alive and well here. Inas might have been a little unhinged, but he was peaceful. Kay, without a trace of torment, looked just as bright as the first time they’d met. And Schumacher lived freely, no longer bound by any senseless fate…
Unlike the real Nigel—sickly, sensitive, and with no real friends—this version of him was healthy and had a bustling social life. Friends messaged him daily, and he was always out and about, going to PC bangs, pool halls, movie theaters, trendy restaurants, and cafés.
Spending time with friends was a whole new joy Nigel had never experienced before. It was enough to make him forget the real world entirely.
Of course, he knew it was just an illusion and that he’d have to leave eventually. But since he didn’t know how anyway… “Just a little longer,” he thought, subconsciously putting it off.
And just like that, the weekdays vanished. When the weekend came, his sister—who’d been going to work every day—locked herself in her room. It was already past 1 PM, and she hadn’t eaten yet. Most likely, she was on the computer again.
On weekdays, she ate on her own. But on weekends, Nigel hoped they could eat together. It made prepping and cleaning up easier. Balancing affection and efficiency, Nigel knocked on her door.
“Noona. Are you busy?”
“Huh? Why?”
“Can I come in?”
“Wait a sec… okay, come in.”
Permission came just a few seconds later. Nigel stepped into the room. His sister had minimized all her windows; only a clean desktop was visible on the monitor.
“Why? Something wrong?”
“No, it’s just… Noona, aren’t you going to eat?”
“Oh, right. I should… Wait, you haven’t eaten yet?”
“Nope. I’ll cook if you’re eating too, but if not, I’ll just eat alone.”
“Ah, no, I should eat too. Want to just order something simple?”
“Sure.”
“Okay, hang on. Let me check what’s available.”
She pulled out her phone and opened the delivery app to browse the options. While she was busy, Nigel looked around her room.
On weekdays, she always kept her door shut. He’d glimpsed inside a few times while passing by, but this was the first time he’d stepped in properly.
Posters with manga-style art covered the walls, and one wall had a long bookshelf filled with books and various knickknacks. Though it was tidily arranged, the sheer volume of stuff gave the room a cluttered vibe.
Now that he thought about it, his sister had always liked manga. Not just manga—she was equally obsessed with games and novels.
Nigel hadn’t always understood her hobbies, but occasionally, they’d watch or read things together when she made recommendations. And her picks had always been genuinely fun.
Absentmindedly, Nigel started checking out the cutesy items on the bookshelf. Then, suddenly—he froze in shock.
There was a small figure of Inas. He wore a knight’s uniform, holding a sword in one hand. A cape—one Inas barely wore in reality—was dramatically fluttering behind him.
What the hell was this?
Then the word came back to him: figure.
Right. It was an Inas figure.
An Inas figure.
The phrase alone was jarringly out of place. Nigel’s brows furrowed.
“Inas…?”
He muttered without thinking, and his sister turned toward him. When she saw what he was looking at, she beamed.
“Yeah! Nice quality, right? I had to pay a hefty premium—over forty bucks for that. I wasn’t sure if I should open it, but I figured, I’m taking this baby with me to the grave, so I cracked it open.”
“You mean this one?”
Nigel pointed at the figure with a trembling hand. It was so finely crafted it almost looked alive.
“Yeah. That’s Inas. My Inas is hot, huh?”
What the actual hell?
Hearing Inas’s name from his Earth sister’s mouth sent chills down Nigel’s spine. It was all too surreal.
And—‘My’ Inas?
Even if it was his sister, that was not okay. Inas belonged to Nigel and Nigel alone.
But after a week of immersion in a pseudo-Confucian illusion, Nigel couldn’t bring himself to outright protest. Instead, he offered a meek pushback.
“What about your boyfriend… and now you’re into another guy…?”
“2D and real life are separate, duh. And besides, I’ve known Inas way longer than I’ve known ■■. It’s been over ten years with Inas, you know.”
She sounded oddly excited—completely out of character for her usual calm demeanor. Clearly, she really liked Inas.
Since this affection was different from the one she had for her actual boyfriend, it wasn’t quite a disaster where siblings had fallen for the same man… but Nigel still rubbed his arms, goosebumps prickling his skin.
“How do you even know Inas?”
“What are you talking about? Of course I know him—he’s my all-time fave. Duh. You know how deep I went into Brave Legend.”
“Brave what?”
“Brave Legend! Don’t tell me you forgot. You used to watch me play all the time.”
