Became an Observer in Love Company

The interview had ended.

Yoon Jihoo still wore a dazed expression.

The moment when Park Nayul stood before him with her glowing red eyes and smiled at him straight in the face.

That fleeting moment seemed to be burned into his brain.

…I added an internal narration.

But for some reason, it felt like it could really be true.

‘Ah, I think I’ve fallen for her.’

That much was certain.

The sight of my childhood friend blushing like this was slightly off-putting, but I felt an even stronger urge to tease him.

I smirked to myself and crossed my arms.

“Hey, Yoon Jihoo.”

At my call, Yoon Jihoo flinched slightly.

Even the tips of his ears were red.

‘He’s making it so obvious.’

I couldn’t stop laughing at the sight.

“Hey, you wouldn’t be—”

I tilted my head slightly with a playful smile.

“Crushing on her again, just now?”

At that moment, Yoon Jihoo panicked, waving his hands around and checking if anyone was nearby.

Upon spotting Kim Dohyun, he started denying it even more strongly.

“What? What are you talking about?! That’s absurd—”

“So, you’re denying it? Does that mean you don’t like the senior?”

I deliberately stepped closer and stared hard into his face.

Yoon Jihoo’s face turned even redder, and he quickly turned his head away.

“Ah, no! It’s not that!”

“Hmm? Then why’s your face so red?”

I burst into laughter, covering my mouth.

This was too easy.

You’re being way too obvious.

“Hey, are you planning to confess to Senior Park Nayul?”

“Keep it down, for real!”

Yoon Jihoo grabbed my shoulders and shook me violently.

I giggled uncontrollably.

‘Ah, I could tease him about this for quite a long time.’

I had already started brainstorming ways to do so.

“Anyway, I’ll keep an eye on you two when you’re with Senior later. Teehee~”

“Stop it, seriously!”

I quietly overheard their conversation.

Lee Jian was laughing in jest while Yoon Jihoo fumbled around, his face bright red.

It was an ordinary scene – it could easily be seen as simple teasing.

But knowing the original story gave me a slightly different perspective on it all.

I glanced at Lee Jian.

A hint of a smile lingered on her lips, but her eyes were fixed directly on Yoon Jihoo.

Her gaze didn’t seem like mere teasing; it felt more like observation somehow.

‘Could it be that she genuinely cares?’

I suddenly had a sense of everything coming together.

‘Ah.’

Lee Jian was pretending not to care.

‘Right, in the original story, Lee Jian liked Yoon Jihoo too.’

I recalled the contents of the original.

Lee Jian had always been close to Yoon Jihoo,

exchanging jokes and enjoying a comfortable friendship—

but those feelings eventually grew into love.

And now,

the same trend seems to be starting here too.

Though triangular relationships might seem fun in manga or novels, seeing one unfold in reality feels somewhat brutal.

In a world where ‘love’ is the leading emotion, there’s something cruel about breaking things.

There’s a noticeable difference in weight in the romantic world of lighthearted comedies.

Mostly, everything appears harmonious and peaceful.

I didn’t need to worry anyway. After all, this is just pure teenage love that would most likely heal with time.

Still, I couldn’t help feeling a bitter taste in my mouth.

The lingering winter chill in the spring breeze might be to blame.

On my way home after buying some drinks at the convenience store.

Club activities are pretty intense. Truthfully, they might even outweigh the actual school classes.

You can think of it kind of like a sports team.

Apparently, even this has been considered lenient because we’re new and still adapting.

They’re planning to step it up next week, though I can’t quite predict how tough it will get.

“Haa.”

I sighed quietly and looked up at the sky.

The night sky looked the same as always.

The street was calm, and the streetlights gently illuminated the road.

However, a familiar silhouette appeared ahead.

At the bus stop,

a lone person was swaying to music.

…Lee Jian.

I instinctively slowed my pace and discreetly observed her.

She had her headphones in, holding her bag strap in one hand, absentmindedly keeping time while humming a tune.

…

Then,

I realized something shocking.

“…She can’t sing?”

At first, I thought I had misheard.

However, within a few seconds, I was certain.

“Aaaah~ ♬ Hmm~♬ Getting closer to you~♬”

…Could this even be called singing?

Her rhythm was all over the place, she had butchered the pitch, and the beats were completely off.

If anyone claimed this was a remix, I would have denied it out of respect for the artist.

Still,

this scene was,

well… just too funny.

How was it possible that someone who danced so well could be tone-deaf with no sense of rhythm? It was astonishing.

Even more fascinating was that this wasn’t mentioned in the original—it was a unique charm I hadn’t known about Lee Jian.

Simultaneously, I felt a strange sense of schadenfreude.

I didn’t gain anything from being reincarnated in this world.

So, maybe this one little thing is okay?

I pulled out my phone silently and pressed the video recording button.

…This is for my personal archives.

It seemed perfect for cheering myself up when I’m down.

