The relationship between the lead and supporting roles
He snapped at the female protagonist. She approached them, wary of their reactions, but soon felt a sense of relief when Yeon-i took her hand.
"Hey, let's sit with me next class!"
"uh..?"
"Yeon-ah, you decided to sit with us."
"I decided to sit with you guys. So, let's sit together, Yeoju-"
Aside from Yeon-i, they were once again looking at Yeo-ju with disapproval. Perhaps their desire to sit with Yeon-i alone was not in line with their expectations, so they glared at Yeo-ju. Despite their unwelcome gazes, Yeon-i followed them, entering the palace and entering a place marked "Seminar Room."
"You sit here. I'll sit next to the heroine!"
"..just do whatever you want."
"Yeon-ah, we'll sit right behind you."
I envied Jooyeon. How could she possibly receive all their love and attention? It was something I could never do. Just as I was sitting next to Yeon-i, the front door opened and someone walked in. The man had a long, bushy white beard and a very slow gait.
"Who is that person..?"
"It's Professor Corny! He's the one who teaches us the history of the Kingdom of Puava, and his voice is just like a lullaby..."
"Excuse me, Yeon-ah. I have a question. What do I learn here..?"
"Huh? You must have heard the full explanation when you entered the palace. Didn't the captain tell you?"
Professor Corny, the Kingdom of Poivaar, Captain. For the time being, Yeon-i was just spouting off things she didn't understand. It was only natural that Yeo-ju, who hadn't heard anything, wouldn't understand the meaning of those words. Yeon-i chuckled faintly at Yeo-ju, who tilted her head and only asked questions.
"You weren't paying attention. I'll explain it again, so listen carefully this time-"
"huh!"
"The name of this palace is Puabar. So everyone in the palace calls this place the Kingdom of Puabar."
"Puabar..?"
"Yeah. In this palace, you learn various classes. The most important one right now is Puabar's history class. Other mandatory classes are political science and economics. The rest are optional! For example, music or art...?"
These weren't the kinds of classes you'd expect to learn in a regular high school. Whereas my old school taught Korean, English, math, and science, the classes here felt more profound and complex.
"Political science, economics...? Why are you learning that?"
"That's right, to become the ruler of this kingdom of Puava. To learn the politics and economics that are essential to leading a kingdom."
"So, all the students here are taking classes to become rulers?"
"Yes! Until 35 years ago, there was a king and queen who ruled this kingdom, but they both passed away, and since then, no one has ruled this kingdom."
"Why...? There are so many students here?"
"To become ruler, you must pass the final exam held in this palace. But it seems that no one has passed that exam in the past 35 years."
Everything that happened in this palace was starting to make sense. As I was chatting with Yeon-i, the class seemed to be over, and Professor Corny closed his book and began wrapping up the lesson.
"Ugh, I'm sorry... You couldn't attend class because of me..."
"It's okay. You've only been here for a short time, so there's probably a lot you don't know - if you have any more questions, feel free to ask!"
"Yeah! Thank you.."
"Yeon-ah, let's go eat. Your favorite corn spaghetti is coming out for dinner tonight."
"Really?!?! Let's go quickly!!!"
"Is it that delicious, Yeon-ah?"
Seokjin smiled faintly at Yeon-i, who was beaming brightly, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. While Yeo-ju was gathering the books on her desk, they were already leaving the seminar room. Yeon-i's kindness made him think something was off, but reality was right. Today was the first time they'd met me, and in Yeon-i's mind, I was just another classmate.
"Oh, right, there's no one to eat with Yeoju..."
"You'll figure it out. If you go late, there won't be any food."
"still.."
"You're too kind, it's a problem. When will you ever take care of yourself like that?"
Soon, Taehyung gently stroked Yeon-i's head, and they left Yeo-ju in the seminar room, pushing her on her back as they headed toward the restaurant. Yeo-ju, who was gathering her books, wasn't particularly hungry, and decided to explore the palace grounds, figuring she needed to understand its layout to survive.
"Wow... it's really big-"
Soaring ceilings, a magnificent chandelier hanging from them. Long corridors, countless rooms. Where in all this would I stay? As I continued down the long hallway, I came across a large picture frame depicting a woman hanging on the wall opposite. It was too large to capture in one glance. The heroine examined the frame from side to side, fixating on the woman within.
Deep, almost immersive eyes, her elegance palpable even in the painting. For some unknown reason, the heroine stared at the painting, transfixed. As she gazed into the woman's eyes within the frame, oblivious to the passage of time, someone beside her spoke, seemingly unfamiliar with the context.
"Your Majesty. The last ruler of the Kingdom of Puavar, 35 years ago."
"Eww!!!"
“Why are you so surprised? You were standing there all along.”
His sudden appearance startled the female protagonist, who collapsed on the floor in shock. She tried to calm herself down, but he reached out to her, asking why she was so surprised. It was the first time he, one of the main character's group, had shown her such kindness. It was a natural act to help someone up after they'd fallen, but why did he feel so grateful? She quickly grabbed his outstretched hand, stood up again, and he spoke again.
"I heard from Yeon-i that it hasn't been long since you entered the palace."
"Yeah... There's still a lot I don't know. About this palace, the Kingdom of Puava."
"Even if it's hard, live tenaciously. At least come into this palace."
"uh..?"
"My name is Jung Ho-seok."
Live tenaciously.These words resonated deeply with her. Before coming to this world, her life had been so difficult and arduous that she almost gave up. These words seemed to have been a great comfort to her. Something within her heart burned, and a corner of her mind ached and ached. Finally, she collapsed, hung her head, and burst into tears. Ho-seok couldn't help but be taken aback.
"Sigh... sigh... sorry Hoseok..."
"Hey, are you okay.."
"Hey lady!!!"
Perhaps surprised by the sight of Yeoju crying, Yeon-i ran towards her from afar. Jungkook and Namjoon, who were with her, followed her. In an instant, Yeoju was surrounded by them, and it was Yeon-i who was worried about her.
"Hey, Jung Ho-seok. What did you say to Yeo-ju?"
“Yeon-ah, it’s not Hoseok’s fault… Rather, I’m grateful…”
"I'll take you to your room first. You should get some rest."
Yeon-i was the one who helped Yeo-ju up and helped her up. Nam-joon, Jung-kook, and Hoseok stayed there, promising to wait until Yeo-ju was returned. With Yeon-i's help, we walked forward, and before we knew it, we arrived at a room with a sign with my name on it.
"There are no more classes today, so go inside and get some rest."
"Thank you, Yuna..."
"See you tomorrow then! Sweet dreams-"
"Ah! Yeon-ah, could you please tell Hoseok that I'm thankful?"
"I can tell you... but why, what's going on?"
"You comforted me. Just now there..."
Yeon-i stared intently at Yeo-ju's face for a moment. Then, smiling brightly, she promised to tell Ho-seok, then closed the door and returned to where she had been before. Yeo-ju was truly grateful to Yeon-i. She felt fortunate to have such a kind child on her side. Just as Ho-seok had said, she must live tenaciously. My ultimate goal here is not to become the ruler of this kingdom, but to find my own happiness. She believed that if she worked hard, happiness would eventually find her.
"Ugh… I’m tired…”
Today was a very eventful day. I placed the heavy book I'd been carrying all day on the desk, then threw myself onto the bed, burying my face under the covers. She must have been so tired that she fell asleep the moment she lay down. At that moment, the cover of the book on the desk flipped open, revealing the first page of an empty shelf.
<Yeon-i made some precious friends. Seokjin, Yoongi, Hoseok, Namjoon, Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook. They weren't welcoming, but Yeon-i was thrilled to have a new friend.
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