IYBML 10

Chapter 10

The 10 Conditions for Becoming the Male Lead (4)

‘Did you hear? They say Bae Eunho went to Moon Yerim and told her to pay his hospital bill.’

‘Why her? Did something happen between them?’

‘How would I know? There’s a rumor going around that he hit the class president of Class 8….’

‘Anyway, I feel sorry for Moon Yerim. Of all people, she had to get involved with Bae Eunho….’

“Y-you, why are you suddenly doing this?”

Before the rumor could spread any further, I grabbed Eunho by the arm and dragged him out of the classroom.

This couldn’t happen.

Why was he giving me the lines that were supposed to start the whole thing between Semin and Eunho?!

Eunho looked down at me indifferently, then raised his casted arm.

“Did you think I was going to let it go? This hand ended up like this because of you. So you have to take responsibility.”

“Ah, I didn’t realize that’s what you meant… I can transfer the hospital bill to your account….”

“Hmm, not like that.”

Eunho shook his head, wagging his finger from side to side.

Another ominous feeling crept up my spine.

This reaction….

[‘I’ll pay the laundry fee all at once….’

‘No, not like that.’

‘…Huh?’

‘Stay by my side.’

‘…….’

‘Because I’ve started to care about you.’]

He wasn’t going to say those lines to me instead of Semin, was he?

I had looked pretty cool yesterday, sure…!

I swallowed nervously and waited for Eunho’s next words.

Eunho slowly opened his mouth.

“Pay me back with volunteer work.”

“Volunteer work?”

“I’ve accumulated a lot of demerit points because I’m late so often. I have to do volunteer work in the library to get rid of them, but as you can see, my hand is like this because of someone.”

“…….”

“Starting tomorrow, after lunch.”

After saying what he wanted to say, Eunho confidently brushed past me and left the gymnasium.

I stood there alone, turning his words over in my mind.

It was a huge relief that he hadn’t said the lines meant for Semin to me….

“Is he seriously making me do his demerit-point volunteer work for him?”

I never dreamed that I would end up taking care of my favorite’s demerit points for him.

Fortunately, the rumor died down after lunch.

That was because Eunho hadn’t come to our class even once after leaving the classroom that morning.

After eating lunch, I asked a friend for directions and headed to the library.

The librarian was organizing some things and looked up when she heard someone approaching.

When I told her I had come to do volunteer work, she looked toward the back.

“Oh, there are some books stacked up in the back. Just organize them according to their numbers. I’ll go eat lunch, so keep an eye on the library for me.”

“Yes, enjoy your lunch.”

After hearing my assignment from the librarian, I walked farther inside and checked the serial numbers on the books piled up on a cart one by one.

Looking around, it seemed like no one had come to the library yet.

It was actually better for organizing if it was quiet.

I muttered to myself as I pulled out a book.

“You’re here?”

“Ah! You scared me!”

A familiar voice came from between the bookshelves.

I looked ahead, and Eunho emerged from the shadows between the shelves.

Startled, I instinctively threw the book in my hand.

Eunho caught the book effortlessly and checked its number.

“Why are you here?”

“Why do you think? You said I had to do this to get rid of my demerit points.”

“So I’m doing it.”

“What? Hey, Moon Yerim.”

Bae Eunho walked toward me little by little.

My heart was already pounding at being alone in the library with my favorite, but as Eunho gradually came closer, I unconsciously curled my toes.

Eunho took a book from behind me, checked its number again, and placed it on the bookshelf.

“Do I look like the kind of person who makes other people do his volunteer work for him? I just figured I couldn’t do it alone, so I thought we’d do it together.”

He wasn’t wrong, so I quietly picked up another book.

Eunho seemed familiar with volunteer work. He found the right numbers and placed the books on the empty shelves.

I watched Eunho silently for a moment before starting to organize the books even faster.

For every one book Eunho put away, I shelved three, so we quickly cut down the amount of time it would take.

Once I’d finished putting away everything in front of me, I reached out to help Eunho with his books.

Eunho opened his eyes wide in surprise and handed me the book in his hand.

“How are you so good at this?”

“Of course I’m good at it. I was going to say I attended university… No, I was in the library club when I was in middle school.”

I almost accidentally mentioned my university days.

When I was studying nursing, I worked at the library, so I could shelve books with my eyes closed.

Thanks to my quick hands, all the books were neatly organized fifteen minutes before the end of lunch.

