"No, he didn’t do it like that. Gideon rather did something different."

He explained, "Gideon didn’t just make five male leads for the joy and trend of a reverse harem. Rather, he made them express his variations of love for you."

"These five male leads are the different ways he loves you. They represent his romantic dynamic and experiences with you. He felt like he might not always be the perfect singular figure to love you in the way you deserve, so he made five male leads through which he’d express his love for you."

Eden gasped, tears filling his eyes as he placed a hand over his mouth, staring in disbelief. He didn’t know how to digest it all. All he could do was sob at his words.

He couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t believe that even after death, Gideon had found an eternal way to express his timeless love. And he had let this love live forever through his writing.

"So..." Eden shed tears as he struggled to speak. "All of them... are representations of his love...?" He stared at the author, who slowly nodded. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"I guess he loved you just that much," the author explained.

The author smiled and then continued, "Fate could be funny, I guess." He stared at Eden. "Perhaps I might not be able to explain the mysterious outcome of events... but I could say that his love was strong enough to let you experience his world."

He continued, "This world was a letter from him to you even after his death. He knew you’d certainly miss him even after his death, and so fate decided to grant you the chance to live through his letter of eternal love."

"So maybe, you’ll move on from missing him forever and actually live through the love you deserve in the best way possible."

Eden shed tears as he listened.

"And..." The author hesitated. "I had once asked him why he made you into a villain originally. Like, since you’re the main character, you could just be a normal good character."

He smiled. "His reply was simple. You liked villains."

At that moment, Eden’s vision was already getting blurry with tears as the memories came rushing to him. He recalled their conversation vividly. He had said he preferred villains. He couldn’t believe Gideon was actually listening and had taken notes.

He guessed that explained a lot now. It explained why he became the villain. Perhaps he had come to reclaim the original plot after all. He couldn’t help but think while sobbing his heart out.

The author stared at him, not even knowing how to comfort him. He guessed letting him cry his heart out was a way to support him.

"Thank you..." Eden said after a while of sobbing. He slowly wiped off his tears as he said, "Thanks a lot for the information..." He stared at him. "You must have been really close to him for you to be picked to grant me this information."

Eden didn’t know him. He guessed they were working partners who shared an interest in writing or something. But that didn’t matter. Eden was grateful that he was able to learn about this. At least now he understood everything better in the end.

The author slowly nodded as he said, "I’m glad I was able to pass down the information. I guess Gideon would be happy to know that."

Eden smiled while letting his tears dry off. "I guess he would." He stared into thin air. "He was always the type to cook up such mischievous ways of loving you. He was always full of surprises." He smiled. "And I guess even after his death, his surprises will remain with me forever."

The author smiled while staring at him. "You know what, a few days before Gideon died, I was with him." He sighed as he continued. "All he kept talking about was you."

"He spoke as though his world revolved around you alone. He spoke as though he had all the time in the world to talk about you. Perhaps spend a thousand years speaking about how pretty your eyes are, and another thousand years talking about how pretty your lips were... and ten thousand years dedicated to talking about your smile." He scoffed. "He was willing to do that."

Eden smiled as tears kept running down his eyes. "Gideon was willing to do anything."

He said as the two of them stared at each other with a smile. There was a mild silence before the author spoke up. "Would you still wish to go back? Perhaps if you look for a way, you might actually find a way back."

Eden stood there, staring at him with a smile. There was another silence between them as thoughts and memories ran through Eden’s mind. And then he let out a small scoff and then said, "I’m tired."

He said, shaking his head. "I’m already tired of finding my way back. I think I already died..." He looked around. "And this is possibly the afterlife."

He smiled as he watched the blue sky glitter as snow began falling. Pretty whitish snow filled the atmosphere in a short period of time.

"So... you’ll stay here?" The author stared at him. Eden stared back with a warm smile.

"The real world has no Gideon anyway. And he left me a gift here." He smiled as he stared up at the sky. Snowflakes fell in the glimmering light. "He taught me to fall in love again... He taught me how to value love again within the passages of his letter." He smiled as he stared at the author. "So I think I’ll exist through the pages of this gift as my afterlife."

The author stared at him with a smile. He slowly nodded as he said, "Okay... okay, then. Then I wish you all the luck and happiness in the world. You’ve successfully turned the novel in your direction. Probably in the direction that Gideon initially wanted it to be for you. So that should be enough already."

Eden nodded. "Thanks again."

"Good luck," the author smiled as he slowly turned and headed off.

Eden stood there with a smile lingering at the corner of his lips while he watched him walk off into the distance before he disappeared into blue dust.

Eden smiled as he slowly stared up into the sky. Snow was falling. It was the beginning of something new. Something better. Something more beautiful.

And so he smiled, stretching out his hand to catch a snowflake that fell onto his palms.

"So pretty," Eden smiled.