3. Let’s Save the Main Gong and Su! : Age 14

<Lee Sa-eon>

I turned 14.

It’s already been three years since I possessed Lee Sa-eon.
Just because I got possessed into a BL novel didn’t mean anything special happened. In the original story, Lee Sa-eon lived a peaceful life, and the same went for me, who possessed him.

With wealthy parents backing us, Eun and I attended a private school that ran from elementary through high school. Sometimes we ended up in the same class, and other times we were placed in classes completely on opposite ends.
Regardless of how far apart our classes were, Eun came to find me during every break. That’s how we became friends.

Unfortunately, Hee-jun wasn’t able to attend school.
Still stuck in that house, the happiest part of his day seemed to be the time he spent with me. Because of that, no matter how busy I was, I always made time to go see him.

To be honest, becoming a middle schooler didn’t change much.
The school was close to the one we used to attend, and teachers like the school nurse and librarian hadn’t changed from elementary school either.

Hee-jun was still my “sore finger,” but since his father noticed the boy had a friend now, he was probably afraid of being reported — so he didn’t hit him. Judging by the occasional bruises I saw near Hee-jun’s arms or ankles, it didn’t seem like the abuse had stopped completely, but at least the frequency had decreased a lot.
Maybe because of that, my mind had slowly grown lax in these relatively peaceful days.

And then, something happened. A problem popped up — one big enough to snap me out of my complacency in an instant.

“God, I’m losing it. How the hell did I forget about this?”

I muttered to myself and shrank slightly. Then, for no reason, I glared at the quiet classroom.

Just a few days ago— No, I didn’t even need to go that far.
Even just yesterday, things had felt manageable. But in just one day, the weather had turned freezing cold.

At least the teachers knew that our school blazers weren’t warm or comfortable, so they allowed us to wear casual clothes over our uniforms as long as the colors didn’t stand out too much.

Thanks to that, I had a thick hoodie over my shirt and vest, which made the cold barely tolerable. If I’d only worn my uniform, I would’ve been shaking like a vibrating pager — which wouldn’t have been strange at all given how cold the air was.

Maybe it felt colder because it was so early that most students hadn’t arrived yet.

Yeah, I had come straight into the classroom the moment the school gate opened.

The old me wouldn’t have even dreamed of voluntarily showing up at this hour.

But I couldn’t help it — not after what Eun said yesterday had been bothering me.

Like the past few days, we were hanging out on the stairs in Hee-jun’s neighborhood.
Now that we were middle schoolers, everyone had gotten bigger, and it was getting hard to sit together on the steps.

Still, the three of us managed to squeeze in and sit side by side, sipping fish cake broth. Eun’s expression didn’t look great, so I asked what was wrong. He hesitated for a long time before answering.

“Un… you know… When I told the teacher about this, they said I must be imagining things? I mean, it could just be my imagination, but lately… I keep feeling like someone’s watching me at school.”

“At school?”

“Yeah. And yesterday and today, someone left a letter in my shoe locker. I was going to read it, but… it just felt really gross, so I threw it away.”

“Good job. Look, they might try to leave another letter tomorrow, so I’ll come to school early and watch to see who it is. Just in case, Eun, you don’t come early, okay? Just arrive at your normal time. Got it?”

Even while he was feeling anxious, he had looked so worried when I said I’d check it out myself — I thought of him and rubbed my cheek.

Normally, I would’ve been pulling my hair out thinking, What the hell is happening to our precious protagonist?! But this time, since Eun is the main character and the main Su, he can’t avoid this event — it’s tied to the plot.

I said I’d check “just in case,” but truthfully, I already knew what was going on. This was something Eun was supposed to experience around this time.

Just like how Hee-jun suffers the tragic backstory of abuse, Eun has his own unfortunate event for the sake of drama.

Feeling like someone’s watching him at school isn’t just in his head. Someone is watching him — and that person is probably the same one leaving letters in his locker.

“Still… better safe than sorry…”

Muttering to myself, I lay down on a desk in the dark classroom — the lights were still off. It was Eun’s problem, after all, so I couldn’t take it lightly.

