Episode 335
High School First-Year.
Lee Soo-rim stubbornly clung to me.
Of course, I was famous for various reasons, and there were always folks trying to leech off my reputation.
But Lee Soo-rim, she was different.
“Anyway, I’m going to write a novel, and you know your character’s personality is so unique, right? So I’d like to reference it…”
“…….”
“Si-hu, it won’t affect you at all. I mean, I’m not even a real author, and the readers won’t connect the character to you in any way!”
“…….”
“Quit ignoring me like that. Say something, okay? Huh?”
“…….”
While heading home from school, I stopped and glared at the blabbering Lee Soo-rim.
She seemed to show a glimmer of hope. Looking at her pathetic face made my anger bubble up like vomit.
“Stop meddling and get lost.”
“I thought you finally opened your mouth, but you start cursing right away… Isn’t it bad if others hear that? No matter how genuine it is, can a celebrity act like this in public?”
I can!
I just said that because I considered the distance with the people around me.
“You only act cold to me, huh? Treat me a little nicer like you do with the others. Stop frowning and spouting harsh words all the time.”
“…….”
“Well… I know I’m your only friend, so maybe it’s comfortable for you, but if you keep this up, even I… Ah… ignoring me again. Let’s just go together.”
For the past year, Lee Soo-rim has been tenaciously sticking to me, trying to strike up conversations.
At the beginning of the semester, I tried to entertain her a bit and create a good image, but over time, I realized it was like poison for me.
The more I gave her leeway, the more she tried to cling like gum, stealing my precious time.
So, I changed my approach towards her.
Even if it meant a bit of image damage, I had to cut her off decisively and coldly when the time came.
But…
‘She should have given up by now.’
No matter how cold I was, Lee Soo-rim seemed to enjoy seeing my true personality instead.
It was a situation I had never encountered before, and it was beyond frustrating.
‘Should I just forcibly transfer her?’
Political maneuvering was as easy for me as drinking water, but the damage to my honor plus her family situation was a concern.
The family is at stake.
‘Acting like a complete fool, yet coming from a family of lawyers…’
Lee Soo-rim’s parents, as well as all her relatives, are either lawyers or swordsmen.
I could end up wasting a lot of time and resources dealing with annoying situations if I provoke them unnecessarily.
So, I decided to leave her alone.
I deliberately chose to ignore her as much as possible or to respond vaguely and coldly.
I figured that eventually, she’d get tired of it and move on.
“…Si-hu, are you listening?”
“……”
“Si-hu?”
“……”
As we walked, a sudden question popped into my head.
No matter how much of a nuisance she’s being, it’s still puzzling… No, it’s precisely because she is that kind of nuisance that I found it puzzling.
I looked at her and asked, “But why did you even enter this school?”
“Out of the blue? We’re in second year right now!”
“I thought about it and it doesn’t make sense. I know your grades are miserable… But that’s just because the average here is ridiculously high. At any other regular school, you’d probably be at least average, so it just doesn’t add up.”
Better to be the head of a snake than the tail of a lion.
Especially when it comes to high school grades that are related to college entrance.
Then Lee Soo-rim scratched the back of her head awkwardly and replied, “Haha… Everyone has grand plans before they start, right?”
“…….”
“Don’t look at me like I’m pathetic! Who knew it would be this intense?”
“Turns out you’re even worse than I thought.”
In short, it means she didn’t even bother to research the school she was entering.
What a foolish thing to do.
She’s the type who needs a spoonful of help from her parents just to eat.
“Seriously, think about it, Si-hu. Why is break time called break time? Because it’s meant to be a break, right? Why is everyone sitting at their desks solving workbooks during this precious 10-minute break?”
“…….”
“Lunch is the same. Ideally, you should eat and then play some soccer or play games on your phone, right? Why is everyone doing their academy homework? If you’re human, you should know how to take a break. Everyone here is a machine, a machine. How can a human like me achieve good grades?”
“…Talking to you is a waste of time.”
I didn’t need to continue the conversation to understand just how pathetic this girl is.
She claims she’s trying hard, but…. If that were true, her grades wouldn’t be so dismal.
…But hey, it’s her life. She’ll figure it out.
“Ah, anyway. I got your permission, right? When I post my novel later, make sure to read it. I’ll put a character that looks just like you in there.”
“If only you’d studied instead of writing that… No, forget it.”
I let out a sigh mixed with annoyance without realizing it.
Once my emotions settled, I calmed down and asked, “You said you’re going to write a web novel, right? Have you thought of a title?”
“Oh, you’re finally showing some interest? I’ve thought about it. Want to know?”
“Tell me. I’ll listen later.”
Even though I’d only half-listened, I figured that just her rambling about the setting would fill up about ten A4 pages.
If I throw in a long negative comment, she might just give up on writing the novel altogether, and then we wouldn’t have to hear her noisy setting discussions anymore.
“There’s nothing to talk about, right?”
Lee Soo-rim, oblivious to my inner turmoil, replied happily.
“The title is ‘Did I Just Reincarnate as a Supporting Character in an Academy Story?!’ The question mark and exclamation mark are essential…”
“Damn it.”
My mouth, which had decided to avoid overly vulgar words, just couldn’t help but move.
Lee Soo-rim defended herself, claiming this was how everyone did it, but it was clear she had a hopeless sense of naming.
