- The author wrote it while he was a little out of his mind.
- Even the author doesn't know what he's writing.
- The author doesn't even know why he wrote it.
- It's a bunch of clichés.
- Please read it lightly... It's a mess of a piece of writing with little to no plausibility...
- I intentionally left the part where the heroine's original name appears blank. Readers can just insert their own names and read on...
-TRIGGER WARNING! This story is based on an internet novel popular in the early 2010s, so it may contain scenes reminiscent of school violence.
How to Survive as an Extra
: One day, I became an extra in a novel.
W. Gpeum
After conveying to Kim Yeo-ju that we had likely been the victims of a horrific kidnapping, it was easy to explain the current situation. First of all, I thought the fact that Kim Yeo-ju was the female protagonist of this novel had the greatest impact. It made sense, after all, she was the one responsible for the "Kim Yeo-ju kidnapping incident," which had previously caused quite a stir at Eunhabyeol High School. As Kim Yeo-ju had already been kidnapped once (a very sad incident, to be sure), she was quick to grasp the situation.
"So Yeonju, you don't know where this place is either? Based on the conversation earlier, it seems like there's no one guarding this place."
“Huh? Yeah… it could be a trap, right?”
"Um, no. From what I've heard from you, Yeonju, those people seem quite relieved that they kidnapped just an ordinary high school girl. Actually, it happened last time too. The surveillance was so lax that I managed to escape on my own. Of course, Taehyung helped me along the way, but…"
“…When? When you were kidnapped?”
"Yeah! Anyway, judging by that, it seems like surveillance can be avoided if you just dodge well. Judging by the fact that you're thinking of bringing Yeonhee, it doesn't seem like you're too far from the neighborhood. It doesn't seem like you've moved to another area. That's fortunate, right?"
“Uh, yeah….”
The situation was grasped… too quickly, huh… Is this the heroine's sorrow? For some reason, tears were about to well up, so I kept my eyes wide open and held on. It's a good thing I'm an extra, I thought.
Anyway, I was really thankful that when Kim Yeo-ju was kidnapped, she wasn't the type of heroine who would do something stupid like, "Gyaaaaah, save me!!" If she had, all I could do would be hope and hope that the male protagonist would find her with his own strength. But our heroine, Kim Yeo-ju, was different. Just seeing how she quickly assessed the situation and plotted an escape route with her tiny brain was enough to show her extraordinary ingenuity, but this was just a drop in the bucket. In other words, the heroine's abilities were far more treacherous than I had imagined.
“…What do you want me to do?”
"Look carefully, hold this end of the knot like this, and pull it like this on the other side... and push it back into this gap, and then do this... and hold this side again and pull hard... ... and it's loose!"
My pointless actions, which had lasted for dozens of minutes, making me sweat, became even more meaningless. It was because of Kim Yeo-ju, who easily untied the knots that had been tied so tightly that they left red marks on my wrists. At her question, "Can you do it?", I shook my head in disgust. Even Mr. Bob couldn't do that. With that thought, I obediently held out my bound hands to Kim Yeo-ju. Kim Yeo-ju nodded at my plea for a favor, and in less than three minutes, she had untied all the ropes that had bound her ankles and wrists. "Then, let's go!" Kim Yeo-ju said with a smile. Seeing her smile, so bright it was hard to believe she'd been kidnapped, I couldn't help but ask the question that had been lingering in my mind.
"How do you know this? Did you learn it?"
"Huh? What?"
"This, untying the rope. Even when I heard you were kidnapped earlier, you seemed so calm…."
"Oh, it's nothing! Taehyung taught me that after I was kidnapped last time."
“…How to untie a rope?”
"Yeah! And actually…,"
Kim Yeo-ju, who had been speaking so well, blushed shyly. … Huh? The words that followed, leaving me no time to say anything, left me with no choice but to make a firm resolution.
"Unlike last time, Yeonju, because you were with me... I was able to stay really calm! It's not something you should say when you're kidnapped, but still, still, I'm glad Yeonju was with me!"
No matter what happens, Kim Yeo-ju will always be my friend. Yeah, that's right.
Of course, Kim Yeo-ju's adorable remarks weren't the only reason I fell in love with her. Kim Yeo-ju, how should I put it, could do anything. She'd untie the ropes that bound her hands and feet, rummage through containers for anything useful (though I doubted my eyes when she snatched up a rolling metal pipe), and her thoroughness in checking for people through the cracks in entrances, listening intently to every single footstep, was incredibly reassuring. ... Isn't she better than the male protagonists? And that's what I thought as I watched her from right next to me.
"Escape... might be easier than you think...?"
