NOVEL WEB Chapter 17
[Lee Jian]
=> (Angry duck emoticon)
=> Hey, why did you leave first?
[Kim Dohyun]
=> Just.
[Lee Jian]
=> We’re supposed to be on the same team, right?
=> We should go home together too.
[Kim Dohyun]
=> You can go with Yoon Jihoo.
[Lee Jian]
=> (Duck wiggling its fingers emoticon)
=> He has to go with Nayul-senpai.
=> It’s that kind of atmosphere where it’s hard to intrude.
[Kim Dohyun]
=> Why are they dating?
[Lee Jian]
=> Well, not exactly, but it’s almost like that.
=> I have an amazing sense for these things.
[Kim Dohyun]
=> That’s why you’re irritating.
[Lee Jian]
=> Irritating? To whom?
[Kim Dohyun]
=> There’s just something about you.
Korean class.
The tranquil sound of students reading a sentence each filled the classroom.
“Somewhere along the way, words had turned into thorns.
At first, it was just a small misunderstanding, a tangled skein of thread that we thought could be unraveled with a bit of patience.”
I pretended to flip the page and lowered my gaze.
I wasn’t particularly paying attention anyway.
After all, my name had never been called during these times.
This period always flowed past me like a distant, irrelevant background noise.
‘What exactly is the singularity?’
This was the second time it had happened.
The first was during my first meeting with Lee Jian, and the second was when she decided to compete individually.
I had to find the commonality between those two moments.
Anomalous moments that deviate from the flow of the original story.
Could the singularity be a warning the system sends me?
But if so, wasn’t it elevating my presence rather than acting like a warning?
I don’t understand any of this.
“But we neglected it.
With each thread that tangled, small thorns sprouted. Over time, the vines grew to suffocate each other.”
I flipped one page forward, then back.
The content being read out now was unsettling me.
Thorny vines, misunderstandings, something that entangled and suffocated.
When I think about it, Lee Jian was someone who was supposed to stay behind the scenes in the original story.
But now, she’s stepped up onto the stage.
Was it because I inadvertently created an unforeseen variable in the original story?
Then, could the possibility exist that she might end up with Yoon Jihoo instead, different from the original?
“I reached out. I couldn’t even see where you were.
Thorns pierced my fingertips. It wasn’t thread; it was a thorny vine.”
The thorny vine grows.
With every step forward, it entwines more tightly.
Even so…
I wished for Lee Jian’s happiness.
I didn’t want her to be left behind, as in the original, without finding love.
That’s what I thought, for sure.
But—
“You hoped for my approach.
Yet I, too, couldn’t take a single step forward.”
‘…Can I truly congratulate her?’
Of course. I am just an observer.
…Then why does my chest feel so heavy?
It’s just because things here are flowing differently than in the original.
This isn’t a bad feeling. It’s simply a sense of displacement.
I quietly turned the page again.
“I glanced at my hand, pricked by the thorns.
Above the red spreading wound, the thorns of misunderstanding continued to spread.”
Then, suddenly, a drop of blood rose from the tip of my finger, or maybe it was just the paper.
Though I felt sorry for Nayul, the person I’d shared the most time with and had the closest bonds with was Lee Jian.
And I wished for her to be happy.
Still,
Why does that feel so—
“Next… Kim Dohyun? Kim Dohyun, you read.”
For a moment, my heart sank.
My hands went limp.
Clang—
In haste to get up, my chair toppled backward.
The book was also upside down.
“…Ah.”
The classroom grew silent.
Only now do I realize.
I was trapped inside this thorny vine too.
“Are you not paying attention?! Go stand in the back!”
I quietly put down the book without a word.
I just walked silently to the back.
“Take your book with you. Are you skipping class?”
“Ah, sorry.”
It seems my presence has indeed increased.
It’s definitely noticeable now.
If I can alter my presence like this, could I eventually make it as if I never existed in this world?
Just like that time. The time when nobody could find me.
Let’s live quietly then. Quietly endure, fade into the background, and then return to where I originally belong.
Let’s just watch and leave quietly.
That small determination began to grow and entwine like thorny vines.
.
.
.
Quietly sitting behind the gym, I popped the soda can.
The crisp sound echoed clearly.
Habitually, I pulled out the barley soda.
It slid down the throat. The not-so-strong carbonation, the bland barley scent.