Thinking of Eun naturally made me think of Hee-jun too.

I could see it clearly — how Hee-jun calmed down every time he saw me. Because of that, I couldn’t bring myself to ask if he was still being abused. And thanks to that, my so-called “Let’s Save the Main Gong!” project hadn’t made any progress.

I was getting anxious. At this rate, I might fail my original goal of saving Hee-jun earlier than in the novel. But even so, I couldn’t just rush in recklessly.

Whether he’s saved by me or later by his aunt, the one whose life will change completely isn’t me — it’s Hee-jun.

I can help him adjust, but I can’t live that life for him.

He’s not some ink on paper blindly following the author’s plot. He’s a real, living being in front of me.

Even if he’s young, he can think. He can be hurt. Planning an escape without including him in it is absurd.

Besides, even if I report the abuse and try to get the authorities involved, if he doesn’t want it, things will just get messy.

So yeah… I’m already at risk of screwing up the “Let’s Save the Main Gong!” project, and now this thing with Eun is piling on too.

I’m really starting to doubt myself. Can I even handle all of this?

What’s the point of having an adult’s brain when all people see is a kid? There’s nothing I can actually do because everyone just thinks I’m a child.

“Damn it!”

I didn’t swear often, so even now, in this kind of situation, I couldn’t curse properly. My tongue just flinched inside my mouth like it was tied, and I gave up trying.

“Am I really going to be okay…?”

It had been a while since I’d muttered words I only used a few times back when I first got possessed. Strangely, just voicing my worries out loud made me feel a bit more at ease.

I was about to savor that tiny bit of regained calm when I heard footsteps echo down the otherwise quiet hallway.

It might not be the person I was waiting for, but just in case, I casually opened the classroom door.

The moment the door opened, a student who had been crouched in front of the shoe locker two classrooms over suddenly shot to their feet. As if avoiding eye contact with me on purpose, they bolted without even glancing in my direction — definitely suspicious.

I tried to chase after them, but my foot caught on the threshold. Of course, it had to happen now! While I stumbled and cursed under my breath, the suspect used that moment to escape. By the time I regained my balance, they were already gone.

Clicking my tongue, I walked over to the shoe locker where the student had just been crouching.

Lowering myself, I spotted what looked like a letter envelope. I stared at the name written on the front — Ha Eun — and lightly tapped the envelope with my fingers.

I hesitated for a second, wondering if I should read it. Then I remembered Eun saying that if there was another letter, he didn’t want to read it and asked me to just throw it away.

If we’re going to toss it anyway, I figured I might as well check what’s inside.

“Well… it’s just some kid writing it, how bad could it be?”

Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for my casual expression to freeze over.

The letter started out somewhat normal — enough that I almost let my guard down, thinking maybe it was just an average note.

「“It’d be great if you were an omega. You’re a beta, right, Eun? But if I stay around you for a long time when I’m in rut, maybe you’ll turn into an omega too? They say if you’re exposed to pheromones for long enough, imprinting is possible too. If we’re going to do it anyway, let’s go ahead and imprint…」

“Wow, this is some next-level psycho shit. What the hell is this goddamn freak even saying.”

It was a sentence that didn’t even deserve to be called words.

Swearing under my breath, I reflexively crumpled the letter. All the curses that wouldn’t come out earlier now spilled freely from my mouth.

After a while, I calmed down a little and unfolded the letter again with a thoroughly disgusted look on my face. Then I forced myself to read it from start to finish once more.

Aside from the opening greeting, every sentence from the second to the last was complete garbage. Just reading it made me feel dirty.

There’s no way there are two people in this world who would write something like this. This bastard is that bastard.

That incident — the one where Eun begins to hate heteromorphs, and the one that messes up the original love line. He’s the guy responsible for that.

I don’t think I’ve ever had such a hard time not exploding in anger before.

I clenched my mouth shut, afraid that if I opened it, either a string of profanity or dry heaving — or both — would come out.

I felt like I was going to faint. I closed my eyes for a moment, then opened them again feeling ten years older. Like I was holding rotting food, I pinched the letter’s corner between my thumb and forefinger and stared at it.

