Edited by: Kuro, Lille, and Nyxx
When they got to Alec’s apartment, Alec was pushed into his room to shower.
Damien was finally able to get to work. He cooked the chicken parmesan, made a large bowl of salad, took out the breadsticks he bought on the way home, and set the table. The bowl of salad sat in the middle of the table for the two to share, and they each had their own plate of pasta. The plate of breadsticks was next to the salad bowl where they could pick as much as they wanted. He even was so kind as to cut the chicken into pieces that Alec could comfortably bite. He also decked out the table to make it a candlelight dinner. There were candles placed around the room, including a few placed on the table that could seat four. The lights were dimmed down so that the candles could be the main source of light.
To finish the perfect dinner set up, he poured two glasses of wine. The two had a high tolerance for alcohol, so a single glass was nothing. They couldn’t drink too much as there was work tomorrow. All in all, it was the perfect scene for an at-home dinner date.
When Alec exited the bathroom, he was dumbstruck. He looked around as if he had walked into the wrong room when he saw Damien standing in the dining room nervously.
“Dinner is ready,” Damien said awkwardly as he pulled out a chair for Alec.
Alec, confused, slowly walked over and sat down obediently.
At first, he thought that he had walked out of his room and somehow ended up in a hotel or something, but it turns out, the reason Damien pushed him into the shower was so that he could set up the dining room like so.
The two sat down at the table, eating their food but no one said a word. It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. On the inside, Damien was panicking. He was thinking things like, I should’ve gotten some music playing or will he reject me when I tell him, and so on…
After a while, Alec couldn’t handle how awkward it was so he wiped his mouth and put his fork down. “Damien, is there something you need to tell me?”
There wasn’t a look of disgust or impatience, just a bit of confusion and worry.
Worried? But why? Damien thought.
“I have something important to tell you… You don’t have to reply to me right away, I just want to get it off my chest.”
Alec nodded, giving Damien consent to continue. Looking at how the room was, Alec got an idea but he let the man speak. He wasn’t dense and he could pick up on hints.
Damien took a sip of wine, for courage, and looked at Alec with a shy look. It was the first time Alec had seen the man blushing, he thought it was strange for a man so handsome to blush but then thought it was also very cute.
“I love you, Alec.” His voice was a bit hoarse as he tried not to hesitate. It was the first time the man didn’t sound confident. “I know that I am your manager and you are focusing on your career. I just wanted to get this off my chest. If you don’t want me as your manager anymore, I will arrange for someone else to take my place, I just-” The man was rambling a bit too much so Alec decided to interrupt.
“Damien, I’m not interested in getting a new manager when you do such a perfect job. You take care of me, pamper me, worry about me, more so than managers should…”
“That’s because if I left you alone, you would be eating your favorite easy-to-eat foods all the time.” Damien couldn’t help but say.
Alec coughed like he choked on his water. Damien was calling him out because he was right.
“That too, but I really do appreciate everything you do for me, that’s why I don’t want you to leave… but I can’t respond to your feelings. I… I am not suited for love.” He felt like he didn’t deserve Damien’s kind and gentle feelings, he thought he wasn’t a person who was able to love again, even if he wanted to be loved, Alec felt like it was something out of his reach.
Or that he would taint the word “love” because it was something pure and he felt dirty.
Alec looked up at Damien like he was going to cry. “Someone like me… Someone like me doesn’t deserve to be loved like this…”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
After all the “relationships” he had been through, like the one in his original world and everything experienced through the Villian System, he felt content with what they had and he felt that if he asked for more, everything would go wrong.
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“That… I can’t say but I hope that you will respect that. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize, I was the one who confessed and troubled you.”
“I am not troubled by you or your confession. I just… I have circumstances. I need time.”
Yes, he needed time to heal in ways that people would not be able to understand. What he needed at the moment wasn’t romantic love, but to relax and enjoy his time in this world with people he cherishes (like Kyle and Damien)… Maybe, just maybe, somewhere down the line, when he was ready, he would consider Damien’s words.
For now, though, he felt it was better to not jump into things too quickly and to take his time.
“I understand… If it’s alright, can I stay by your side forever?”
Damien’s forever was probably different from Alec’s forever, but he still nodded. “That’s fine.” If Damien got sick and tired of him after a while, he knew that it just wasn’t meant to be.
Unbeknownst to Alec, Damien stayed by his side until the day he died.
*****
Alec was on the last day of filming Stairway to Love. His character, Raymond Torres, became a main character. The story went from being about Alexis to being about both her and Raymond and their journey through love.
The cover of the movie changed as well. It showed 2 sets of criss-cross stairs, never touching one another but they passed by each other only once. At that intersection stood Raymond and Alexis. In the picture, Alexis didn’t pay any mind to Raymond as she continued to look forward. Raymond on the other hand was looking over at her, his hand seemed to want to reach out for her to grab but their paths were never meant to cross like so.