Kim Yeo-ju was that versatile. As expected, I wasn't just desperate to befriend her from the first day of the ice rink. And this feeling was further solidified when I saw Kim Yeo-ju beat up two guards nearby.
"Whew, Yeonju! It's okay now, you can come out!"
…What on earth is this novel genre? I desperately tried not to recall the faces of the people who came to mind, and followed Kim Yeo-ju around tensely.
With the determination to never fight with him again.
📘 📗 📕
Dodging people in an empty lot filled with dozens of old shipping containers proved more difficult than we'd anticipated. Especially for us, who were unfamiliar with the area's geography. It wasn't enough that we were nestled in an unnamed mountain, but it was already late in the morning. It didn't seem like it would be long before the sun rose, but even if we were trying to escape, it was understandable that we were agonizing over whether heading into the mountains at night was the right choice.
"The hostage has escaped!!"
"Search the area! Two schoolgirls! They can't have gone far!!"
It wasn't a long-term worry. The hostage is gone!! The large men were screaming so loudly that even we, standing at the border between the open space and the mountain, could hear them. Hearing the screams that were almost like screams that the hostage was gone, I looked at Kim Yeo-ju. Kim Yeo-ju looked at me. Our eyes met for a moment and we walked into the mountain without hesitation. No matter how much I thought about it, rolling around in the mountains seemed much better than being held hostage. After all, I was the female protagonist, so even if I was trapped in the mountains, the male leads would probably come to rescue me.
Do female protagonists actually have the ability to overcome such hardships and adversity? Well, it must be the female protagonist. I thought to myself as I panted and followed Kim Yeo-ju, who skillfully navigated the mountains. Seeing her, as if she had grown up in the mountains all her life, weaving her way through the terrain, I couldn't help but think that. Compared to her, what about me, with my pitiful body? Where Kim Yeo-ju could easily take one step, I would often catch up in two or three, panting. It was only natural that I collapsed from exhaustion.
“Yeonju… Are you okay?”
“Huh, huh…, let’s just rest a little bit…, please….”
If Kim Yeo-ju hadn't terrified me, my face flushed from sweat, and sat me down on a large rock, I swear I would have fallen behind, or even rolled down the mountain. I gasped for breath, scanning my surroundings. The fact that I'd come quite far in a short time was good news, but the fact that I could still hear the sound of people searching the mountain was bad news. I chose to hide behind the rock where I'd been perched. If they found me if I got close, we'd be screwed.
"Are you okay?" Kim Yeo-ju asked worriedly, and I nodded roughly. Resting seemed to bring me some relief. I was thirsty, and my legs were aching, but it was bearable. Kim Yeo-ju nodded at my suggestion to just catch her breath and go. I sighed, seeing her hiding behind the rock in such a pitiful state.
"Found it, you little rats-,"
Oh my, shit… I couldn't help but sigh. Every single line was so cliche-ridden, I wondered if anyone would call it a flop. I saw a large man approaching me with a gleaming gaze and an unlucky grin. I glanced at Kim Yeo-ju. Even the heroine would panic in a situation like this, and Kim Yeo-ju's face was quite pale. Oh my, right. I should make her pay for my escape, I thought, taking a few more deep breaths and pulling Kim Yeo-ju towards me. And then…
"Kaaaaaaah!! This crazy bitch!!"
I threw the dirt. It was a perfect hit. For a moment, I wondered how even a scream could be so clichéd. "Run!" Kim Yeo-ju was momentarily taken aback by my words, but then glanced at the man screaming behind her and ran without hesitation. "If I catch you, I'll kill you!" Perhaps because her screams echoed through the mountains, the number of people chasing her had doubled. "Oh, this is fucked." I thought, trying to steady my breathing, which was welling up in my chest. "What should I do, what should I do, what should I do? Should I just get caught?" My thoughts raced. No brilliant solution to the situation occurred to me. After all, I was just an extra in a novel. Rather than pinning my hopes on a miracle, I was better off weeding out the worst and working out a solution. Was I really left to hope for the male protagonists' appearances? Or, or... My mind was in turmoil. And that was the cause.
Not only did I fall with a thud, I rolled down the mountain path. The same kind of pain I felt when Kwon Yeon-hee pushed me on the mountain earlier spread through my entire body. I could even hear Kim Yeo-ju's surprised voice, "Yeon-ju!" Yes, in this situation, my damned body couldn't even muster the strength it had to run away, but it had fallen down so terribly. "Lady," I said, jumping up without even having time to check my injuries. My knees and elbows were sore, but running was my priority. However, the scene that filled my vision clearly showed that it was already too late. And it wasn't just because of the fierce-looking gangster man chasing me from behind.