Still holding it like that, I seriously debated whether showing this to a teacher would solve anything — and unfortunately, my answer was no.

Would a teacher, the same one who told Eun it was probably just his imagination when he said someone was watching him, do anything about this letter? I’d be lucky if they didn’t just brush it off as childish nonsense and tell us not to overreact.

Reflecting on past experiences and spiraling into cynicism, I shook my head, snapping out of it.

“No, still… you never know. If you can’t ask a teacher for help with some insane crap going on at school, who can you ask?”

Maybe it’s just that my faith in humanity has been worn down by all these back-to-back incidents, but the world might be a better place than I think. And even if it’s not, this is a novel world, so surely something good will come of it — I told myself, trying to stay calm.

I headed to the teacher’s office. Whether it was Eun’s homeroom teacher or someone else, I figured I had to at least report this situation.

And now, about 20 minutes later…

I was walking back to class, half-shoved out of the staff room, replaying the unbelievable conversation I’d just had.

“Hmm, Sa-eon. I read the letter, but I’m sorry — since the sender isn’t written on it, there’s not really anything the school can do.”

“What? I mean, it’s so early in the morning — there can’t have been many students here. Can’t you at least check? Or look at the CCTV?”

“We can’t just go checking CCTV over every little prank the kids pull. If something like this happens again, make sure to find out who sent it and let me know then, okay?”

I stopped walking, thinking it over — then couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

Sigh… This world is beyond saving.

The more I replayed that conversation, the more that conclusion seemed inevitable.

It was the kind of dialogue that made you feel like your IQ was dropping just from hearing it. No joke, I’d gone over it in my head over a hundred times — and yeah, the world really is doomed.

Nothing we can do because the sender wasn’t written on it? It took everything I had not to shout, “So you do realize it’s such nasty, messed-up content that even the sender didn’t dare sign it, huh?!”

No one would ever know the effort it took to swallow those words — I laughed bitterly to myself.

Honestly, I wanted to burn the letter — it felt like just holding it was polluting me.

But if I failed to stop things and everything followed the original plot, this (goddamn) letter would end up helping Eun. So I couldn’t just toss it.

Carefully, I slipped this cosmic trash — no, this future evidence — into an L-shaped file so it wouldn’t get wrinkled, stifling a sigh.

My hand trembled lightly from irritation and rage. I clenched it, then let it go, forcing myself to breathe. This whole situation — in every possible way — was not exceeding expectations.

If only this kind of expectation would get subverted. But no, for some reason, this is the kind of garbage the world always follows through on — I thought, slamming my forehead onto the desk.

“Ugh, I feel completely drained…”

Mumbling in a limp voice, I let the corners of my mouth droop. For a world based on a novel, it sure clings to realism in all the most useless places — enough to wear a person down.

While I was cooling my head by rubbing my forehead against the desk, not caring how messy my hair got, a slender, delicate hand suddenly reached over and gently brushed aside the tangled hair covering my forehead.

That familiar touch made me snap my head up, and there was Eun — his face oddly flushed, like he’d run here, his shoulders rising and falling as he looked at me with concern.

But as soon as our eyes met, he smiled his usual, clear smile. Clear. Yeah, that’s the word. A clear, radiant smile.

Not the “calm” or “serene” smile often used to describe him in the original novel — but a bright, vivid smile brimming with life.

The original Eun, who had said his smiles had faded after some past incident, suddenly felt painfully real.

Those matter-of-fact sentences painted him as resilient and composed — but I couldn’t be so composed reading them then, and I sure as hell couldn’t now, thinking of them again.

The thought that I might lose that smile forever clenched at my chest.

It was that very smile — the one I could never reach back then, always stumbling, always chasing after what I couldn’t have — that forced me to face reality.
Eun probably never intended it, but he became the spark that allowed me to live as Lee Sa-eon.

To someone like that, how could I ever say: Soon, something truly awful is going to happen to you. It’s the kind of tragedy that’s forced upon the protagonist to make people love you more — and because of that, you can’t avoid it.

