Why Are You Doing This to Me? (3)

I faced the mirror.

I turned my head this way and that, checking my appearance.

My reflection in the hologram mirror could be succinctly summarized as 'a frail man with deep dark circles.'

I forced myself to grin.

The man on the other side of the mirror smiled back the same way.

This time I took a step back from the mirror.

I could see the outfit I was naturally wearing.

It was the suit I'd worn when I followed the Chairman to the corporate party. It was also the clothes Catherine had bought for me when I went to Andrea's concert back then.

No matter how shameless I might be.

I wasn't so lacking in common sense that I'd show up to a friend's (presumably) once-in-a-lifetime wedding wearing a bulletproof coat.

Maybe the 'Monolith Styler,' a household appliance I'd been putting to good use, was actually decent after all.

The suit I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was wearing for the first time in a while was immaculately maintained, without a speck of dust on it.

I lifted my head again to look at 'me' in the mirror.

I looked at the 'character' I'd been with for over ten years.

"......."

What did my original face even look like?

I couldn't remember anymore.

All sorts of idle thoughts kept drifting up.

I shook the moisture off my hands.

I put on the gloves I'd taken out of my pocket.

I picked up the mask I'd briefly taken off and covered my mouth with it again.

As I listened to the mechanical noise of the smart mask, I felt my heart settle a little.

Ugh, I was nervous.

"...Hoo."

I let out a short sigh and lifted my head.

At the same time, I stopped walking.

"......."

Eve was there.

Eve wasn't wearing her usual maid outfit.

She was wearing a long dress with a dot-pattern design that left a strong impression.

White hair, white eyes.

And even white clothes on top of that.

The vibe was so at odds with the surrounding atmosphere that she almost looked like a being from another world.

Since she was actually an artificial intelligence, that wasn't entirely inaccurate.

She'd been waiting in front of the bathroom this whole time.

I asked Eve.

"You could've gone ahead and waited."

Eve shook her head and answered.

"It was for a 'just in case' situation."

"?"

I tilted my head, not understanding what Eve meant.

A 'just in case' situation—what was that supposed to mean?

I wondered if she was talking about the possibility of an armed robber showing up.

"Let's just go, we're going to be late."

I brushed it off as no big deal.

It was probably nothing.

I passed Eve and walked toward the wedding venue I'd confirmed earlier.

And then.

I naturally stopped in my tracks.

"......."

In one corner of the guest seating in the hall, people I knew were gathered together.

"The Chairman got called by that guy too?"

"I originally had a schedule in USA City, but since an opportunity like this doesn't come around often."

Catherine and the Chairman were conversing.

"Nice to meet you, Julia, was it?"

"...Yes, I never expected to see the Boss of No Answer here. Hello...."

Natasha and Julia were shaking hands.

"Maya, right? Do you remember me?"

"...Vaguely."

"You've gotten a lot better, I heard about it. Let's just forget any unpleasantness between us."

And finally, Andrea and Maya were talking.

Instinctively, I tried to step backward but failed. It was because Eve, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠behind me, had grabbed my arm.

"?"

I turned my head to look at Eve.

Eve's transparent eyes stared straight at me.

Only then did I realize.

"Ah."

The 'just in case' situation she'd mentioned earlier.

So this was it.

I thought to myself as Eve dragged me along.

25. Why Are You Doing This to Me (3)

I tried to regain my composure.

As I stared blankly at the multicolored stained glass, I felt a little more reverent.

I was glad this place was a 'church.'

"...Mom, over there─."

"Shh, quiet."

Those words almost broke my focus again.

I could tell without even looking around.

I noticed that it wasn't just the child and the mother — all the guests were staring at us too.

It'd be a problem if the atmosphere stayed like this when the wedding actually started later.

Though, conversely, if I'd been in those guests' shoes, I would've been staring the same way, so it couldn't be helped.

A famous mercenary and a famous singer, a corporate Chairman.

A wanted criminal (secret) and a fugitive prison escapee (secret).

And on top of that, next to Natasha was the hulking Orc, Smith, planted there as bold as could be.

There was no way to avoid attracting stares.

If Eve had been wearing her usual maid outfit here, the surrounding gazes would've been even more intense.

I calmly sat down in my seat and recalled the cause of this whole situation.

It started with the question on the RSVP card Drex had sent me.

【Who will you be attending with?】

Yeah.

What excuse could I possibly make?

I had listed all 'seven' names of the people here on that form field.

Why the hell did I do that?

The belated regret was excruciating.

If only I could go back to the past, I felt like beating the shit out of my past self.

.......

Well, even so, my choice probably wouldn't change.

No matter how much of a small-time nobody living through cyberpunk I was, I wasn't completely clueless.

The 'goodwill,' or 'affection,' they directed toward me—I wasn't so stupid as to not notice it.

If I'd singled out just one person's name in that situation, I'd probably be facing an even more difficult situation than now.

