Our Kid Won't Starve to Death
I barely managed to leave the house, searching the map on my phone as I walked. Thankfully, the school wasn't that far from home, so I arrived in no time.
The school gate had Seohan High School written across it in huge letters. I'd only graduated from high school in my original world not that long ago, yet here I was attending one again. It felt strangely new. New, sure—but not exactly welcome. I hadn't been much of a fan of studying back then, and judging by this body, Kang Junwoo didn't seem like the academic type either.
This should be far enough.
I tossed my bag somewhere nearby, crossed my arms, and leaned back against the gate.
...She couldn't have already gone inside, right? I came pretty early. I prayed that wasn't the case. I'd see her today anyway, but I wanted to lay eyes on her with my own two eyes as soon as possible.
I waited like that for a while, feeling pretty pleased with myself.
Then came the occasional sideways glances—and soon enough, I realized the fatal flaw in my plan.
“Hey.”
“M-me?”
“Dude, I told you not to look at me...!”
I can hear you, dumbass.
“Whatever. Just hurry up and pass already.”
“Ah, yessir! Hey, run!”
“Thank you! Hey, let's go together...!”
The problem was me.
Students of all grades and genders were hesitating in front of the gate instead of walking through. I'd wondered what was up—turns out it was because of me.
......Fuck. I'm a Geumtaeyang right now.
It felt unfair. I was just standing here quietly waiting. The girls were at least somewhat reasonable. They didn't seem scared so much as curious—they kept glancing my way, chatting among themselves and giggling.
The real issue was the guys. And especially the couples.
The boys were obviously terrified of me. As for the couples—particularly the guys—they hid their girlfriends behind them like they were afraid I'd see them, then scuttled past sideways like crabs. The ridiculous sight was so absurd I let out a dry laugh.
I'm not interested in your girlfriends, you idiots. I wouldn't take them even if you offered.
Of course, I got it. If some muscular, tanned Geumtaeyang bastard was standing by the gate glaring with wide eyes, anyone would want to skip school that day. But I couldn't help it. She hadn't shown up yet.
......Actually, I didn't really need to stand here watching like this. No matter how similar the uniforms were, there was zero chance I'd mistake her for any of the normal students.
It was just that...
......The uniform looks better than I thought.
When I'd put it on in my room, it was just the same design I'd seen countless times on screen, so it hadn't seemed like much. But seeing other people wear it in real life gave it a completely different feel. No wonder they called it a one-trick art style game—the uniform design alone was enough to make you think, Okay, they really went all out on this.
Thanks to that, the waiting time didn't feel boring at all.
About five minutes passed like that.
Then I spotted three girls walking toward the gate from afar. I knew instantly.
They were the heroines from I Still Miss Him.
Ryu Hwayeon with her vivid crimson bob. Lee Chaerin with her long black hair in a hime cut. And Jo Ayeong with her pink twin-tails—well, Ping-chaeng, but anyway.
Watching them approach from a distance, each radiating their own distinct charm, I couldn't help but smirk.
They've literally got "heroine" written on their faces.
Their art style was just on another level. I wasn't the only one who thought so—students who'd been sneaking glances at me moments ago were now openly looking their way.
It was surreal seeing them in the flesh after only knowing them from the screen. Almost nostalgic, even. But I didn't call out or act like I knew them as they passed through the gate.
It wasn't because I felt shy seeing them up close. It was simply that—no matter how beautiful they were—I had zero interest in another man's woman.
Even if they'd been stolen in an NTR route, if they'd stayed loyal to Kang Junwoo until the bitter end, maybe things would've been different... but in the end, they all went crawling back to that pathetic protagonist, Seo Siwoo.
Not only were they someone else's girls, they had no loyalty whatsoever? Hard pass. I wouldn't touch them even if they were handed to me on a silver platter.
Of course, that whole mess happened after they became adults, so there was still a year left. It wasn't happening right now. But so what? I'd already seen that future.
Even if this was a future I could change now that I'd transmigrated, it didn't matter. That was the conclusion I'd reached.
