Chapter 2

    The two of them stared at each other in silence for a long time until he was the first to look away. If they were fighting fish, Claudia would have been pregnant by now.

    After that, the doctor and the nurse excused themselves, bringing him back to his senses.

    Claudia had no idea what the protagonist was thinking. In the original novel, the old Claudia was supposed to die after being defeated by the protagonist, leaving his body in the dungeon and walking away just like that.

    But when he crossed dimensions to take Claudia's place, the protagonist saved him, forcing him to continue living as the side character Claudia. Was this the butterfly effect?

    Alan stared at him for so long that it became awkward, so he broke the strange atmosphere by starting a conversation with the protagonist.

    "Uh, Mr. Miller."

    "Hmm."

    'So cold, this protagonist,' Claudia thought to himself.

    "I can't remember what happened before, but the doctor told me everything. I'm really sorry, Mr. Miller, for hurting you before, and thank you for saving my life." Claudia could only bow his head in apology, feeling guilty. His body was almost immobile now, making it difficult to move. He hoped the protagonist would notice this.

    “It's alright,” Alan replied, though he hadn't intended to save the other man's life initially. He had acted because he felt a familiarity with the other's spiritual energy.

    Alan thought of something and showed an expression as if he hadn't been treated fairly, even though he had once killed the man himself.

    Originally, Claudia was someone who often empathized with others and didn't think too much about things. Seeing Alan's expression made him feel guilty.

    “Well, I did hurt you, after all. If I just let it go, I'd feel guilty forever. If you need me to help with anything, just let me know, even though I don't have much to offer, only this body of mine is left,” he mumbled the last part softly, unaware that Alan heard it too.

    “Alright, I'll let you know later,” the protagonist replied, returning to his usual expression with a slight smile. 'Even if it's just the body, I’ll take it.'

    Why did he feel like the protagonist's gaze was suddenly more cunning? It sent a shiver down his spine. Was he imagining things? But never mind.

    After that, they talked for a while. Earlier, the doctor hadn't given him much detail about his identity, so he asked the protagonist if he knew anything about him.

    When he got the answer, he grinned widely. The protagonist really did know about him!

    The protagonist knew because his hair and eye color were distinctive, making it easy to search for information. It seemed that he had already investigated everything about him beforehand.

    The protagonist briefly recounted his history, explaining that he was the youngest son of the Heart Family who had disappeared without a trace eight years ago. Previously, the family had secretly searched for their son but found no clues, causing them to lose hope for a while.

    They never revealed the youngest son to outsiders, leading everyone to believe that the main line of the Heart Family had only three children.

    The Heart Family was an old family that founded the guild 'Pegasus,' which ranks third in the country.

    Jonathan, his father and former guild leader, had passed the leadership to Cole, the eldest son or the current guild leader.

    His mother had passed away long ago. The Heart Family has two sons: the eldest, Cole, and the second son, Adis. The daughter, Karina, is the third, followed by Claudia, the youngest son.

    ‘Oh, what an extraordinary background for a supporting character,’ he thought. In the novel, there was no description of Claudia's background at all.

    After chatting for a while, he realized that the protagonist wasn't as cold as the novel had described. Although he spoke little, he had a slightly mischievous side, reminiscent of his online friend.

    'I miss him so much. I wonder how he's doing now.'

    This made Claudia feel less awkward than when they first met. Before the protagonist left, they exchanged contact information, and the protagonist informed him that Claudia's family was coming to visit him in the evening, which made him feel excited.

    Now, Claudia was alone in the room. The first thing he thought of was to examine himself, as the novel didn't describe Claudia's true appearance at all. There was only the distinctive white mask and the codename 'Angel.'

    Claudia slowly lifted himself from the bed and quickly walked to the bathroom. When he reached the mirror, he almost collapsed immediately.

    The figure he saw now was a man with long, flowing hair that reached past his hips. His hair was smooth and glossy, like silk, with a unique and attractive face. His bright golden eyes were sharp and arrogant, giving him an incredible charm.

    His nose was elegantly upturned, his lips neither too thick nor too thin, with a rosy sheen that belied any sign of illness. His face was small and slender. When he looked down, he saw a tall and slender figure, standing at 179 centimeters, with a beautifully proportioned body, a narrow waist, and enticing hips. His long, slender legs were the envy of many women.

    "Wow, if even a side character is this beautiful, I wonder how stunning the heroine must be."

    Seeing himself, Claudia began to feel uncertain. He decided to open his pants to check again, squinting at his lower body with anticipation. But upon seeing it, he was relieved because he was still a man.

    Claudia stood in front of the mirror for a long time. No matter how much he tried to make an ugly face, he still looked beautiful. He was quite pleased. The beautiful body proportions he once had could be rebuilt with muscle later on.

    "Claudia, from now on, I'll take good care of your body. You don't have to worry," he said with a slight smile to the person in the mirror. Anyone who saw him would surely fall for the charm of this man.

