Chapter 2
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: The Extra's Change (2)
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Truth be told, even before this explosive growth spurt, I'd already sensed it.
Getting numbers via notes wasn't a one-time thing, and I'd even received direct confessions.
Whenever those shy faces confessed they liked me, I'd be lying if I said I never wavered even once.
Of course, it wasn't because I was truly smitten—it was more from the perspective of needing to build a normal life as an extra.
In the end, I turned them all down.
- Ah, I should've tried getting close.
- Heard he rejected every girl who confessed.
- Doesn't get along with girls.
Every time these late rumors reached me, I felt an odd sense of emptiness.
It wasn't like I didn't get along with girls in general.
I just avoided anyone connected to Lee Seol...
That name was like a landmine to me.
Looking back, the girls who confessed outright must've been brimming with confidence.
And strangely, every single one was just one or two degrees of separation from Lee Seol.
That's why I couldn't get close to them.
With that short bout of nostalgia with my middle school friends before the new school wrapping up...
Real high school life began.
Seojeong High.
The novel's main setting, where the protagonists gather.
I'd put a different school as my top choice... but maybe this was an unavoidable fate.
Truth be told, I hadn't held high hopes. After all, the 'Lee Minwoo' in the novel attended Seojeong High too.
...Though I'm not sure I can confidently say I'm that 'Lee Minwoo' now.
The major turning points where the novel kicks off all happen in the second year, but the first year still takes up a good chunk in the early parts.
So, you could say things were finally getting started for real.
Even in the short time left before the new semester, my height kept growing. The latest measurement was 185cm.
The problem was, it felt like I'd grow even more. My facial features sharpened further too.
I couldn't deny it anymore. Something was seriously off.
And on the day we got our class assignments and met our classmates for the first time...
I fixed my gaze straight ahead.
I absolutely wouldn't look to the side.
The moment I turned my head, I'd face something pivotal.
Sitting right next to me was that guy.
Seo Jaehyun. This world's protagonist.
It had been years since I'd glimpsed him as a kid, and now seeing him again... he looked exactly like I remembered.
Short hair covering half his forehead. Delicate features. A bit of baby fat still lingered, giving him that boyish softness, and he wasn't that tall either.
Looked under 170cm.
I'd wondered if we'd end up in the same class, but here we were, first-year high school, same class—even next to each other.
And right behind him sat Ji Hyunsu, his best friend with a major supporting role.
He was definitely the handsome type.
'...This feels ominous.'
A chill settled somewhere in my chest.
I knew exactly where that premonition came from.
I knew Seo Jaehyun's personality.
The original version of him, at least.
"Whoa."
An exclamation burst from beside me.
"Sorry for saying this right off the bat at our first meeting, but you're fucking handsome."
Loud enough for the whole class to hear... I couldn't just brush it off lightly.
My resolve to stare straight ahead shattered.
I turned my head slowly. Very slowly.
"...Thanks."
Seo Jaehyun grinned at my response.
"Finally giving me a look, huh? Even handsome guys can't resist compliments on their looks?"
Ji Hyunsu chimed in from behind.
"You're an unknown quantity."
"What... I'm decent enough. No way you're on this guy's level... Hey, what's your name?"
"Lee Minwoo."
"Right, Minwoo."
Seo Jaehyun narrowed his eyes at Ji Hyunsu.
"You don't seriously think you're on Minwoo's level, do you?"
"Not like you're on his either."
The two started bickering naturally.
A familiar rhythm. Like dialogue repeated many times over.
But there was one variable.
The 'Lee Minwoo' I remembered didn't have enough presence to spark this kind of vibe.
Then, suddenly, Seo Jaehyun spun around and extended his hand toward me.
"Oh, I'm Seo Jaehyun. The guy behind me is Ji Hyunsu."
The classroom noise seemed to fade for a moment.
The protagonist reaching out first.
This scene wasn't in the original.
I stared at his hand for a second before quietly shaking it.
Damn... talking to me right from the next seat like this left no room to dodge.
And it didn't end with just greetings.
"What middle school?"
"When did you get so tall?"
"What sports do you play? Or just genetics?"
Seo Jaehyun kept firing questions at me.