They will be filming a few scenes and one of them is the one taken in the photo.
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After seeing each other and getting to know one another, Alexis realized she could not give up on Dylan, her childhood friend. Everything she did with Raymond, she wanted to do it with Dylan. Whatever Raymond did, she felt she could see Dylan instead. It was heartbreaking for her and Raymond, and she realized she could not continue it anymore.
“Raymond, I can’t do this anymore.” Alexis stopped walking, her head was down as she held onto the bouquet that Raymond had given her earlier. They were on a “date” and were seeing how it would go being with one another, but it just wasn’t working out for her. Her mind was elsewhere even when Raymond was by her side.
“Everything we do, everything I do, I can’t help but picture Dylan by my side. He’s always been by my side and I don’t want that to change… I love him so much. I’m sorry for leading you on like this.”
Raymond was heartbroken, but not surprised. He knew that her heart was never with him because Alexis had always worn her heart on her sleeves.
“It’s not your fault that you love him and still love him, so don’t ever apologize for loving someone.” He walked toward her but stopped a couple of feet away from her. “Would you like me to apologize for loving you? Even though I love you so much and can’t get over you. Aren’t we the same?”
She looked up at him, her eyes slightly red. She wanted to cry but for some reason, they couldn’t fall even though she felt sad. “But aren’t you upset with me for going along with your feelings only to turn you down?”
“Of course not, why would I be mad? You tried your best to feel for me, to be with me, and in the end, it didn’t work out. Unfortunately, that’s life. If I was mad at you, that means I never loved you. If you love someone, you want them to be happy, and if you aren’t happy with me, what’s the point?”
Even though it sounded like he said that without emotion, the tears flowing from his eyes told everyone that he was truly sad to let her go, but it was the only thing he could do.
“If you love him, tell him. If he won’t say anything, then you must or nothing will change.”
“I… You are right.” The tears that she tried to hold in began to fall. “I was waiting for him all this time to say something to me like it was his obligation.”
She always heard in movies and books that the guy was always the one who confessed first as they took the lead. But she was an independent woman who could think without the help of a man. She was strong. Brave. Loving. Hopeful. She too could make decisions for herself.
“Thank you, Raymond, for everything. For being with me, for loving me, and for helping me realize what I must do.”
Alexis handed the flowers back. “I am not the person you are supposed to be with, that I know for sure. That’s why you must find someone who loves you just as much as you love them. Don’t give up on love, Raymond, just because we didn’t work out. Eventually, all your efforts will pay off, I believe that.”
After that, she turned away and began walking with her head held high. She was going to go confess to Dylan as soon as possible, that was what she decided. Regardless of what happens, she knew she did her best and everything she could.
Raymond, who was left behind, held on to the flowers she gave back to him. He didn’t break down into sobs or throw the flowers, he held on to them, watching her leave the park they were at.
After this part when the scenes have been edited, the two stairs would come up on the screen. Alexis, who had stopped where Raymond was, looked away from him and began running up the stairs, leaving everything else behind.
As for Raymond, he held onto the bouquet, watching her leave.
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“And cut!” Director Eleanor called out, “Wipe Alec’s tears off his face, we are doing one more of his scenes. Also, we need to change his suit.”
Everyone rushed to change the scene. They were putting the stairs back in place but putting Raymond’s set of stairs to the front. For Raymond’s ending, it was going to be more ambiguous and open-ended, that was what the director, producers, and writers wanted.
“We have to get this perfect! Perfect, perfect, perfect! No one will leave until we get this scene right!”
The pressure was on…
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Raymond was standing on the stairs where the imaginary intersection was. Alexis’ stairs, even though he could see her walking by, they could not walk on the same set of stairs. That was a given.
He had a bouquet in his hands, different from the one he gave to Alexis that day. It was a bouquet of wilted flowers, symbolizing rejected love. He looked at her set of stairs, looking at where she had left.
Someone came up from behind him, they too, were walking upwards but Raymond was in the way. They held a bunch of different flowers. Each had different meanings: Carnations (Red) meaning “my heart aches for you, admiration.” Myrtle for love (it’s also a symbol of marriage). And a bunch of other flowers that meant love in some way. It looked a little messy at first, but the flowers had a meaning for the viewer to see.
When Raymond turned around and saw them holding out the bouquet, he hesitated at first but eventually accepted it. The wilted flowers he held onto slid out of his fingers, and he held the new bouquet close to his heart.
He looked at the other person, a warm smile showed on his face, one that he never showed to anyone, not even Alexis.
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And that was it. The scene ended there. When the movie played in theaters, the person giving Raymond the flowers would be a black silhouette. They found someone with a body type that was androgynous. It was meant for people to not know the gender of the person giving the bouquet.
‘Love comes first, gender is not that important,’ was the message Director Eleanor was trying to give.
