Chapter 8: Clearing the Air

I wasn’t surprised by Won Cheol’s reaction—it’s typical for a nameless extra in a novel like this.
With a resigned glance, I looked at Do Yoon.

“You’re not gonna apologize?”

“I didn’t do anything to apologize for.”

…Choi Do Yoon, you stubborn mule.
No wonder you fumble with the heroine in the novel.
Even with my knowledge of the story, his attitude came off as maddeningly uncooperative.
Is it because he’s young?
He’s got no tact.

Out of nowhere, I turned to the two teachers and politely requested.

“Principal, homeroom teacher, I’m really sorry, but could we have a moment alone?
Five minutes should do.”

My sudden request caught them off guard.
Fair enough— they probably didn’t expect the guardian to kick them out.
They looked conflicted.
As staff at a school heavily funded by Haewon, they should comply, but as educators, leaving was tricky.
I leaned in and whispered.

“I’m trying to get Do Yoon to apologize, but he’s got a lot of pride…
He’d hate being seen kneeling.
Sorry, I just want to handle this quietly.”

Relieved, they nodded.
Nobody wanted a school violence committee.
Even Won Cheol probably didn’t really want one—he just wanted to see the brilliant Choi Do Yoon grovel.

As soon as the teachers closed the door, I dropped the act and turned to Mashed Potato with a blank face.

“Hey, why do you think you got hit?”

“Huh?”

He flinched at my blatant, confrontational tone.
Seeing my cold expression, he stammered.

“Uh, because that jerk’s got no manners, right?”

“Oh, so our Do Yoon beat you up because he lacks class?
Funny, I thought my brother was smarter than you.”

I crossed my arms and answered snidely.
Won Cheol bristled.

“What’s that got to do with anything?
Some nobody who crawled in from nowhere doesn’t belong with us.
He’s a bastard, isn’t he?”

The room’s atmosphere turned frigid.
I didn’t need to look to know Do Yoon was clenching his jaw.

I furrowed my brows.
I’d checked just in case, but this guy had the nerve to throw family insults at the protagonist.
No wonder he got beat up.
And knowing this novel, this wasn’t the first time he’d picked a fight.

Oblivious to the icy mood, Won Cheol kept running his mouth.

“You hate him too, hyung.
Between us, his mom was a total nutcase—”

In a flash, I grabbed his collar and yanked him up.
Even for an extra, that was too far.
No need to listen to this garbage.

“…You’ve been talking to my brother like this the whole time?”

My voice came out lower than I expected.
Aware of the protagonist watching, I jerked Won Cheol’s face side to side.

“Is your family that impressive?”

I glared, putting force into my eyes.
The eighteen-year-old in my grip started trembling.

I’d mentioned his family on purpose.
He’s probably the second or third son of some group like Hanseong, but no way his family outranks mine.
Haewon’s the top chaebol in this novel.
It felt a bit childish to flex like this at my age, but that’s how stories work—setting is everything.
I drove the point home.

“You want a school violence committee?
Go ahead.
We’ll get our lawyers ready.
But you’ll deal with the fallout.”

It was practically a threat.
His eyes widened.

Of course.
Up until now, Seung Hyun probably didn’t care if kids bullied Do Yoon—might’ve even encouraged it.
The school kids saw Do Yoon as Haewon’s discarded son, an easy target.

But that stops now.

Thankfully, this extra wasn’t completely brain-dead.
He just stared, wide-eyed, silent.
A knock came at the door.
I straightened Won Cheol’s collar and said.

“Let’s keep this friendly, got it?”

The teachers walked in before he could respond.
I put on a touched expression, grabbed his hand, and said.

“Thanks for accepting our apology.
We’ll make sure this doesn’t happen again…”

I leaned in and whispered.

“Try harder.”

Won Cheol froze like a statue.
I turned to the principal and homeroom teacher.

“Luckily, Won Cheol’s understanding and says he’ll explain to his parents.
We’ll cover the hospital bills.
Right, Won Cheol?”

Pale, he nodded stiffly.
I smiled at him.

“Then can you write a settlement agreement, as promised?”

Extorting a settlement from a lowlife extra felt refreshing, but Do Yoon, trailing a step behind, hadn’t said a word since we left the principal’s office.
I kept glancing at him.
The outcome was good, but the vibe between us was bleak.
He’s sharp— he might’ve figured out my influence was behind his bullying, maybe even from way back.

‘Damn it…’

I thought this was a free favorability event, but turns out I’m the mastermind.
The worst.

The 3 p.m. sky was clear and hot after we processed his early dismissal.
Are we supposed to go home in this awkward silence?
Should I kneel and apologize again?
I was seriously debating when Do Yoon suddenly stopped.

“Why’d you do that?”

His voice was soft, but I’d been so tuned to him I caught the tremor.
I turned to look.
Unlike last time, his gaze was direct but filled with confusion.
I thought for a moment before answering.

“You keep asking me why I do stuff.”

His big eyes wavered.
He quickly looked down, seemingly torn between “sorry” and “thank you.”

Silence lingered.

Since neither of us wanted to keep this up, I spoke first.

“I just felt like it.
No ulterior motive.”

“You’re suddenly being nice.”

He took a sharp breath.

“It’s hard to understand.”

Of course it is.
I’d be suspicious too if my jerk of a half-brother suddenly turned kind.
But instead of piling on excuses, I figured it was better to let him process it.
Actions speak louder than words.

“You don’t have to understand.
By the way, wanna walk a bit before heading home?
We’ve got time before school’s out.”

“…”

“I dropped my lunch to come here.
I’m hungry—let’s grab something.”

Do Yoon bit his lip.
I waited until he stood beside me.
It took a while.

“If we go home now, the adults will get suspicious.
I told Manager Jo not to tell anyone for now.”

“…Thank you.”

It felt like groveling, but hearing Do Yoon say something remotely positive to me lifted my mood.
I grinned.

“I won’t tell Grandfather either.
I’m not trying to look good by acting close to you, so don’t worry.”

He glanced up at me, then looked away.

I debated where to go, but as we walked, I spotted a Busway sandwich shop near the school.
Nostalgia hit me hard.
I used to eat there all the time.

Right before Romantic Cinderella, the drama I worked on had Busway as a PPL sponsor.
And the drama before that, and the one before that…

Back then, I was so sick of their sandwiches I’d gag at the sight of the wrapper.
But now, it brought back fond memories.
Guess that’s nostalgia for you.
I stared at the shop for a bit before asking Do Yoon.

“You okay with sandwiches?”

He glanced between my face and the Busway sign, looking a bit confused.

“…Yeah.”

His response felt lukewarm.
Does he not like sandwiches?
No way.
If this drama had gone into production, “Department Head” Do Yoon would’ve been eating Busway sandwiches with the heroine nonstop.
In the novel, his first date with her involves eating franchise sandwiches for the first time.

‘Do Yoon, don’t tell me you’ve never had this?’

‘I haven’t.’

At that, Bae Ji An bursts into bright laughter, and Do Yoon gazes at her fondly.
It’s cute, but a bit of a stretch.
Tteokbokki would’ve been a more believable first.