[Constellation ‘SSS-rank Free-to-Play Player’ understands your actions.]
[The remaining Constellations praise your determination.]
It wasn’t a bad reaction.
Yoohee adjusted her glasses once and searched for the books the female protagonist had read, taking them one by one from the shelves.
There were some books whose titles she couldn’t remember clearly, but since the guiding theory books were all organized under the same category, they were not difficult to find.
When she casually opened one of them, various formulas and symbols were neatly arranged across the pages.
“So this is what it looks like.”
In her previous life, Yoohee had not been someone who spent much time around books. In the first place, in the life she had lived back then, there were no books that compiled guiding theories.
In the Korea of the past, when even an academy facility did not exist, those who awakened were immediately sent into gates. Since there was a severe shortage of Awakeners, they had to be deployed right away and learn by throwing themselves into situations headfirst.
Compared to that, this era was truly a good one.
“Should I just take about this much for now?”
Yoohee was already holding five thick books in her hands. No matter how she looked at it, reading all of them today seemed impossible. For now, she decided to look through several books and pick out only the ones that would be the most helpful.
“Ugh, heave-ho.”
Because of her poor strength, the arm holding the books trembled.
Wasn’t her Strength stat only 1? This was honestly a little too much.
The tall stack of books blocked most of her view, but fortunately, there weren’t many people in the library anyway. She moved carefully, only checking the areas around the bookshelves as she walked.
‘If I knew this would happen, I should’ve just sat somewhere closer.’
She was regretting her decision when she passed through the final gap between the bookshelves.
Thud!
Yoohee suddenly collided with something solid and was pushed backward.
At the same time, the books she was holding spilled onto the floor with a loud crash.
Clatter. The glasses she had been wearing also rolled across the floor.
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
Yoohee barely managed to steady her swaying body like a paper doll and bowed her head.
She only realized who she had bumped into after she finished apologizing.
[Constellation ‘Hardcore Romance Fantasy Reader’ shows interest in the man before your eyes.]
[Constellation ‘SSS-rank Free-to-Play Player’ questions whether the appearances of male characters are too abnormal.]
The Constellations’ reactions flashed by quickly.
The male student Yoohee had collided with was not just some ordinary student.
‘Why, why is this person…’
She froze as questions filled her mind.
In the original story, Yoohee would meet this person only once. However, naturally, it was not in the library.
“Hey, snap out of it.”
The man waved his hand in front of Yoohee with a puzzled expression. Yoohee snapped back to reality and immediately began moving the books blocking his path. She also did not forget to quickly pick up and put on her glasses.
“S-Sorry…! I was being rude…!”
Then, as if she had become one with the bookshelf, she moved aside.
“P-Please go ahead.”
The tower of books blocked the man’s expression from view. Perhaps it was better this way. If she saw those piercing eyes, she might panic and drop the books again.
Her helplessly weak arms began trembling once more. Fortunately, the man passed by Yoohee without saying anything.
Phew.
Only then could she finally breathe.
[Constellation ‘Hardcore Romance Fantasy Reader’ wonders about the identity of the man who just passed by.]
Yoohee flinched at the Constellation’s reaction, but worried that he might still be nearby, she tightly kept her mouth shut and headed back to her seat.
She placed the heavy books on the desk and looked around, but the man was nowhere to be seen. It seemed he had already left the library.
“Whew… I thought I was going to lose ten years of my life.”
The man was one of the people Yoohee could never possibly get close to.
A character that a C-rank Guide extra could only encounter once.
The male protagonist of this story, Seo Hyunho.
[Constellation ‘Hardcore Romance Fantasy Reader’ urges you to tell them who the man who just passed by was.]
[Constellation ‘Mother of Failure’ quietly perks up their ears.]
Since Seo Hyunho displayed an extraordinary presence simply by existing, it seemed the Constellations were also quite curious about his identity.
After confirming once again that Seo Hyunho had disappeared, Yoohee muttered in a small voice.
“To think I’d actually run into the male protagonist.”
[Constellation ‘Hardcore Romance Fantasy Reader’ cheerfully slaps their knee.]
[The remaining Constellations say thank you for telling them.]
However, Yoohee’s expression was complicated.
The situation of meeting Seo Hyunho might have been interesting to the Constellations, but it wasn’t to Yoohee.
