Chapter 17 : Idoit Duo

Lee Jian:

➡(Angry duck emoji)

Lee Jian:

➡”Hey, why did you leave first?”

Kim Dohyun:

➡”Just because.”

Lee Jian:

➡”You said we were in the same boat.”

➡”We should go home together too.”

Kim Dohyun:

➡”You can go with Yoon Jihoo, right?”

Lee Jian:

(Duck wiggling its fingers emoji)

➡”But he has to go with Nayul senior.”

➡”The atmosphere makes it hard to butt in.”

Kim Dohyun:

➡”Are they dating?”

Lee Jian:

➡ “Not exactly, but it’s pretty much that vibe.”

➡”I have a keen sense for these things.”

Kim Dohyun:

➡”This is why you lose.”

Lee Jian:

➡ “Lose?”

➡To whom?”

Kim Dohyun:

➡ “It’s just a thing.”

Korean Language Class.

The classroom was filled with the gentle sound of students taking turns reading sentences aloud.

“Before we knew it, words had turned into thorns.

At first, it was just a small misunderstanding.

A tangled thread, something that could be unraveled slowly, or so I thought.”

I pretended to turn the page while lowering my gaze.

I wasn’t really paying attention.

After all, not once had my name been called in times like these.

This period always passed like background noise, unrelated to me.

“What exactly is the singularity?”

It was the second time already.

The first was when I met Lee Jian for the first time.

The second was when she announced she would enter the competition alone.

I had to find the common thread between those two moments.

The moments that deviated from the original storyline.

Could these singularities be warnings sent to me by the system?

But if that were the case, wouldn’t they have reduced my presence rather than amplifying it like some kind of reward?

I had no idea what’s what anymore.

“But we let it fester.

With each tangled thread, small thorns emerged.

Over time, the vines grew, until they entangled us completely.”

I flipped the page forward, then back again.

The passage currently being read aloud was strangely catching my attention.

Thorny vines.

Misunderstandings.

Something that binds people together.

Thinking about it, in the original story, Lee Jian was supposed to remain behind the scenes.

Yet now, she had stepped onto the stage.

Was it because I had introduced an element that didn’t exist in the original?

If that were the case, did it mean there was a chance she would end up with Yoon Jihoo, unlike in the original?

“I reached out my hand.

I couldn’t even see where you were.

The thorns dug into my fingertips.

It wasn’t a thread—it was a bramble.”

The thorny vines kept growing.

With every step forward, they became more entangled.

And yet, despite that…

I wanted Lee Jian to be happy.

Not like in the original, where she was left behind without ever finding love.

That’s what I told myself.

That’s what I believed.

But—

“I wished you would come closer.

But I, too, couldn’t take a single step forward.”

…Could I really celebrate this?

Of course.

I was just an observer.

…Then why did my chest feel so tight?

It was simply the discomfort of seeing things unfold differently from the original.

Nothing more.

I turned the page quietly once again.

“I looked down at my thorn-pierced hands.

Over the wounds, the thorns of misunderstanding continued to grow.”

Then, a sudden sting at my fingertip.

Had I gotten a paper cut?

A tiny drop of blood bloomed at the tip of my finger.

I felt sorry for Park Nayul, but the truth was—

I had spent more time with Lee Jian.

I had been more deeply intertwined with her.

And above all else,

I wanted her to be happy.

But…

“Why is it like this—”

“The next reader…

Kim Dohyun?

Kim Dohyun, read.”

My heart sank in an instant.

The strength drained from my hands.

Clatter—

As I hurried to stand, my chair tipped backward.

I had even grabbed my book upside down.

“…Ah.”

The classroom fell silent.

Only now did I realize it.

I, too, was trapped in this thorny vine.

“Are you not paying attention in class?!

Go stand in the back!”

I silently put my book down.

Then, I quietly walked to the back of the classroom.

“You need to take your book.

Are you planning to skip class entirely?”

“Ah, sorry.”

So this is what it means for my presence to have increased.

I could already feel it this much.

If they could affect my presence, could they also erase me from this world as if I had never existed?

Like back then, when no one could find me.

So, let’s live quietly.

Live quietly, barely noticed, and eventually return to where I came from.

Just observe from the sidelines and disappear just like that.

This small resolution grew, entangling itself like thorny vines.

