Alex stood in front of the bathroom mirror, trying to stop his jaw from tightening.

  Not only that, but also his infamous scowl that had carried through the apocalypse. It was harder to get rid of than he thought.

  He tried to remember what he looked like before he got swept up into all the craziness.

  It was easy to remember, as he had dreamed of those simple times until they became a nightmare.

  Yet squeezing out that same carefree expression that came with the determination of a youth just stepping into society—

  Well, that was hard for Alex. Practically impossible.

  So he tried to think of what a normal postgraduate would look like.

  He couldn't seem to remember that, no matter how hard he tried.

  Frankly, he also couldn't remember the name of the college he graduated from.

  "Hey, what are you doing in there?" a female voice sounded just as his door opened.

  He recognized that voice. It was his sister's.

  He could hear her grumbling about something and could visualize her curious expression as she peeked into his room.

  "I'll be out soon, so get out," he tried to sound as casual as possible.

  Like regular sibling banter in their usual everyday life.

  "Stingy," she snorted and slammed his door shut.

  Alex chuckled and hurriedly got out of the bathroom.

  Seeing such familiar clothes chosen for no other reason except fashion was a bit unfamiliar.

  Most of the clothes he wore in the instance were chosen out of necessity, and no one cared whether they matched or not.

  So Alex had to resist the urge to throw the first thing in sight onto his body.

  Then he prepared himself to avoid bursting into tears at the sight of his parents.

  He walked stiffly to the dining room, where his family was already seated.

  "Look who finally decided to show up," his sister said sarcastically.

  Just like in his memory, she was someone who kept grudges and loved to bicker.

  "I was preparing myself to see your ugly face, and that took quite a while," Alex smirked at her.

  He tried to make the smirk less intimidating, but he had spent years mastering that intimidating smile.

  So he quickly dropped it once he noticed that it looked not quite right.

  "Mom!" his sister pointed at him angrily.

  "Both of you should eat your food," his mother chuckled as she handed Alex a plate.

  "Can someone who got so drunk yesterday have the stomach to eat?" his dad said gruffly.

  It sounded like a reprimand, but it was just his way of showing affection.

  Alex understood that he was worried he would feel sick after getting wasted.

  "I feel better," Alex said, stuffing a large amount of food into his mouth.

  "I'm sure you're starved," his mom said, smiling happily.

  Alex spent the rest of breakfast peacefully.

  After that, he helped his mom wash the dishes.

  His sister rolled her eyes and mocked him for his unusual behavior.

  Which made their mother force her to join in.

  She retaliated by splashing soap on him.

  And the two ended up bickering throughout the whole process.

  Alex found it amazing that he was able to get into the natural rhythm of such a peaceful moment so swiftly.

  All it took was one breakfast, and he felt that his expression and mannerisms were normal.

  Not exactly how he would have acted in his memory before the instance.

  But it was normal and comfortable.

  This small step might be easy for most people, but all he felt was a heavy sense of melancholy.

  Just finally being at home was still a bit unreal to him.

  Every moment felt like he would wake up in a wrecked apartment with the groaning of zombies outside the window.

  So after washing the dishes, he proposed going out as a family to watch a movie.

  Alex didn't want to stay at home right now because home represented too many things for him.

  It was the epitome and the core of everything he had missed in the instance.

  It didn't take much to convince them to leave the house.

  His sister agreed only if he was paying, with a mischievous look in her eyes, clearly planning to drain his meager savings.

  His mother looked at him with such a gaze that he just knew she thought he must want to use this opportunity to calm them down.

  His father grumbled about spending money without a job, but his mother silenced him with a stare.

  And so the family went to watch a movie at the cinema.

  It wasn't a popular cinema, but it was the one they frequented the most when they wanted to go out to watch a movie.

  Alex offered to go to a pricier theater, mentally calculating how much money it would cost while looking at the money left in his account through his phone.

  But his parents resisted, citing different reasons that convinced him.

  So they sat down in their usual seats, each holding a bag of popcorn while watching their favorite movie.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  It was a movie they especially loved to watch.

  Alex silently observed his family eating popcorn and chatting excitedly.

  His eyes never strayed away from their figures so as to convince himself that it was real.

  His mother looked just as vibrant as he always thought she was, with the wrinkles that came with age highlighting her maturity.