Taking quiet steps, I began filming without making a sound.

The street was quiet, though the wind blowing might have made it difficult for her to notice.

But—

“…Kim Dohyun.”

I flinched.

…What?

Lee Jian suddenly stopped singing, then slowly turned to glare at me.

Her expression was ice-cold.

“…What are you doing?”

I quickly turned off my phone screen and calmly replied.

“Just happened to pass by and overhear.”

“Lying. You were deliberately staying quiet.”

“…It’s the person at the bus stop’s fault for singing out loud.”

At my words, Lee Jian fell silent.

Looking at her again, I noticed her face was turning red.

“Se, seriously, I wasn’t actually humming aloud, was I?”

She asked in a desperate tone, her eyes trembling uncontrollably.

I feigned a pained voice as I responded.

“I’m sorry.”

“Kyaaak!”

She emitted a strange noise and covered her face with her hands.

Her entire face turned bright red, even her ears.

Teasing her was satisfying.

Then, remembering something, she abruptly raised her head.

Her face was still red, possibly from embarrassment, and her eyes were slightly watery.

“Anyway, didn’t you record something?”

I inhaled sharply but replied smoothly without revealing any signs.

“Nothing, I didn’t.”

At that moment, Lee Jian narrowed her eyes and quickly reached out her hand.

“Hey, show me whatever you recorded!”

Lee Jian swiftly reached for my phone, trying to snatch it.

I quickly stepped back.

“What are you doing?”

“You were recording just now, right!? Delete it immediately!”

“…What proof is that?”

“Then, show me your phone!”

“…Why should I?”

“Because it makes you even more suspicious!”

Lee Jian took another step forward.

I dodged, but she moved faster than I expected.

She eventually grabbed my wrist.

I exhaled with a short sigh.

“…Damn, why are you so hot-tempered?”

“Then, what were you doing?”

“I was merely trying to capture the beautiful scenery at the bus stop.”

Lee Jian paused her movements, staring at me suspiciously.

“You?”

“I have artistic sensibilities too.”

“You?”

“I often take pictures with my phone too since I handle photography.”

A loud roar broke the air as a motorcycle zoomed past.

While it broke the tension of our childish argument, I realized how close we were standing.

We stared into each other’s eyes from a near distance.

“…Sorry.”

Lee Jian stepped back, releasing my wrist, seemingly realizing she had made an unnecessary assumption.

Her face turned slightly red, possibly feeling guilty.

A moment of awkward silence hung in the air.

I disliked it.

Naturally, I sat down beside Lee Jian, pulling out one of the drinks I had bought from the convenience store and handing it to her.

“Here.”

“…What’s this?”

“Just a drink. It was on a buy-one-get-one-free offer.”

I remembered that this was the drink Lee Jian liked in the original story.

“What? The design looks strange. It doesn’t look appealing at all.”

It was indeed a little odd.

It was a barley-flavored carbonated drink with an inexplicable mascot printed on it.

The drawing of some unidentified duck-like animal, with rag-like coloring, looked like it was mocking the world.

“The ugly duckling?”

“It’s actually a popular character apparently. There are emoticons too.”

I pulled out my phone and showed her the emoticons.

“After looking at them for a while, they grow on you.”

Lee Jian laughed and remarked.

She handed the phone back. There seemed to be a flicker of hesitation in her movements, maybe she was still suspecting that I recorded her.

“…Thanks.”

It was a short statement, also a little out of nowhere.

“What for?”

“The drink.”

The liquid inside the can swayed subtly.

She carefully rubbed the can surface with her fingertip.

There was some awkwardness in her subtle movements.

Kim Dohyun watched her profile under the streetlight, which was clearly visible.

Unlike how her face was flushed earlier, now it appeared calm like normal.

However, her fingers were restless.

“Contact info.”

Lee Jian suddenly said.

“Huh?”

“…We’re in the same club, so it might be necessary.”

She avoided eye contact, pulling out her phone and opening the screen.

Kim Dohyun took a deep breath.

He quietly pulled out his phone.

They exchanged numbers without unnecessary motions.

They didn’t even check the saved names.

A new notification popped up.

✉[A contact was added.]

The screen dimmed.

A strange atmosphere followed.

Lee Jian was silent for some time.

She gave a light squeeze to the can, making a soft sound.

Small carbonated bubbles burst into the night air.

“See you tomorrow.”

She spoke briefly.

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t.

She boarded the bus, the doors closed and slowly drifted away.

Kim Dohyun remained seated there, until the bus’s rear lights disappeared.

Under the streetlights, the warmth of her phone lingered on his fingertips.

The lingering warmth and the silence under the streetlight didn’t quite match. It was awkward yet familiar somehow.

Therefore… There was an odd feeling.

Unable to name this emotion,

I stayed at the bus stop for a while,

thinking it must be because it had been too long since I interacted with people.

It must be because encountering such a chance meeting without system instructions made me happy.

That’s what I convinced myself.

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