I AM NOT THE LOVE INTEREST!

Chapter 108: Drifting

The weeks passed quietly.

Life, which had once felt impossibly extraordinary, slowly returned to something almost ordinary.

Celia resumed working as a designer, pouring herself into sketches, fabric samples, and endless revisions. The position she earned at Asterion Design demanded long hours, but she welcomed every challenge. Designing had always been her dream long before another world, another name, and five impossible men had entered her life.

Little by little, she settled into a routine.

She woke early and worked until evening.

Returned to the apartment she shared with Lilith.

Sometimes they cooked together. Sometimes they ordered takeout after particularly exhausting days. Other nights they simply sat on the couch watching terrible television shows while laughing at the absurdity of the plots.

It almost felt...

...normal.

The five men adapted surprisingly well to modern society.

Sebastian’s remarkable business instincts quickly established him as the capable successor of one of the country’s largest luxury fashion corporations. Before long, magazines frequently featured his interviews and photographs, praising his bold decisions and impeccable taste.

Damien threw himself into learning the responsibilities of managing an international business empire. Meetings filled his schedule from sunrise until long after sunset, yet newspapers often praised the young executive’s calm leadership despite his relatively short time within the company.

Matthias naturally found his heart within his own prestigious security firm. His discipline and unwavering sense of responsibility earned the respect of every employee almost immediately.

Ezekiel disappeared into laboratories and research centers, astonishing countless professors with ideas that seemed years ahead of modern science.

As for Aelith, he immersed himself in medical research, determined to continue healing people even in a world without magic.

Everyone was busy.

Painfully busy.

At first, nothing seemed unusual.

The six of them still met whenever their schedules allowed. They shared dinners, wandered through shopping districts, argued over restaurants, and occasionally visited Lilith simply because she insisted someone had to keep an eye on her sister.

But as the months continued...

Those gatherings gradually became fewer.

At first, it was nothing more than a postponed dinner because Sebastian had been called overseas for an emergency fashion exhibition.

Then came a weekend gathering that Matthias reluctantly canceled after being assigned to oversee an important security operation.

Damien frequently apologized for business meetings that stretched late into the evening or unexpected overseas conferences that demanded his presence, while Ezekiel would disappear into research facilities for days at a time whenever one of his projects reached a critical stage.

Aelith, perhaps the one who felt the guiltiest each time, always sent the longest messages. Every apology was sincere, every promise to make it up to her sounded heartfelt, and every explanation made perfect sense.

Celia never once blamed them.

She simply smiled whenever another message arrived.

"It’s alright."

"Next time."

"Don’t worry about me."

She always answered with the same reassuring warmth because she understood better than anyone what it meant to start over. All of them had sacrificed entire lives just to reach this world.

They had abandoned kingdoms, titles, dreams, and identities to begin again.

Building successful careers demanded time, sacrifices, and relentless effort.

How could she possibly ask them to choose between spending time with her and securing the futures they had willingly given everything to obtain?

So she told herself she understood.

And she truly did.

Yet understanding something did not prevent loneliness from quietly settling inside the empty spaces left behind.

Without realizing it, she found herself checking her phone more often than she ever had before. Every vibration instinctively made her heart lift with anticipation, only for the small smile on her lips to slowly fade whenever the notification turned out to be another work email, a promotional advertisement, or a reminder from the company calendar. She laughed at herself more than once for behaving like this, convincing herself she was simply becoming overly sentimental.

Until one afternoon.

The office cafeteria buzzed with its usual lunchtime chatter when several of her coworkers suddenly gathered around someone’s phone, their excited voices drawing everyone’s attention.

"Have you seen this?"

"They’re saying Asterion’s newest executive might finally be dating."

"No way."

"Look!"

Celia paid little attention at first. Celebrity gossip rarely interested her, and she continued eating while absentmindedly reviewing design sketches in her notebook. It was only when the crowd shifted that the screen briefly came into view.

Her hand froze.

The photograph showed Damien.

He stood beside an elegant young woman dressed in an impeccably tailored business suit as the two exited one of the city’s most luxurious hotels after what the article described as an exclusive corporate banquet.

They weren’t holding hands. They weren’t particularly close.

Yet the photograph had captured them smiling during a conversation, making them appear far more intimate than they probably intended.

Beneath the picture, the headline read:

Young Business Heir Finally Finds Love?

The cafeteria erupted into speculation.

"They actually look good together."

"They’re both ridiculously attractive."

"I heard she’s one of his major business partners."

"It would make sense."

"They’d be a power couple."

Celia quietly lowered her eyes and returned to eating.

Her expression never changed.

She didn’t defend him.

She didn’t deny the rumor.

She simply finished her lunch as though nothing inside her had stirred at all.

That evening, however, Lilith noticed the difference almost immediately.

The two sisters were halfway through dinner when Lilith quietly placed her chopsticks down and studied Celia across the table.

"Celia."

"Hm?"

"You’re thinking too loudly."

Celia looked up, confused.

"...What does that even mean?"

"It means you’re pretending nothing’s wrong."

"There isn’t."

"Liar."

"I’m serious."

Lilith sighed dramatically before pulling out her phone.

"...Is this about Damien?"

Celia’s eyes instinctively drifted toward the screen before she caught herself and calmly looked away again.

"...No."

"You looked."

"I was curious."

"You looked."

"...Fine."

Lilith gently set her phone aside before reaching across the table to take her sister’s hand.

