074. Crossing (2)

Owen remained silent.

His silence was an affirmation.

“You’ve got to be kidding me… What kind of…?”

Bella immediately grasped his meaning, and she began swearing again.

“This isn’t some trashy drama, what is this even supposed to be…? Which god did this, seriously?”

As her tirade grew more intense, Owen subtly pushed his chair back.

He hadn’t expected the person possessing Bella to have such a sharp and fiery temper.

“Or maybe it wasn’t a god but a damned devil. Only a demon could pull something this twisted…”

Owen half-listened to her ramblings, absentmindedly stroking the rim of his teacup. He couldn’t drink it, knowing it was steeped with the sleeping herb.

All he could do was run his fingers over the smooth porcelain, wasting time.

“You… You aren’t that famous person who used to post in the fan cafe and on Twitter, are you? No way…”

“…I think that might be me.”

“Unbelievable.”

Bella let out another string of curses, pressing a hand to her forehead.

“Hey… I’m ‘BlackWolf.’”

Owen immediately recognized what she meant.

If she was ‘BlackWolf,’ she was a well-known name in the fan community and on social media.

A fervent supporter of the OwenBella pairing and, above all, an Owen fan.

“So that makes you ‘ForLucia,’ right?”

‘ForLucia.’

That was Owen’s nickname in the fan cafes and on social media.

When he nodded, Bella let out a wail.

“Of all the fans out there, why did you have to end up in that body…?”

“…I could say the same thing.”

“This is hopeless. I can’t convince you, can I?”

Bella’s next statement caused Owen to fall silent again.

And this silence, too, was an affirmation.

Understanding what his silence meant, Bella looked at him with a crestfallen expression.

“Are you really planning to stay engaged to Lucia, marry her, and live your life that way?”

This time, Owen gave a small nod in response.

He felt his ears grow warm with a bit of embarrassment.

“Oh, for the love of… don’t make that face with that expression… Never mind, I guess it is a sight to behold. That’s even worse…”

Owen wasn’t sure what she expected him to do, so he gave her an awkward look.

Bella let out another deep sigh before speaking again.

“But seriously, are you okay with… you know, being intimate with Lucia? I’m not trying to be judgmental, but you’re in a man’s body. Isn’t that uncomfortable?”

“…I think you have the wrong idea. I was a man originally.”

Owen quickly corrected Bella’s misunderstanding.

He could guess why she’d assumed otherwise.

Given that this was the genre of romantic fantasy and that many active fan creators were typically female, it was a reasonable assumption.

“Wait, really…? So, I really can’t convince you otherwise, can I?”

Bella looked utterly disheartened.

Owen simply gazed down at her and replied.

“Wouldn’t it be wiser to just give up?”

“How can you say that? Would you give up if you were in my place? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

“…”

He had no counter to that.

Because he could understand exactly how she felt.

“Honestly, I want to pull you out of there and bring back the real ‘Owen.’ And if you don’t give up willingly, I’ll find a way to make that happen.”

Bella’s voice was deadly serious as she delivered her warning.

It was clear that she meant it.

Owen met her silvery gaze head-on and responded.

“You know better than anyone that I’m not going to give up.”

“…Yeah. That’s the problem. Alright, so what’s the deal with the ‘real Owen’? Where is he, anyway?”

Muttering in frustration, Bella shifted the topic.

Owen frowned slightly before answering.

He didn’t see the point of this question since they were likely in similar situations.

“He’s still around. He shares his memories and experiences with me.”

“…What?”

He spoke casually, without much thought.

But Bella reacted as if she had just heard something shocking.

“What are you talking about?”

She suddenly leapt to her feet, slamming her hands on the table.

As a result, the teacups clattered off the table and rolled onto the carpet, but Bella seemed completely oblivious.

Owen glanced at the pale yellow tea staining the carpet and continued.

“Why are you reacting like this? It’s as if you don’t know anything.”

“I… I just assumed…!”

Bella trailed off, her voice faltering.

Owen narrowed his eyes, piecing together what her reaction revealed about her situation.

“It seems ‘Bella’ doesn’t want to cooperate with you.”

It appeared their situations were similar yet different.

Unlike ‘Owen,’ ‘Bella’ was refusing to share her memories and experiences with her possessor.

It made sense.

‘Bella’ was just starting a new life here.

She had no reason to give up on her life when she could walk a path of prosperity.

‘Owen’ and ‘Bella’ were fundamentally different individuals.

“…Of course not. I’ve taken over her body. Why would she willingly give it up to me?”

“That’s the usual case.”

“You’re saying it like it’s not your situation… Wait, explain what you meant earlier. What do you mean by that?”

Bella began pressing Owen for more details.

He decided to answer her honestly.

After all, she needed to understand their situation as well.

“It’s just as I said. ‘Owen’ is voluntarily sharing his memories and experiences with me, and I’ve been receiving them.”

“Is that even possible…? Doesn’t that mean you could end up fully taking over his body?”

“That’s precisely what he intends.”

Bella’s expression twisted in anger at his concise reply.

“Are you saying you’re planning to kill Owen?”