  His father, always stern-faced and calm, had a slight smile on his face as his mother whispered something in his ear.

  His eyes no longer held the sharpness that came with being the head of the household.

  His sister brought out her phone to chat with her friends about the movie while commenting at certain moments.

  She would sneakily hide it away once her mom showed signs of turning to her, then wink at him playfully to keep quiet about it.

  She would offer him popcorn generously as a form of bribery, her cute face very arrogant, while Alex would roll his eyes in response.

  They were just as he had remembered.

  So it must all be real.

  Alex told himself that repeatedly while trying to focus on the movie.

  After that, they went home and Alex slunk back into his normal life.

  He would wake up to his mother making breakfast and his sister in her school uniform hurriedly eating.

  His mother advised him to go out with friends instead of staying home all day while the house was empty.

  Both his parents were working class, and his sister would be off to school, so the apartment would be empty.

  Following their advice, he would call up his friends for drinks.

  Or he would take a leisurely stroll outside and go wherever his feet would take him.

  At one point, he impulsively wanted to pick his sister up from school.

  Though he didn't have a car yet, so it was more like accompanying his sister on a bus ride.

  But then he realized that he didn't remember what his sister's school's name was.

  So he brought it up during dinner.

  His sister refused to tell him, claiming that he would probably embarrass her.

  Now Alex knew he wasn't exactly attractive, but he certainly wasn't plain or ugly.

  So he retorted that she shouldn't be embarrassed of him, and they got into a playful fight, which ended up with both of them being on kitchen duty.

  The next day, his sister bared her teeth at him and rushed out of the house without responding to him.

  Alex followed after her, using the skills he developed from the instance about tailing an opponent.

  When his phone rang, the distraction was enough to let his sister vanish after getting down from the bus.

  Alex answered the phone only for it to be a call from his mother telling him to pick up a list of groceries while he was out.

  Alex calmly assured her that he would remember, then decided to leave it for today.

  He went on the errand assigned to him and waited for his sister to come home.

  Once she was back, Alex grabbed her and examined her school uniform.

  But she punched him in the face before he could get a good look, and his mother separated them, thinking they were fighting.

  The two were ordered to stay far away from each other, and Alex couldn't get another opportunity.

  The next day, his parents dropped major news on him.

  "After what happened yesterday, I realized that you must be feeling suffocated because we refused to let you follow your passion," his mother said.

  "That doesn't mean he has to attack me," his sister glared at Alex.

  "So all of us gathered some money together, along with your friends, and rented your very own restaurant for you," she said, smiling.

  Alex was pleasantly surprised, and tears welled up in his eyes.

  "Thank you, Mom, Dad, and little idiot," Alex sniffled.

  He hadn't felt so much joy in a long time.

  "Heyyy!" his sister exclaimed while pointing angrily at him.

  His parents chuckled.

  "I'm sure your food wouldn't be that good anyways," she snorted.

  "I'm sure it's going to be delicious," his mom said.

  "Hah, I doubt even he would be able to stomach it after just one bite," his sister snickered.

  "He would have to after how much money we spent," his dad grumbled.

  "You two, stop it," his mother glared at them.

  His sister grumbled about it being true, and Alex let out an ugly smile.

  "Don't mind them, you'll do great, and even you wouldn't be able to stop eating because of how delicious it is," his mother comforted him while patting his hand.

  Alex excused himself from the table and took a walk outside.

  He received calls from his friends as they offered him congratulations and jokingly asked for a free meal as VIP customers.

  Alex responded to each of them with a complex look on his face.

  After that, it didn't take long for him to finally visit the restaurant he rented.

  He inspected the place and found it to be exactly in line with his aesthetics.

  It perfectly fit the idea he had in mind for his restaurant.

  It didn't take him long to have an opening ceremony.

  After all, it was fully stocked, which came as a bonus from the landlord.

  As for workers, he had some friends who couldn't get a job but needed one urgently.

  So they chose to work for Alex, jokingly asking for high pay.

  They claimed that they believed in his skills and were willing to trust him.

  Alex looked at the increasing amount of coincidences that lined up to create his version of a perfect life in silence.

  His thoughts went from being complex to numb.

  He went through the motions and watched leisurely as all his dreams were handed to him.

