Horror Game Developer: My games aren't that scary! Chapter 628: Understanding [1]

The longer I gazed at the pair, the deeper my heart plunged. I couldn't fully comprehend the situation, but the icy chill in Zoey’s eyes was impossible to dismiss. Something had clearly occurred while I lay on the operating table, though I remained clueless about the details.

Even so, countless thoughts began swirling through my mind.

No, her stare wasn’t the only problem.

I shifted my focus to Rowan. His eyes held no spark, his complexion ghostly pale. He resembled a man who had long forsaken life itself.

What in the world was wrong with him?

Reflecting on my own ordeals, sympathy stirred within me for him. I'd endured my share of torment too.

His demeanor didn’t strike me as unusual.

That was my initial thought, at least. But as soon as I attempted to approach, he recoiled. His gaze flickered upward, emotions churning in his eyes while his lips parted and closed repeatedly, as though words hovered on the tip of his tongue yet refused to emerge.

Bewildered, I glanced toward Zoey.

"What’s wrong with him?"

"What’s wrong...?"

At last, Zoey spoke. Yet her tone dripped with frost—intolerably so, as if my very existence repulsed her.

I furrowed my brow.

"You don’t even realize what you did, do you?"

"No, that’s why I’m asking you. Maybe there’s some sort of misunderstanding. Maybe—"

"Maybe nothing!"

Zoey’s voice sharpened, drawing stares from those nearby as I instinctively clawed at my face, only to recall my prior precautions.

That hardly mattered now, for Zoey pressed in close, seizing my shirt while her features twisted savagely.

"...The fact that you don’t even know proves that I’ve been right with my thinking! I’ve been thinking over and over again about you, trying to make excuses to explain your character, but it’s become painfully clear that you’re really a bastard of a human."

"What?"

I struggled to interject, but Zoey burned with fury. Each attempt to speak only inflamed her rage further. Completely baffled, I had no inkling of the truth.

Yet answers soon arrived.

"Rowan’s sister..."

Zoey faltered, her expression hardening as she gnawed her lip and fixed me with a venomous glare.

"You... you... Definitely could’ve done something. Had you..."

She broke off, bowing her head before bellowing, "Fuck!"

All eyes now pinned us. The barrage of stares crashing over me unleashed a torrent of unease.

The growing scrutiny only amplified my discomfort.

"Ok. Ok. It’s my fault. Let’s just talk about this elsewhere."

"No, I’m good."

Apparently regaining composure, Zoey released my shirt and pivoted to Rowan, who appeared utterly zoned out. She advanced on him, shaking her head in dismay.

"I... don’t want to talk to you anymore. I just..."

She hesitated, dropping her gaze to her hands.

"...The mere thought of having to talk to you makes me feel sick. I don’t really want anything to do with you, honestly. All I want is for you to disappear and never show up again." A bitter chuckle escaped her, her face contorting in scorn. "Not that it’s possible, given your current reputation... maybe I should be the one to leave."

Her hand settled on Rowan’s shoulder as she whispered to him, the pair beginning to depart. I failed to catch her words, but they evidently concerned his sister. Confusion gripped me once more.

What about his sister...?

I’d never even encountered her. Zoey spoke as if I’d wronged her terribly, yet I hadn’t glimpsed her a single time.

I’d have recognized her if our paths had crossed, but they hadn’t.

I tracked their retreating figures with my eyes. Urges to call out and demand clarity surged, but the persistent stares sealed my lips. My hand rose halfway, then dropped limply.

Eventually—

Rubbing the back of my head, I spun from the spectacle and trudged the opposite way, opting for the northern exit. With their clear disdain, vanishing elsewhere seemed wisest.

I scratched my head once more.

An eerie itch lingered in my skull, no doubt from that bungled instant on the table. It prickled annoyingly, refusing to subside. But dwelling proved impossible as my mind circled back to the architect of this nightmare.

The very idea made my heart plummet.

In my current state, I lagged miles behind this deranged ’fan’ of mine.

Moreover, they grasped intimate details about me—far beyond mere basics.

This revelation troubled me deeply.

Was I under surveillance?

Tied to the mess with Zoey and Rowan, it screamed as a scheme by my ’fan’. But what did they hope to gain?

This idea clung to the edges of my thoughts while I stepped away from the exit, making my way to a quieter spot until I reached the park behind the hospital. Glancing about, I spotted a bench and settled onto it, my gaze sweeping the area as I attempted to steady my racing heart.

Yet I simply couldn't.

I opened my eyes once more and scanned my surroundings.

The park struck me as unusually empty. No souls seemed nearby, and after double-checking that solitude reigned, my lips parted without my control.

"What do you think? Have you managed to process everything?"

My head swiveled, landing on the figure beside me.

He remained still and quiet, eyes locked forward with mouth firmly closed. I kept watching him, the quiet between us thickening with tension, until at last his lips moved.

"...You may not be him, but you’re just as much of an avoidant as he is."

I tilted my head.

This topic again?

I let out a sigh.

"Look, I told you many times before. I am Seth. I—"

"Why do you think I joined this line of work?"

I halted, my thoughts freezing briefly. As I glanced at Kyle, a sudden insight hit me.

I... had no idea. Right, why had he chosen this path?

"See?"

Kyle's face broke into a sudden smile.

"You act as if you know me, but you really don’t know anything about me."

"That’s..."

I longed to counter him, yet no words came. Truth was, he nailed it. Reflecting back, I'd always viewed Kyle as the version from my world. Never once had I questioned his reasons for this job—or anything personal, for that matter.

Ah...

"You act, speak, and behave like him, but you’re not him."

"....."

"You’re a fake."

"....."

"Even though Seth is usually an avoidant and is introverted, it is not to the same extent as you. You’re the same but also completely different. You’re a more extreme version of what he normally is. You’re so blinded by your own thoughts that you can’t even seem to realize what is happening to you."

"....."

The longer Kyle talked, the harder it became for me to respond.

That’s...

"You weren’t the main target of this entire operation. No, you were, but it’s clear that the real targets were Zoey and Rowan. I don’t know what happened to the two of them, but it’s clear that they both have lost faith in you or have given up on you."

"....."

"He’s trying to separate everyone away from you. He’s taking away whatever little you have left."

I pressed my hand over my mouth.

Suddenly, numerous pieces clicked into place.

Right, right...

I wasn’t the real target of the trap. The targets were Zoey and Rowan. If this ‘fan’ knows details about me, he surely grasps my close connections. In that scenario...

"Haha."

Laughter escaped me abruptly as I leaned forward slightly, my grip tightening on my mouth.

Kyle stayed silent after that, though I noticed him inching away.

I ignored it, fixing my stare on the hospital in the distance.

"So... he’s trying to separate everyone from me. He’s trying to... take the little things that I have."

I tousled my hair.

Dwelling on the circumstances only amplified my urge to laugh.

No, laugh I did.

But only from dark amusement.

This world offered me scant possessions, yet those few anchors likely held me back from acting freely. Now it rang clear: I didn't belong here. I just... didn't fit.

And... should those ties fostering any attachment vanish, then...

I'd truly have no cause to care for anything.

Should I...?

"No, no, no."

I messed up my hair while dropping my head.

"I... can’t go that far."

I ruffled my hair once more.

"...But it’s not like it’ll matter."

After all, heading back to my true world would make it irrelevant.

Even if I razed everything while leaving, it wouldn't signify.