“It’ll just become a promiscuous society.”
“A promiscuous society?”
At words I still didn’t understand, I unconsciously frowned and asked back. I couldn’t understand what connection there was between discovering a new gender and society becoming promiscuous. I couldn’t even easily guess, so I actually thought he might be teasing me, but Lee Hyeonseok seemed somehow resigned. I felt Lee Hyeonseok’s sincerity in that attitude. Scared of what shocking fact might be waiting for me next, I was now even afraid of Lee Hyeonseok opening his mouth.
“And how good you’ll be at blaming others.”
“Blaming others?”
Lee Hyeonseok kept throwing only ominous words at me who was still flustered. If it’s a promiscuous society and blaming others, doesn’t that mean unsavory things will happen? I tried to organize my thoughts and was about to request a more detailed explanation when Lee Hyeonseok went “Hmm…” and observed me up and down again. Somehow I felt evaluated and my mood was about to turn bad, but that wasn’t the urgent matter right now.
“If you manifest as an omega, you don’t seem like you’ll be fine either.”
The last thing Lee Hyeonseok said to me, frozen like a frog before a snake, was more shocking than any other words. I hoped it was a joke, but it didn’t seem like words said as a joke. A promiscuous society, blaming others. It seemed related to this thing called omegaverse, but what kind of correlation was there for such frightening words to be mentioned? I contemplated whether to believe Lee Hyeonseok’s words or not.
If it was just teasing, I could just curse Lee Hyeonseok inwardly and be done with it. The only damage would be to my emotions. But if Lee Hyeonseok’s words were true, in the worst case, something so unsavory it would be shameful to tell others might happen. I’d already experienced impossible things to just pass it off with “Oh, surely not.” Weighing gains and losses, it was better to be careful.
“Let’s get along. I’ll do well.”
Having concluded it was better to become friendly if we were going to be entangled anyway, I grabbed his clothes tightly with both hands and spoke desperately. Hoping that even Lee Hyeonseok’s nonexistent conscience might be pricked.
“I’ll see what you do.”
But as expected, Lee Hyeonseok had no such thing as a conscience, and gave me an answer that made me want to kick his shins, along with a sneer. I hadn’t expected anything, but it was excessively too much. If I were a person of action, I would have at least kicked his shins.
“Look at that expression? Looks like you want to live harshly.”
“I’m sad. Sad that we might not become friends.”
“Don’t be sad, you should make an effort.”
My words were completely blocked by Lee Hyeonseok’s continued sarcasm. They say when a person is dumbfounded, words don’t come out—that was exactly it. Being able to be this rude was in some sense a talent. I didn’t know how to deal with such rudeness I was encountering for the first time in my life.
“If you knew that I’m originally 27 years old but call you hyung and use formal speech without fail, would you see my effort?”
“I see you have no pride.”
I think I made an effort. But what could I do when Lee Hyeonseok brought scissors and directly cut off my rationality?
“You seem to have no manners.”
The day I become friends with Lee Hyeonseok seemed like it would never come in my lifetime.
Having thoroughly run my mouth at Lee Hyeonseok once, I was preparing to get hit. Right after spitting out those words to hurt a little less, I tightly shut my eyes and wrapped my arms around my body as if defending it with both hands. However, even after staying like that for a while when nothing happened, when I cautiously opened my eyes, Lee Hyeonseok had disappeared.
“……?”
Left alone in an instant, I looked around in bewilderment but there was no one. I was more scared that Lee Hyeonseok didn’t beat me. Lee Hyeonseok wasn’t the type of bastard to just leave someone who talked back to him alone. That’s what I saw from how he acted earlier, and that’s what the media showed of his behavior before the possession. I even thought it might be better to get hit once and end it cleanly.
When nothing happened and I was having all kinds of bad thoughts, the bell rang signaling the end of lunch break. In the end, I left with an uneasy heart and returned to the classroom. My legs were heavy as a thousand pounds, but I didn’t know what to do.
I didn’t head to the classroom before lunch break ended. Since I delayed for a few minutes even after the bell rang, I ended up entering the classroom during class time. However, I wasn’t too worried. Perhaps because I was an extra, no matter what mistake I made, it would end with just a word or two of sermon. There was no screen time to give to an extra who was neither a main character nor a supporting character, I guess. Only the minimum words necessary for plausibility or flow were all.
“‘Seo Jiwoo’, what time is it now?”
Having slipped in through the back door like that, I couldn’t help but be flustered. The teacher and students accurately recognized my existence. I’d been late a few times. At first, the worry of ‘What if I get scolded?’ was pointless as it just ended indifferently with ‘Who told you to be late. Sit down quickly.’ It seemed like they were just saying their assigned lines. The classmates didn’t even look at me. Only my seatmate asked one question about why I was late but didn’t seem very interested. That was when I first strongly recognized that I was an extra in this novel.
