The Novel's Secret Reader
The 1-A class of Elphon Academy had currently set up lodgings in a traditional Japanese home. We were sharing rooms in pairs.
“Hanna.”
“Yeah?”
Jeong Hanna was lying on the bed, scrolling through her phone.
“What the—? This is the first time I’ve ever seen you doing anything other than studying.”
“Uh… yeah? Is it?”
“Totally. What are you looking at? Let’s see it together!”
Her roommate dove straight onto the bed where Jeong Hanna was lying.
“Ah… maybe not this one.”
Jeong Hanna quickly hid her phone behind her back.
“Aww, come on, Hanna. You can’t even show me?”
“…Haha…”
Jeong Hanna gave a bitter smile. The novel she was reading right now wasn’t exactly something she wanted to show other people.
“I’ll be right back. Bathroom.”
With that, she slipped into the bathroom inside their room. On her phone screen was the Novelpia novel titled Prevent the Destruction of This World.
It was the most entertaining novel she was currently reading—Prevent the Destruction of This World. The author had suddenly started writing 19+ scenes. They didn’t appear in every chapter, but they kept popping up from time to time.
For Jeong Hanna, it had become a serious dilemma. Should she read them or not? It was the first time in her life she had ever encountered explicit content. She agonized over it for a long time. But because it was a story she loved, she trusted the author and clicked anyway.
Then she saw something she had never encountered before in her life. Her cheeks gradually flushed bright red. It was content she had never seen before—scenes so explicit it was embarrassing even to describe them in words.
“Still… it is pretty good.”
The author’s writing skill was so strong that it remained genuinely entertaining. But it was far too embarrassing to read in front of others. Before the 19+ scenes started appearing, Jeong Hanna had even recommended the novel to people. She had done it because the author’s view count was so pitifully low that she feared the story might get dropped.
The proof was right there in the first chapter’s stats.
Chapter 1 — Views: 60
A measly sixty views on the first chapter. And almost no one had made it past that. You could tell just by looking at the second chapter.
Chapter 2 — Views: 2
Chapter 3 — Views: 2
Chapter 4 — Views: 2
Chapter 5 — Views: 2
…
Latest Chapter — Views: 2
Why couldn’t anyone get past the first chapter? Jeong Hanna had read it herself.
“It’s so good, though.”
People really had terrible taste in novels. How could they ignore something this entertaining? Or was her own taste just that different from everyone else’s?
Jeong Hanna pondered it seriously.
“…More importantly, who is that other person? I’m curious.”
Starting from chapter two, the view count had stayed consistently at two. One of those views was hers. So who was the other one?
She didn’t know who it was, but at least they had decent taste in novels.
“If I ever meet them, I’d love to talk about the story together.”
No one else could get past the first chapter, so she had never been able to discuss this novel with anyone. But if she met the other reader, it would probably lead to a really fun conversation. Someone with the exact same taste as her.
After the campfire ended, things had quieted down. I checked my watch.
PM 9:00
I was feeling a bit hungry. Even though I had met Cha Jiyun at that fancy restaurant, the conversation had been so heavy that I hadn’t been able to eat a single bite. I searched for nearby restaurants.
‘Master’ Sushi — Distance: 500m — Closing Time: PM 10:00
When in Japan, of course you go for sushi. I quickened my pace and headed for the sushi restaurant. Once inside, I saw it was a counter-style setup. I sat down at an empty seat.
“I’ll have the assorted sushi, please.”
I told the chef.
“Yes, coming right up.”
I sat quietly at my seat. But for some reason, I could feel a gaze staring at me from the side. I turned my head to the left.
“…What are you doing here?”
Jeong Hayeon narrowed her eyes as she spoke.
“Huh? When did you get here?”
I was genuinely surprised. I never imagined she would be here.
“…Pfft.”
She let out a small laugh.
“…?”
What part of that was funny?
“…Be honest. You followed me here, didn’t you?”
“…”
I decided to ignore her. She kept chattering away beside me, but none of it reached my ears.
“Here you go. Your sushi.”
The chef soon placed the plate in front of me. It looked incredibly appetizing. I started with the tuna belly, which looked the most delicious. I ate like a man possessed. Before I knew it, the plate was completely empty.
Just as I was about to stand up to pay the bill—
“Hey.”
A voice came from beside me. It was Jeong Hayeon. I glanced at her plate. She had clearly finished eating a while ago. Why was she still here?
“What?”
“You… wouldn’t it be better to cancel even now?”
“Cancel what?”
“The sword duel with Radeon. It hasn’t started yet, so if you cancel now, no one will say anything.”
“….”
“It’s not like you’re doing it for fun. And you even put your expulsion on the line if you lose.”
“Yeah, so?”
“Why would you fight a battle you’re obviously going to lose? Especially when you’ve staked your expulsion on it.”
“Who said I’m going to lose?”
“What?”
She stared at me with a blank expression.
“I said, who told you I’m going to lose?”
“Anyone can see that you’re definitely going to—”
“That’s something you don’t know until you actually fight.”
“…..Are you seriously out of your mind? You really think you can win?”
“Yeah. I genuinely believe I can win. By the way, you haven’t forgotten our promise, right?”
“….What promise.”
“The one where if I beat Radeon in the sword duel, you give up on him. You didn’t forget, did you?”
“…No. I haven’t forgotten.”
Her voice instantly turned icy cold. She continued.
“I’ll keep my promise, so you make sure to keep yours too. The one about dropping out if you lose.”
“….Yeah. Of course.”
“Hearing you talk like that actually makes me curious. What exactly are you so confident about?”
Leaving those words behind, Jeong Hayeon walked out of the sushi restaurant.
Once we returned from Japan, the festival would be in seven days. It looked like I would have to start preparing the moment I got back to the academy.
