IYBML 09

Chapter 09

The 10 Conditions for Becoming the Male Lead (3)

“Anyway, we have to give Moon Yerim credit for getting into trouble. Should I call the driver and have him bring a lawyer?”

I had prepared myself to be lectured, but I never expected to be hounded for almost an entire hour after dinner.

Even while nagging me, Mom peeled a kiwi for me to eat. I speared a piece of kiwi with my fork and leaned back against the sofa. Just when I thought she should stop, Dad took over where Mom left off.

“What else could I do? Both me and my friend were about to be falsely accused.”

“You should have called Dad first. Do you know how surprised I was when the lawyer contacted me? And how did you even know about Attorney Kim?”

Well… Attorney Kim made a brief appearance toward the end of the web novel, so I knew about him. Since he was an extra, I had just blurted out his name.

I had even come up with a backup plan to ask the driver to pretend to be a lawyer if things didn’t work out. But I never dreamed that Attorney Kim was actually my father’s company lawyer. Anyway, considering how big the whole incident had become, the best thing I could do was apologize.

“Anyway, if it was resolved well, that’s all that matters. Your homeroom teacher says you should become a lawyer.”

“What’s with becoming a lawyer….”

“Where did she get that bold streak from? Did she take after you?”

“Hey, it’s definitely not me.”

“I’m getting the feeling that you two are trying to pass the blame onto each other. Am I imagining things?”

At my question, Mom and Dad looked at each other, then suddenly burst out laughing.

It seemed like the tension had finally eased, so I laughed along with them.

Dad took my fork and speared a piece of bread for me.

“We only have one daughter, and we raised her well. Right, honey?”

I smiled at my father as he fed me a bite of bread and at my mother, who looked at us fondly.

My parents had died when I was young, and I had never imagined what moments with them might have been like. But I couldn’t help thinking that Yerim was really happy.

“I’m in a good mood. Dad will drive you to school tomorrow. Ride with me.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Our daughter is going to school.”

For the time being, I was Moon Yerim. It might have been unfair to Yerim, but I wanted to enjoy this feeling for a little… longer before going back.

Of course, I had to stay until I saw our Eunho become the male lead.

*

The next day, I arrived at school in my father’s car instead of the driver’s.

After arriving early, I stared intently at Semin’s seat and Dogyeom’s seat.

There had been some complicated things going on for a while, so I hadn’t been able to pay much attention to the two of them. Now that everything had been sorted out, the only thing I needed to focus on was the Bae Eunho-becomes-the-male-lead project.

On top of that, I had gotten ahead of myself, thinking that I had become a little closer to Eunho because of what happened yesterday.

Of course, that might not be the case from Eunho’s perspective.

I pointed at Han Dogyeom’s seat with my finger and muttered,

“Han Dogyeom, just wait a little. Once Eunho becomes kinder… you’re finished.”

“Were you looking for me?”

“Ah! You scared me!”

When I turned around, Dogyeom was standing there with his backpack on, looking at me.

Even though I hadn’t done anything wrong, my heart started pounding as if I had been caught doing something bad.

Wait, was I actually doing something wrong by trying to change the ending?

Dogyeom naturally walked past me and sat down in his seat.

“Why, why are you here…?”

“Why wouldn’t I be? It’s a weekday, so I came to school.”

“Right… haha.”

“Oh, and thanks for that day.”

“When?”

“The day I transferred. You took me to the teachers’ office, remember? Am I saying thank you too late?”

If it hadn’t been for you, I wouldn’t have even been able to find the teachers’ office, let alone my classroom.

As Dogyeom continued speaking, I felt an inexplicable sense of guilt.

No. If it hadn’t been me, Semin would have found you just like in the web novel, and then the two of you could have become friends a little sooner….

So I really was doing something wrong to Dogyeom.

“I’m the class president, so of course I did. But have you made any friends yet?”

“Ah, not yet…. But there is someone I want to become friends with.”

I knew it.

My guilt lasted only for a moment. I shouldn’t feel sorry. Even if I felt sorry for him, he was naturally born to be the male lead, so he’d find his way to Semin anyway!

But the greatest advantage in this world was that I was the one who knew the entire story.

Which meant that Eunho and I had the upper hand.

“Who? Semin?”

“How did you know?”

“Uh… it was pretty obvious.”

At my blunt answer, Dogyeom’s ears turned slightly red.

So even male protagonists got embarrassed.

It was pretty cute.

