My Childhood Friend’s Stock Will Never Fail Chapter 14

Seo Hyunho and Yoohee made their way back toward the prison cells lined with iron bars. They moved with painstaking caution, careful not to catch the attention of the guard standing not far away.

 

As Yoohee crouched behind the large railing to hide herself, Seo Hyunho pulled the invisibility cloak over himself and headed into the corridor alone.

 

Tap, tap— Before long, Seo Hyunho deliberately began making noise to draw the guard’s attention.

 

“What was that?”

 

The guard reacted to the sound. Tilting his head, he glanced once more toward Joohoon, who sat motionless behind the bars.

 

Though alive, Joohoon slumped limply with his head and body hanging as if he were already dead. Seeing no sign of movement from him, the guard soon strode off down the corridor.

 

‘Now.’

 

The moment the guard disappeared, Yoohee darted to the front of the cell.

 

Even after she reached the bars, Joohoon’s head remained turned toward the inner wall, completely still.

 

A chill swept through her entire body.

 

No way.

 

Her mouth stiffened with dread, refusing to form a single word. Then, a low murmur reached her ears.

 

“…The bugs have latched onto me.”

 

Joohoon’s quiet muttering sounded utterly hollow.

 

His voice carried no emotion—cold, empty, as though he had already lost everything.

 

“This is… what was I even doing all this for…”

 

Fragments of quiet self-talk drifted through the silence. Then, suddenly, one cruel sentence pierced Yoohee’s ears.

 

“Maybe… I should just let it all go.”

 

His eyes held a faint light, as if they were ready to surrender even the last shred of reason—not the empty self-deprecation of someone speaking carelessly, but the resolve of someone truly prepared to give up.

 

Snapping back to herself, Yoohee grabbed the bars and cried out softly,

 

“Joohoon!”

 

Only then did Joohoon’s motionless body give a slight start.

 

“…Yoohee?”

 

He slowly lifted his head at an angle. Seen from the front, his face was even paler than before.

 

“So… now I’m seeing hallucinations too.”

 

“No! It’s really me. I want to say more, but right now… we don’t have time.”

 

Yoohee shot a quick glance toward the corridor. She had no idea how much longer Seo Hyunho could keep the guard occupied, so she hurried to get the words out.

 

“Joohoon, hang on just a little longer. You said you trusted me before, remember? I’m doing everything I can right now, so promise me you won’t give up. Okay?”

 

Joohoon’s eyes trembled with sorrow. He recognized that she was real, and confusion flickered across his face. But more than anything, overwhelming self-loathing had swallowed him whole.

 

His head dropped limply.

 

“How… why has it come to this? I don’t deserve any of it. I’ll… I’ll only become a burden to you.”

 

His voice shook miserably.

 

Seeing him crumbling apart made Yoohee’s heart ache. But refusing to let him see her weakness, she gripped the bars even tighter.

 

“You really think I’d give up on you?”

 

If their situations had been reversed…

 

Joohoon would never have abandoned her, no matter what it took.

 

“You wouldn’t give up on me either.”

 

“…No.”

 

There was no hesitation in Joohoon’s answer.

 

The moment their eyes met, Yoohee swallowed back the sob rising in her throat and spoke.

 

“So promise me. Promise you won’t be the first one to give up.”

 

Sometimes, it’s okay to accept something without giving anything in return.

 

I know you’re suffering because you’ve only ever known how to give, but right now you have to endure.

 

Because that’s the only way I can save you.

 

Their gazes lingered on one another for a long moment. Just as Joohoon gave a small nod—

 

Whoosh!

 

In an instant, Yoohee was airborne. “Flew” was the only word that fit; one moment she had been standing before the bars, the next she had been whisked behind the railing.

 

At the same time, she felt Seo Hyunho’s arm wrapped firmly around her waist.

 

‘Shh!’

 

As though saying exactly that, Seo Hyunho refused to loosen his grip.

 

With him pressed tightly against her back, she could barely breathe. Amid the tense silence of the corridor, the guard appeared once more.

 

“Maybe a cat got in… I’ll have someone check it later.”

 

After confirming that nothing seemed unusual about Joohoon’s condition, the guard took out his communicator.

 

Bzzzt…

 

The device crackled, but he didn’t report anything out of the ordinary to the other guards.

 

‘Let’s go.’

 

As if conveying those words, Seo Hyunho pulled more firmly on the arm around her waist.

 

Just as Yoohee matched his movements and started to step away—

 

‘Huh?’

 

Something soft and ticklish brushed against her foot.

 

Looking down, she found a fluffy, squishy bundle of fur pressing its nose against her ankle.

 

Sniff, sniff… squeak.

