- 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
Kim Yeo-joo, who seemed to know everything and could handle it, was actually a romantic failure. For us, who had to make Kim Tae-hyung and Kim Yeo-joo's relationship happen immediately, nothing could be more difficult. After trying every possible method, it didn't take long to finally conclude that "time is the answer." Ten days, just ten days. In just ten days, we had no choice but to surrender before Kim Yeo-joo and Kim Tae-hyung.
For the past ten days, she'd done absolutely everything. Not only did she act as a windbag, she deliberately created a situation where Kim Taehyung and Kim Yeoju were alone, and she even desperately tried to win Kim Yeoju's attention by spewing all sorts of TMIs about him. Despite all her heartbreaking efforts, our heroine, Kim Yeoju, remained steadfast. She consistently refused to show any romantic interest in Kim Taehyung. According to Kwon Yeonhee, Kim Yeoju had developed some feelings for him, but looking at her, there was no sign of it, which made her even more dismayed. Especially after she'd deliberated so many different methods and caused such a ridiculous mess. She wanted to just throw him away. Damn it.
So, by "accident," I wasn't referring to the kind of heinous crimes the female protagonist might experience after falling into the novel, like kidnapping or confinement. In fact, it was something closer to a dark past. Damn, just thinking about it makes my neck tingle. Anyway, the day it happened was just another peaceful day, just like any other. After lunch, we'd gather in groups of three or four in the stands at the stadium, eating snacks we'd snatched from the concession stand. To get Kim Yeo-joo and Kim Tae-hyung together as quickly as possible, I'd even run all the way to the stands, calling it a race, leaving them alone. As soon as Lee Yu-jin left, saying, "I'm going to the bathroom," the five possessed people, including me, were lost in thought as they watched a couple about to get together, chatting away, in the distance.
“Is there no way?”
"It's already been four days since this happened, how can there be no progress?"
“It’s only been four days for us, but it’s been over two weeks for them….”
“Then isn’t it more serious… If we keep doing this, we’ll end up dating for two years, really.”
"Hey, shut up. Words can be a source of trouble."
I sighed deeply at the bleak conversation. "They look so good together." Everyone nodded at my muttered words. Kim Taehyung and Kim Yeoju were a perfect pair. A handsome man and a beautiful woman. So, it would be nice if they could just stop making us feel bad and just end things. I thought to myself, watching the two people who had already approached me.
"Yeonju! This is the new gel, huh?"
"Hey, hey! Kim Yeo-ju!"
Watching Kim Yeo-ju's body sway, I jumped up, horrified. The stadium stands, built like steps, were quite steep. If Kim Yeo-ju were to tumble down, she would be seriously injured. I quickly reached out, but the distance was too great for me to catch her. As everyone else stared in awe at the unexpected accident, it was Kim Tae-hyung who grabbed Kim Yeo-ju from the brink of collapse.
'Kim Taehyung grabbed Kim Yeojoo's wrist. "Ah!" Kim Yeojoo screamed.'
At that moment, I heard Kim Yeo-ju's scream, "Kyaak-." ... Was it really this dangerous? I looked at Kwon Yeon-hee, who had a calm expression on her face, as if she knew this would happen, as a single sentence flashed through my mind. Kwon Yeon-hee, who made a mouth shape of "What," pointed her finger at Kim Tae-hyung. At her appearance, which seemed to say, "I caught him, so that's okay," I sighed and sat back down. Just as Kwon Yeon-hee had said, Kim Yeo-ju was now tightly wrapped in Kim Tae-hyung's arms.
"I didn't say anything about this scene."
“You should have read it properly. And, these scenes have to pile up and pile up to give Yeoju Kim a chance to see Taehyung Kim a little differently…”
"……."
“…Or else, dating is out of the question….”
… You’re so right, I feel like crying. Anyway, Kwon Yeon-hee shrugged her shoulders when I said, “It doesn’t have to be this dangerous,” and asked her to refrain from such scenes. “Of course,” she replied with a cold, uneasy expression. I looked at Kwon Yeon-hee with an uneasy expression. The way she pretended not to notice and just ate the jelly was somehow annoying. Even then, I had to tear my gaze away because of Kim Yeo-ju, who sat down next to me with Kim Tae-hyung’s support. “Are you hurt?” I asked, startled, but I scratched my head as I watched Kim Yeo-ju mutter that it was okay. Oh, there seems to be something more. I had an uneasy feeling, as if I had completely forgotten something. Kim Seok-jin’s long finger touched my furrowed brow.
