How to Survive as an Extra

Chapter 88

Sunday evening, when Ji Seokhyeon still had not regained consciousness.

In other words, the time when Do Minyeong returned to the dormitory after leaving the lunch box in the infirmary.

Before heading to the Hall of Endurance for evening training, she sat on the sofa and called someone on her smartphone.

“Ah! Aileen?”

—Yes, Minyeong. Did you eat dinner?

“Yes, something simple.”

—You just filled your stomach carelessly again. I should have been there to take care of you……

“No! I have to train every day, so how could I eat carelessly? I only ate something simple because I snacked on various things during the day.”

The voice coming through the phone belonged to an elderly woman.

Its tone was calm and warm, so gentle that it drew even Do Minyeong—usually cold in demeanor—into speaking softly.

—Is that so. Then are you heading to training now? I worry you might be pushing yourself too hard.

“It is fine. It was my choice. I told you I would endure it through sheer grit.”

The owner of that gentle voice was the guardian who had left the country with Do Minyeong.

Her name was Aileen.

She was someone Do Minyeong had seen a few times at Kim Shinwoo’s estate when Minyeong was young, and she was the person Minyeong relied on more than anyone else.

Even if Sword Saint Kim Yuseong were still alive.

—Since you called like this, that child caused trouble again, did he not?

“N-no! It is not that, but…….”

As Do Minyeong faltered and trailed off, a pleased chuckle came from the other end.

—Did that child act cold to you again this time?

“Ji, Ji Seokhyeon……! No, it was not because of him. I was just calling to check in. I cannot come see you while I am in the 4th Scholastic District. And since you are not feeling well, I was worried…….”

—Do not worry about me. I went on a journey far more generous than I deserve. Thanks to being with you, I am still happy every single day.

“…….”

Aileen said that the life of running away and hiding from people had been more than she deserved.

Yet Do Minyeong could understand her at once.

Their life abroad had been so harsh that they had often been forced to sleep outside whenever they had the slightest opportunity, but even so, Minyeong had felt that simply being with someone as special as Aileen was a kind of fortune.

“Thank you. Back then, and now, and…… always.”

—I am relieved that you seem to be adapting well there. And above all, I want to meet that child at least once.

“Him? Why?”

—Heehee.

That pleased laugh came again.

—I have to meet him, if only because of your reaction. It will not matter if you oppose it. This is my stubbornness.

“Mm……”

—Then, Minyeong, if you can, will you call again next time? These days, I grow drowsy as soon as evening comes. The little child who moved in next door keeps wearing me out from morning onward.

“All right. I will call you again.”

The call ended.

Do Minyeong slipped the smartphone into her pocket and stood up from the sofa.

As always, it was time for evening training.

She pulled up the hood of her casual clothes and left the dormitory room.

As she walked down the corridor and waited for the elevator, she murmured soundlessly, releasing only her breath.

“Has Ji Seokhyeon woken up……? I hope he wakes up soon.”

***

Cha Yeri said,

“It is simple. From now on, you just have to date me.”

A completely unexpected sentence.

When I simply stared with a blank expression, she hurriedly continued.

“Do not misunderstand because of that face! I only mean we should create a formal relationship!”

“…….”

Formal or not, asking someone to date you was strange in itself……

And was she angry right now?

I spoke calmly.

“You know I am going to refuse, right?”

“It is fine. I will make an offer you cannot refuse.”

“No, in the first place, did you not dislike me?”

“Yes.”

“Then why?”

“Call it a business necessity. You might not know this as someone from the outskirts, but students like me who grew up in the inner city reach marriageable age the moment we graduate from the academy. So I need a suitable excuse to avoid my family’s interference.”

In short, she was saying she would sell me to her family in exchange for her own freedom.

In a way, it was audacious—exactly like Cha Yeri.

A hollow laugh escaped me.

“Why are you laughing? I am serious. I thought about it, and thought about it again before making this proposal. If you look at it from every angle, you gain more than I do.”

“What exactly do I gain? Are you trying to set my already harsh Hero Prep life on fire?”

“First of all……. I am pretty, am I not? Not just pretty. Very pretty.”

“…….”

“It might feel like Beauty and the Beast, but you are at least presentable enough that I made this decision.”

At that moment, I remembered something.

Cha Yeri had no experience dating anyone.

For a second, it felt as though I had stepped into some kind of high-teen drama.

I deliberately arranged my expression and asked,

“And?”

“My family. Even if it is business, simply being connected to Hyeonseong has a lot of benefits. Even more so for someone from a social care beneficiary background.”

Right. The moment we broke up, I would probably become a target of the Hyun Clan.

I folded my arms without replying.

As if to hide her embarrassment, Cha Yeri kept talking.

“Also, if you want, I can give you an opportunity to debut in this world. Honestly, the moment you announce you are dating me, you will debut naturally. But rumors and an official stage are completely different. It means you will formally stamp your face into the leadership of awakened society.”

“…….”

“You must have felt it plenty while living at Hero Prep as a social care beneficiary—those invisible gaps in status. If you date me, even as a formal relationship, that label of being from the outskirts will not be able to hold you back anymore. Liberation…… something like that.”

Listening to the excuses spill out so smoothly, I could tell Cha Yeri had agonized over this quite a bit.

Even if it was one-sided, of course.

“Besides that, I will generously overlook the sword you snapped two days ago. I am even willing to have a new one made for you. And if necessary, I can provide financial support too. And also…….”

