NCSHG CH 18

Chapter 18

 (Part 1)

Time was running out. I quickly checked that the towel barely covering me down to my knees wouldn’t slip, and just before a single second remained, I pressed “2.”

Immediately, my body stopped obeying me. It began to move on its own.

I swallowed the urge to faint.

So this is it… I’m really about to face Halloway’s look of disgust, huh?

Once the choice was made, all I could do was follow the script. My body threw open the door with a loud clack.

Halloway, who had been sitting quietly, widened his eyes slightly as I stepped out of the bathroom.

Water I hadn’t even wiped off was dripping down my legs to the floor. Halloway stared at me in silence for a few seconds before slowly speaking.

“Noona, that look of yours…”

I cut him off, shouting.

“Look at me! Really look! Look at my lips—they’re blue! You think I wouldn’t be shivering?!”

The room fell silent after my outburst.

Why do I have to go through this humiliation while you get to hide?

Ugh, it’s freezing… so, so cold. Why does this chill feel even worse than usual?

My teeth chattered as I trembled. Halloway watched for a moment, then abruptly turned his head and muttered,

“You do look like you’re about to shake to death.”

“See, I told you—!”

Damn it, I stuttered.

When I stumbled over my words, Halloway turned back toward me, trying hard not to laugh.

“Then… why are you crying?” he asked, holding back a grin.

“Because it’s cold…”

I cry when I’m cold.

“And your nose?”

“It’s crying too.”

Halloway hunched over, shoulders shaking—then burst into laughter.

[Halloway laughs loudly, saying you’re quite the comedian.]

Since when was I a comedian?

Seeing him laugh at my pathetic state made my whole body burn with embarrassment. I sniffled, the snot dangling precariously from my nose.

Couldn’t he just insult me instead?

That’s when another message window popped up.

[Halloway sees your blue lips and accepts your explanation completely.]

Oh, how generous of you.

“You must’ve been really cold,” he said.

“I wasn’t exactly hot,” I snapped back.

My sarcastic tone made him laugh again—brightly, like a child.

When I didn’t move and just stood there staring at him blankly, he raised an eyebrow, glanced at the door leading outside, then tilted his chin toward it.

“Not going back in? Change your clothes and come out.”

“Ah… yeah.”

Seriously, though, isn’t he too calm about this?

How uninterested in me do you have to be to stay this unbothered?

Does the final boss never get flustered?

Feeling awkward, I slammed the bathroom door shut. Halloway called out with a voice full of amusement.

“Noona?”

It sounded like he was scolding me for closing the door too hard. I panicked and blurted out,

“The wind must’ve done that!”

“Ah, the wind.”

I heard him laughing beyond the door, but I pretended not to notice.

I went to my clothes and wrung the water out of my hair.

Looking at my pitiful reflection in the cracked mirror—dressed in nothing but a towel—made tears sting my eyes.

Why did I have to yell so confidently like that while looking like this?

Who even talks that way? Couldn’t I have just said, “It’s cold”?

Mortified, I punched the air in frustration.

Why do these choice windows only appear in the worst possible moments?!

Who told me to pick option 2?!

It’s not like I wanted to die of embarrassment!

I was still busy blaming everything on the universe when another system window popped up.

[Danger Gauge has been reset to Zero!]

I froze mid-punch, then raised my thumb proudly.

Good choice. Excellent choice.

I dedicate this victory to all of you. Thank you very much.

[Possessiveness +1%]

No, not that!

[Halloway’s danger level has changed to “I won’t be suspicious… for now.”]

I sighed in relief. Sure, the possessiveness increase was annoying, but at least the danger level went down.

Maybe now I could act a little more freely without triggering another terrifying “danger gauge” spike.

Even so, I couldn’t stop replaying the image of myself—standing boldly before the final boss, clad in nothing but a towel.

Someone once said, When tears rise, lift your head high.

So… what do you lift when embarrassment rises?

(End of Part 1 — continue?)

Would you like me to continue directl

 (Part 2)

I dried my hair as best I could and got dressed. When I finally stepped out of the bathroom, Halloway was sitting on the sofa, leaning back, flipping through something on his phone like nothing had happened.

When he saw me, he looked up briefly.

“Feel better?”

“Yeah.”

His gaze lingered on me for a moment before he went back to his phone.

The way he acted—so utterly indifferent—somehow made me more self-conscious.

Seriously… is he even human?

I sat down on the opposite side of the room, pretending to check my own phone. My heart was still pounding for no reason at all.

I was just about to sneak another glance at him when I noticed something strange.

His phone wasn’t actually on.

The screen was black.

He was just pretending to scroll.

Why… why is he pretending?

As if he could feel my confusion, Halloway tilted his head lazily and looked straight at me. His lips curved in a faint, unreadable smile.