It wasn’t to my taste at all.
It was just that the ugly duckling depicted on the can caught my eye.
The message exchanged with Lee Jian instantly came to mind.
“Do you like me?”
“Are you insane? That’s impossible.”
“You even talk to the characters in your drink.”
A playful voice spoke from the side. I turned to see Nayul standing there.
“…Hello.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Playing truant.”
“Isn’t that a bit too bold of you?”
I quietly sipped the soda.
“Have you not been hanging around with Jian lately? You were always together.”
“We aren’t that close. And she’s busy lately.”
Looks like her sudden desire to change disciplines caused all sorts of problems.
But luckily, it didn’t seem too late to make the switch, and somehow it worked.
Of course, since it was such a sudden change, I was scolded quite a bit.
Currently, it seems like she’s working hard to adapt.
“No matter how it looks, she’s practicing earnestly.”
During the classroom cleanup, her unexpected behavior made it hard for me to approach her afterward. It felt awkward.
“Doesn’t sound like you two aren’t close at all.”
“Is that so?”
The need to swallow unexpectedly arose, so I drank the soda.
“Do you like Jian?”
“Wha-ck! Wha?! What?!”
The soda caught in my throat.
The carbonation stung my throat.
My eyes watered slightly as I stared at Nayul.
“Haha, so you do have expressions!”
I wiped the soda from my mouth and responded.
“I’m human too, but I don’t get why everyone keeps saying these things.”
“It does seem that way. I guess I hit the nail on the head.”
“Unfortunately, that’s incorrect, senpai.”
“Really?”
She smiled playfully in reply.
“How about you, senpai?”
“Just a junior to me.”
She said it dismissively, as if scolding me for asking.
“Except for that. Do you like anyone?”
Nayul threw a sidelong glance into the gym.
There was Yoon Jihoo.
“Maybe… There’s someone I’m curious about?”
“You’re honest.”
“Hearts… can’t be hidden, you know.”
She spun lightly as she spoke.
“It’s like a dance. Thoughts subtly leak out.”
A beautiful dance, no matter when you watch.
It captures your gaze and refuses to let go, shining radiantly like a true main character.
Bathed in the summer sun, it bends all the light beneath its feet, creating a magical aura with every step and gesture.
Red-hot, inky black, like flames spreading in all directions.
Flames conceal their destructive nature while captivating people with their light.
A flame that recklessly burns forward but captivates because of its audacity.
What remains when it reaches its goal? Completely burnt ashes? Or does a small, flickering spark remain?
“Dancing is fleeting, but while it lasts, it can shine more brilliantly than ever. And humans are beings who fall in love with the fleeting.”
While I watched her elegant dance, I couldn’t help but think of Jian.
‘What do I do? This opponent is too strong.’
I pretended to flip a page and glanced sideways.
I turned my head to observe someone casually.
Though pretending to flip the pages, my gaze was actually lowered.
Just from the steady stare, I could tell he wasn’t focused.
It was Kim Dohyun.
He sat there with the usual expressionless face.
“Next… Kim Dohyun? Kim Dohyun, read.”
“…Ah.”
A sudden event.
The whole classroom’s attention snapped to one spot.
Momentarily stunned, he toppled his chair, holding the book upside down as he clumsily stood up.
Yet the expressionless face was typical of Kim Dohyun.
I watched his retreating back silently.
And again, I clenched my lips tightly to suppress a smile.
It was so unexpected.
Too unlike Kim Dohyun.
…Which is why it kept bothering me.
Cleanup time.
Looks like that prank I pulled was a mistake.
Back then, it was just a joke.
I wanted to see his flustered face, just a playful tease—
But since then, he’s been avoiding me.
It felt awkward to approach him again.
We could continue as normal.
I could approach him as casually as texting would suggest.
But it was just a joke.
Regret suppressed laughter.
.
.
.
Behind the gym.
The Kim Dohyun I saw from afar wasn’t the Kim Dohyun I knew.
Rather, more accurately, he was showing a different side from the Kim Dohyun I knew.
He was sitting across from Nayul, chatting.
Well, that’s possible.
Nayul always gets along with people so well.
But—
Kim Dohyun reacting so intensely, spilling his drink while talking.
Staring wide-eyed at Nayul, his eyes even turning red.
Nayul laughed at that sight.
Watching this scene, my body froze.