“This scene was perfect! Alec, I thought we would have to go through that a few times but you nailed that smile! I’ve never seen you smile like that before. It was breathtaking, too cute, it was amazing!” If Director Eleanor had to state who her favorite actor was, it would definitely be Alec, no questions about it. Everyone knew that at this point.
Alec’s face was back to normal. It was like he had never smiled a day in his life. “Thank you, Director, for your kind words.”
“Oh, why are you thanking me, little cutie! From this moment on, you will be going into other movies and shows. I have plans.” Her laughter echoed throughout the studio for a little bit until she calmed down.
“Oh yeah, this is your last scene, right? Let’s party!” Director Eleanor was a ball of sunshine and energy. Too much energy.
After that, the crew and actors partied like there was no tomorrow. Alec, though he didn’t get drunk, couldn’t help but feel warm inside being surrounded by good people and food.
A/N: Originally, since this was a quick transmigration novel, I was like “Yes, romance in the first arc, fluff all the way.” But then someone told me the romance was too fast even though stories like Quickly Wear the Face of the Devil had the romance in the first Arc… Well, I changed it anyway! We should thank the person for giving me the Arc ending idea. 
I think the reason they told u it was fast is cause Alec has lot of baggage and it is shown more prominently then fod. So it would feel odd for him to so quickly get together with someone.
That’s what I was thinking too but at the same time, I just want him to be happy. so yeah. XD but I moved it into the second arc and he will slowly learn how to trust and get out of extreme possessiveness if that makes sense.
Almost every QT story has the couple get together in the first arc whether or not it feels satisfying or realistic in sparking off an epic multi-world romance, so when I realized you weren’t going to go that route in favor of paying more attention to development and backstory/plot I was pretty excited, definitely feels healthier given the host’s mindset in the early chapters. And there’s still the sweet element of getting taken care of when one doesn’t know how to take care of oneself, so on that front I think it’s still very satisfying
Thanks for writing! <3
I’m glad you think so too! Though they do get together in the second arc, he will still learn how to trust and calm his possessiveness. It’s all about growing. Nothing wrong with growing together. 😀
Ugh. You tore my heart apart, but it was perfect. It reminded me a bit of how I had to learn to trust in Mr. Hamster. 😌
Don’t be like Quickly Wear the Face of the Devil, be like Don’t Pick Up Boyfriend From the Trash Bin. MC feels trauma by romantic love (plus his life in previous QT journeys under the Villain System), so it’s very weird if he accept someone’s confession right on bat. If you don’t mind me giving you an advice, I think it’s better to make this novel as a journey for MC to heal his mental wounds, and you can write MC accept ML’s confession in the last arc where finally MC has courage and confident to be in romantic relationship with anyone.
I feel my MC and the MC from Don’t Pick Up Boyfriend from the trash bin are a bit different.
I’ve always seen my MC as someone who doesn’t like to be alone. He yearns for love, support, acceptance, etc. Friends are able to give that, but there’s a limit to how much they can give if that makes sense. He’s always felt that being in a relationship will give him all these things and more. That’s why I feel there is nothing wrong with having him heal with someone by his side. I hope that makes sense! thank you for the advice. in my other stories, I will keep this in mind. It also depends on how I write the MC.
Interesting… I feel it would be unrealistic for a human protagonist to take centuries to want to participate in life, to heal, to yearn for companionship and love, etc. since most humans are social in some capacity even when they are introverted. But this other type of plot might work if the mc is originally some kind of immortal being or supernatural creature used to being by themselves.
I will probably drop it if MC only get together with ML at the end ha ha.. i totally agree with you writer-nim, you can heal faster if you have someone by your side bcs this way u can forget those painful memories and replace them with a new happy life, for someone who craving dog food in every BL novel, having MC and ML only realize their feelings at the end of story is really torture 😭
” Unknowing to Alec, Damien stayed by his side until the day he died.”
Umm…. Why would it be unknown to him? Wouldn’t he notice when he is dying? Wouldn’t Damian be right by his side all this time? Maybe consider rewording it? Like, Alec did not know it at this time but Damien would stay by his side until the day he dies.💜
I would have loved “romance in the first arc, fluff all the way,” But someone gave you the right advice because your story starts out so painfully and in such a traumatic dogblood style, it just would not have fit, 😭
Thanks for the chapters!
It’s a foreshadow to the future 😀
Yep it’s foreshadowing the future duh, he didn’t believe that Damien will be by his side forever but in the future Damien did stay by his side forever that’s why it’s still unknow at that time
Still shipping system 225 and the mc in the corner
This is refreshingggg
So even if they’re not a couple, damien still took care of alec until his death, huh? Not sad at all. No. 🥲🥲
Yes! I love this, this is great. I really appreciate that he wants to at least attempt to address his trauma first.
..hmm…i like how this ended too…
…i kinda want to know who acted the part of the person ..giving flowers to alec at the endd…AHHH….so mysterious ..