[BONUS]

"Am I right with what I thought? Are you avoiding me because of Saya? Could it be that . . . you like me?"

Ren didn't know where he pulled the guts to say those words. It must be the alcohol or his bottled-up frustration, or simply his longing for her.

Evie gasped. When she realized that she couldn't log out to escape this time, she pushed Ren away and took a step back to widen their distance.

"W-what are you talking about?"

"You're so affected as soon as you heard that Saya and I are going out that you started to avoid me. Is that right?"

Faced with Ren's questions fueled by alcohol, Evie didn't know what to say. Even she didn't know what she felt, so she refused to acknowledge what Ren was saying.

"Of course not!" For the first time, Evie's voice rose in protest. "I'm just maintaining my distance lest Saya got the wrong idea."

Ren took a step toward her, and Evie took a step back in response. "The thing is, Evie . . . you don't have to maintain distance if you're not affected. We could just be like from before . . . but your reaction — avoiding me and not talking to me speaks so much volume of what you actually feel."

Evie could feel her cheeks turning red in embarrassment.

Ren's stare was so intense it was burning her to the ground.

Ren with alcohol was too much for her to handle.

"I don't think that's true," Evie denied.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not interested in relationships."

"But you're interested in me?"

"What? No! That isn't true either!"

"So, why are you avoiding me exactly?"

"It's not my fault that you're giving me mixed signals. Your actions and words could easily be misunderstood."

"Oh really? Did you really misunderstood?"

"I told you already! I'm not interested in relationships!"

"That doesn't answer my question."

"Stop it!"

Ren closed the gap between them, eyes intoxicated.

Whether it was alcohol or not, Evie didn't want to know.

"What are you afraid of?"

Ren whispered, his hot breath brushing near Evie's ears, making her flinch.

Evie wanted to run away from him, but she knew that she couldn't do that anymore. This was real life. She couldn't avoid her problems forever.

"I'm not avoiding you because of Saya."

"Then why did you suddenly stop talking to me?"

Evie didn't know how to word it. She couldn't tell him, afraid that if she did, things would be harder for her — for both of them.

"Because . . ."

"Why?" Ren probed. The alcohol was already getting into his head. Honestly, he didn't know how he was still standing.

"Because . . ." Evie looked down at the ground and bit her lip hard. Her heart was beating fast, but she knew that she had to keep calm, or she'd burst.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"Evie . . ."

"No!"

Evie turned around and walked away from Ren at a hurried pace.

"I'll wait for you in Lone Valley tomorrow night at seven in the evening in real-time," said Ren, but Evie just continued walking without looking back.

"If you don't show up, then I'll take it that I'm right!" teased Ren.

He really needed to go to bed and sleep because he was starting to hallucinate that Evie gave him the middle finger.

She must be really pissed.

After their conversation, Ren went back to his hotel room and slumped on the bed. Honestly, it was the alcohol that did the talking to Evie, and he would definitely regret it came morning.

But right now . . . he needed that sleep. He had too much to drink that night.

Meanwhile, Evie continued walking until she reached the beach.

The night sky was clear, and the moonlight shone brightly. Trees softly swayed with the wind, and dew drops clung to the grass.

Evie stood over the soft flour-like sand, feeling the gentle waves beneath her feet.

The night was beautiful, but she wasn't the least bit comforted.

She sat under the tree and stared at the sky.

"What am I doing?" she sighed deeply.

A Valley was a low area of land between hills or mountains, typically with a river or stream flowing through it.

However, Lone Valley was a little unique because, besides its color of silvery winter and shades of white, the forest flanked the center of the mountains together with the streams.

This area stood out because of its white and silver trees and crystal clear rivers, adding to its mysterious and eerie atmosphere.

The valley was also home to most of the monsters and beasts that lived in the mountain range. These creatures were known as the apex predators of the region — they could hunt down prey even larger than themselves, and they were also very territorial. If the scope of their territory overlapped with another, they would fight each other, but this would often only happen when there was a food shortage.

The most famous was, of course, Sebastian, who was the leader of the place. And without his permission, no one could enter the magical barrier that led inside.

The snow that fell on this valley melted in no time, leaving only the bare branches of the trees behind. It was as if the valley had been frozen in time for centuries.

In this place, where time seemed to have stopped, all that was left was peace.

Rumors also had it that the spirits of the dead could be seen here during the night.

The wind gently blew throughout the valley, bringing the cool air that made one feel as if they were on top of the clouds.

Ren looked over at the sky, which was covered by fluffy white clouds. It was still early morning, but he felt like time was moving extremely slowly.

Evie was still absent, though Ren wasn't hoping she would come after what happened at Silvia's party. He had always prided himself on remembering everything even after he was drunk, but how he wished that he didn't right now.

Ren groaned just at the memory of what he said to Evie, and he brushed his hands over his face.

( . . . continuation on NOTES)