“It’s not the same as killing him. It’s closer to absorbing his soul.”

Owen explained, and Bella’s face reflected her disbelief.

“That means your soul and his would merge into one. Doesn’t that mean ‘Owen’ would disappear?”

“…”

Confronted with her question, Owen couldn’t find any words to refute it.

Because it was the truth.

Becoming a single entity could mean a merging of minds, but it could also signify an erasure, a dissolution.

“So, it’s as good as ‘Owen’ disappearing. What the hell are you doing?”

“Nothing.”

“Why would he go to such lengths without you doing anything?”

It was hard for Bella to understand.

It’s rare for a person to willingly give up their life.

Especially if it means merging souls.

To an outsider, it could easily seem like a one-sided sacrifice.

“You know as well as I do what kind of life he lived.”

“No matter how difficult his life was, that wouldn’t drive him to such a decision.”

“But he chose this.”

That was all Owen could say.

It was, after all, what ‘Owen’ wanted.

“…Selfish bastard.”

After a brief silence, Bella muttered those words.

Owen didn’t deny it—because it was true.

Just as she said, Owen’s actions were selfish.

“You’re being greedy even though you know he’ll disappear. You want to stay here, in this world.”

“That’s right.”

“Is it really worth going to such lengths to stay in this world?”

“And what about you?”

When he turned the question back at her, Bella clamped her mouth shut.

Her silver eyes glared at him with a sharp edge.

“I just can’t understand why you’d go this far.”

“You don’t need to understand.”

“Fine, but at least answer me this. Do you want Lucia?”

Ignoring his rebuttal, Bella pressed on with her questioning.

Owen exhaled before he answered.

“No.”

“Now you’re just trying to backpedal? You seem just like me. You care for Lucia as much as I care for Owen, don’t you?”

“I do.”

He confirmed her accusation.

Indeed, just as she had said, Owen was sincere in his feelings for Lucia.

“Then why say you don’t want her?”

“Because what I want is something else.”

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

“I want Lucia to be happy.”

Bella’s expression twisted in disbelief.

She let out a bitter laugh and spoke.

“You didn’t like the idea of Owen being with Bella, and now you sound just like ‘Bella’?”

“That was only because of Lucia. If she hadn’t desired Owen, I wouldn’t have acted that way.”

“How pathetic, considering how selfish you are.”

Bella mocked Owen, seemingly unable to comprehend how he could remain in this world, even by absorbing ‘Owen,’ only to have such an altruistic motivation.

“Think what you want.”

“Do you see yourself as some kind of savior? Are you under the delusion that you’re the hero in Lucia’s sad life? Give it up—it’s laughable.”

“And maybe you should stop making your own assumptions. It’s rude.”

Owen cut off Bella’s jeers and replied with a firm voice.

“I don’t have any delusions about being some savior. I just want to give her everything she wishes for.”

“…You’re insane.”

At Bella’s muttered words, Owen smiled smoothly.

The way his lips curled upward was a mirror image of Lucia’s smile.

“Well, you’re not wrong.”

“So, you’re saying that you’d do anything for what Lucia wants?”

“That’s right.”

“And what does that even mean to you?”

Bella couldn’t grasp the fundamental point.

And perhaps that was to be expected.

Owen was the type to find happiness in seeing those he cared for thrive, while Bella found satisfaction in pursuing her own desires.

Owen and Bella were polar opposites.

Just as ‘Owen’ and ‘Bella’ had made different choices even when faced with similar circumstances.

“It would bring Lucia joy.”

“And how does that matter to you?”

“Lucia herself is what matters to me. Isn’t that enough?”

Bella bit her lower lip, looking both frustrated and baffled.

“Crazy bastard.”

Owen regarded her muttered insult with a calm, almost pleased gaze.

After all, even he thought he was somewhat abnormal.

“Are you really in love with a character from a novel? How else could you be doing all this…?”

“You’re just figuring that out?”

Owen’s expression shifted to one of mild confusion.

He thought he’d made it obvious.

Had she truly not noticed, or had she simply chosen to ignore it?

Or perhaps she had understood from the beginning, but seeing that he wasn’t truly ‘Owen’ had led her to think this way.

After all, it wasn’t common for a person to fall in love with a fictional character.

“I thought you’d realized by now. Otherwise, why would you have been scheming with the Celid Marquess’s heir?”

“…How did you know about that?”

Owen lowered his gaze to the floor.

The sight of the teacups strewn across the carpet came into view.

“This sleeping herb—it’s one of the illegal trades that the Celid Marquess’s heir is involved in.”

“Seems like you’ve been doing your research, huh?”

“As you know, I’m very thorough in matters like this.”

Owen’s response was accompanied by a faint smile, and Bella’s expression soured again.

“I told you to stop pretending to be Owen.”

“Weren’t you supposed to have given up on that?”

“That’s a different issue from your tone.”

“Eventually, he and I will become one person.”

“Are you trying to provoke me? You’ll regret it.”

The grinding sound of her teeth filled the room.

Owen looked down at her, his smile as cold as ice.

“Why would I bother?”