I sat quietly behind the gym, popping open a can.

Click—

A crisp sound rang out.

Without thinking, I pulled out a barley soda.

It slid down my throat. Weak carbonation, a plain barley scent.

Not really my taste.

It was just that the ugly duck printed on the can caught my attention.

A conversation with Lee Jian suddenly surfaced in my mind.

“Do you like me?”

“Are you crazy?

No way.”

“Wow, you even talk to drink mascots now?”

A teasing voice.

I turned my head and saw Park Nayul standing there.

“…Hello?”

“What are you doing here?”

“I was skipping class.”

“You’re way too shameless about it.”

I quietly sipped my drink.

“You’re not hanging out with Jian these days?

You two used to stick together all the time.”

“We’re not that close.

And she’s busy these days.”

She had suddenly decided to switch events, which had caused a lot of problems.

Luckily, it wasn’t too late to change, but she got scolded a lot for it.

Right now, she is busy adjusting.

“She might seem that way, but she’s diligent in her practice.”

The cleaning incident in the classroom—her sudden action.

Since then, it had been hard to approach her.

Things had become awkward.

“You know a lot for someone who’s ‘not that close.’”

“Do I?”

Feeling strangely parched, I took another sip.

“You like Jian, don’t you?”

“Cough—!

What?!”

The drink got caught in my throat.

The carbonation stung.

With eyes slightly teary, I turned to look at Park Nayul.

“Haha.

You actually have expressions.”

I wiped my mouth and replied.

“I’m human, too.

I don’t get why people keep saying that.”

“That’s true.

And I think I hit the mark.”

“Unfortunately, wrong answer, senior.”

“Really?”

She laughed playfully.

“What about you?”

“Jian?

She’s just a junior.”

She said it as if she found my question absurd.

“Not that.

Do you have someone you like?”

Park Nayul glanced inside the gym.

There, standing, was Yoon Jihoo.

“Well… there might be someone I’m interested in.”

“You’re surprisingly honest.”

“Feelings, you see, can’t really be hidden.”

She spun lightly in place as she spoke.

“It’s like dancing.

Your thoughts naturally show.”

Her dancing was as beautiful as ever.

It captivated people and refused to let them go.

This is what it meant to be a protagonist—shining dazzlingly, as if proving it.

With the intense summer sunlight on her back, she danced, commanding all the light beneath her feet.

Each step, each gesture, spreading magic.

Red, black—like fire spreading, like an echo of enchantment.

Fire is like that.

It hides its destructive nature while drawing people in with its light.

A fire that burns itself to move forward—it might seem reckless, but that’s what makes it thrilling.

When it reaches its goal, will only ashes remain?

Or will a small ember still flicker?

“Dance is fleeting, but in that moment, it shines the brightest.

And people… are drawn to fleeting brilliance.”

Even as I watched her dance, my mind wandered to Lee Jian.

“What do I do?

The opponent is way too strong.”

I pretended to turn the page while glancing sideways.

Casually, I shifted my gaze toward one person.

Pretending to read, but his eyes were lowered.

It was easy to tell he wasn’t paying attention.

Kim Dohyun.

He sat there as usual, expressionless.

“Next reader…

Kim Dohyun?

Kim Dohyun, read.”

“…Ah.”

Crash—

It all happened in an instant.

The entire classroom turned to look.

Staring blankly one moment, suddenly knocking over his chair and standing awkwardly with his book upside down the next.

And still expressionless.

That was so… Kim Dohyun.

I stared at his retreating figure.

And then, I pressed my lips together.

Holding back a laugh.

It was just too absurd.

Too unlike him.

Which is why it bothered me even more.

Cleaning time.

That prank—maybe it had been a mistake.

At the time, it was just a joke.

I just wanted to see him flustered, to tease him a little—

But ever since then, it felt like he was avoiding me.

Now it was awkward to start a conversation.

I could act normal.

I could just message him like before.

It was just a joke.

Yet, I regretted it.

Behind the gym.

From a distance, Kim Dohyun looked different.

No—

To be precise, he was showing a different side of himself.

He was sitting with Nayul senior, talking.

That wasn’t weird.

She got along with everyone.

But—

Kim Dohyun, coughing up his drink in shock.

His eyes even reddened as he stared at her.

And she laughed.

I froze.