Because that man’s keyword was “regretful male lead.”
‘He’s trash. Absolute trash.’
Not every male protagonist in romance fantasy novels was a sweet, devoted lover toward the female protagonist. Especially when their keyword was “regretful male lead.”
Second-year Jaguar Class. S-rank Esper Seo Hyunho.
The point when this regretful male lead finally suffers comes much, much later in the story. Until then, he continuously hurts the female protagonist and flaunts his extravagant history with women.
While reading through those frustrating “sweet potato” sections, Yoohee had felt suffocated countless times.
-Please change the male lead, author-nimㅠㅠㅠ
-Crazy. That bastard is the male lead??? He needs at least fifty chapters of suffering before he can atone.
While watching Seo Hyunho, the embodiment of hypocrisy and ingratitude, all readers cursed him with one mind and one voice.
Of course, there was a reason Seo Hyunho acted coldly toward the female protagonist. But did having a reason justify everything he said and did?
‘Anyway, I absolutely have to avoid him.’
The reason meeting Seo Hyunho was dangerous was because that rotten bastard deliberately went around meeting only academy students in order to hurt the female protagonist.
But why would a mere C-rank Guide extra worry about something like that?
That bastard didn’t care about ranks. The important condition was what kind of mood he was in when he encountered a woman.
If he liked her, he would use his extraordinary appearance to charm her. If not, he would simply pass by.
Fortunately, it didn’t seem like he was in a bad mood just now.
‘We’re in different grades, and I’m just an extra, so I thought I wouldn’t run into him… but I need to be careful inside the academy.’
Either way, unlike the passive extra in the original story, she was now actively trying to save Joohoon.
If she accidentally became involved with the main plot of the original story, it would become troublesome.
***
A little while later, the scenery outside the window grew dark.
The library was silent, as if she had stepped into a silent film. The few students who had remained had all returned to their dormitories by now.
Only then did Yoohee begin organizing her desk and preparing to leave.
[Constellation ‘SSS-rank Free-to-Play Player’ lets out a long yawn.]
[The remaining Constellations tell you that you worked hard.]
Although no one was physically beside her, the reactions of the Constellations echoing in her ears provided a small amount of comfort.
“I should go back to the dormitory now.”
After informing the Constellations who had waited for her about where she was headed, Yoohee trudged out of the library.
It was while she was walking through the corridor connected to the outside of the library.
Under a streetlamp illuminating the path down the hill, a beautifully silhouetted man and woman stood together.
It was already late. Were they having some kind of secret meeting here?
She wanted to pretend she hadn’t seen them, but she had to pass through the path where the two were standing in order to reach the dormitory.
With no choice, Yoohee continued walking. She lowered her head and tried to pass by as quickly as possible.
Then, a man’s intense voice pierced her ears.
“—I loved you.”
A cold-blooded tone that sounded as if even hearing it from afar would make someone freeze.
“Yeah, I loved you to death. Is that what you wanted to hear?”
He spoke without mercy, as if he were mocking the woman.
But this tone. This line. Somehow, it felt familiar.
Without realizing it, Yoohee stopped walking and carefully raised her head.
It was Seo Hyunho—the second time she had seen him today.
Bathed in the faint glow of the streetlamp in the darkness, he had a face so handsome that an ordinary extra wouldn’t even dare introduce themselves beside him.
And next to him stood a female student whose beauty could make even the bright moon feel embarrassed.
Do Gayoung from the second-year Jaguar Class, the same class as Seo Hyunho.
The female protagonist of the original story.
[Constellation ‘Hardcore Romance Fantasy Reader’ shows interest in the conversation between the two.]
[Constellation ‘SSS-rank Free-to-Play Player’ secretly wonders about the relationship between the two.]
[Constellation ‘Mother of Failure’ adjusts their posture.]
With Seo Hyunho’s appearance, the Constellations’ reactions regained their energy once again.
On the other hand, Yoohee’s expression gradually began to fade like a withered tree.
If Yoohee were in the position of a reader who was simply reading the novel, she might have found this scene interesting just like the Constellations.
And she might have cursed Seo Hyunho as passionately as the other comments that had flooded the story.
But for Yoohee now, this situation could not simply be dismissed as fiction.
Comments (0)