“Why do you keep staring?”

I flinched. “I—I’m not!”

“Then why are your eyes shaking?”

Because you caught me, you demon.

I looked away, mumbling under my breath. “…I was just zoning out.”

“Ah. You were zoning out at me?”

“Ugh…”

He was teasing me now—calm, confident, and just a bit dangerous.

There it was again, that weird, unspoken tension between us.

I could practically feel the system waiting to pop up another window if I said the wrong thing.

Please, just don’t. Not now.

Halloway eventually chuckled softly, stood up, and walked to the small counter by the window. He poured a cup of tea and held it out toward me.

“Here.”

“…For me?”

He nodded.

“It’ll warm you up. You looked like you were freezing earlier.”

“Thanks.”

I took the cup carefully, and he returned to his seat, sipping his own. The warmth seeped into my hands, calming me a little.

Maybe this side of him wasn’t so bad.

For a moment, the quiet felt almost… peaceful.

[Halloway’s Favorability +2]

Oh, thank goodness. Finally, something normal!

I exhaled quietly in relief, trying not to smile.

But then, without warning, another message followed.

[Possessiveness +2%]

No, no, no! Not that again!

I almost spilled the tea.

Why does every little thing I do raise that stupid possessiveness meter?!

“Careful,” Halloway said, noticing.

“Ah—sorry. Just… burned my tongue.”

“Don’t rush. I’m not going anywhere.”

His voice was calm, but his eyes flickered with something I couldn’t quite place.

I froze.

Wait… did he just—?

[Danger Gauge: 15%]

Why?! What did I do this time?!

All I did was drink tea!

Panic flared, but I forced a smile. “This tea’s really good.”

He gave me a slow, almost amused nod. “You think so? I made it myself.”

“Ah… that explains it. You’re good at this.”

“…Good at tea?”

“Y-yeah.”

He chuckled quietly. “That’s a first.”

The atmosphere settled again, awkward but not unbearable. I focused on finishing the tea without dying of secondhand embarrassment.

As I set the cup down, another system message appeared.

[Time remaining until next choice: 00:02:13]

No… not again.

I stared at the clock. The last choice had nearly given me a heart attack, and now I only had two minutes left before another?

I was doomed.

I sneaked a glance at Halloway, who was watching me with a faint smirk, and thought, Whatever happens, it can’t be worse than last time.

I was wrong.

The next moment, the familiar window flickered open.

[Choice Window Appeared!]

Situation: You accidentally spill tea on Halloway’s shirt.

1. Apologize immediately and offer to help wipe it off.
2. Panic, grab a towel, and clumsily dab his chest.
3. Freeze and say, “Oh no, I’ve ruined your shirt,” with trembling eyes.

I stared in horror.

No. No way. Not this again.

Why are all the options humiliating?!

 (Part 3)

I stared at the choice window like it was the end of the world.

Again. Every single time, it forced me into situations that screamed embarrassment.

Why couldn’t there ever be a normal, boring option like “Calmly step away and apologize”?

No, of course not. The system loved watching me suffer.

My thumb hovered between options 1 and 2. Option 3 was suicide.

Alright… option 1. Quick apology, minimal contact, least likely to be weird.

I pressed it right before the timer ran out.

My body moved before I could think. The tea cup slipped from my hands, splashing warm liquid across Halloway’s shirt.

He blinked, surprised, as I blurted out, “Oh my god, I’m so sorry!”

I jumped up, fumbling for napkins on the table. “Wait—wait, I’ll clean it!”

Before he could respond, my hand automatically reached toward his chest, dabbing at the wet fabric.

Wait—why are you touching him?! That wasn’t in the script!

The moment my fingers brushed the soft cotton stretched over his chest, Halloway caught my wrist.

My heart dropped.

He looked down at me, eyes sharp and unreadable. His fingers were warm around my skin, his voice low.

“Stop. You’ll make it worse.”

“…Right. Sorry.”

I froze in place, pulse racing.

He released me slowly, as if reluctant—or maybe it was just my imagination—and took the napkin from my other hand.

“I’ll handle it.”

He dabbed his shirt with measured movements, then glanced up at me with a faint, teasing curve of his lips.

“You really don’t go easy on me, do you?”

My face burned. “It was an accident!”

“Sure,” he said lightly, still half-smiling.

No—don’t say it like that!

[Danger Gauge: 25%]

No, no, no, not again!

Why is everything I do dangerous?!

He noticed me stiffen and tilted his head slightly. “Why are you so tense?”

“Because you—uh, because I ruined your shirt!”

“It’s fine. It’ll dry.”

That calm, unbothered voice again. The way he spoke made it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

He got up, unbuttoned the top of his shirt, and pulled the fabric slightly away from his neck to check the damp spot.

I immediately turned my eyes elsewhere.