He never reacted like that around me.

Always indifferent, uninterested—that’s how he was with me.

But why—

Why did he react so strongly in front of someone else?

The reactions I struggled to get from him—she drew out so easily.

I turned away.

One, two.

Park Nayul danced quietly.

A stage for one person.

And once again, I was watching from the sidelines.

Kim Dohyun, entranced by her.

My heart pounded uncomfortably.

I bit my lip.

It hurt more than I expected.

It felt like something inside me was slowly burning.

Kim Dohyun was making an expression I had never seen before.

Not once, when he was with me.

And that fire—

That fire scorched my heart.

An emotion I didn’t want to acknowledge swelled up inside me.

I hated this.

I didn’t know what it was, but I hated it.

Like something was clawing at my insides.

And yet, I couldn’t run away.

I just—

I just stood there and watched.

“Jian, are you okay?”

Yoon Jihoo’s voice pulled me back.

“You were spacing out.”

“Ah, I’m fine.

Maybe I’ve been practicing too much lately.”

He reached out and touched my forehead.

“Huh?

You feel warm.”

“I’m fine.”

“No, you’re too hot.

Let’s go to the nurse’s office.”

“I said I’m—”

“Jian.”

He called my name softly.

A serious expression.

At times like this, he felt almost like an older brother.

Even though we were the same age.

Even though our birthdays weren’t far apart.

I finally closed my mouth.

A cool breeze passed by.

I wasn’t sure if my body felt hot, or if my emotions were burning.

But—

Kim Dohyun came to mind.

Even though I was struggling, even though I couldn’t stop thinking about it—

He looked perfectly fine, chatting with Nayul senior.

And for some reason, that stung the most.

A voice filled with casual concern, a gentle touch.

A friend who was always by my side, like an older brother.

But why?

Why is it Yoon Jihoo who takes care of me, yet the one occupying my mind is Kim Dohyun?

Yoon Jihoo’s hand touched my forehead, but all I could think about was Kim Dohyun’s cold fingertips.

The way he kept his distance, his indifferent expression, and yet—without me knowing—he would show small gestures of kindness.

My heart, which had never made its presence known, suddenly pounded furiously just by thinking of him.

Why was it Kim Dohyun who made me feel this way, and not Jihoo?

It felt like thorny vines were tightening around my heart.

With every heartbeat, the thorns pricked deeper, making it hurt.

Swallowing down the lump rising in my throat, I forced a small smile.

“I don’t think I’m okay.”

It hurts so much.

I’m looking at him.

But he’s not looking at me.

I knew the name of this painful emotion.

But I refused to define it.

Because the moment I put it into words, I knew there would be no turning back.

[Observer Mode Activated. Perspective Fixed.]

“Senior, I’m taking Jian to the nurse’s office for a bit.”

“Alright.”

Yoon Jihoo led Lee Jian toward the nurse’s office.

[Observer Mode Deactivated.]

I could only watch their backs as they left.

That was all I could do.

When my perspective was fixed, I was just an observer.

I couldn’t move, couldn’t speak.

I was nothing more than a camera.

Maybe because they were childhood friends, they looked so natural together.

“Is she really okay?

She seemed perfectly fine just a moment ago.”

Crack!

The can in my hand crumpled.

The remaining soda inside leaked out, wetting my hand.

Sticky.

Uncomfortable.

“Hmmm~.”

Park Nayul watched me with amusement.

I sat back down as if nothing had happened.

“There wasn’t much drink left.”

“I wonder why~?

I think I know.”

She smirked as I wiped my hand.

Those sharp, narrow eyes—

It felt like she had seen right through something I was trying to hide.

I avoided her gaze and muttered,

“I don’t know what you mean.”

She glanced between me and Lee Jian’s retreating figure before speaking.

“Aren’t you going to follow her?”

“It’s fine.

She’s with Yoon Jihoo.

No need for me to go too.”

Besides, maybe it was better if I didn’t follow.

That idiot always gives up on her own.

Opportunities like this—to be alone with Jihoo—weren’t going to come often.

I carefully rubbed the crumpled soda can.

“You two really are alike.”

“Who?

Who’s alike?”

Park Nayul gave me a knowing look, glancing between me and Jian.

“Now I get why you’re the ‘Idiot Duo.’

You two are seriously alike.”