Well, that was probably because I had a clear distinction between my favorite and my second favorite. I did like Dogyeom, too.

“Hmm… but….”

When I hesitated, Dogyeom stood up with a slightly curious expression.

Then he took a step toward me.

I stalled for a moment before speaking.

“Semin feels uncomfortable when someone approaches her too quickly.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. So take it as slowly as possible. Very, veeeery slowly. Got it?”

“…You’re really a good person. Thanks.”

Dogyeom’s face brightened after finding a way to approach her.

I almost felt guilty again, but when I saw the determined expression on Dogyeom’s face, he looked so much like the male protagonist that I became nervous.

No matter what happened, I couldn’t let my guard down.

If I let my guard down, our Eunho would end up becoming a supporting character.

“But why didn’t you come to third period yesterday?”

“Huh? Ah… something came up.”

“Was it because of Bae Eunho?”

“You know Bae Eunho?”

“Not really. I’ve seen him on the rooftop a few times. He was sleeping. He looked pretty free.”

“On the rooftop?”

“Yeah. Oh, I heard the rumors, too. That he once broke the door to the judo club.”

“What? The judo club door?”

At my question, Dogyeom scratched his head and added that he had only heard about it as well.

The judo club door? The rooftop?

This was all information I’d never heard before.

And besides, the first meeting between those two was definitely—

[‘What? Did I tell you to do that?’

‘So if you have something to say, say it through me. Can’t you see she’s scared?’]

I remembered that Semin and Eunho first met in the cafeteria, and that I first saw them when Eunho came looking for her in the classroom.

Dogyeom disliked Eunho because Eunho had approached Semin as if he were threatening her, while Eunho was irritated by Dogyeom for getting in his way.

But now, Dogyeom and Eunho’s first impressions and first meeting had changed.

Could something actually be changing?

No, that couldn’t be.

Even if I tried to change things, somehow, they would eventually meet just as Semin and Dogyeom had in the original web novel….

Changing things like this wasn’t something an extra could do.

Well, unless it was Eunho.

“But there’s no way Eunho would know what’s going on and act accordingly….”

“Hm? What are you talking about?”

“Ah, nothing.”

While we were talking, the children gradually began filling the classroom.

I sat down and continued recalling Dogyeom and Eunho’s first meeting.

“Wait a second… Our Eunho came to school today, right?”

If what happened yesterday had hurt him so badly that he didn’t even come to school…

My heart would break.

But my worry lasted only for a moment.

The classroom door opened with a rough sound.

The children, including me, naturally turned toward the source of the noise.

Dogyeom did the same.

“What? It’s Bae Eunho.”

“Why is Bae Eunho here?”

“Why did he come to school at this hour?”

Just as the children whispered among themselves, the person who had opened the door was Eunho.

Moving his casted arm, Eunho strode toward us with his long legs.

Could he be looking for Semin?

I couldn’t let him show Semin this delinquent-like appearance….

I turned around.

Fortunately, Semin hadn’t arrived at school yet.

“Hey. Moon Yerim.”

But I never dreamed that the person Eunho was looking for would be me, not Semin.

Eunho sat down in the empty seat across from me and stared at me silently.

I had no reason to avoid his gaze, so I stared right back at him.

An suffocating silence followed.

Eunho looked even more handsome today than he had yesterday.

As expected of my favorite.

If only he would get rid of that delinquent-like look….

“I thought about it yesterday, and I feel like this is a little unfair.”

“What is?”

What on earth was unfair?

I’d cleared his name and even gotten an apology for him!

Eunho raised his casted arm and said,

“My arm.”

“…Huh?”

“I’ve been completely exhausted because of you lately, and now I even got hurt. And then there was that whole mess yesterday.”

“……”

“So pay me back.”

“W-what?”

“You’re asking even though you don’t know? You have to pay my hospital bill. My arm got messed up because of you.”

[‘You’re asking even though you don’t know? You have to pay for the laundry. My school uniform got messed up because of you.’]

This was crazy.

Something had gone terribly, terribly wrong.

I covered my mouth and shook my head.

This wasn’t the picture I had wanted.

The order had changed, and the content and progression had completely changed.

What I had wanted to change was—

“Hi, Semin.”

The classroom door opened.

Semin, wearing her school uniform neatly, quietly looked back and forth between Eunho and me in the silent classroom.

Dogyeom’s gentle voice, coming from near the door, struck my ears.

“Let’s get along well from now on, Moon Yerim.”

Eunho gave me an evil smile.

Where… did everything go wrong?