Eunho headed to the circulation desk to record his volunteer hours.

While he was gone for a moment, I examined the books on the shelves one by one.

“Let’s see what these kids read…. Huh? This book!”

The author really was a learned pervert.

How did they even think to put Director Ahn’s screenplay collection here?

Every time I read the novel, I could tell that the author was someone who loved movies, but I never dreamed that they had placed a screenplay collection in the library’s arts section.

It was out of print and difficult to find even in my original world, but here, I was holding Director Ahn’s screenplay collection in pristine, flawless condition.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you leaving?”

“I was going to. But I want to borrow this…. Is there any way I can?”

“What is it?”

I didn’t know how books were borrowed at this school.

Eunho took the screenplay collection from my hands and looked it over from different angles.

Then he looked once at the librarian’s desk and once at me before scratching the back of his neck.

“You can do it if the librarian is here. Do you have your student ID?”

“Huh? I don’t have that….”

“I have too many demerit points, so I can’t borrow books for the time being. Just come back another time and read it.”

“That’s a shame.”

“You like this book that much? It only has dialogue and stage directions, so it looks boring at first glance.”

“No, it’s not. Look.”

I opened the screenplay collection and showed Eunho my favorite part.

“You think you’re living your life properly, right? No. You’re living the way other people see you.”

That line was one of the movie’s most famous scenes, as well as my favorite line from the film.

Eunho looked back and forth between me and the line in the screenplay with a completely unimpressed expression—he didn’t seem to feel even a third of the emotion I felt.

“Isn’t it amazing? Actually, maybe we’re all living the way other people see us. Without knowing who we really are.”

“…Maybe.”

Eunho still looked like he didn’t quite understand.

At that moment, I remembered the rumors that had been swirling around Eunho.

And even the rumors I’d never known about.

“Eunho, did you… ever break the judo club door?”

At my question, Eunho’s large eyes filled with confusion.

A few seconds later, he nodded.

My heart sank.

“Why?”

“A senior… kept hitting the other kids under the pretense of training. I tried to stop him and fell against the door.”

“Huh?”

“I got injured because of that, and that’s also why I quit judo.”

“What?!?!”

Thinking about it carefully, there was nowhere in the web novel where I could find any details confirming why Eunho had been injured.

Since Semin was the protagonist, what mattered more than Eunho’s injury was his recovery and the process of overcoming it, so it made sense that the reason had been omitted.

But I never imagined the actual reason would be something this absurd.

“Y-you… do you know that the other kids misunderstand you because of that?”

“Yeah. I know.”

“Then why don’t you correct them…? Just like yesterday… you were the one who was being treated unfairly.”

“I don’t care how they see me.”

“Why don’t you care?!”

Without realizing it, I shouted at Eunho in the library.

“Whoa! This is a library, you know?”

“Eunho, you know… It might be difficult, but… could you relax your eyes a little, lower your eyebrows, and be kind to the people you meet as you come and go…? Could you become a little more gentle?”

“What are you suddenly talking about?”

“I want you to be a little kinder and more gentle to other people. So that when the kids see you, they won’t misunderstand you and can get along with you. Okay? I’ll help you.”

“Why do I have to do that?”

Unlike before, Eunho’s expression visibly darkened.

I knew it, too.

I knew that my words and meddling were only making things troublesome and exhausting for Eunho.

“Because I know.”

“…….”

“I know that you’re a warm and kind person. Even if you’re bad at expressing yourself, you quietly do what you need to do behind the scenes. I know all of that. I want other people to see the real Bae Eunho, not the Bae Eunho they hear about in rumors.”

“…Hey, Moon Yerim.”

“I know. It’s annoying to go around correcting every rumor. But words are really frightening… If everyone around you sees you that way and says that’s what you’re like, you really can become that kind of person. We felt it yesterday, didn’t we?”

‘Did you hear? Nurse Oh….’

‘Ah, I don’t even want to talk about Nurse Oh. She’s absolutely horrible.’

More than all the rumors, what hurt the most was the fact that Eunho had become accustomed to them.

I wanted my favorite Eunho, the one I supported and cared about more than anyone, to try just a little harder and eventually end up with Semin.

I sincerely wanted that.

That’s what love was like.

As a short silence continued between us, a cool breeze blew through the gap in the open window.

It was truly spring now.

“Then teach me.”

I covered my mouth at Eunho’s words.

Did Eunho really just say that?

“Teach me how to look kind to other people.”