Brave Legend? That name was almost painfully cheesy.
He vaguely remembered watching his sister game when they were kids… but it still wasn’t coming back. He could probably recall it if they talked more—but part of him didn’t want to remember.
As Nigel stood there frowning vaguely, his sister pulled something from her shelf. The cover of a game package appeared in elegant font. Slowly, Nigel read the title.
“Brave Legend 2”
On the cover illustration, a red-haired boy—who was clearly Kay—stood striking a dramatic pose with a sword.
Though it was a cartoonish style and not hyper-realistic, the hair, eyes, and overall look made it unmistakable. His companions stood beside him, each posing in their own quirky way.
The whole thing looked like a tacky poster for a third-rate play mocking royals or nobles.
It wasn’t exciting or nostalgic—it was just weird.
He wished the whole situation was a dream within a dream.
His sister, on the other hand, was positively delighted.
“You really liked Inas back when you were little.”
“…I liked Inas?”
Nigel liked Inas. That was an unshakable truth.
But hearing that from his Earth sister? He never saw that coming.
It felt like he was introducing a lover to his family—except his sister didn’t even realize it.
Well, technically, he and Inas weren’t dating yet… but still.
Oblivious to Nigel’s tangled thoughts, his sister nodded eagerly.
“Yup. You always said Inas was the coolest. And come on, you saw me collecting all that merch—how could you not remember? Guess you forgot ‘cause you’re not a proper otaku, huh…”
That slight note of betrayal in her voice brought old memories trickling back.
Inas was familiar.
Ever since the first game launched over ten years ago, his sister had been obsessed—and she’d never hidden it.
There was no way Nigel wouldn’t recognize Inas after seeing him around the house so often.
Even if he wasn’t real, Inas had been a regular part of Nigel’s life for a long time.
So maybe… he had liked Inas from the start.
Not knowing there was someone else inside that body…
Maybe that faint affection left a trace, and that tiny spark became the raging flame he felt now.
Compared to how deeply he felt now, it was a pretty unimpressive beginning.
He’d hoped it was something more fateful—something desperate.
But what was he expecting from love at first sight?
Even now, no matter how furious he got, Inas’s face alone could melt everything away.
Unaware of Nigel’s crestfallen thoughts, his sister kept chatting happily.
“Didn’t you borrow it after your college entrance exams and beat it? I remember you said it was fun.”
“I… played this after my exams?”
“Yeah. You wanted to see the ending before our Jeju trip, remember? You played it right up till the night before. Said you found some weird bug or something.”
“Bug…”
A bug—a glitch in the program that causes errors or malfunctions.
If this world were treated like a program, then what was happening with Nigel… could also be a bug.
A critical error caused by the presence of Nigel and Inas—disrupting the system and making the world repeat itself.
“I never saw anything like that. And I’ve played this more than ten times. I remember you told me to wait till after the trip to see it myself… What kind of bug was it again?”
“I don’t know.”
He couldn’t remember ever finding a bug.
Even with her prompting, nothing came back.
Nigel gripped the game case tighter.
The sudden theory he’d formed in this unexpected moment sent a shiver down his spine.
“Hey, don’t squeeze that too hard!”
“S-Sorry.”
His sister—always so gentle—had snapped, and Nigel instinctively relaxed his grip.
Thankfully, the package wasn’t damaged. Holding it awkwardly, he peeked at her expression.
“Hey… Noona. Can I borrow this?”
“If you take care of it.”
“I will… I promise.”
“Okay, then. Wait a sec.”
Despite agreeing, she took the game from his hands. Nigel stared at her, stunned, like a hamster that just had its sunflower seeds stolen. She grinned.
“That version’s ancient—it came out over ten years ago. We don’t even have a working console for it anymore. But they re-released a remake for modern consoles… Here it is. This is the version you played before the trip.”
“Thanks.”
To his relief, she handed it over. Clutching the game, Nigel left for the living room.
Maybe the bug was the condition that pulled him into that world. Or maybe it was the reason he lost his memories once he arrived.
If this was a common game that anyone could play, but only Nigel and Inas had been sucked into it—there had to be an exception somewhere.
Of course, playing the game might not change anything.
There was no guarantee he’d even find a bug.
But as Nigel inserted the game into the console and started it up, his heart pounded in unease.
That groundless certainty—that something was waiting inside—was tightening around his chest like a vice.
He slid the cartridge into the console tucked inside the living room cabinet and launched the game.