“…Oh, damn it….”
I stopped limping and muttered. Kim Yeo-ju's face turned even paler. She hadn't anticipated the group of people in pitch-black suits appearing not only behind her but also in front of her. Yes, the word "surrounded" was a perfect fit.
No matter how much I rolled my eyes, there was no escape. There was a wall of people trying to grab Kim Yeo-ju, both in front and behind. Ah, damn it. I chewed on a curse quietly between my teeth. What can I do here? What can I do? I erased the worst from the worst and narrowed down the remaining options to the possible ones. There was only one thing I could do. I hid Kim Yeo-ju behind me. Hiding her wouldn't solve anything, but judging from the conversation between those two foolish men in the warehouse, Kwon Yeon-hee was after me alone, so I just had to catch her. On the condition that Kim Yeo-ju be returned. Then Kim Yeo-ju could call for help, whether from the police or the male protagonists, and save me. Yeah, that was the right thing to do, especially since my ankle was sprained. I stood, staring straight ahead, hoping it would look less embarrassing if I were dragged away by someone in a suit.
“…Huh?”
And I couldn't help but let out a frustrated groan. So, the men in black suits, who I'd assumed had clearly come up to capture me and Kim Yeo-ju, were passing us by, which wasn't what I'd expected. They even politely asked if we were hurt, leaving me with a blank expression. Kim Yeo-ju felt the same way. For a moment, we were frozen, our faces blank with questions, unable to grasp the situation, until we heard familiar voices.
"Hey, Kim Yeon-ju! Kim Yeo-ju!! Are you okay?! Are you hurt?!"
“Kim Yeon-ju must have had a rough time already. Her legs must be sore….”
Kim Yeo-ju's body suddenly buckled. Jeon Jung-kook held on tightly to Kim Yeo-ju and I, who were about to collapse together, saying, "Huh?" "Are you okay?" At that question, Kim Yeo-ju let out a "Wow-" and burst into tears. It must have been because she had let her guard down. I blinked, looking at Kim Yeo-ju, then at Jeon Jung-kook and Park Jimin, then at the men in black suits who were fighting behind them, making dull noises and screams, and at the gangsters chasing us. ... What on earth is going on? I stood there dumbfounded, and before I could even open my mouth, I was thrown into someone's arms and held. It was a cold embrace. A cold embrace that faintly smelled like wind, no matter how much I had been running around.
"…Thank goodness, you're safe…, thank goodness…,"
"…seokjin kim?"
His voice trembled so badly that I was startled and raised my hand to touch his face. It was damp. Why are you crying? I cried, struggling to face him, but his arms wrapped tightly around me wouldn't let go. In fact, the more I struggled, the tighter his embrace tightened, and I half-give up on breaking free. My sobs grew louder. I reached out and clumsily patted his back.
“Hey, hey, why are you crying….”
I tried to soothe him, but now he buried his face in my shoulder and began to sob. His shoulder was soaking wet, but it wasn't unpleasant. Instead, I was left with only the worry of how to comfort him. Park Jimin and Jeon Jungkook comforting Kim Yeo-joo, who was bursting into tears, and me, trying to comfort Kim Seok-jin, who was wailing loudly. Those unidentified men were fighting behind him, as if it were another world. What a mess. With that thought, I reached out to Kim Seok-jin again as his crying began to subside.
"Stop crying. If anyone sees me, they'll think I'm dead."
“…Where are you hurt?”
"Your leg is a little off. You fell."
Kim Seokjin's gaze dropped. Blood was seeping through a new, ugly hole in the middle of his sweatpants. I sighed as I watched his eyes tear up again at the sight of his knees, barely visible through the hole, covered in wounds. "If I sprain my ankle here, I'll really cry," I thought. With that thought, I cautiously raised my hand. I carefully wiped away the tears that had soaked my cheeks.
Kim Seokjin couldn't calm down easily. Not only did his sobs, which were almost hiccups, refuse to stop, but even as his eyes swelled, the tears flowed steadily. Even the way he held his arms around my waist, as if he might run away if I let go, was the same. Watching him... ...was quite strange. It was definitely affection. Even I, who had only been with him for a few months, knew that Kim Seokjin wasn't the kind of person to shed tears for someone he didn't care for or love. So why, even while crying like this, even after telling me he loved me, did he hide those words in fear? Suddenly, my mind cleared. Perhaps I already knew the answer. I grabbed Kim Seokjin's cheeks. His damp cheeks were crushed in my hands.
"…omg,"
"...Hippy,"
"……."