Even though Ha Eun had only existed in ink, he was astoundingly strong. Maybe this kind of thing wouldn’t even leave a scar. The original story had said Eun was okay in the end.

But still…

Even so, I couldn’t bring myself to say, You’re going to lose that smile — the one anyone who knows you can’t help but love — because of this.

It was like I’d forgotten how to speak. My tongue stiffened and wouldn’t move.

As I silently met Eun’s kind eyes, I reached out without thinking. My hand brushed his cheek, and the boy didn’t flinch away.

…In the original, Eun didn’t like people touching him.

Even grown-up Eun, though still fond of people, avoided interactions with strangers.
He knew it was wrong to discriminate against heteromorphs, yet he couldn’t bring himself to like them.

Of course, I can’t say that this event alone made him that way. People grow through countless hardships, becoming adults through that process. Other things must’ve played a part too.

But on the flip side — can I truly say this event had no impact on him?
Honestly, I don’t think I can.

“Un?”

Eun tilted his head slightly, puzzled by my long silence, and called out to me.

Even in the middle of my gloom, I met his eyes quietly — and before I realized it, words slipped out of me like a childish complaint.

“I just… want you to be happy.”

I know that stories with characters who are only happy don’t sell.

Even I — when going through something bad — would feel depressed reading about characters who were just happy all the time, comparing myself to fictional people who didn’t even exist.

After that, I stopped reading stories with only happy characters and happy plots — says everything, doesn’t it?

For characters who exist only through ink and are loved by readers, tragedy and despair are essential for them to remain in the world.

Just look at Lee Sa-eon — a character with little narrative weight, who didn’t experience any notable tragedies. It’s clear. The more carefully crafted the tragedy given to a character, ironically, the more affection the author had for them.

So I understand — the misfortunes awaiting Eun are all part of the author’s design, a storyline meant to earn him more love from the readers.

But this is reality.

I’d thought about this before with Hee-jun, but the thought that had always slipped away now surfaced fully for the first time.

This is reality — so shouldn’t tragedy not be set in stone?

I… I can love you both just as you are, even without those wounds.
Do you have to go through all of that? Really? Isn’t it okay if you don’t?

You — standing here in front of me — you’re not some character who needs scars just to make people immerse in the story.
You’re beautiful just by existing.

It’s strange.
When I read the story, I only vaguely thought “how sad.” But now, recalling it while looking at Eun’s face — it feels like I could break down crying any second.

As I blinked, unable to hide the heaviness in my heart, Eun softly rubbed his cheek against my hand. A gentle warmth spread from where his skin touched mine.

“There was a letter today too, wasn’t there?”

“…Yeah.”

“You read it, didn’t you.”

“…Yeah.”

“You know… I actually read it too. I didn’t tell you because I thought you’d worry…”

The boy straightened up from leaning into my hand, resting his head in my palm.

Then he hugged me, his voice gentle and coaxing — like he was soothing a child.

With that tender, youthful voice — sweet and soft in every way — he recited the tragedy that lay before him, a fate handed down by god.

“Honestly, it’d be a lie to say I wasn’t scared… but I’m okay now.
You said it yesterday, right? ‘I’ll protect you no matter what. I don’t care where you are — I’ll come find you.’ I believe you, Un. So it’s okay.”

Absolute trust doesn’t always lead to absolute salvation.

Faith is more often betrayed than rewarded — and I’ve been betrayed time and time again.

No, “time and time again” doesn’t even cut it.
It feels like I’ve only ever been betrayed.

And yet Eun smiled and said he believed in me.

In novels, love saves everything, and characters are willing to die for the one they love.
So maybe trust really can lead to salvation.

Even if this world is exactly like that damn real world…
this story is still heading toward a happy ending, after all…

“I’ll keep my promise.”

I murmured the words — meant to be a vow to honor his faith — in a voice so sunken it was hard to believe I’d said anything at all.

And at that simple statement, Eun smiled.
Brightly, so brightly.

It was the same smile that reminded me of the day I decided, as Lee Sa-eon in this world, to live and be happy with everyone.

Ah… I just want to cry.