Of course, even so, wanting to run away was a separate issue.

Please, anyone.

Wasn't there someone who could save me here?

I shouted quietly in my heart.

"...This is really something else."

At the voice I heard from behind, I turned my head.

A hulking figure in a crisp formal suit.

Drex looked down at me and teased me.

You came to rescue me, Drex!

I believed in you!

I discreetly conveyed my inner feelings to Drex.

Please, take me away from this spot.

I blinked my eyes and gave a small nod.

I wasn't planning to run away from the wedding.

I was just dying to get out of this spot and offer my congratulations from somewhere else.

Honestly, it would've been a simple matter if I'd just sent a message asking for help, but thinking about ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Eve, who was always monitoring my personal vision interface, that wasn't possible either.

The only action I could take was just blinking my eyes....

Was it because we were longtime colleagues?

Drex, who had caught on to my feelings, laughed loudly and answered.

"Yeah, just stay seated, it'll start soon. Just wait a little."

"......."

Having lightly dismissed my pitiful actions, Drex raised a finger and slowly counted the number of women sitting around me.

"...Seven, that's more than I thought."

"Huh?"

"No, nothing."

I questioned him as he muttered to himself.

Waving his hand to dismiss my question, Drex changed the subject.

"Anyway, thanks for coming. I'm not going to ask you to sing a congratulatory song or anything. Don't feel too pressured."

If he'd asked me to sing a song, I wouldn't have stopped trembling with fear.

A congratulatory song, for 'I'.

How cruel could that be.

"Well, I'll get going then."

Maybe he'd just come by to see my face.

With a brief farewell, Drex disappeared.

As the groom, he must've had plenty of other things to do.

I was grateful that he'd come all the way here just to say hello.

"Hmm," I muttered quietly.

"Marriage, huh."

It wasn't a distant issue for me either.

This world wasn't just a simple 'game.'

It was already my world, the world I lived in.

As such, the realistic issue of 'marriage' felt all the more enormous.

The fact ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that so many people expressed affection toward me was also a problem. If it were just one or two I wouldn't know, but it was a number that couldn't be counted on one hand.

...What was going to happen?

I thought briefly as I waited for the wedding to begin.

The first to speak was the Chairman.

"Hmm."

After clearing her throat briefly, she addressed me.

"The suggestion I made last time is still valid. Even though I said it was a joke back then."

"...Pardon?"

What suggestion was she talking about?

Was she talking about that time long ago when she told me to join the Monolith security team?

If it was a joke the Chairman had made to me recently....

A brief memory flickered through my mind.

"Then, do you want to marry me?"

I shook my head roughly.

No, it couldn't be that. It must've been a genuine joke.

The next to speak was Catherine.

"Actually, wouldn't it be normal to do 'that kind of thing' with the person you've known the longest?"

What was our Geumjjogi suddenly talking about?

I felt puzzled.

Before my question could even be resolved, the others each added a word or two while looking at me.

"...I'm still fine with it. I like it."

Julia.

"...Marriage? Me? No, that's impossible. ...Still, if there's a spot left."

Maya.

"Later, we all ought to have a conversation without Si-un present. Personally, I don't mind as long as I'm guaranteed just a tiny bit of time alone with him."

Natasha.

"Since polygamy was already brought up, I don't mind either—."

Last was Andrea's words.

Eve had maintained her silence the whole time.

That silence was actually more terrifying, since it seemed like a declaration of intent that said 'I'll be there no matter what.'

"......."

What the hell?

What were they talking about at someone else's wedding?

What was I supposed to say here?

While I was still unable to collect myself, the large lights that had been positioned on the ceiling vanished in an instant.

Only the beams of light passing through the stained glass faintly illuminated the interior of the church, the wedding hall.

Up on the stage at the very front, a man in a crisp suit revealed himself.

《Ladies and gentlemen, it's a pleasure to meet you!》

His face was quite familiar.

The man who seized the stage with exaggerated gestures, the emcee, shouted loudly to introduce himself.

《I am 'Rex Nova,' and I'll be serving as the emcee for this blessed wedding!》

"Huh?"

My inner thoughts slipped out without me realizing.

The appearance of someone I hadn't expected at all.

My head tilted on its own.

Drex and that guy shouldn't have any connection whatsoever.

The Chairman, who had noticed my doubt, explained for me.

"When I saw him appear on that broadcast last time, he handled unexpected situations well. So I called him in myself — after all, it's better to have a professional emcee handle the proceedings."

Lightly crossing her arms, the Chairman looked at Rex Nova and continued.

"In return, I placed a few ads for him."

"Ah."

I nodded and accepted the explanation.

It was a part I'd never even thought of.

I simply marveled at the Chairman's broad-mindedness.

.......

Hmm.

But, now that I thought about it, wouldn't an 'unexpected situation' be unlikely at an ordinary wedding?

I felt a twinge of doubt.