I couldn't ignore the fact that the withdrawal of my confession, the incident that completely destroyed my pride, was ultimately because Kim Seokjin was thinking of me. That's why I suddenly slammed my lips into Kim Seokjin's face as he was caught. I heard a pitiful sound, "Pfft-," and it only took 10 seconds for Kim Seokjin's sobs, which had been a mix of sobs and hiccups, to turn into hiccups. I burst out laughing as I watched his face, which was starting to turn bright red from the tips of his ears. The strength left Kim Seokjin's arms. A kiss was the best way to stop crying.
“…you, you, just now, what,”
"Yeah, I like it too-,"
Kim Seokjin's face flushed red, almost bursting at the belated reply. In the mountains, with the sounds of fighting behind him and the crisp, rustling sound of the wind rustling through the trees all around, his belated reply, delivered in a disheveled state, his knees dripping with blood, had no atmosphere or mood, but it was enough. Just saying "I like you" was enough.
“…What are you guys doing?! Did Kim Yeon-ju like Kim Seok-jin?!”
"I was wondering when you would confess."
"What, Jeon Jungkook, you knew? Why am I the only one who doesn't know?!"
"...Wow,"
I heard Park Jimin and Jeon Jungkook snickering, and Kim Yeoju softly exclaiming in admiration. "Hmm, this is the birth of a month's worth of teasing," I thought, smiling faintly at Kim Seokjin. His still flushed face was a sight to behold. It was a fitting response to the casual confession. That bright red face, that is.
📘 📗 📕
As is typical of the novel's clichés, she faithfully fulfilled her role as the male protagonist's rescuer. Well, actually, it was a bit of a different situation than a cliché. The difference was that the person who saved Kim Yeo-ju and me wasn't the male protagonists. So—
"Miss, subduing is complete."
"great job."
The fact that the person who saved us was none other than Kwon Yeon-hee. She was said to be the daughter of a wealthy family, and it seemed quite natural for her to be called "young lady." Still holding a hand of a blushing Kim Seok-jin, I watched Kwon Yeon-hee faithfully fulfill her role as the "only daughter of a wealthy family."
"Hey, Miss Yeonhee! I'll tell you everything! This is all for you, Miss…!"
"Is this for me?"
"Yes, yes, of course-,"
"this?"
… No matter how much I looked at her, she wasn't the Kwon Yeon-hee I remembered. Whether her outward appearance or her inner self. At least, the Kwon Yeon-hee I remember wasn't someone who would exude such intimidation. Well, thinking back on how many years had passed, I began to wonder if the Kwon Yeon-hee I saw now, radiating intimidation and forcing the gangsters to their knees, might be a Kwon Yeon-hee I didn't know. In any case, the important thing was...
"We don't need a dog that bites its owner."
"She's so damn cool," I thought, watching Kwon Yeon-hee speak, her jet-black hair tied back tightly. Anyway, the important thing was that the Kwon Yeon-hee in front of me and the Kwon Yeon-hee I remembered were both the same person. She's so damn cool.
The rest was a whirlwind. The kidnapping was brought to a close when the men in suits brought by Kwon Yeon-hee apprehended the gangsters. Kim Tae-hyung and Kim Yeo-ju, who had belatedly heard the news and rushed over, successfully ended their reunion with a warm embrace (surprisingly, they weren't dating yet). Unlike Kim Yeo-ju, who was only slightly shocked and had no other injuries, I had tumbled down the mountain road in a nasty manner, borrowing Kwon Yeon-hee's car and driving to her house. I received treatment from the doctor who was Kwon Yeon-hee's attending physician for everything from the scraped knees and palms I'd fallen from the mountain, to the superficial wound near my temple where I'd scraped my eyelids when removing the drapes. Furthermore, thanks to the doctor's advice that I needed plenty of rest and a phone call from Kwon Yeon-hee's father (who happened to be the chairman of K Corporation...), I was able to cancel my school trip the next day and relax.
"……."
"……."
At Kwon Yeon-hee's house.
“…Want to pack something?”
"…okay."
I meticulously applied a sheet mask to my face. Wearing the checkered pajamas Kwon Yeon-hee had lent me, we lay side by side on the bed, staring at the ceiling. An awkward air filled the room. It was the kind of awkwardness that could easily arise if someone had suddenly become someone I'd been so annoyed by to the point of wanting to kill me, but now I'm close enough to have a pajama party with them. … Would it have been less awkward if Kim Yeo-joo or Lee Yu-jin had been there? … Maybe not?
"…sorry."
My eyes widened at the sudden apology, and I looked at Kwon Yeon-hee. Kwon Yeon-hee didn't even look at me, just at the ceiling. She spoke again. "I'm sorry." At those words, I turned my head and looked at Kwon Yeon-hee. "What?" I asked, and Kwon Yeon-hee turned her head back.