The Hyun Clan sword that had broken during the fight with Yun Jeongseop.

That part was genuinely tempting.

It was not on the level of Ironflame, the best blacksmith guild, but Hyeonseong’s smiths often produced metal of comparable quality.

“I can even find you a job that will let you live comfortably for the rest of your life, even if you leave the Special Affairs Division. For dating me briefly, is that not a pretty generous benefits package? Hmph. If you count it up, I am the one losing out.”

Cha Yeri crossed her arms as if she had poured out everything she had to say, then glared at me.

She seemed irritated that I was not reacting.

I uncrossed my arms and spoke.

“Wait. You called yourself a businesswoman just now. Then should you not avoid anything that is a loss? What exactly do you gain by dating me?”

“I told you. I do not want my family interfering because of marriage. I hate having my freedom infringed more than any loss.”

“And if you brag about dating a social care beneficiary from the outskirts, and it only damages your image instead?”

“That is my burden to bear. Do not worry about it. And you are not just any social care beneficiary, are you? You are a probationary investigator in the Special Affairs Division. You do not seem to feel it yet, but considering your age and background, it is practically as shocking as a rift opening in Seoul that you became part of the Special Affairs Division.”

Cha Yeri stressed the word “shocking.”

It was the sort of thing that revealed an instinctive sense of superiority.

“Then you also know that Special Affairs Division investigators are constantly in danger.”

“That much, well…….”

“It is not something you can dismiss lightly. For the Hyun Clan to ‘take in’ a probationary investigator from the Special Affairs Division means embracing that risk as well. If things go wrong, it could even be a blow severe enough to affect the company. You considered this too, did you not?”

“O-of course.”

Cha Yeri was supposed to be a character who assessed things coolly and objectively.

Yet the Cha Yeri in front of me did not resemble the one from the original work at all.

It felt as though a few screws had come loose, and of course, the cause was me.

To think that the efforts of an extra, struggling to preserve the episode, would be distorted like this……

I swallowed the sigh rising in my throat and said,

“Is that really all? Is that the only reason you chose me?”

“I really do dislike you, but I think you are a little better than the worthless ones around me. More than anything, when I am with you, I somehow feel at ease…….”

Cha Yeri lowered her head as her voice trailed off.

Watching her, I became certain.

She had feelings for me.

At what point had those feelings started to bloom?

I could not even begin to guess.

More importantly, my head filled with the thought that letting this continue would be dangerous.

I had to draw a line.

Any sprout of a development that did not help the episode even slightly had to be cut down early.

With that resolve, I spoke rather coldly.

“There is one thing you are overlooking.”

“Huh?”

“My will. Did you really think I would just accept your proposal?”

“……Do you have someone you like?”

“No.”

“For example, Cadet Do Minyeong?”

Cha Yeri, who was usually excellent at controlling her expression, visibly had her pupils tremble for a moment.

I shook my head as I continued, aiming for a gentle refusal.

“There is no other reason. I simply dislike you just as much.”

“…….”

The words worked.

The problem was that I had been too blunt, and Cha Yeri’s brows tightened.

“What if I reveal your identity?”

“Do you think people would believe you?”

“You already forgot that I have the Phantom Thief’s clothes?”

“And you…… forgot that I am the Phantom Thief?”

“…….”

I pressed Cha Yeri deliberately while using the Demonic Eye.

“Do you really think I will not be able to find my own belongings? I made time to meet you because it was the minimum courtesy for keeping my secret so far. I did not call you here so you could make pathetic threats.”

“You do not know anything about this world, and yet you are so confident? You should think carefully about who you are dealing with right now.”

There was no way she did not know what it meant to turn Hyeonseong into an enemy within awakened society.

“Do whatever you want. Reveal my identity or do not. Either way, I can just put on that pitch-black rag and disappear again.”

“…….”

Would Cha Yeri really expose me?

I could guarantee the chance was zero percent.

It was not because I was staking my confidence on her feelings.

It was simply because she gained nothing by revealing my identity.

The Phantom Thief had not committed some grave crime, and even if I were arrested, at most it would be for copycat crimes. There was no way someone as smart as Cha Yeri would choose to make an enemy of me for that.

I stood up from my seat.

Cha Yeri shifted as if conflicted, her body twitching.

From now on, I would not be able to receive her help in the episode.

Setting all that aside, I needed to rack my brain and figure out where she had hidden the cloak.

“So play your childish game by yourself.”

“…….”

***

After Ji Seokhyeon left the unmanned convenience store, Cha Yeri sat there blankly, occupying the table.

Normally, she would have been muttering curses by now, but for some reason, she kept her lips tightly closed.

“…….”

She felt something surge up inside her.

Was it anger trying to rise?

Or lingering regret that she had failed to persuade Ji Seokhyeon?

Perhaps, within Cha Yeri’s opaque heart, a sense of loss was growing.

‘Why did it turn out like this…….’

It was not the kind of feeling she had when she lost someone precious, or when she misplaced something important, or when she fell behind Lee Eunho and Gong Minwu.

Rather, for someone born as the only heir of a prestigious family—someone who could have everything in her grasp—it was close to her first true deficiency.

A confrontation with the cruel reality that what she possessed was not enough to satisfy what the other person wanted.

What was she lacking?

Cha Yeri asked herself countless times as she sat there, but the answer that returned was only one.

“Was I…… rejected…….”