Though, honestly, once you've transmigrated into a game, the word "absolute" loses all meaning.
Anyway, after they passed, I kept waiting. By the time my legs were starting to go numb, she finally appeared.
“...Haha.”
The moment I saw her, a laugh slipped out before I could stop it. All that waiting since early morning had been worth it.
Light purple hair that flowed like waves all the way down to her waist. Eyes of the exact same shade. Beautifully harmonious facial features, and on top of that—a chest that was undeniably number one in both shape and size among every woman I'd ever seen in my life, paired with a waist so narrow it seemed almost impossible.
She was more than the heroines who'd just passed. There was no way she could ever be less.
The second her figure entered my eyes, my heart began pounding like crazy.
One step. Two steps.
The closer the distance between us became, the clearer her appearance grew, and I couldn't tear my eyes away no matter how hard I tried. I wanted to walk up to her right then and there. To approach her... and say something.
“Huu...”
I forced those feelings out with a deep breath. I had to approach her carefully.
Yu Harin.
She was the unconquerable heroine of I Still Miss Him.
Yu Harin. An un-conquerable character from the original game. She has waist-length wavy light purple hair and matching purple eyes. She is exceptionally beautiful with a very voluptuous figure, but comes from a poor background and focuses entirely on her studies.
***
Technically speaking, Yu Harin wasn't officially listed as an unconquerable heroine in I Still Miss Him.
Obviously. With looks like that?
But if you asked whether she had any real presence in the game... that was where things got weird.
The protagonist and even Kang Junwoo showed interest in her at times, sure. But she had almost no event scenes. After the high school graduation where the pink-colored nonsense really kicked into high gear, she didn't even appear anymore. Her screen time was bizarrely low.
Still, even if the protagonist was a pathetic loser, the fact that not even Kang Junwoo—who'd completely wrecked the three main heroines—could lay a hand on her carried real significance.
That's why the self-proclaimed romance masters, aka galgame gods, had thrown themselves at trying to conquer her.
But every single attempt ended in failure.
[...Oh. Are you done talking? In that case, may I go back to studying?]
Failure.
[Really? Sorry, but I've never seen you as more than a friend.]
Failure again.
[You thought I liked you too? ...Since when have you been thinking that? Why? Have I ever said anything even remotely like that to you? Please don't make that pitiful face. I'm the one who feels wronged here.]
Failure after failure after failure...
In the end, the bruised and battered players declared her an unconquerable heroine. That was Yu Harin.
Some of them even started spreading rumors that she must be a man-hating lesbian.
And I... had once been one of those players trying to conquer her.
I'd fallen for her the moment I saw her.
I'd just decided to watch the main ending on my first playthrough after seeing the "unconquerable" label.
...I didn't expect I wouldn't get a second playthrough.
Well, since I transmigrated, maybe this counts as my second round. It felt a little unfair, but whatever. It was fine.
I didn't have much info on Yu Harin specifically, but I knew pretty much everything else.
Drrrrk—
The second I slid open the classroom door, every pair of eyes in the room snapped toward me. Shock, fear, interest, curiosity.
Thanks to my earlier performance at the gate, I was somewhat used to these stares now. And among them, I quickly found her.
Honestly, I didn't even need to search.
There was no way her presence could be hidden just because she wore the same uniform as everyone else. Even sitting still, she stood out way too much.
She sat elegantly at the very front of the class, completely ignoring whoever entered, eyes fixed only on the workbook on her desk.
Just looking at her made the corners of my mouth lift on their own.
This was exactly why I liked Yu Harin.
Her looks were my type, sure. But more than that—while the other heroines were busy going back and forth between Kang Junwoo and Seo Siwoo without an ounce of loyalty, she alone never gave her side to anyone.
Of course, that would apply to me as well right now... but if someone like her ever did open up to a person, it would mean she'd decided that person was the only one she'd ever look at.
And if that happened...
It would basically mean she was only looking at me.