"You know she’s just his business partner, right?"

"I know."

"And?"

"And nothing." Celia offered the same small smile she always did.

"They’re coworkers." Lilith continued watching her carefully. "You really are okay?"

"...Of course."

The answer sounded so natural that even Lilith almost believed it.

Almost.

Because several hours later, after the apartment had grown quiet, she found Celia standing alone on the balcony.

She wasn’t crying.

She wasn’t even visibly upset.

She simply leaned against the railing while absentmindedly holding her phone, watching thousands of city lights glitter beneath the evening sky.

"...Sis."

Celia turned with a gentle smile.

"You should already be asleep."

Lilith walked over until they stood side by side.

"...Are you waiting for someone?"

A small laugh escaped Celia.

"No."

Silence settled comfortably between them.

Then she quietly added...

"...Maybe."

Lilith didn’t tease her.

She simply slipped her hand into Celia’s, and together they stood beneath the cool night air without saying another word. Sometimes, silence was the greatest comfort sisters could offer one another.

After several minutes, Celia finally lowered her gaze toward the phone still resting in her hand.

There were no new messages.

No missed calls.

Nothing.

She smiled faintly despite herself.

"They’re probably just busy."

She whispered it once, then again.

Only after repeating those words did she realize she was no longer trying to reassure Lilith.

She was trying to convince herself.

"Lilith...?"

"Hm?"

Celia remained quiet for several seconds, her eyes fixed on the sea of lights stretching beyond the balcony. The city looked peaceful from above, as though nothing in the world could ever truly change.

Finally, she spoke again, her voice so soft that it was almost carried away by the evening breeze.

"Do you ever wonder..." She hesitated before finishing her thought. "...whether those men would eventually become the same as the men in this world?"

Lilith turned to look at her, immediately understanding what she was really asking.

"You mean..." she said carefully, "...like your ex? Tyler?"

A quiet laugh escaped Celia’s lips. It wasn’t amused so much as resigned.

"You could put it that way."

She rested both hands against the balcony railing, her fingers absentmindedly tracing the cool metal.

"What do you think?"

Lilith didn’t answer immediately. She leaned beside her sister, crossing her arms as she searched for the right words. She knew this was really about Damien, Sebastian, Matthias, Ezekiel, and Aelith.

She did not want to say something that would end up hurting her.

After a long silence, she finally spoke.

"Well..." she began slowly, "...they’re human just like us."

Celia looked at her.

"They’re capable of wonderful things. They’re capable of making sacrifices that most people never would." Lilith smiled faintly. "But they’re also capable of making mistakes."

She lowered her gaze.

"They can become busy. They can become distracted. They can hurt someone without meaning to."

The words hung quietly between them.

"Just like everyone else."

Celia’s fingers tightened slightly around the railing.

"So..." she murmured, "...they could change."

Lilith nodded honestly.

"They could."

Another silence followed.

"But..." Lilith continued, gently nudging Celia’s shoulder, "that doesn’t mean they will become Tyler."

Celia let out a small breath.

"I know."

"Do you?"

She didn’t answer.

Lilith smiled sadly.

"You’re overthinking again."

"...Probably."

"No." Lilith chuckled softly. "Definitely."

Celia laughed with her, though it lasted only a moment before fading into another thoughtful silence.

"I suppose..." she said at last, "...I’m just afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

Celia watched the lights of passing cars below.

"I’m afraid that one day they’ll realize they gave up too much."

Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"They abandoned everything to come here. Their kingdoms... their titles... their dreams... their identities."

She swallowed.

"What if one day they wake up and realize..." She forced a faint smile. "...that I wasn’t worth the price after all?"

Lilith’s expression softened.

She reached over and gently squeezed Celia’s hand.

"That’s not your decision to make."

Celia looked at her.

"They chose to cross worlds because they loved you. Whether they regret it someday or not..." Lilith smiled gently. "...that choice belongs to them, not you."

Celia lowered her eyes.

"...I know."

"And if they’re foolish enough to hurt my sister after everything they sacrificed..."

Lilith cracked her knuckles dramatically.

"...I’ll remind them that crossing worlds wasn’t the hardest thing they’ll ever survive."

That finally earned a genuine laugh from Celia.

"You really think you can beat all five of them?"

Lilith lifted her chin confidently.

"I have plot armor."

Celia laughed harder, shaking her head.

"You’ve been reading too many novels."

"I write them."

"Fair point."

The sisters stood together beneath the quiet night sky, neither of them speaking for several minutes.

Then, just as Celia glanced down at the phone still resting in her hand...

The screen suddenly lit up.

Not with an ordinary notification.

Not with a message.

A brilliant silver radiance burst from the display, so bright that both sisters instinctively raised their hands to shield their eyes.

"L-Lilith...?"

"What is your phone doing?!"

Before either of them could react, the light poured out from the device like liquid, spreading across the balcony floor until it formed a glowing circle beneath their feet.

The air twisted violently.

The apartment trembled.

"Celia!"

Lilith instinctively grabbed her sister’s wrist.

"I can’t let go!"

"I’m not letting go either!"

The silver light surged upward like a towering wave, swallowing the balcony whole. The city dissolved into countless shimmering fragments as though reality itself had cracked apart.

The apartment disappeared.

The night vanished.

The only thing either sister could still feel was the other’s hand gripping tightly against the impossible force pulling them forward.

Then...

The light consumed them both.