“…I don’t think I’ve ever properly apologized for everything I’ve done to you.”
"What, you kicked someone in the hills, or knocked them over at the crosswalk, or threw a flower pot, or threw an eraser?"
"……."
"I'm just kidding. It's okay."
I meant it to sting, but it felt strange because Kwon Yeon-hee was genuinely stinging. Seeing Kwon Yeon-hee's tightly shut mouth, I hastily added, "I was joking." She looked at me with a dumbfounded expression. If the expression beneath her mask was so obvious, it must have been truly absurd. I felt like I'd just made the atmosphere even more awkward, and I waited for Kwon Yeon-hee to continue.
"…Yeah, all of that. I'm sorry. And about today too. Believe it or not, I didn't really try to kidnap you. It was just, it was just…"
"I know, trust me. I know you didn't tell me to do it."
"…how?"
I agonized. Should I tell Kwon Yeon-hee what I'd heard while trapped in the container? Wouldn't she be shocked by the sheer stupidity of the characters she'd created? As I pondered these thoughts, I finally opened my mouth. Everything I'd thought, including the conversation between the two suspicious men in the container after the kidnapping.
“…Anyway, that’s why I knew you didn’t tell me to do it.”
"……."
Throughout the story, Kwon Yeon-hee's expression changed countless times. She even looked embarrassed. The silence that fell after the story ended felt natural. … Did I say it for nothing? If it weren't for the laughter coming from beside me, I would have thought it was pointless a hundred times over.
Kwon Yeon-hee laughed for a long time. As I blankly listened to her laughter, I found myself giggling. I kept laughing. I spent about ten minutes just laughing. Kwon Yeon-hee sat up from her bed. He took off his mask pack and wiped away the tears that had gathered at the corners of his eyes from laughing. I also took off the pack I had stuck on my face. I threw the clumped pack on what looked like a trash can. I heard a thud, as if I missed. Kwon Yeon-hee looked at me with a dumbfounded expression. But I didn't get up, though.
Just as you can't erase a ballpoint pen scribble, you can't undo what's already happened. Even if you dismissed it, just as an eraser leaves a mark, it would inevitably leave a mark. But that didn't mean you had to live with the scribbles for the rest of your life. Perhaps the picture drawn on top of them could be far more beautiful. We couldn't roll around casually like real high school students, but we talked quite a bit. Things like this novel, and the stories of the four male protagonists in the original world that Kwon Yeon-hee knew.
"In reality... wouldn't it be possible to return to normal once the novel is finished? Perhaps."
"Well, you don't know until you try. ...But has this novel been completed yet?"
"……."
"Well, it doesn't matter since you're the writer anyway."
"What have you been doing in reality?"
"Me? I just went to college, prepared for a job, and... I lived like everyone else."
"That's unexpected. I thought you'd do something... something different."
"For example?"
“…Or the boss of the organization?”
“…Is that a compliment?”
I pulled on Kwon Yeon-hee's hair, who just giggled without answering. "Ah!" Kwon Yeon-hee, fumbling with her hands, grabbed my hair and yanked it. My head snapped back. Our heads were close together.
"How have you been?"
“…I, well….”
"……."
"It seems like I was living an ordinary life, or maybe I was wandering around."
"……."
"I don't know."
I released the hand that had been holding Kwon Yeon-hee's hair. The hair, which had been constantly being pulled, fell limply to the floor. I said nothing. Kwon Yeon-hee felt the same. Silence filled the room, but unlike earlier, it wasn't awkward or uncomfortable. We enjoyed the silence for a while, each lost in our own thoughts.
"I guess you want to stay here."
“…Yeah, maybe?”
"Well, it's not bad. For one thing, I'm the daughter of a wealthy family here, and school is quite interesting, and I don't have any friends, but for one thing, there are a lot of handsome guys who are crazy about you…."
"hey."
"Just kidding. Anyway, I don't think it's a bad choice. It's your life, after all. Do whatever you want."
“…Will you remain in the novel too?”
"No? I'm going back. If possible, please finish it quickly. I don't want to spend 100 days in a novel."
"……."
Kwon Yeon-hee swung the pillow. Her eyes widened, she didn't forget to scream, "I'm dying of disgust." Suddenly, I was hit by the pillow and clutched my nose. "Wow, that really hurts." Kwon Yeon-hee burst out laughing at the sight of me grimacing and clutching my nose. I grabbed the pillow with one hand and swung it. With a dull thud, Kwon Yeon-hee fell to the side. We played like children on the soft bed for a long time before finally falling asleep late in the morning.
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