***
The moment I walked into my assigned class and saw Yu Harin, I didn't think, Wow, I'm so lucky.
I already knew that not only her, but all three heroines and that pathetic—er, protagonist—Seo Siwoo would end up in the same class.
Sure enough, the other four were already sitting in the back, chatting among themselves.
Why was Yu Harin the only one up here?
......Sitting at the very front is gonna be rough.
I didn't have much information on Yu Harin, but there were two things I knew for sure.
One: her family situation wasn't great.
Two: she was seriously devoted to studying.
To the point that whenever she appeared in the game, she was almost always holding an English vocabulary book or solving problems from a workbook.
I knew that. I really did, but...
“.........”
Seating arrangement.
It was a simple system—write your name on the desk you wanted on the chalkboard drawing and sit there. But if the seat I had to take was the very front row, directly behind the teacher's desk, that changed everything.
No matter how much she loved studying, there were so many empty seats. Why would she pick that one...? Isn't the protagonist supposed to sit at the back by the window? That's the golden rule. This wasn't a protagonist seat—this was a Noryangjin retake student seat, damn it.
If it were up to me, I'd obviously want to sit in the back too. Behind Yu Harin, or by the window in the back.
I scratched the back of my neck for a moment, thinking it over.
“Sigh...”
I let out a long breath and wrote "Kang Junwoo" right below Yu Harin's name.
I hated sitting in front, but I hated even more if someone other than me sat behind her.
The kids waiting behind me to write their names let out a collective gasp and immediately started whispering among themselves. Probably an emergency meeting on how to avoid the Geumtaeyang or something. They clearly never dreamed I'd sit up front.
Honestly, neither had I.
Anyway, now that my seat was decided, I walked past Yu Harin—who was still locked in a staring contest with her workbook—and plopped down.
Whoa. The chalkboard is insanely clear from here.
So this is what it feels like? It was my first time ever sitting in the front row, and I was genuinely impressed. No wonder it was prime real estate for study addicts. For me, though, it was hell.
I hung my bag on the hook, stretched both arms behind my head, laced my fingers together, and pondered.
...What should I even say to her?
She was studying. If I talked to her now, she'd obviously hate it. But if I waited until she was done, I'd probably miss my chance to say anything before first period started.
How could I talk to her in a way that annoyed her the least? I stared at the back of her head, thinking it over, when my mouth fell open in awe without me realizing.
...Whoa. Look at that.
I'd never seen it before. A girl whose sideboob was visible from behind.
Our kid won't starve to death, that's for sure.
At that breathtaking sight, the value of this seat skyrocketed inside me at insane speed.
Front row? Fucking amazing. Who said it was hell? This is heaven.
I'd made up my mind. Whether it was during break time or any other time—I would make sure no one but me ever sat behind her.
How long had I been staring while thinking that?
Suddenly the classroom grew noisy. I looked around and realized that the room, which had been mostly empty just moments ago, was now almost completely full.
“.........”
I thought I'd only glanced away for a second, but when I checked the time, ten whole minutes had passed.
...Class isn't going to be boring, at least.
First period was about to start, so I quickly cleared my throat and spoke.
“...Ahem. Hey.”
Ignored.
“Hey?”
Ignored again.
“Excuse me?”
Ignored once more.
As expected from an unconquerable heroine... or rather, she probably didn't even consider the possibility that someone was calling her.
The entire time I'd been talking, she'd remained completely still, eyes fixed on her workbook.
In the end, I reached out and very lightly tapped her on the shoulder.
“Hey.”
She flinched.
Startled by the sudden touch? Yu Harin trembled for a brief moment, then slowly turned her head... and froze mid-turn.
Her light purple eyes, full of confusion, scanned me up and down. But instead of clearing up her confusion, it only seemed to deepen. Her head tilted further and further to the side.
She was probably wondering why someone like me was sitting behind her.
...Why? Because of you, obviously.
But I couldn't say that yet. So I flashed her a grin and said something else instead.
“Finally looking this way, huh?”