He never reacts this intensely when he’s with me.
He’s always stoic, indifferent, and that was what he was like to me.
But why—
Why does he waver to such a degree with someone else?
Nayul so effortlessly brought out his wavering, something that took me so much effort to draw out.
I pretended not to notice and turned away.
One, two. Nayul danced quietly.
A performance staged only for one person.
And once again, I could only gaze from the wings.
The sight of Kim Dohyun watching Nayul with an entranced expression was etched into my mind.
My heartbeat quickened strangely.
I bit my lip harder than intended.
A part of my heart started to feel charred.
Kim Dohyun was showing a face I’ve never seen before, one I wasn’t supposed to see.
An emotion I didn’t want to recognize began to rise.
I hated this indescribable feeling.
…I hate it.
Whatever it is, I hate this feeling.
As if something inside me was being scratched.
Yet I couldn’t escape.
I just—
stood there and watched.
“Jian, are you okay?”
Yoon Jihoo’s voice brought me back to reality.
“I saw you zone out.”
“I’m fine. I guess I’ve been practicing a lot lately.”
“Hmm? You feel warm.”
“I’m fine.”
“No, you’re burning up. Let’s go to the infirmary.”
“But I’m really—”
“Jian.”
He quietly called my name.
His serious expression made Yoon Jihoo feel like an older brother when he acted this way.
Even though we’re the same age.
And our birthdays aren’t far apart either.
Finally, I closed my mouth.
A cold breeze blew, but I couldn’t discern whether my body or my heart was warm.
Nonetheless—
Kim Dohyun’s face came to mind.
Even as I kept avoiding him and happily conversed with Nayul, I was still in pain.
Even as it hurt, I was still worried about him.
And yet he’s staying comfortable on his own.
I momentarily felt Yoon Jihoo’s gaze.
He was looking down at me with the same gentle face.
The concern in his tone, the gentle touch.
He’s always there, like an older brother.
But—
Why is it Yoon Jihoo is the one who takes care of me, yet it’s Kim Dohyun I keep worrying about?
Yoon Jihoo’s hand touched my forehead, but Kim Dohyun’s cold fingertips sprang to mind.
The hand that always maintained its distance, showing an indifferent face, yet quietly extending small kindnesses I wasn’t aware of.
Why does my heart, which never revealed its presence to Yoon Jihoo, roar its existence so fiercely whenever I recall Kim Dohyun?
It felt as if thorny vines were wrapping tightly around my heart.
Each heartbeat felt as if it was pierced by thorns.
Swallowing the overwhelming heat rising to my throat, I managed a short smile.
“I don’t think I’m fine.”
It hurts so much.
I’m looking at him.
But he’s not looking at me.
I knew the name of this piercing emotion.
But I chose not to define it.
Because defining it felt like it might make it irreversible.
*
[A system announces the fixed observer perspective.]
“Senpai, I’ll take Jian to the infirmary quickly.”
“Alright.”
Yoon Jihoo took Lee Jian to the infirmary.
[The observer perspective is released.]
I could only helplessly watch their retreating backs.
When the perspective is fixed, I am only an observer.
I can neither move nor speak.
I am no more than a mere camera.
Maybe because we’ve been childhood friends, those two somehow looked so fitting together.
‘Is she alright? She was fine until just recently, wasn’t she?’
Crack! The soda can in my hand crushed.
The drink spilled, soaking my hand.
It’s sticky and unsettling.
“Ugh~.”
Barely noticing, Park Nayul observed this scene with interest.
Pretending not to care, I sat back down.
“The soda’s not enough today.”
“Why do you think that? I have an idea.”
Park Nayul teased me while watching me dry my hand.
Her narrow eyes gleamed with amusement, as if she’d seen through something.
I averted my gaze and muttered.
“I don’t know.”
Park Nayul kept alternating her gaze between Lee Jian and me.
“Isn’t it okay that you don’t follow them?”
“I’m fine. Yoon Jihoo is with her, after all. There’s no need for me to go.”
Perhaps it’s better that I don’t follow.
That fool sometimes gives up on his own.
This rare opportunity for them to be alone might not happen often.
I carefully pressed the crushed soda can.
“You two are similar, you know.”
“Who? Me and who?”
Park Nayul exchanged meaningful looks between me and Lee Jian.
“It’s like I understand why you’re such fools now. You two really are alike.”