I never imagined I’d understand why God didn’t grant humans the ability to see the future — not like this.

Not knowing the future was a blessing.

Truly, it was nothing less than a blessing.

* * *

Tragedy and misfortune always come with signs.

Like animals sensitive to their surroundings detecting a disaster in advance and fleeing as far as they can, or how, right before something bad happens, a place becomes so silent that you can practically hear your heart pounding.

I’d dressed warmly and kept my room at a steady, comfortable temperature, but as soon as I arrived at school, I suddenly came down with a fever.
Maybe that was the warning sign for everything that was about to happen.
I should’ve noticed then — should’ve stayed on guard.

“Nothing ever goes right… Damn it, because my head’s so stupid, ugh, my body has to suffer too.”

Cursing at my own sluggish self, I roughly brushed back the damp bangs clinging to my sweaty forehead.

Eun, who had come to see me every break, left with a, “I’ll be back during lunch,” and returned to his classroom.

But halfway through lunch, Eun still hadn’t come.

A bad feeling crept in, and I started searching everywhere… but Eun was nowhere to be found.

He wasn’t in the cafeteria, nor in his classroom. According to his classmates, they hadn’t seen him since lunch started.

Eun knew I was on edge after finding that goddamn letter. He also knew I was sick today — that’s why he stayed right by my side from the start to the end of every break.
There’s no way he’d just disappear without a word.

The fever blurred my vision, everything going hazy. I furrowed my brow, forcing my eyes to focus when a familiar face passed by. On reflex, I reached out and grabbed the edge of their clothes.

Startled at first, the school nurse glanced down — and upon seeing my pale, disheveled state, his expression turned to one of concern.

I shook my head, trying to signal that I was okay, just as he reached out in a hurry to check my forehead. I forced myself upright.

Unfolding my clenched brows, I looked up at the nurse, eyes wide with urgency, and opened my mouth.

“…Sir, could you help me with something?”

“Huh? What is it? Can’t walk by yourself? If you’re feeling that bad, we should get you sent home—”

“No, that’s not it. I need help finding Eun.”

“Eun? Isn’t he in the cafeteria?”

“I checked — he’s not there. And more than that, he knows I’m sick. He wouldn’t just not come see me for this long. …Something’s happened, and I don’t have time to explain everything. Could you please help me, just for now? There’s no one in the staff room I can ask for help. I’m sorry for springing this on you…”

Seeing me ramble on with an anxious face like a machine gun, the school nurse must’ve sensed something was seriously wrong — thankfully, he immediately agreed to help.

I mumbled my thanks, wiping the cold sweat from the back of my neck with the back of my hand.

But to the nurse, I must have looked deeply unwell. He hesitated, asking if he should be the one to search and suggested I go home early instead.
I ignored the suggestion and spoke as if I hadn’t heard it.

“Should we split up and search?”

“…Sigh, okay. Where have you looked so far?”

“I’ve checked the 2nd and 3rd floors, and the cafeteria.”

“So you haven’t checked the 1st or 4th floor?”

“Right.”

“Hmm… I don’t know what’s going on, but I’d bet he’s on the 4th floor. If he were on the 1st floor, you probably would’ve seen him while moving around. Plus, the 3rd-years are off on a field trip today, so the 4th floor should be empty.”

As soon as I heard his reasoning, I was certain — he’s on the 4th floor.

I immediately rushed toward the stairs, and the nurse’s faint voice calling after me — reminding me not to run in school — faded behind me.

Taking the stairs two, three steps at a time, I reached the 4th floor in no time.
As expected, the hall was completely silent, thanks to the field trip.

I was walking quickly down the empty hallway, eyes scanning my surroundings — when I spotted the staff bathroom tucked away in a corner.

“He wouldn’t be in the student bathroom… so he must be in here.”

Muttering to myself, I reached for the handle of the staff bathroom door.

In the original story, nothing had happened here. So even if I was late, nothing should’ve happened now either.
…It had to be that way.

I hated that I even had to think this way.
Gritting my teeth, I threw the door open. Whatever soundproofing they had — the moment the door opened, voices that couldn’t be heard from the outside slammed into my ears.