 

The hairs on the back of Yoohee’s neck stood on end.

 

She had no choice but to clutch Seo Hyunho’s arm tightly.

 

‘Please… just go away. Go!’

 

Ever since her previous life, Yoohee had absolutely hated rodents.

 

How could she ever forget the sickeningly soft sensation of accidentally stepping on one?

 

Fortunately, the mouse that had been sniffing at her ankle soon lost interest and scurried off elsewhere.

 

The creepy sensation beneath her feet finally gone, Yoohee let out a sigh of relief. But then, out of nowhere, she heard the loud, pounding beat of a heart.

 

‘What’s wrong with my heart…?’

 

Was she still startled from seeing the mouse?

 

But when she listened more closely, that wasn’t it. Alongside the beating of her own heart, she could feel another distinct rhythm.

 

Startled, Yoohee looked up at Seo Hyunho, whose arm was still wrapped around her waist.

 

His eyes carried an excitement she’d never seen before.

 

 

 ***

 

[Congratulations! You have cleared the second main scenario, “The Sleeping Prince of the Prison Cell”!]

 

[As a reward, you have received sponsorship from the Constellation, “YOLO Tribe of the Galaxy.”]

 

[You have obtained a random Pet Egg (Grade C–SSS).]

 

The moment Yoohee safely escaped Cell Block F, a status window appeared before her.

Then an egg dropped into her palm.

 

Compared to a chicken egg, it was much larger—closer in size to an ostrich egg.

 

[The random Pet Egg (Grade C–SSS) will hatch in 7 days. What rank of pet will emerge? Find out in 7 days!]

 

Pop.

 

The status window disappeared.

 

And what remained was Yoohee’s racing thoughts, her anxious eyes…

 

…and someone watching her.

 

“What is that?”

 

Looking at the egg in Yoohee’s hand, Seo Hyunho asked.

 

Yoohee quickly stuffed it into her pocket and improvised an excuse.

 

“It was in my pocket. I guess I hid it there to eat later.”

 

It was such a dry joke that even she couldn’t laugh.

 

Yet Seo Hyunho did.

 

Damn it… what is going on?

 

[The Constellation, “Obsessive Romance Fantasy Reader,” smiles with satisfaction.]

 

[The Constellation, “Mother of Failure,” nods as if she expected this all along.]

 

One by one, the Constellations began chiming in.

 

Expected what?

 

Who could possibly have predicted this?

 

Not even Yoohee had seen this development coming.

 

Who would have imagined that Seo Hyunho of all people…

 

…would develop feelings for nothing more than a C-rank extra?

 

‘Is this for real?’

 

It had all started back on the top floor of Block F, when the mouse appeared.

 

The instant Yoohee instinctively grabbed Seo Hyunho’s arm, his heart had begun pounding violently, and his expression had subtly changed.

 

[!Emergency Notification!: A new affection response has occurred.]

 

[Character ‘Seo Hyunho’ has been registered as a new male lead candidate.]

 

[From this point onward, ‘Seo Hyunho’ may appear in future main scenarios.]

 

[This character is currently emotionally bonded to another person. While this state persists, affection will increase at a slower rate.]

 

It was the kind of absurd plot twist that made her doubt her own ears.

 

‘But… why?’

 

Had she done anything that would make Seo Hyunho like her?

 

As Yoohee stared at him blankly, the hoodie still draped over her shoulders slipped slightly lower.

 

Seo Hyunho raised a hand and carefully pulled it back into place, fastening it snugly around her.

 

“You don’t need to thank me.”

 

“What?”

 

“I said I’d help you.”

 

Yoohee tilted her head even farther.

 

Is this really the Seo Hyunho I know?

 

“And I don’t regret it.”

 

After securing the hoodie around her, Seo Hyunho lowered his hand and looked down at Yoohee.

 

The icy gaze that always surrounded him now held the faintest trace of warmth.

 

“Watching what you did…”

 

he said with unusual seriousness.

 

“…made me reflect on myself.”

 

He paused for a moment, as though lost in thought, before continuing lightly.

 

“I could never become someone like you.”

 

“But… I do think you’re admirable.”

 

Then Seo Hyunho’s large hand brushed gently over Yoohee’s head.

 

It was less a proper pat than simply resting there for a brief moment before pulling away, but for Seo Hyunho, it was an astonishingly gentle gesture.

 

‘It must be because I lied and said I’d forgiven Joohoon.’

 

The story she’d made up to persuade Seo Hyunho had apparently worked a little too well.

 

Biting her lip in growing unease, Yoohee fidgeted nervously.

 

Then, without warning, Seo Hyunho extended a hand toward her.

 

His open palm seemed to be asking her for something.