The 90 Billion Devotion System

Chapter 1: Please Don't Break Up With Me

The dorm sighted darkness and what it did was cause long shadows that ran across the walls. The dormitory's interior remained motionless except for the electronic sounds and the slight movements of students under their blankets.

In numbness a young man lay in a bed and a dim phone screen showed his face. His eyelids were blinking slowly due to the weariness in his eyes as he read the notification at the top of his computer screen when his black hair was untidy as he has forgotten to sleep well.

Ding!

A message.

Urek Han hesitated a moment and used his phone. His thumb hovered over the chat emblem and a little twinge passed through his chest. He started beating his heart and a mounting feeling of nervousness shook him inside.

He paused briefly in his breathing on clicking the chat window.

The screen presented to him a single text message.

"Urek Han, let's break up."

The direct text provided an impact that was much more than he had anticipated. His fingers were tacked to the sides of the phone. The screen's glow revealed his face while his eyes expanded with wide-eyed shock.

He swallowed.

A brief instant passed where everything in his surroundings disappeared including his blanket's warmth and his roommates' soft whispers and the distant car honking. He was unable to concentrate on any other things as his mind strived to comprehend words placed in front of him.

Break up?

No. And that must have been a joke.

An error perhaps.

He had fingers running faster than his mind on the keyboard as his heartbeat raced within his ears.

"Why, Rose? Is this message related to your activities that you engage in with my roommates?

He stopped, and chewed his lip. His breathing was abnormal now.

No, that was too unfriendly. He had to have an air of sincerity. This had to be corrected.

He deleted the message before beginning his new attempt.

"Please don't be like this. I am dedicated to building our relationship. Is there something I haven't done well?"

He hesitated again, then added:

I have specific plans about our future together. Our future will bring us a contented household with two outstanding children and our own residence and vehicle. I will work hard to achieve everything we want together.

His hands shook violently as his emotions took over his body.

"Was it because I didn't buy the fancy bag you mentioned last time? If so, I apologize. I have started making genuine financial contributions during the recent period. The allowance from next month will be enough to purchase the item for you.

He sent the message before his thoughts could consume him.

He fixed his gaze on the screen after sending the message while waiting for a response. Hoping.

Seconds ticked by.

Then.

The system shows an error because the recipient removed you as a friend.

Urek’s breath hitched.

His thumb automatically tapped on Rose's profile picture while his eyes moved to the top of the screen.

The page displayed a blank and emotionless interface.

[Add Friend]

She was away.

The reality hit him like a heavy brick.

Before he could initiate a new conversation, he had to be friends with the person. She did not want to be friends with him.

His shoulders were slumped and his body weight gained.

That was it then.

No explanation. No argument. No opportunity to argue his case. One text message killed everything between them.

The screen of his phone cast a mechanical light that was painful to his eyes. He banged his thumb on the phone to shut off the screen that brought back the room to total darkness.

He sat a long time without moving his hands in his lap.

There was a groggy sound of an exhausted voice, in the upper bunk.

"Urek, join us for a game of blackjack. We're one short. We're about to play now"

The words passed unnoticed through Urek. His thoughts were still sinking under the burden of what had just occurred.

The voice paused a moment later.

"Ah, never mind. Sorry for disturbing you."

His friends were even aware.

Urek sighed deeply through his nostrils. His hands made fists.

His chest felt tight, and a great wave of frustration and grief rose within him.

It was not right.

He had made everything. He had given all. And he was thrown away at last like a coda.

His jaw set.

His knuckles grew white.

"Can't take it anymore."

Bang!

His hand struck the desk with a loud bang and the sound reverberated in the silent room. He said no more, but flung aside his blanket, snatched up his coat, and rushed out of the dormitory.

His roommate sighed behind him, and turned over in bed.

"He's breaking up again… the sixth time this month."

---

It was cold at night. The wind was blowing a sharp breath through the almost deserted streets of the campus, stirring the leaves of the trees which grew along the walks. Streetlights were dimly glowing, throwing long shadows along the asphalt, into the distance.

Urek Han paced up and down with a confused mind. His hands were deep in his pockets, his shoulders were hunched as though he were trying to protect himself against more than the cold.

The message of the break up kept playing in his mind and again and again as though he was trying to find some meaning which he had not seen.

"Urek Han, let's break up."

Four words.

Four words that broke three years of devotion.

Three years of making all the sacrifices on her behalf. Three years of never saying no, always first. Three years of hoping. no, persuading himself that, only trying hard enough, she would realize how much he loved her.

He snorted and his lips drew into a sour smile.

What a hoax.

Was he that simple?

His feet at last led him to a place familiar to him. a little public square in the centre of the campus. It was where he and Rose would go walking together hand in hand, talking quietly late into the night.

Those memories were now far away.

Urek walked slower when his gaze fell on a group of students who were seated around one of the benches. They were talking in low tones, and looking away at something or somebody in the distance.

He looked to see what they were looking at.

His muscles stiffened.

Rose stood at the farther end of the square, under a swaying street-lamp.

She was not the only one.

A tall, well-dressed man leaned casually against an expensive car parked by the curb. His arms were crossed, his expression one of amusement. Even from a distance, Urek recognized him immediately.

Min Yunji.

Rose’s ex-boyfriend.

His stomach twisted.

The pieces clicked into place.

So that was why she broke up with him.

The rumors that had been circling around campus were true.

Rose had gone back to Min Yunji. the same man who had cheated on her, the same man who had once pressured her into doing things she didn’t want to do.

And yet, here she was.