“It’s not like I’m trying to do anything bad, right…!”

Whoever was inside must’ve realized someone had entered — the voice cut off abruptly.

In an instant, my vision turned white with rage. I wasn’t even sure if I was moving properly, if I was actually functioning right now.

Was it the heteromorph?
Behind me, the school nurse caught up, gasping sharply as he fumbled for his phone. I saw him dialing someone and then stepping inside the bathroom after me.

I pushed open each stall door, one by one, searching.
Only the last stall remained — and just then, it burst open, and a male student I’d seen a few days ago came bolting out.

Clearly aware of what he’d done, his face twisted in panic as he shoved me aside roughly and ran for the exit.
I was stunned — part of me desperately wanted to slap the back of his head, but now wasn’t the time.

Let the nurse and whoever he called take care of him, I thought, pushing that situation out of my mind.

Right now, the only thing that mattered wasn’t that bastard — it was Eun.

My hands, cold and trembling from tension, twitched uncontrollably.
Finally, I gathered the courage to move. When that psycho had run off, he’d left the stall door half-closed from the force — I slowly pushed it open.

The door creaked unpleasantly as it moved, revealing Eun, sitting on the toilet seat with his head down.

Bathed in sunlight pouring through the small window above, he looked exhausted. At the sound of movement, he raised his head.

Tears traced down his pale cheeks — perhaps from the shock of what had happened to him.
That image — so completely out of place in such a filthy bathroom — struck me hard.

People often say someone is so beautiful they look like a saint, like they stepped out of a painting.
But that kind of praise wasn’t enough for the child in front of me.

Right now, Eun didn’t just look like religion — he was religion.
Something pure, untouchable, that could never be dragged down by anything.

Maybe now, I could understand why the author etched this trial into Eun’s life.
At the same time, I couldn’t stop the rebellion rising in me — Did he really have to go through this?

Tears flowed endlessly down Eun’s flawless skin, carving clear lines in their wake.
His lips trembled slightly, and from them, my name spilled out.

“Un…?”

As if my name had been the trigger, Eun suddenly burst into louder sobs.
I had no idea how to comfort him.

I didn’t know exactly what had happened, but it was clear it hadn’t been anything good — and I couldn’t just touch a child who’d been through something like that.
After hesitating for a while, I slowly took off my coat.

Carefully, making sure not to touch him directly, I wrapped him up in it.

Even with that thick cream-colored cardigan — the one he often wore because I said it suited him — Eun had been shivering. Now, wide-eyed, he stared at the coat wrapped around him, his tear-streaked face momentarily stunned. I could only manage a weak smile.

My reflection trembled in his hazel eyes, now half-ruined and soaked in tears.
I took out a handkerchief from my pocket and gently wiped the wetness from his cheeks.

I pretended not to notice my own trembling hands and kept them out of his line of sight, trying to make my voice as gentle as possible.

“Eun, look at me. I came because I wanted to keep the promise I made you.”

“Un…”

“Yeah, Eun, look — it’s me, your Un. Remember? I promised I’d protect you if something dangerous happened, no matter what. I kept that promise. So don’t cry too much, okay?”

I rested my head gently against his shoulder as I finished speaking.
With the layers of clothing between us, I couldn’t feel his body heat directly — but from where our foreheads touched, a quiet warmth spread.

“Sorry I was late.”

As I mumbled those words, still resting against his shoulder, a light, sugar-sweet laugh fell from above me. It was so soft, so sweet, it almost stung.

After staying like that for a while, I could feel Eun’s breathing gradually steadying near my ear.
With my eyes lowered, just quietly breathing in that position, I could hear the thumping of a heart — I didn’t know whose it was.

It wasn’t mine — my heartbeat wasn’t that fast — so it must’ve been Eun’s.
That simple realization made the corners of my eyes sting with guilt.

“I should’ve come sooner. I’m sorry.”

“…Nothing happened. Thanks to you, Un.”

His voice was still trembling, but there was a strange calmness to it — and I couldn’t bring myself to say otherwise.

