The relationship between the lead and supporting roles
Let's consider the word "unhappiness" for a moment. The dictionary definition of "unhappiness" is "unhappiness, or such a fate." So, is the heroine standing on the bridge, ready to make an extreme choice, truly unhappy? Her worn-out T-shirt, the bruises all over her body, the pungent blood seeping slowly from her split lip, her eyes seemingly unfocused? Perhaps "unhappiness" is a fitting description for her current situation.
Her parents divorced, and she lived alone with her father. His indiscriminate violence escalated, and he even gambled. Paying off his mountain of debt was always Yeoju's responsibility. All her father did was sell the house, and he'd taken on the debt from his previous employment. Yeoju's life felt bleak. It was bleak. It felt bleak.
“Now… I don’t need any of it…”
I took a step on the precarious bridge. Looking down, I saw the seemingly endless river. The water was a dull black, as if reflecting the heroine's life. The tears that had been flowing endlessly were now no longer flowing. I felt it was time to end it. Perhaps that world would be much better than this one. Slowly, I took the remaining steps.
"Miss, look at me for a moment."
"...?"
The moment I tried to lift both feet, someone grabbed my wrist from below. A white-haired old woman, clutching a thick book, looked up at me. She was the grandmother, who smiled brightly.
"Miss. This is a book I wrote. Would you please read it?"
"yes..?"
"You look very tired now, young lady. You will be happy while you open this book, I promise."
Perhaps it was some small consolation, and the heroine looked at the thick book she was holding in her hands. The thick, hard cover was adorned with a beautiful palace and a unique floral design. Its color was a slightly dull red. Turning the cover, the first thing she saw was the words "THE QUEEN." The old woman who had handed me the book had already left.
The promise that this book would make me happy, even though it was from someone I'd just met, was so reassuring. And, though it was nothing special, it was comforting. For a moment, I'd forgotten what "happiness" was. I wondered what it was like, and what changes it would bring about in me.
"Happiness…is…"
She stepped down from the bridge she had been standing on and sat down. She must have been very scared, but now that her feet were on the ground, she seemed relieved. As her legs gave out and she sank to the floor, the tears that had stopped flowing began to flow again. At that moment, a bright light began to emanate from the book she was holding, illuminating the heroine.
"Uh...uh...?!"
The light was so intense that the heroine lost consciousness, and the old man who had disappeared earlier reappeared before her. He slowly approached her and gently stroked her head as she fell.
"Don't forget that you are precious to me."
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"Oh my... Oh my...!!!"
"..?"
The warm sunlight filtering through the lush trees, along with someone shaking me and shouting urgently, jolted me out of my deep slumber. Where am I? When I opened my eyes, all I saw was a dense forest and this girl staring up at me with a blank expression...
"who are you..?"
"Hey, it's me, Yeon-ju. Don't you recognize me?"
"..?"
Jooyeon...? It was a name I'd never heard before. But this girl, Yeon, seemed to know Yeoju as if she knew her. She called Yeoju by her name affectionately, as if we were long-time friends. How did this girl know my name? Why was I lying in a place like this? Yeoju was filled with questions about everything.
"You've been looking for a long time, Juyeon. Let's go now."
"Yeah! Jungkook. Yeoju, don't get lost and fall again!"
"Yeon-ah, be careful. You might fall."
"What the- Kim Taehyung- Am I a kid? Falling over?"
Two men appeared and left, taking Yeon with them. They appeared to be bodyguards, protecting a woman. Yeon was a very bright child. Even though they had only met briefly, a smile was always plastered on her face. How could she smile like that? As Yeo-ju stared blankly at their departure, someone tapped her shoulder.
"What are you doing? Class is almost over."
"yes?"
“…If you’re late, the professor will scold you.”
"Wait, class? And who's the professor?"
He tried to continue on his way, seemingly annoyed and without much thought, but the woman grabbed his wrist, causing him to stop. He looked slightly flustered at the woman who was looking at him with a look of utter confusion.
"What grade are you in?"
"19 years old... I'm a senior in high school!"
"If you're 19, you're in the same class as us, but what about the third year of high school?"
"I'm a senior in high school! I'm 19, so I'm a senior in high school."
"High school... I don't know about that, but class is almost over, so I'll go first."
He was brimming with questions, so I tried to stop him as he hurried away, but he was already far behind. Professor... Class... What does this all mean? To quickly grasp the situation, I started to follow the crowd, but something fell from Yeoju's arms to the floor with a thud.
"THE QUEEN..?"
Yes, this book. I don't remember what happened after I opened it. All I remember is that white-haired old man and his warm, familiar hand. That's all. When I came to, I was collapsed in this forest, and I met Yeon-i. I opened it again, wondering if there might be a solution to this situation.
"You've been looking for a long time, Jooyeon. Let's go now." Jungkook grabbed Yeon-i's hand and pulled her toward him. Taehyung and Yoongi followed. When they finished class and arrived at the palace gates, Namjoon, Hoseok, Jimin, and Seokjin were all waiting for Yeon-i.
What the...? When I met Yeon earlier, the situations I witnessed and the words I heard were all written in the book. The scenery depicted in the book was also very similar to where I was standing now. So, is this... inside a book...? I turned the page to see the next story, but there was nothing written after that. No matter how many times I turned the page, the words wouldn't appear, so I closed the book again and thought. First, let's go. I'll know everything when I go. Why did that white-haired old man give me this book, and did I really enter the book?
Holding the book back in my arms, I followed the crowd. After a long walk, I had already emerged from the dense forest. What I could see before me was a grand, splendid palace. From that point on, everyone went their separate ways. Was I really going to have to figure things out on my own? Where should I start? As I stood before the palace gate, helpless, unable to do anything, someone called Yeoju's name from afar.
"Hey, what are you doing! Come here quickly-"
"starring..?"
Yeon, still smiling brightly among the seven men, called out the heroine's name. It seemed like the names she'd seen in the book earlier were those seven. The story was really unfolding according to the book's narrative. Let's just follow them. As the old man with white hair had said, she'd be happy while reading this book. It felt like she'd entered this book, so at least she'd be happy here.
"Yeon-ah, why do you care about that kind of person?"
"Yeon-ah, you should go to the professor. You know very well that being late will result in a disadvantage."
"He fell down earlier and seems to be badly injured. We need to take him. Yeoju, hurry!"
Yeoju was deeply touched by Yeon-i's kindness. A corner of her heart felt a warming sensation. As she approached Yeon-i, who called out to her with a cheerful expression, the other seven, in contrast, looked at her with cold eyes. As she approached the group, one of them spoke to her.
"If Yeon-i suffers a disadvantage because you're late, then it's your fault that you're late, so you'll be responsible for it all."
The first words he spoke to the heroine were very cold, unlike the warm Yeon-i.
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It's a new work! Enjoy it :)♡
*The male lead hasn't been decided yet! I think you have to set a celebrity to upload the work.. The male lead isn't decided to be Jungkook, we just picked anyone!
Oh my