"Why are you frowning?"
“No… I think I forgot something, but I don’t know what it is.”
Kim Seokjin tilted his head. At the question, "Is it important?" he simply furrowed his brow. "I don't know. I don't know..." It felt like he'd forgotten something he shouldn't have. The unease was unusual. Still, I couldn't spend all day struggling with something I couldn't even remember, so I brushed it off with the complacent thought, "It's nothing." That was the problem.
It was only when lunchtime was almost over that I finally got up from the stand. At the same time, a chill ran down my spine. "Huh?" Without a moment to think, a terribly alien feeling washed over me. Before I could even begin to grasp this feeling, which I hadn't felt in a long time, my body was spun around. "What? Why?" Before I could even think, my body was moving haphazardly. And then a single sentence flashed through my mind. A sentence Kwon Yeon-hee had roughly scribbled down.
'Kim Yeon-ju kissed Kim Seok-jin on the cheek.'
… Hey, this is a bit much!! Didn’t you erase it?! While everyone else looked at me with bewildered expressions at my sudden behavior, the only one who looked like they were having a blast was Kwon Yeonhee. T, t, you knew everything…! I felt like a curse would come out of my mouth at any moment, but my body, already out of my control, rushed towards Kim Seokjin regardless of my will. Kim Seokjin was also looking at me with a bewildered expression. It seemed like he also noticed that something was wrong, but it was already too late. Very late, damn it. There was no way to escape the sentence that had already been written,
Chook-,
- A manly sound was heard.
"…Fuck,"
Kim Seokjin's face flushed bright red. So did I. I felt my body begin to move normally again. Everyone else was staring blankly at me and Kim Seokjin, feeling both embarrassed and burdened, and I felt like crawling into a hole. But my priority was to punish Kwon Yeonhee, who was suppressing her laughter with a face full of amusement.
"Puhahak-,"
“…Hey, you come here!!!”
“Ugh….”
Kwon Yeon-hee's laughter triggered a stifled laugh from Jeon Jung-kook. Ah, damn it. The embarrassment doubled because the place was filled with laughter before he could even say anything. Park Jimin was laughing so hard he almost choked. He was shouting, "What the hell are you doing, you nitpicking?" in a voice brimming with laughter. I wanted to shove something in his mouth to shut him up, but chasing after Kwon Yeon-hee, the culprit behind all this, was enough to keep my body busy. It's embarrassing, damn it. My ears were burning.
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“That kind of thing happened too….”
Even though it was only six days ago, Park Jimin's words made him scoff, as if he was recalling something from long ago. Despite his cold reaction, he grinned, and when Park Jimin threatened to tease him until he was breathless, he finally had to throw a cushion at him. "Enough," he warned, his voice thick with irritation. But Park Jimin wasn't the type to take such words. Damn it.
Even just thinking about it still makes me feel so embarrassed that my cheeks feel like they're burning hot. But honestly, I had hoped that this might spark Kim Yeo-ju's interest in "love." Why, they say other people's love lives are the most fun, and that simply watching someone else fall in love can often revitalize your romantic cells. So, I was hopeful. Did Kim Yeo-ju ever think about "love" at least once? Well, of course, it was a bit funny to think that way just because I kissed her once...
“…Is there anything you can write about?”
"No? Not at all?"
It was absurd. Kwon Yeon-hee, wrestling with her notebook, spat out a reply brimming with irritation. I buried my head back in the cushion I'd hurriedly collected. The single sentence, "Kim Yeo-ju likes Kim Tae-hyung," that kept fading away every time I wrote, was so annoying. Kwon Yeon-hee, overcome with anger, threw the notebook down and groaned. "Well, if that sentence had been something that could be rewritten a hundred times to create feelings, Kim Tae-hyung and Kim Yeo-ju would have been dating long ago. After all, it was a sentence I'd kept writing until the notebook was tattered."
"Oh, do something!!"
Even as Kwon Yeon-hee, with a look of exasperation on her face, lashed out, the reaction of those in the living room remained lukewarm. It had been ten days. Ten days, indeed. Ten days in our time, but in Kim Yeo-ju's time, it had been nearly a month and two weeks. It was the season to shed summer clothes, put on spring and fall clothes, and soon to be wearing padded jackets, yet still! Kim Yeo-ju was the very definition of impenetrable.
"I can't do it, I won't do it. Kim Yeo-ju is just not natural."
"If he's not natural, then what is he?"
"It's an iron wall, an iron wall. An iron wall made of orichalcum."
"under……."