“Alright, is everyone here?”
The homeroom teacher asked. All the students of Class 1-A were gathered in the first-floor living room.
“Yeees—”
“As you all know, midterms are coming up soon. You’re all preparing properly, right?”
“Ugh— Teacher, do you really have to say that even while we’re on a trip?”
“Technically, this isn’t a trip. It’s a ‘dungeon’ exploration trip.”
“Ughhh—”
“As you all know, the midterm is divided into a practical exam and a written exam.”
“Can’t you at least give us a hint about the practical?”
“Don’t say ridiculous things. Assume anything can appear and prepare thoroughly.”
“Aaaah—”
The students let out groans.
The midterms at Elphon Academy were split between practical and written tests. For the practical, the academy’s teachers would personally create and administer problems, just like when guild members came as guest instructors. The problem was that the content of those practical tests kept changing. That made preparation nearly impossible.
But that didn’t apply to me. I already knew exactly what tests would appear in the ‘practical’ exam. All I had to do was prepare thoroughly.
“If you fail the written exam this time, you’ll be held back immediately, so keep that in mind.”
The real problem was the written exam. If I got held back there, it was truly over. Completely finished.
I glanced at Jeong Hanna, who was sitting on the far left memorizing English vocabulary. The only way I could safely pass the written test was if she helped me.
“Alright then, everyone get some sleep.”
“Yeees—”
“Night watch duty will continue as scheduled.”
Because of the demonic beast attack the other day, students had to take turns standing night watch.
“The very first night watch tonight will be Jeong Hanna and Nam Doyun.”
Jeong Hanna glanced at me when she heard that, then quickly turned her head away. It would be nice if I could get a bit closer to her this time.
Crackle, crackle—
The sound of the campfire burning could be heard. Jeong Hanna and I were currently sitting outside warming ourselves by the fire. I sneaked a glance at her. She had turned on her phone’s flashlight and was studying English vocabulary. She really was intense.
Since she was so focused, I gave up on trying to get closer for now. It seemed like talking to her would only get in the way. I turned on my own phone.
Title: Prevent the Destruction of This World
I searched for the title of the novel I had written. Then I started rereading it from chapter one. Even though I wrote it myself, it really was fun. I smiled brightly as I read my own story for quite a while.
Then a voice came from beside me.
“You…”
It was Jeong Hanna. This was the first time I had ever seen her speak to someone first. What was going on?
“What?”
“What you’re reading right now…”
She pointed at my phone as she spoke.
“Oh. This? Why?”
My phone screen had Prevent the Destruction of This World open.
“You read that novel?”
“…Yeah.”
“Wow, really? Isn’t it super fun?”
Her eyes sparkled. It was the first time I had ever seen her make that kind of expression. She kept talking excitedly.
“Which scene is your favorite?”
“Me…?”
“Yeah. The scene you liked the most while reading it.”
“I really liked the scene where the protagonist confesses to the childhood friend he’s always treated like a friend.”
“Oh? Really? You liked that scene the most too?”
She continued without pause.
“I thought the protagonist’s confession to the heroine was the coolest part. The romantic scene where he holds a bouquet of flowers and confesses on a beach with waves crashing around them. And another cool scene was…”
She rattled on like a machine gun, which was very unlike her. I hadn’t known she could talk this much.
“What scene did you find the most fun after that?”
She asked.
“I liked the calm parts after the protagonist gets into university—going on MT trips with new friends, traveling abroad together, that kind of slice-of-life stuff.”
“Oh. I actually like those parts too? But the downside is that the protagonist is too timid and has trouble talking to other people…”
She smiled brightly as she talked about the novel. It was like she had a motor in her mouth. It was a completely unexpected side of her. This was the first time I had seen her smile so widely while talking.
“Anyway, I really loved those scenes. I’m so curious what kind of person the author is.”
“…”
The truth was, I was that author.
“The view count has stayed at two the whole time, so I always wondered who the other reader was. It was you. Have you ever sent the author a donation?”
“Donation?”
“Yeah. I was worried the author might drop the story because the views were so low.”
“…What did you donate for?”
“I donated while begging them not to drop it.”
“Ah… so that was you?”
“What do you mean ‘that was you’? You’re talking like you’re the author.”
“Ah… it’s nothing. Haha. I just happened to see the donation list once.”
“Oh, I see.”
She nodded. So the reader with the username “JeongHanna” really had been her all along? Normally I would have told her I was the author, but after writing those embarrassing 19+ scenes, I felt too awkward to reveal it.
Still, this could turn into a good opportunity.
“Actually, I know the author in real life.”
“…What? For real?”
Jeong Hanna looked shocked.
“Yeah. Want to see?”
I showed her my phone. There was the “Write Chapter” button that only appeared when logged in as the author.
“Whoa. So you really do know each other?”
“Yeah. And sometimes the author sends me drafts of their next work to get my opinion.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. They’re saved on my phone too.”
“….Really?”
I could practically hear her swallowing her saliva from here. In truth, they were just my practice writings.
“Want me to show you?”
“Yes.”
She nodded, her eyes full of eager anticipation.
“But in return, help me with one thing.”
“What?”
“Teach me for the written exam.”
“..What?”
“Can’t you?”
“It’s not that I can’t, but… um…”
She probably didn’t want her precious study time taken away.
“Just thirty minutes of your leftover time after you finish studying. Is that okay?”
“Um…”
She couldn’t answer right away. She seemed to be struggling with the decision. In that case, I should ease her worries a bit.
“Hmm… If I talk to the author nicely, they might even hold a fan meeting…”
Before I could even finish, she spoke first.
“Fine. I’ll do it.”
“….”
“But only thirty minutes a day, got it?”
“Yeah. Got it.”
And just like that, our tutoring sessions began.