The Protagonist in Disguise
It was already dawn by the time Jeong Yuseong returned to the Jamryong Hideout with Diana. Assuming everyone was asleep, he tried to slip quietly into his room, but Seo Chaerim emerged into the living room.
"Your arm—was that from the Princess?"
"You knew?"
"We've been monitoring the situation around the hideout the whole time. You have no idea how freaked out I was when the Princess showed up."
She must not have expected a White Knight to appear either. But with no way to warn them inside the hideout, she'd stayed up all night anxiously waiting for their return.
"Diana saved my skin. I really thought I was done for."
"Whatever—as long as you're back safe. Go get some sleep."
It was almost sunrise anyway, and he was dead tired. His arm hurt so bad he wasn't sure if he'd sleep well, though.
He headed to the bathroom to wash off the grime, but his arm wouldn't move right, so he just splashed some water and came out. After struggling to dry off, he crashed in his old room. That's when a burning pain shot up from his arm, like it was on fire. He tossed and turned, groaning for ages before finally drifting off.
When he woke, lunchtime had come and gone. His arm still throbbed, but sleep had dulled the pain to something bearable. The best perk of possessing this werewolf body was definitely the regeneration. Wounds healed so fast—it was ridiculously convenient.
Yawning hugely, he shuffled into the living room. Hwang Yerang spotted his swollen arm and bristled with anger.
"What the hell happened to your arm, oppa? Is it broken? Who did this?"
She looked ready to charge out and hunt them down if he named names—reliable as ever. He briefly considered ratting out the Princess, but a White Knight wasn't someone you messed with lightly. Besides, she'd only attacked him as a villain, so she hadn't really done anything wrong.
More pressingly, "Uh... who's that next to you?"
An unfamiliar man sat on the living room sofa. This was the organization's hideout, so he had to be a member—but Jeong Yuseong had never seen him before. He'd been with Jamryong for a while now, but there were still members he hadn't met.
"I'm asking who did that to your arm!"
"I got a little banged up sparring with Diana yesterday. My bad on the strength control."
Diana timed her entrance perfectly, smoothly covering for him as Yerang kept prying. Perfect timing—he'd dodged a hassle.
"Jeez, oppa. I get you wanna get stronger, but take it easy on training. Even werewolves die if they take a bad hit."
"Got it. But seriously, who's that guy?"
"Oh, first time seeing him, huh? Introduce yourselves. This is our teammate, Seong Haneul oppa."
"Hey. Seong Haneul here—the former maknae. Nice to meet you."
Yerang made the intro, and the man flashed a bright, innocent smile. He had a soft, friendly vibe—like a retriever puppy. His disarming grin should've lowered anyone's guard, but it only put Jeong Yuseong on high alert.
This guy's not supposed to be here.
And for good reason. Seong Haneul was the name of this novel's protagonist.
Why the hell are you here? Was it just a coincidence, or was this really the protagonist? Confusion swirled.
"Heh heh. Surprised, right? I told you before—we've got a hero from the Association among our members."
Seong Haneul was famous enough that Jeong Yuseong had seen his name on the news and online since arriving in this world. Yerang seemed to think his shock was from meeting a celebrity teammate, but that was beside the point.
He really is the protagonist. This twist was completely unforeseen. His brain short-circuited from the shock.
"What? You look that stunned. Were you a fan of Haneul oppa?"
Seeing him staring blankly, Yerang waved a hand in front of his face.
"No, uh... yeah, it's a shock. A hero from TV, right here."
"Haneul oppa's so famous he pops up on TV all the time. He even did a commercial recently."
Seong Haneul wasn't the typical overpowered, ass-kicking protagonist. He was the earnest, kind type—naive but not a total pushover. Who'd have thought a villain? The novel's early parts never hinted at this. His head throbbed from the whiplash.
"Yerang said you're a year older than her, so feel free to call me hyung."
"Uh. Yeah. Sure."
The original story was clichéd: Seong Haneul swooping in to save the day, media praising him. But his refreshing style had hooked Jeong Yuseong. Meeting him like this felt profoundly weird. He'd figured they'd clash eventually as werewolf vs. hero, not end up teammates.
But seriously, wasn't this guy way too casual around a werewolf?
"Oppa, you're back? When'd you get here?"
As they exchanged awkward greetings, Seo Chaerim shuffled in, rubbing sleepy eyes. She'd stayed up till dawn waiting for them yesterday, so she'd just woken up.
"They say beauties are sleepyheads, but you gotta wake up early, Chaerim-ah."
"Why you picking a fight first thing? Wanna die?"
Dropping casual jabs at Chaerim like it was nothing. Not your average guy. Protagonist perks, huh?
But something else bugged him. "Hey. Why's she calling you oppa, but treating me like 'you'?"
"Why you bitching first thing in the morning?"
See? Seong Haneul was younger than him, yet she called him oppa—while hitting him with banmal. Not that he wanted oppa from Chaerim, but the double standard stung.
"I've let it slide till now, but knowing I'm singled out? Can't ignore that."
"Pfft. You're the one using banmal on Diana too."
"Huh?"
Chaerim mentioned Diana, so he instinctively glanced her way. Come to think of it, he had no idea how old Diana was. Yerang and Chaerim were the same age, and Diana always hung with them, so he'd assumed similar. Plus, she looked super youthful—especially for a Westerner, who often seemed more mature.
"...How old is Diana, anyway?"
"Twenty-seven in Korean age."
"..."
"You didn't even know her age, oppa?"
Yerang gawked at him incredulously; Chaerim smirked at his stunned face. How ridiculous must his "no discrimination" whine have sounded?
"No, I... sorry. I was sure she was younger than me."
"It's fine. Don't worry about it."
"Yeah."
Things were already a bit awkward with Diana; this made it worse. What now...?
"So, what'd you call me again? Hm?"
Chaerim poked at him smugly. Normally he'd fire back, but this time, defeat was his. He endured the humiliation in silence, like a true loser.
"Haha. Heard you just joined, but you're fitting right in. These kids are so quirky—I had a rough time at first."
"What's that supposed to mean about us? You were the same when you joined."
"Nah, Chaerim kept suspecting me of being a spy. That was tough."
Nah, that was justified. A working hero joining an organization? Jeong Yuseong was still suspicious. Seong Haneul didn't seem the type from the novel, but with the villain twist already upending things, he couldn't trust the plot anymore. He only knew the early parts anyway.
"How long you staying this time? Don't tell me you're bouncing soon."
"Harsh. Already kicking me out?"
"Hey now, don't paint me as the bad guy. It's been lonely—why not just stay?"
Yerang was thrilled at Seong Haneul's return after so long; she straight-up invited him to move in. Chaerim and Diana were around, but they mostly lounged at home, so he must've missed the company.
"Actually, planning to crash here for a bit. My old room still free?"
"Ooh, what's this? You always said it felt weird hanging with just the girls."
"Now we've got hyung. Plus, if I don't show my face, you'll all forget me..."
From the vibe, Seong Haneul was settling in for a while too. Jeong Yuseong didn't come often himself, but still. It felt like Seong Haneul's decision factored him in. A werewolf teammate would ping anyone's radar—especially a hero's. Made him wonder if the guy was really a spy. Sorry, but with his own secrets, he couldn't let his guard down. He'd have to check if Seong Haneul was dangerous or not.