In the original, he was portrayed as highly sociable.
Blending in with anyone quickly, breaking down strangers' walls effortlessly.
That was one of the male lead's charms in this story.
But right now, to me, he looked like a hungry dog. The kind that latches on and never lets go once it bites.
A hunting dog that'd tear flesh until bone showed if it got a piece.
His relentless barrage finally stopped for a pretty unexpected reason.
Right after our homeroom teacher came in, gave a quick intro, and left.
Students gathered outside our class window. Kids from other classes peeking in or...
"...Feels like everyone's outside staring at us, right?"
Ji Hyunsu corrected him immediately.
"Not us. They came to see this guy."
His finger pointed straight at me.
Seo Jaehyun asked in a slightly lowered voice.
"Just to check, you're not some aspiring celebrity or already debuted somewhere?"
"No."
"Then rumors already spread?"
Ji Hyunsu nodded vigorously.
"Kinda overheard it in the auditorium during class assignments. Something about a super handsome guy transferring here."
"Huh, now that you mention it, I think I heard that too."
Seo Jaehyun said, sounding dazed.
"First time seeing something like this. Aren't we supposed to do something if we go out?"
"What can he do? They're just staring and leaving."
Honestly, this was new for me too. Even back in third year when I thought I was pretty good-looking, it never got this intense.
Obviously, the original 'Lee Minwoo' never drew this kind of blatant attention.
All this stemmed from my changed appearance diverging from the original.
Once again, something felt off-kilter.
But I couldn't buck this flow right now.
Thankfully, the bell rang soon after, and the crowd dispersed quickly.
After first period ended...
I stood up before Seo Jaehyun could say anything.
Luckily, he didn't grab me. Guys don't pry about bathroom trips or whatever.
I left the class right away and headed to another one.
I wasn't friendless through elementary and middle school.
I had one friend I'd come up to high school with.
Someone unconnected to Lee Seol, sharing some hobbies too.
Choi Dongrak felt fucked the moment he got his class assignment on the first day. Because he was.
'...Or rather.'
Anyway, it was bad. He'd ended up in the front row somehow, and whether they were avoiding him or by chance, the seat next to him stayed empty.
Choi Dongrak knew he wasn't the type people easily approached to befriend.
178cm tall. And a bit overweight for that height.
'Last weigh-in was 97kg.'
Still, if someone sat next to him, they could chat naturally, eat lunch together, maybe exchange answers before tests.
Choi Dongrak pushed up his glasses with his index finger.
'Gotta make at least one friend.'
With that in mind, he cautiously scanned the class... but in that short time, laughter erupted here and there.
Amid the buzz of kids already seeming chummy, Choi Dongrak oddly couldn't move.
Felt like now wasn't the time.
He gave up searching for a friend for the moment.
And when break ended, the atmosphere shifted again.
Choi Dongrak overheard girls whispering from the seat across.
"Hey, there's a insanely hot guy in class 7."
"Insanely hot?"
The voices were low, but close enough to hear clearly.
"Like, stupidly handsome."
"How handsome?"
"Celebrities can step aside. Just needs makeup and he could debut right now, no cap."
"...No way."
"For real. Skin's so clean, like he gets treatments."
"You already saw him?"
"Yeah..."
As a guy, he had to admit the envy. A dude who makes you blush just imagining him.
But he had a guess who it was.
And right after first period, the subject of those talks appeared in Choi Dongrak's class.
"Oh, he's here."
"Huh?"
"The total stud I mentioned. Him."
"Wha... whoa..."
As the gasps pierced Choi Dongrak's ears, the source of them strode right up to him.
Even smiling like he was glad to see him.
"Dongrak."
Choi Dongrak said, dumbfounded.
"...Did you get even more handsome or what?"
"Creepy thing to say."
A small sigh escaped from the girls nearby.
"Damn..."
Choi Dongrak wasn't the type to get hurt by stares like that, but oddly, Lee Minwoo—who seemed to catch the whisper—looked bothered.
He glanced around subtly. When his eyes met the chattering girls', they whipped their heads away in surprise.
...What are girls, anyway.
As Choi Dongrak mused inwardly, Lee Minwoo suggested,
"Wanna talk outside?"
"Sure."