Chapter 5
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: The Extra's Change (5)
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Seo Jaehyun's words that he couldn't avoid me forever if he wanted to meet Lee Seol.
Truth be told, it was me who'd been avoiding him, but looking purely at the outcome, his prediction had hit the mark.
In the end, the moment had arrived when all five of us gathered in one place.
Ji Hyunsu sat to Seo Jaehyun's left, and I was on his right.
Lee Seol sat directly across from him. Woo Hana was in the seat right in front of me.
So what were the five of us doing together?
Eating.
It wasn't inside the school. It was the weekend, after all.
The biggest credit for making this gathering happen went to Seo Jaehyun, without a doubt.
He'd whined all day long. Because Woo Hana, Lee Seol's friend, had said she wouldn't join the meal if I didn't come.
If I skipped out, she looked ready to shove her nose into her plate.
So there we were, around lunchtime, digging into some cheese dakgalbi.
A slightly awkward vibe hung in the air.
But Seo Jaehyun was incredibly sociable, and Ji Hyunsu, Lee Seol, and Woo Hana all knew how to soften the atmosphere.
There were a few moments of silence here and there, but even those grew rarer as time passed.
"After we finish eating, wanna hit up karaoke?"
"Sure. Feels like it's been forever."
Lee Seol's calm response brought an undisguisable joy to Seo Jaehyun's face. His lips twitched upward, and he tried desperately to hold them down.
...What a simple guy.
Everyone here—except Seo Jaehyun himself—was probably thinking the exact same thing right now.
In the midst of that casual chatter,
Seo Jaehyun suddenly turned to me and asked,
"You'll come too if the others go, right?"
His eyes shot me a pleading look that screamed, Please say yes.
But I'd already made up my mind.
Woo Hana had insisted I had to come, but once we were seated, she hadn't exchanged many words with me.
She'd probably just used it as an excuse to get out of it herself.
Either way, the reason I'd shown up here was already accomplished.
"I've gotta go."
"Oh, you're coming?"
"No, home."
"Ehhh? Home?"
Seo Jaehyun's face crumpled like the sky had fallen.
"This is our first time hanging out together, and you're really bailing like this?"
There was no forced disappointment in his voice—just genuine regret from the heart.
I'd thought he was worried I'd scare off Lee Seol and Woo Hana if I stuck around, but no. He seemed truly bummed that he wouldn't get to hang out with me more.
I couldn't deny it broke the mood, but I really did have to go.
Of course, saying I was going home was just an excuse.
I had a weekend part-time job.
I hadn't started it for any grand reason.
Just thought it'd be smart to save a little money.
Right now, I didn't have anything I desperately wanted or any big expenses coming up... but I knew from experience that having savings made things a lot easier when trouble hit.
As someone with memories of my past life, it was preparation in advance.
That was when Woo Hana spoke up.
"You three weren't friends since middle school, huh?"
"Hyunsu and I go back to middle school, but Minwoo and I got close in high school."
Woo Hana was looking at me, but Seo Jaehyun answered for me.
But... doesn't she already know all this?
Lee Seol must know.
Hm, maybe not.
We'd gone to the same school the whole time, but I'd deliberately avoided her until now, so maybe Lee Seol didn't even know who I was...
Maybe that would be easier for me.
But with Woo Hana's personality, I had a feeling.
She was the type who knew the answer already but would take the long way around anyway, just to get the conclusion she wanted.
"To be precise, Minwoo's the one this guy's been clinging to lately."
Woo Hana's lips curved up slowly at Ji Hyunsu's words.
Her eyes narrowed with a sly glint.
"Aha... I get the vibe now."
She snuck a sidelong glance at Lee Seol.
As if she'd read the implication perfectly, Lee Seol's brow furrowed slightly.
"I told you not to."
"Got it."
Seo Jaehyun was clinging to Lee Seol, after all...
As the food was almost gone, the girls excused themselves to the bathroom.
In that gap, Seo Jaehyun asked once more.
"You're really just gonna eat and bounce?"
"Yeah. I really have to go. Got stuff to do. It's not 'cause I don't wanna hang."
"Ah... guess can't be helped then."
I stretched, loosening my stiff shoulders. My spine straightened with a faint, satisfying ache scattering away.
"Don't think the girls'll suddenly bail if I say I'm out."
Seo Jaehyun nodded in agreement. Then he immediately turned to Ji Hyunsu.
"You're not going either, right?"
"I wanna sing for the first time in ages."
"Okay."
A straightforward agreement, no frills.
...Good.
This meant I'd escaped unscathed.
After parting ways with Seo Jaehyun's group, I hopped straight on a bus.
A few stops later, I got off near the university district. Walking the familiar path, the cafe where I worked came into view through the glass door.
I pushed the door open, and a soft bell chime rang out.
"Oh? Minwoo. Why're you here so early?"
The Cafe Manager Sister, standing near the counter, widened her eyes in surprise.
I glanced down at my watch.