But to say my name while looking at my face and get angry. Of course, since this was homeroom teacher’s time, there was the possibility that they knew my name. But the homeroom teacher’s disapproval and the classmates’ attitude of being curious why I was late were enough to fluster me.
“Not answering?”
When I just stood there flustered, the homeroom teacher lightly scolded me. Then gestured as if telling me to come closer. I first approached the homeroom teacher with an apologetic appearance.
“Who told you to come in late.”
“Well, I…”
The homeroom teacher crossed their arms and looked down at me as if telling me to make an excuse, but having not anticipated this situation at all, I just fumbled. Looking around, everyone was focused on me. Some students looked happy that class was interrupted, while some looked curious about why I was late.
“Were you in the bathroom or something?”
“What? No!”
“You’re so surprised I’m suspicious.”
“Really, I wasn’t!”
When I just remained flustered, the homeroom teacher threw out a joke in a playful voice as if to ease the tension. I understood the sentiment, but when I came to my senses at the unpleasant joke and strongly denied it, the homeroom teacher kept teasing me. The kids also laughed as if it was funny. Setting aside being flustered by the sudden situation, placed in a situation where I didn’t want to be misunderstood even as a joke, I was just embarrassed and didn’t know what to do.
“Then what were you doing.”
Perhaps thinking I’d relaxed somewhat, the homeroom teacher asked again. It was as if they had become a person with will. The existences that were merely extras who only said necessary words for their given role seemed to be moving with their own will.
“I didn’t hear the bell…. I’m sorry.”
I had to think about various things, but for now passing this situation was the priority, so I desperately tried to think of an excuse. But no proper excuse came out, and in the end I just offered a common lie. I thought it was appropriate since I’d just get scolded briefly and there was nothing particular to be interrogated about.
“Even if you didn’t hear the bell, all the kids would have gone into the classroom, so what were you doing alone without coming in?”
However, the homeroom teacher was more persistent than expected. Being scolded with everyone’s attention focused became genuinely embarrassing. I didn’t know what to do since this was the first time since my school days that I was in such a situation. Somehow I even felt wronged. If Lee Hyeonseok hadn’t picked a fight, I wouldn’t have been scolded.
“I was sleeping….”
But if I tattled saying Lee Hyeonseok picked a fight, things would get more tangled. I made an excuse while pretending to be embarrassed.
“Geez, a senior in high school can’t study but sleeps soundly?”
When I acted as if I was embarrassed to say I was sleeping, the homeroom teacher seemed to believe me. Actually, I was so embarrassed by this situation that I could feel my face turning red. The homeroom teacher sighed and gestured to shoo me away, telling me to go to my seat. Without delay, I returned to my seat. Even until I sat down, I felt numerous gazes toward me as they murmured among themselves.
“Hey, Seo Jiwoo. What were you really doing that made you late?”
My seatmate Kim Dongsu asked. We only said necessary words to each other, with no interest or concern. This wasn’t just Kim Dongsu but my entire human relationships. This wasn’t just me but the same for everyone who wasn’t main characters, supporting characters, or people around them. But Kim Dongsu was now giving me clear interest. He seemed really curious why I was late.
“I really didn’t hear the bell.”
“Oh come on, that’s a lie.”
“Really.”
Kim Dongsu poked my side, saying he couldn’t believe it. He brought his face close as if telling me to tell him alone. I was about to tell the truth but stopped, worried I’d be placed in a more unexpected situation. Kim Dongsu still didn’t believe me and poked a few more times, but when I played dumb until the end, he eventually gave up.
“……”
Suddenly the surroundings acted as if they had egos. Even until before lunch break, they lived without interest in each other. The existences who only had conversations written in the book were having useless conversations.
They were accurately recognizing my existence, the existence of ‘Seo Jiwoo’. I heard my name for the first time in half a year, except from Lee Hyeonseok. What I could guess was that I met Lee Hyeonseok, who was both the main character Han Hyeonseok and a possessor. And that I met Lee Juwon, the main shou. There was nothing else I could guess if not that.
“Huh?!”
Then I suddenly realized. From the teacher to my seatmate Kim Dongsu, they called me ‘Seo Jiwoo’. Not ‘Kim Hyeonmin’ the extra. Too surprised, when I let out a shriek, attention focused on me again. Everyone looked at me strangely, and I opened my mouth first before the homeroom teacher could ask what was wrong.
“A bug…. Cockroach, cockroach!”
“What? Where!”
“Kyaaak!”
“Where is it?”
The word cockroach was enough to cause panic before anyone could question it. The homeroom teacher and kids couldn’t even think to verify the truth of my words, so my action was naturally buried.