    Just walking into the bathroom made him feel exhausted. He struggled to drag himself back to the bed and immediately fell into a deep sleep.

    As dusk fell, Claudia had been resting so long that he lost track of time. He awoke groggily, drawn by the enticing aroma of food, which made his stomach growl instinctively. It wasn't until he heard a soft chuckle from beside him that he realized someone was there.

    "Awake now, are you? Let's have some dinner," Cole said upon seeing Claudia stir.

    "Ah! You all..." Claudia exclaimed in surprise, turning to see three men and one woman.

    Upon hearing Claudia's words, they understood that he was suffering from amnesia. Cole, his older brother, took it upon himself to introduce each person to him.

    The man standing furthest back, smiling gently at him, was Jonathan. He had golden eyes, pearl-white hair, and a handsome face that seemed to belong to someone in their early thirties.

    Next was the second brother, Adis. He had a stern face reminiscent of their father, with blue eyes and jet-black hair. He appeared to be the quietest and least talkative of the group.

    Beside Adis stood the third sibling, Karina. She had pearl-white hair like their father and Claudia, with blue eyes and a strikingly beautiful face. She looked playful and was smiling widely at him as well.

    Finally, at the front was the eldest brother, Cole. He had golden eyes, jet-black hair, and a face that exuded warmth and gentleness.

    ‘This family is really good-looking, all of them,’ he thought.

    "I'm sorry that I can't remember any of you..." Claudia apologized, feeling guilty and avoiding eye contact because he wasn't the real owner of this body in the family.

    "It's okay, little one. From now on, let's create new memories together. We're all so happy to see you again." Everyone smiled warmly, encouraging him, which brought tears to Claudia's eyes.

    "Come here, let us give you a hug."

    They embraced each other tightly for a long time. When they heard his stomach growl again, everyone laughed before finally letting Claudia eat.

    "Heh heh, come on, eat first, and then we can continue talking," Cole chuckled softly, his large hand carefully serving food into a bowl, blowing on it gently before offering it to his younger brother.

    Claudia quickly stopped him, grabbing a spoon and starting to eat on his own. He chewed until his cheeks puffed out, making the family look at him fondly.

    After finishing the meal, they stayed and talked for a while, sharing what had happened over the years, mostly reminiscing about Claudia's childhood. The family blamed themselves for not taking better care of him, letting him disappear for eight years.

    Now, the owner of the body was twenty years old.

    They loved Claudia deeply and felt immense guilt, which made him feel sad as well. The family had been searching for Claudia all along but couldn't find him because they couldn't sense his life energy at all. They never imagined that Claudia had been cursed by an underground organization.

    Claudia comforted them, saying that the past was behind them and they should start anew. Even though it was too late, as the original owner of the body was no longer there, he hoped that from now on, the owner would find happiness.

    They promised to find a way to eliminate the underground organization completely, and he hoped that it would be dealt with swiftly, as this organization might pose obstacles for his future.

    Although Claudia wasn't truly part of their family, he was just an orphan who longed for love, care, and the desire to have a family of his own.

    'Is it wrong to selfishly want to be part of this family?'

    Thinking this, Claudia couldn't help but sob uncontrollably. Seeing this, they were shocked and hurried to embrace and comfort him, crying along with him without caring about appearances.

    They continued talking, losing track of time until it was midnight. They then let Claudia rest, staying to watch over him for the night.

    He had been in the hospital for almost a month now. During this time, the Heart Family frequently took turns visiting him since their schedules didn't align. Claudia didn't mind and understood them well.

    Before long, they grew closer, and Claudia no longer felt tense like he did at first.

    They were real people, with lives, responsibilities, and their own freedom. In this world, people weren't just characters in a novel. Claudia felt truly fortunate to be part of the same family as them. He promised the original owner of the body that he would take care of this family to the best of his ability.

    Besides the family, the doctor and the beautiful nurse also visited occasionally. The protagonist would drop by every now and then, and on days he couldn't visit, he would often send messages. Claudia knew well that this protagonist rarely had free time because he was always soloing dungeons to level up.

    After that, no one else came to visit him, as the former Claudia had no friends. Ever since being brainwashed, he had dedicated himself to the underground organization from the age of twelve. He didn't have childhood friends, but he didn't mind.

    During his free time, when boredom set in, he often strolled around the hospital's public garden, chatting with the elderly, children, and nurses until they became quite familiar with each other. He also spent time exploring social media, reading novels, keeping up with current events, reviewing significant events in the novels, and planning his future life.

    Meanwhile, Claudia remembered that the novel had something called a 'system,' which was just as described. It contained personal information, status points, skills, and an inventory. But when he looked at his status window, he realized what true garbage was.

    His status points were pathetically low, scraping the ground. Seeing the words 'Rank: -' made him want to leave this world several times over.