  He thought of it as the reward the system spoke of.

  After all, he deserved all the happiness he was getting right now.

  He had suffered for years in a place that was like hell while being mercilessly toyed around with.

  Now he was back home, safe, and he was on the path to achieving his dreams.

  Yet it still didn't feel real.

  Alex told himself that it was because he got everything he dreamed of so easily.

  He convinced himself that he should accept the fact that he deserved it.

  Now he sat surrounded by friends and family in his restaurant.

  They celebrated the opening of his restaurant while eating the food he cooked.

  They all praised him, and even his troublemaker of a sister said it was okay.

  Perhaps they thought his complex expression was a result of doubt in their words.

  So they forced him to have a bite of his own food.

  "So, it's delicious, isn't it?" his sister asked eagerly.

  Alex swallowed the food with no expression on his face.

  As his taste buds were engulfed by the delicious taste, he responded to her casually.

  "I guess I can stomach my own food, but you would know that since I saw you practically licking the plate."

  Everyone burst into laughter as his sister glared at him.

  After the celebration, Alex sent everyone home and made an excuse to stay in the restaurant overnight alone.

  His mother teased him, saying that he was already too attached.

  After they left, Alex sat on the roof of the restaurant thinking about a lot.

  He gazed at the vibrant city in deep thought.

  The next day, an unexpected customer arrived.

  "Hello, I heard you guys just opened and I got curious," it was Paul escorting a dark-skinned woman hand in hand.

  He looked exactly the same as in the instance, but there was no sign of him recognizing Alex.

  Alex froze while his friend, who served as a waiter, guided them to a seat.

  Alex stood in the kitchen watching them order and then eat.

  Paul took a bite and then shouted "delicious" before enthusiastically inviting the chef to join them.

  Alex was dragged out by his friends to sit at the table and then shared a meal with Paul and his girlfriend as he made sure to chatter.

  His girlfriend was a calm, quiet lady, while Paul was an energetic bundle.

  Alex once again tasted his delicious cooking, with the pit growing larger in his stomach.

  "That was the best meal I've ever had," Paul rubbed his stomach and smiled brightly.

  "Thanks for the meal, brother. What's your name?" he asked, stretching out a hand.

  "Alex, and you must be Paul," Alex gripped his hand firmly.

  "That's right. Seeing as you know my name already, then we must be destined," Paul chuckled happily.

  Then he promised to visit with his girlfriend every day and rushed off after exchanging numbers as if he was scared Alex would refuse.

  There were a few other customers who ate, and they all praised Alex for his delicious food.

  Alex nodded at everyone absentmindedly.

  Then when it was closing time, he saw his friends off and sat alone watching people pass by the closed restaurant.

  His eyes were vacant as he thought about many things.

  A lot of incomprehensible things.

  Things he didn't want to believe but had no choice but to.

  After all, the cross that was always on his neck constantly reminded him of it every day.

  The feeling of the cross against his skin was like a constant ringing in his brain.

  And the appearance of Paul left him with no other choice.

  "System," he called out to the thing that had been with him the longest.

  There was no response.

  "I know you're here watching me."

  Still nothing.

  "All of this isn't real. I'm not back home, am I?" Alex said the words with a sense of detachment, his voice devoid of all emotion.

  "In fact, the part about returning home was a lie from the beginning, wasn't it?"

  "The truth is that I never had a home to return to."

  "Simply because the instance is the real world," Alex said into the air.

  "The truth is that everyone I know and love is dead."

  "I was probably killed by a zombie after blacking out."

  These absurd words felt more real than the world around him.

  The doctor's words echoed in his mind over and over again.

  "Why would I care about you specifically?"

  Those words of mockery hid a profound truth.

  The only person who cared about him specifically and who had the ability to trap him in the instance was—

  "System, did you know I lost the ability to taste as a child, which was why my parents were so adamant about me not being a chef?"

  "They didn't want me to watch other people eat and suffer in silence."

  Alex remembered the taste of the food he had cooked himself.

  Truly—

  "Delicious."

  "You created this world to deceive me, just as you had deceived me since the beginning," Alex's voice trembled as he laid out the truth.

  [ Just one tiny mistake led you to doubt your reality, you're not as foolish as I thought]

  The transparent blue screen appeared