I was a full 30 minutes ahead of schedule.
But if I hadn't slipped away then, I might not have gotten out at all.
"Got here sooner than expected."
I said it casually, and she quickly relaxed her expression.
"Yeah? Then wanna sit over there and chill for a bit?"
"Sure, thanks."
"Coffee?"
"Nah."
"Hang on a sec then."
She was probably going to whip up some other drink.
I picked an empty table and sat down.
It'd been less than a month since I started working here.
I suddenly recalled my first day.
The moment I mentioned seeing the hiring notice, her face had lit up like a literal lightbulb.
She hesitated a bit when I said I was underage, but not for long. As long as my parents approved, it was fine.
"Here you go."
Before my thoughts could finish, she set a cup down in front of me.
Iced tea.
"Heh heh heh."
"...Why're you laughing?"
I looked up, and she was covering her mouth, trying to stifle a grin.
"Oh, nothing. Just... seeing you makes me wanna laugh."
Realizing how weird that sounded, she quickly added,
"Ah, no... Truth is, thinking about sales during your shifts makes me smile automatically. Adorable, really."
"Me?"
"You're not playing dumb, right? The 'I know nothing~' type?"
She'd spelled it out so clearly, there was no missing it.
Customers flooded in during my shifts, and sales spiked noticeably.
"Hm, did I bring up something you're not interested in?"
"No."
I lightly shook my head.
Aside from my weekend part-time shifts, I didn't really carve out dedicated time for much else.
At most, I'd fire up Nutyube and hunt down live videos of my favorite singer.
Truth was, the reason I'd come to like this band in this life was because their vibe somehow resembled the one I'd loved in my past life.
It felt like the original author had drawn inspiration from it for the setting.
In this world, all the singers and actors I knew from my past life were different.
Naturally, since this was a novel based on that past life's backdrop, the core feel was subtly similar—but unless it was some absolute classic, everything was tweaked just a bit.
Probably for copyright reasons.
So when I first heard this band's song by chance, it hit me with a wave of nostalgia.
I plugged my earphones in and set my phone nearby.
Instead, I picked up a book. More precisely, a workbook.
Midterms were coming up soon.
Time to start studying for real.
I had memories of grinding diligently for college entrance in my past life, so it didn't feel overwhelming.
Not that I was aiming for the top ranks or anything.
That said, I didn't have any crystal-clear goals either.
What did I want to do in this life?
Whenever that question popped up, my mind went foggy, like it was shrouded in mist.
Back in the early days after realizing I'd possessed this body, I'd toyed with the idea of trying acting again.
But after disrupting the original plot once, that spark had quietly fizzled out like dead embers.
'For now, just graduate high school safely.'
Without any incidents.
Let Lee Seol and Seo Jaehyun start dating around their senior year.
By then, my heart might feel a lot lighter.
Either way.
With that, I began studying in earnest at school too.
"You're such a diligent type, huh."
During break time, as I was jotting down and reviewing the last lesson's notes, Seo Jaehyun's voice cut in.
"Isn't that kinda overkill?"
"..."
"Being good at studying on top of everything else is straight-up cheating."
I knew if I ignored him, he'd just keep rambling like it was a monologue, so I gave a short reply.
"I'm not good at studying."
"For real?"
"Studying just to get the basics down."
"Whoa, even your answer's perfect. Like an idol trainee managing their image pre-debut."
He dramatically whipped his head side to side. Peering under the desk, up at the window, across the classroom ceiling, he muttered,
"No hidden cameras around here, right?"
"Hey, quit messing around."
Thankfully, Ji Hyunsu shut it down like always.
"Wanna hit the school store?"
"Minwoo, you coming?"
"Nah, I'm good."
"Just us then."
Ji Hyunsu didn't pry further, just smacked Seo Jaehyun's shoulder and stood up.
Seo Jaehyun grumbled half-dragged behind him as they left, his complaints fading away.
After second period ended.
I rose from my chair.
Suddenly starving.
'Should've gone to the store earlier.'
No helping it.
I headed out of the classroom alone.
On the way to the store, I spotted a familiar face. Not sure how it got familiar so fast, though.
Woo Hana. Her black hair fell long down to her waist.
She must've just come from the store— a drink in her hand.
...No Lee Seol.
Confirming that eased my mind.
Interacting with Woo Hana wouldn't cause much ripple.
Right as that thought crossed my mind, our eyes met.
She'd probably been watching me for a bit already.
Her head was tilted like she was pondering something, and her eyes widened.
...Ah.
I could guess what she was thinking.
The moment I spotted her, I'd instinctively scanned the surroundings. Checking if Lee Seol was there.
She must've caught that tiny glance.
Woo Hana had a real knack for that stuff.
No helping it.
'Before she twists it into something weird...'
I raised my hand first.
Maybe she hadn't expected me to greet her. Her eyes widened again, then she raised her hand too, mimicking me.
She changed direction, walked over, and hit me with a pretty ridiculous question.
"You remember me?"