The original story had described this event as “nothing happened,” but if that were truly the case, this child should’ve never been here in the first place.

No matter what I said now, telling a child who’s trying to soothe me that he’s not okay would be meaningless — so I bit back the words.
My eyes burned. I couldn’t tell if it was from the fever I’d ignored while searching for Eun, or from the pain of the situation itself.

“…You were scared, weren’t you?”

“Mhm. But I knew you’d come, so I wasn’t that scared.”

Eun murmured, then opened his arms.
It was clear he wanted a hug. I hesitated, and he whispered, “It’s okay.”
Hearing that tired voice, I couldn’t think any longer.
Almost as if drawn by something, I bent down and embraced him — and stayed like that for a long while.

Holding this small, trembling child in my arms, it finally hit me — everything’s okay now.

“Ah… I’m glad. I’m really glad I could live up to your trust…”

Maybe because all the tension left me at once, pain I hadn’t even felt until now crashed over me like a wave. My vision, once fine, began to bleach white from the edges.

I knew I couldn’t collapse here. I knew — but it was out of my control.

As Eun called my name, “Un?”, I brushed my hand across his cheek, trying to say I was okay.
After gently stroking his soft skin a couple of times, my consciousness completely slipped away.

I told him I was okay… comforted him…
But I don’t know if Eun ever heard my voice.

<Ha-eun>

“I mean, it’s not like I’m threatening you or anything. I’ll say it again — Ha-eun, I like you, okay? Why aren’t you saying anything?”

At this moment, my feelings could be summed up in one sentence.

This is honestly fucking bullshit.

If I were to add one more sentence, it would probably be something like: “Fucking incredible bullshit.”

The faceless student, who had the uncanny ability to make people uncomfortable just by his words, didn’t disappoint in person either.

“Is it wrong to like someone?”

“……”

“Just because I said I like you, are you, like, laughing at me?”

“……”

“Why?! Why won’t you answer me?! You know, if you become an omega, you’ll definitely start liking me too!”

“…I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

I knew silence was the best response to nonsense like this, but the words slipped out reflexively.

He’d introduced himself as Kim Woo-sik, and even after I said that, he kept babbling garbage, wearing a dumb expression that was honestly painful to look at.

He’d said if I just met him once, he’d never bother me again. That’s the only reason I gave up meeting Sa-eon and came here — but he’d been spewing meaningless crap for dozens of minutes now.

None of it was worth remembering. The moment the words were spoken, they might as well have evaporated into thin air — utterly useless.

I glanced at Kim Woo-sik with tired eyes, wishing he’d just leave already, but when it was clear he wouldn’t, I turned to look out the window.

If I asked him to leave now, he’d definitely make a bigger fuss. I figured I’d wait for the class bell to ring and use that as an excuse to get out of here.
He didn’t seem bold enough to cling on after class started.

My dear Sa-eon had reacted with utter horror that someone this crazy had latched onto his friend, but…

From my point of view? Honestly, this was nothing.

He’s not stalking me home. He’s not trying to touch me against my will, even if he says he likes me.
I’ve seen far worse to be fazed by something like this.

The world has progressed remarkably in so many ways, and yet — the people living in it haven’t changed all that much.

There are still so many people with outdated, downright disgusting ideas — I learned that a long time ago. A very long time ago.

Kids my age might not understand, but just one generation above, everyone would know who my parents were — they were once incredibly famous actors.
Because of that, I’ve been subjected to judgment and harassment from a young age — and there’s no way I could’ve not learned.

I was still a kid back then, but even so, I looked pretty — so much that people couldn’t tell if I was a boy or a girl.

Worse, I couldn’t even speak up properly back then. I was just a little kid — and everything happened.

I don’t know if it was because I looked like a doll calmly nestled in my parents’ arms, or if people thought it was okay to treat me that way because my parents were celebrities…

But for whatever reason, there were countless people who thought it was okay to poke at a sleeping child’s face or tug at my cheeks.

Some would take pictures without permission. Others would reach out with unwashed hands.
Those are some of my earliest memories — and maybe that helps explain everything.