The fact that Kim Taehyung's overflowing, almost overflowing, affection was directed entirely at Kim Yeojoo was so obvious that even a passing cat would click its tongue and say, "She's so darn cute." Yet, Kim Yeojoo didn't know. The person who needed to know most didn't. The person who mattered most didn't know. That was the problem.
Normally, in cases like this, even if a friend next to you hinted at something like, "Hey, so you like her too~," you'd think, "Oh, really?" But Kim Yeo-ju shattered all those rules. Something that only someone with an iron wall as strong as orichalcum could achieve, Kim Yeo-ju, with her iron wall of orichalcum, accomplished. It was because she assumed that the affection visible to others wasn't hers. From the beginning, she assumed that any feelings that could exist between Kim Tae-hyung and Kim Yeo-ju were merely affection flowing from friendship, and she didn't even think about going beyond that. Because of this, we were the ones who were getting upset. "Kim Yeo-ju likes Kim Tae-hyung." The reaction to all the words she'd said to make him realize that truth was-
"How about Kim Taehyung, Yeoju?"
"Taehyung? He's a good friend, right?"
Not only do we draw the line between friends,
"Have you ever thought that Kim Taehyung was cool when you saw him?"
"Huh? Taehyung is cool, isn't he-"
"Right, isn't it cool?"
"Huh! Hey, do you like Taehyung by any chance?!"
"…it's crazy?"
While I was dating Kim Seokjin, experiencing such a misunderstanding sapped all my motivation. I couldn't do this. Make Kim Yeo-ju realize her feelings. Even if the reward for completing this quest was an immediate return to the real world, I was going to find another way. Because I knew I'd never be able to wake up. I collapsed on the sofa and sighed deeply. I couldn't even tell whether I should weep for Kim Tae-hyung's innocence, now crushed by Kim Yeo-ju's iron wall, or for myself, who would have to endure another hellish year of high school.
Kim Seok-jin, who had been clattering in the kitchen, emerged with a tray. He handed me one of the steaming mugs and then carelessly placed the rest on the table. A sweet scent wafted through the air. The hot chocolate with marshmallows floating in it made my crumpled expression soften. I took a sip, slurping it down. The sweetness filled my mouth.
"If they're going to be together anyway, then there's no need for us to step forward and do anything, right?"
Drawn by the sweet scent, they swarmed the table like a zombie horde, their eyes fixed on Kim Seokjin. Most of them looked as if they were wondering what nonsense he was talking about, and Kim Seokjin flinched. I felt the same way. The question, "Do you really want to experience a second year of high school?" rang out in my throat.
"But that doesn't mean I can't do anything."
Jeon Jungkook, who quickly regained his composure, spoke. As he said, our reality isn't here. To return to reality even a day sooner, we need to connect Kim Taehyung and Kim Yeoju even a day sooner. Only then can we determine whether the novel's conclusion is the only way to return to reality. If he's still here after the novel ends, we'll need to find another way. Kim Seokjin rubbed the back of his neck, his expression embarrassed at Jeon Jungkook's words.
“Of course, I’m not saying we should just wait… I’m thinking there might be a way to transcend time.”
"…uh?"
"Why, just like during our summer vacation."
If anyone had heard, they'd have thought, "What nonsense is this?" But no one present could fail to understand Kim Seokjin's words. A long silence flowed. Everyone, having completed their various calculations in their heads, looked into each other's eyes.
This is it, I found the answer.
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To cut to the chase, it was a half-success. According to Kwon Yeon-hee, the original date Kim Tae-hyung and Kim Yeo-joo were supposed to be on was our high school graduation day. So, naturally, our goal was to time-jump to high school graduation day. But, as expected, it was impossible to jump two and a half years with just the phrase, "And so, graduation day arrived." The best approach was to maintain some degree of plausibility, but to quickly skip as much time as possible. And so, for the first time, we skipped three months.
"Yeonju!! Did you see the class assignments?! We're in the same class again!! And Eugene!!"
"Hey, did you see Yeonhee?"
“Oh, Yeonhee is in a different class….”
“This is fatal…!”
I don't want to get involved in any more troublesome matters. This was the thought that Kwon Yeon-hee and I had in common throughout the novel's development. So, since we're already skipping the plot, why don't we just put Kim Yeo-joo and the male protagonists in the same class and put us in a different one? I gently teased Kwon Yeon-hee, but she cruelly included me!! Thanks to Kwon Yeon-hee, who committed the atrocity of putting Kim Yeo-joo and the male protagonists in Class 1, Year 2, while I was left alone in Class 7, Year 2, I had to endure another hectic year. Well, it was called a year, but in reality, we only spent a few days as second-year students at Eunhabyeol High School. I didn't like how time flew by in the novel, so I only properly spent the days when major events occurred.