*
Three months passed just like that.
She really began posting her novel on a submission site.
Sadly, the despair-inducing title remained the same. Apparently, she insisted it had to be like that to grab attention, but I barely tuned in, so the details were fuzzy.
“……”
A week before the summer break ended.
Ignoring the countless messages flooding in after the novel went live, I headed to school on the first day back, only to find Lee Soo-rim waiting like usual.
It was so early that no one but her was in the classroom.
I was there to hear her feedback, but the overly expectant look in her eyes made my thoughts clear.
Without dragging it out, I sat down and spoke immediately.
“It’s boring, and I don’t get it. It screams amateur, messy, and lacks any tension. It’s even missing a sense of pace.”
“……”
“And I thought about it from the start: how does the protagonist get sucked into the story? What kind of causal relationship is there? Without any explanation of that process, you suddenly assert they’ve reincarnated. I assume you’ve got plans to unwrap that plot later?”
“W-Well…”
“Plus, this world is on the verge of male extinction? Up to chapter seven, including the prologue, there are more than 90% women? You mentioned there are four female protagonists before, right? Is there going to be more?”
“You little… You were the one who left that bad comment!”
I waved my hands to silence Lee Soo-rim.
Sure, what I’d said was definitely problematic, but since I knew nothing about web novels, it wasn’t something for me to nitpick on.
The real kicker starts now.
“The protagonist’s name is Liam, right? Okay, but what was your English name again?”
“……”
“Now I understand why you suddenly started writing a novel; you were just daydreaming. The biggest reason I couldn’t enjoy your work is that you made yourself the protagonist.”
“W-Well, it’s natural for a writer’s preferences and personality to show in their work…”
“Sure, some might seep through. But this is basically just you being copied and pasted. Why should I watch you get all cozy with the girls in your story?”
“……”
Exactly.
Lee Soo-rim had been writing herself as the protagonist.
She probably felt a rush of satisfaction, used to having an overwhelming amount of information from reading the original work and endowing her character, Liam, with absurd powers like a status window.
“Plus, there are even more problems…”
“W-Wait, that’s enough… I get it, just stop… You’ve already bashed me enough with words. How long are you planning to keep hitting me?”
I unleashed my honest feedback.
Liam… no, Lee Soo-rim was on the verge of fainting, her mind spinning.
Lee Soo-rim, like she was glued to the desk, let out a long sigh before lifting her head.
“…But still, you read it? I thought for sure you wouldn’t.”
“Of course, I thought you hadn’t read it.”
“I need to check what kind of character is based on me.”
“Oh, Vargan? How do you like him? He’s a character I really put effort into. He has quite the backstory.”
“He’s charming, but he doesn’t look like me at all.”
“Come on! He’s totally identical! Just because you use a noble way of speaking, doesn’t mean you’re not Vargan. Oh, but in terms of how he acts around me.”
“……”
At that moment, Lee Soo-rim didn’t add anything further.
As much as I didn’t want to admit it, she was the only one who could catch people’s personalities well.
In fact, I quite liked the character Vargan, who is technically a villain.
Always dignified, and using power as he pleased—it was refreshing.
‘…Maybe I would have been like this too if I hadn’t cared about others’ opinions.’
Of course, I couldn’t actually be like this in reality.
I muttered, considering the flow of the story.
“I think it would have been better if Vargan was the protagonist.”
“What? That’s absolutely not allowed. The protagonist has to be Liam.”
“Vargan’s actions are refreshing, but since he’s a villain, it makes it frustrating for the protagonist.”
“You know what ‘frustrating’ means…? Ah, whatever, no, no. Let’s end this discussion here.”
Maybe thinking there was no benefit to the conversation continuing, Soo-rim tried to close it off.
It was the first time I had seen her try to end a conversation.
“…And if you have complaints about the developments later, just tell me directly instead of leaving comments. Comments can be seen by other readers.”
“There aren’t many readers anyway, it’s about face.”
“Come on! Hey, are you talking a lot today?”
Talking a lot, huh…
Definitely. I couldn’t remember the last time I had such a meaningless conversation.
This is exactly why I tried to keep Soo-rim at arm’s length. I didn’t want to end up reading a novel that wouldn’t be of any use to my future, or engage in such trivial talks.
It was no help at all.
“Si-hu, I’m sorry, but just wait until it’s finished. If this kind of situation continues, it won’t be good for my mental health.”
“I don’t read it anyway.”
“Hey, that’s not true.”
There were hardly any readers for the novel.
Soo-rim continued her writing activities steadily after that.
Since she wasn’t making any profit, it didn’t seem meaningful to me, but she looked especially lively when talking about her novel compared to when she opened a textbook.
…However, as time passed, we became third-year students.
Classes between me and her were separated. At that time, with the college entrance exams looming, I lived each moment to save time, hardly even speaking to her, let alone reading her novel.
It wasn’t just Soo-rim. I eliminated all unnecessary conversations and focused solely on studying and acting.
At a glance, it seemed like Soo-rim was putting more effort into studying in the second semester. She had stopped her relentless visits to my class.
After spending such a torturous time, I received the acceptance notice from the university I wanted.
On the day I was unbelievably happy and rejoicing.
It felt like even the winter cold had retreated in an instant.
I then heard the news that Soo-rim had committed suicide.