Don’t look. Don’t look. Do not look.

But I still saw it—the glimpse of pale skin and the faint line of his collarbone.

Why does the final boss have to be like this?!

I squeezed my eyes shut and muttered under my breath, “This game is evil.”

“What?”

“Nothing!”

Halloway laughed quietly, clearly amused.

“You’re really strange sometimes,” he said, voice warm and low. “It’s kind of fun.”

[Halloway’s Favorability +3]
[Possessiveness +3%]

STOP THAT!

I glared up at the invisible system. You’re just messing with me now, aren’t you?!

He glanced at the clock and said, “It’s late. You should rest.”

“…What about you?”

“I’ll stay up a bit longer.”

He gestured to the couch. “You can take the bed.”

“No, it’s fine. You can—”

“Take it,” he said firmly.

His tone left no room for argument. I hesitated, then nodded.

“Thanks.”

I walked to the bed, trying not to think about how awkward this all was. My pulse still hadn’t returned to normal.

I sat down, pulled the blanket over my lap, and took a deep breath.

Maybe now, finally, I could rest.

But as I was about to lie down, another soft chime rang in the air.

No way.

Another one?

[Hidden Event Unlocked: “Halloway’s Midnight Conversation”]

I groaned into the pillow.

Could this system just give me one peaceful night?

 (Part 4)

Hidden Event: “Halloway’s Midnight Conversation”

The room was dark except for the faint glow from the window.
I’d pulled the blanket up to my chin, determined to finally get some rest — but sleep refused to come.

No matter how hard I tried to ignore it, I could feel him nearby.
The sound of soft breathing from the couch. The quiet rustle when he shifted.
Every little sound was a reminder that the final boss was sitting just a few meters away.

“Still awake?”

His voice came out of the dark, low and calm.

“…”

I hesitated before answering. “…Yeah.”

A short silence followed. Then —

“Can’t sleep?”

“…Kind of.”

Halloway chuckled softly. “You look braver than you are.”

“Excuse me?” I turned my head toward him. His silhouette was faintly outlined by moonlight, his posture relaxed, like he was genuinely amused.

“You fight monsters, shout at me, slam doors…” His voice trailed off, teasing. “…but one quiet night is enough to scare you?”

“I’m not scared,” I shot back, too quickly.

“That so?”

He leaned forward slightly, elbows resting on his knees. The faint glimmer of his eyes caught the light — sharp but warm at the edges.

“Then what are you thinking about?”

I bit my lip. How could I tell him that my thoughts were a tangled mess of exhaustion, fear, and sheer embarrassment from earlier?

“…Nothing,” I muttered.

“Liar.”

His tone wasn’t accusing — more like he was testing me, trying to see how I’d react.

I sighed, turning my face toward the ceiling. “I just… keep thinking about how weird everything is. This place, the monsters, the choices… it all feels like some kind of cruel game.”

He didn’t answer immediately. The silence stretched until I almost thought he’d fallen asleep again.

Then he said quietly, “Maybe it is.”

I frowned. “What?”

“Maybe the world really is a game,” he murmured. “A series of choices and consequences… made by someone who isn’t even part of it.”

My chest tightened. His words shouldn’t have hit that hard, but something about the way he said it — calm, resigned — made me uneasy.

“You talk like you’ve thought about that before,” I said.

He smiled faintly. “Who hasn’t?”

Another pause. Then, softly:

“If you had the chance to choose differently… would you?”

The question caught me off guard. I turned toward him, trying to read his face in the dark. “What do you mean?”

“If you could undo the choices that led you here — to this hotel, to me — would you go back?”

It was such a strange, gentle question from someone like him that I couldn’t answer right away.

Part of me wanted to say yes, of course — this nightmare wasn’t something I’d ever asked for.

But another part of me, the one that had begun to understand him, hesitated.

“…I don’t know,” I said honestly. “Maybe I’d still end up here somehow.”

Halloway chuckled under his breath. “That’s a very… you answer.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means,” he said, standing up, “that you’re too stubborn to change fate, even if you could.”

He walked closer — slow, unhurried steps across the carpet. My heart pounded again.

When he reached the edge of the bed, he stopped, looking down at me.

“Go to sleep,” he said softly. “You’ll need your strength tomorrow.”

For a moment, I thought he might say something else — something important — but he just turned and went back to the couch.

The sound of him lying down was followed by a long, comfortable silence.

“…Good night,” I whispered.

There was a pause.

Then, in that low, steady voice of his —

“Good night, Evelyn.”

[Event Completed: “Halloway’s Midnight Conversation”]
[Affection +5]
[Possessiveness +2%]
[Hidden Affinity Progress: 42%]

The last thing I saw before sleep finally claimed me was the faint message window fading from my vision.
For once, it didn’t feel threatening.
It almost felt… peaceful.