“English was so hard this time, wasn’t it….”
“…I really won’t leave Kwon Yeon-hee alone.”
This is also why I had to roll my pencil through half the exam questions because I had to skip ahead to the midterm exam the day after class assignment. Kwon Yeon-hee, this is 100% intentional. Of course, even if it were normal, I wouldn't have studied so hard, but what kind of personality is it that makes me time-warp to the day of the midterm exam? It's also Kwon Yeon-hee's fault that I got countless spanks from my mom for coming home from school with my exams in the rain. Damn it!
Summer vacation passed quietly. Just as the previous summer vacation vanished in the blink of an eye, this time, the opening ceremony was no different, the day after the closing ceremony. In any case, our goal was to finish quickly, so even though it was the second semester of our second year, things didn't change much. The semester ended in just a few days. Aside from the retreat and the second Kim Yeo-joo kidnapping incident (Kwon Yeon-hee insisted it had to be included to raise Kim Yeo-joo's favorability rating for Kim Tae-hyung), the rest of the days were days we hadn't personally experienced. It had only been three weeks. After about 20 days, we became third-year students.
“You know, I… I think Taehyung likes me…!”
At this point, I think it's no wonder Kwon Yeon-hee and I, hearing these words a year early, were choking back tears and clutching our noses. It was a long, drawn-out fight.
Just because Kim Yeo-ju started liking Kim Tae-hyung didn't mean my extra life would end immediately. The novel concluded with the two starting a relationship, so even after hearing Kim Yeo-ju's bombshell announcement that she liked Kim Tae-hyung, I remained as—well, Kim Yeon-ju. I was worried about how long it would take for them to date, but I worried it would soon fade away. Somehow, after hearing Kim Yeo-ju's words, Kwon Yeon-hee's face was completely devoid of worry. But now, I completely understood Kwon Yeon-hee's words about a quick resolution.
If Kim Yeo-ju, the heroine of this novel, had been the kind of heroine who would shove a hundred sweet potatoes down her throat and hesitate about giving her a single drop of soda, we would probably have had to endure the hardships of our third year of high school, preparing for college entrance exams. However, from the moment our heroine Kim Yeo-ju truly realized her feelings, she acted like a sports car with broken brakes. She recklessly pushed ahead, as if she believed that only straight ahead was the answer. Just three days after Kim Yeo-ju confessed her feelings to us, the two began dating. And under Kim Yeo-ju's leadership. It was a confession of "Tae-hyung wants to date you!" Without any atmosphere or anything, just her own emotions, but it was more than enough to make Kim Tae-hyung's face flush bright red. Even the confession itself was so quintessentially Kim Yeo-ju.
So, we have reached the end of this novel.
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“…I hope you’re doing well. You won’t get caught up in something strange and ruin your date again, right…?”
"Please calm down. Stop biting your nails. Are you Kim Yeo-ju's mother?"
"What are you talking about, your legs? I thought there was an earthquake."
The end was just waiting. Five people gathered in a corner of a cafe we frequented, chatting about trivial things, but also worrying a few times, "Is Yeoju having a good date?" Waiting.
"What should I do when I get back? I heard that Superman 4 was coming out, but it's probably already out…?"
“I have to… binge-watch the drama…”
“I want to drink beer….”
Everyone gulped at Park Jimin's words as he slumped down on the table. He'd been possessed as a high school student, and since then, he'd been on a forced abstinence from alcohol. Ah, life. Thinking back on all he'd been through, it was a wonder he'd endured it all without a drop of alcohol, yet he'd also been desperate for a sip of beer.
"It would be nice to go out and get together for a drink."
"Good-, the tea leaves are really overflowing."
"How many things have happened here alone?"
"Shouldn't Kwon Yeon-hee kick the blanket every time we have a drinking party? Honestly, this world itself is a collection of Kwon Yeon-hee's dark pasts."
"Hey!!"
"Ah~ Right, right~, this is the author~!"
"Oh, I hate you!!"
“There’s no need for everyone to gather like this. If only Kim Yeo-ju and I could gather together…, …ah….”
Silence. No one dared speak easily. Ah, right. Yeoju, there isn't one… It wasn't a surprising fact, but it felt strange to say it out loud. There's no Kim Yeoju in our reality. And neither does Lee Yujin. Kim Seokjin, seeing my expression darken, gently grabbed my hand.
"No, Kim Yeo-ju would say, 'It's all in the past, so it's okay~'. Yeon-ju, you're the only one who teases Kwon Yeon-hee to death."
"Isn't that so?" Kim Seokjin said in a playful voice. He tightened his grip on her tightly. As if to say, "There's nothing to worry about, it's okay because he's here." The already sullen atmosphere rose again with Jeon Jungkook's laughter. Park Jimin, who is more genuine than anyone when teasing Kwon Yeonhee, started teasing her, causing her to throw a fit. I burst out laughing, too. It wasn't a forced laugh at all. I gently rested my head on Kim Seokjin's shoulder. Now, I sat upright, watching them playfully. Kim Yeoju wouldn't exist in our reality. But I thought, "It'll be okay." After all, Kim Yeoju would be perfectly happy here, too. Kim Seokjin's soft voice lingered in my ear.
"are you okay."
"……."
"I will always be by your side."
That was enough.
Even as we moved to a later dinner location, Park Jimin stubbornly refused to let Kim Yeo-joo and Lee Yu-jin join me. I finally picked up my phone. Kim Yeo-joo, delighted by my suggestion to have dinner with her, promised to be right back. Less than five minutes later, Lee Yu-jin, in his tracksuit and slippers, arrived. We headed to a nearby barbecue restaurant.
"Auntie!! Here, let's have 10 servings of pork belly and some soju, ugh."
"Cider! Cider! With cola!"
I burst out laughing at Park Jimin, who tried to confidently order soju in his school uniform, only to have his mouth gagged by Kwon Yeon-hee. They say habits are scary, and while in reality, we're legally old enough to drink without hesitation, here, we're just high school students. We diligently grilled the meat, trying to ignore the owner's gaze, which seemed to treat us like juvenile delinquents. We occasionally had to gag Park Jimin when he craved soju, though. The lively atmosphere was lively enough even without alcohol.
It was even worse after Kim Taehyung and Kim Yeojoo, who arrived late, started teasing each other, asking if their date was good. Kim Taehyung's face flushed bright red like a burning sweet potato, and Kim Yeojoo's bashful grin, were so reminiscent of a couple. Park Jimin's mouth, asking if they kissed on their first date, was once again silenced by Kwon Yeonhee. He used to call us sloppy, but this time he was taking it a step further. It was the same when all eight of them were gathered together. Everyone was excited, everyone chatting loudly. The fact that this might be the last time was buried deep within the five of them.
It was the same when we all walked together through the dark streets, clutching our full bellies. The way they naturally said they didn't want to go to school was typical of high school students. Unlike usual, I walked quietly behind them, saying nothing. It was a bit awkward. Park Jimin, Kwon Yeonhee, Lee Yoojin, Jeon Jungkook, and Kim Seokjin bustled ahead, while Kim Taehyung and Kim Yeoju quietly followed behind. Their hand-holding looked delightful. They truly matched. Kim Yeoju tugged on Kim Taehyung's arm. Kim Taehyung naturally leaned in, whispering something to her. Kim Taehyung chuckled softly and let go of Kim Yeoju's hand. Kim Yeoju seemed to hesitate for a moment, then slowed down. She smiled brightly at me, saying, "Yeonju!" The way they linked arms so naturally was charming.
"What are you thinking?"
"Do you feel like you don't want to go to school tomorrow?"
"Now that I think about it, it's a school uniform!"
"Oh, yeah. I guess so. ... The smell of meat won't go away until tomorrow, right?"
At my words, Kim Yeo-ju burst into laughter. She then chattered away, as usual, about this and that. Among them was a story about her date with Kim Tae-hyung. Unlike earlier, when she'd acted calmly despite Park Jimin's mischievous antics, her ears were slightly red. She smiled cutely and agreed with Kim Yeo-ju. "Is that so?" she asked. Kim Yeo-ju nodded and continued talking. It was just like usual.
"Lady,"
"huh?"
"Are you happy?"
That's why I was even more impulsive. Kim Yeo-ju's eyes widened. And then, just for a moment, she crinkled the corners of her eyes and smiled. Just seeing that made me feel like I had heard the answer, and I felt relieved. "Yes," Kim Yeo-ju said. "I'm happy. That's enough. Kim Yeo-ju will be happy here." This time, it wasn't a guess, but a conviction. I raised the corners of my mouth. This time, it wasn't a forced smile.
When I opened my eyes the next day, I saw an unfamiliar ceiling.
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