Chapter 5: Facing the Protagonist

I nearly jumped out of my skin.

My heart almost stopped.
Turning around, I saw Choi Do Yoon standing there.
Under the soft glow of the streetlamp, his sharp features looked twice as striking as before.
Unlike earlier, he stood tall, and despite being a head shorter than me, he already exuded the aura of a fully formed protagonist.

A breeze tousled his dark brown bangs, revealing intense eyes.
No question—he was born to be the male lead of a romance novel.
His glossy brown eyes shimmered like glass, his nose looked sculpted, and his lips were a faint pink.
I’ve seen plenty of actors’ faces in my line of work, but I had to admit it.
He’s ridiculously good-looking.

“What?”

I hadn’t said a word to Do Yoon since our earlier exchange.
His sudden appearance startled me, but I played it cool, crossing my arms and leaning against a tree.

Do Yoon bit his lip, took a deep breath, and spoke.
Even post-puberty, his boyish voice was clear and crisp.

“The porridge.
You don’t normally do stuff like that.”

“…”

Do these siblings make a hobby of pouncing on me the second I do something normal?
Maybe Seung Hyun’s rotten personality was shaped by his environment, I thought, furrowing my brows.

“Is it a problem if I do?”

I pushed back a bit harder.
I planned to help Do Yoon naturally whenever he needed it, but if he’s already suspicious of something this small, that’s a problem.
Plus, I felt a twinge of pride.
If he doesn’t like it, he could just ignore me—why come after me like this?
He’s young, so maybe asserting dominance early is the way to go.
No matter how much he’s Choi Do Yoon, right now he’s just a kid in a school uniform, and my face, backed by the novel’s villainous aura, is pretty intimidating.

But this kid, against my expectations, looked at me with calm eyes and said.

“You don’t need to keep acting when Grandfather’s not around.
I’m not planning to curry favor with him, so don’t worry.”

I swallowed hard.
The eyes of the boy I thought was timid were filled with dark venom and hostility toward me.

“And don’t use me to score points.”

Without waiting for a reply, Do Yoon gave a curt bow and strode off in the opposite direction.
I stood frozen, arms still crossed, leaning against the tree until he vanished into the darkness.
Once he was gone, I let out a shaky breath.

‘That was intense…’

Even speaking so calmly, the kid already had overwhelming presence.
Is that what they call a protagonist’s aura?
I stared blankly at his retreating figure.
He’s heading to the same building but deliberately took the opposite path—he must really hate me.

For a moment, I questioned why I dared treat the male lead like an ordinary high schooler.
The problem was how pitiful he looked at the lavish banquet, eyelashes lowered.
I slapped my cheeks hard.

‘Who’s pitying who, you idiot?’

But beyond the fear, I felt something odd.
Do Yoon is polite and kind to everyone but never shows his true feelings to anyone except the heroine.
Yet this behavior—flashing raw hatred like it’s plastered on his forehead—wasn’t that unusual?
I muttered under my breath.

“Still just a kid, huh…”

By the way, his words meant Seung Hee also thought I was acting nice to impress Grandfather.

“Unbelievable.”

So that’s why she was so prickly.
Knowing the reason made me sigh in exasperation.
If they knew who I really wanted to impress, they’d both faint.

I suddenly craved a cigarette, but my pockets were empty.
Must’ve forgotten it when I changed into this fancy outfit.
Frustrated, I ruffled my hair.

Not only did I fail to make a good impression on Do Yoon, but I also provoked Seung Hee, my supposed rival.
I crouched under the tree, letting the night breeze hit me, and thought.

…Nothing’s easy.

I took a deep breath.
First, I need to clear up the misunderstanding with Do Yoon.

The Haewon family’s sprawling mansion is split into two floors: the elders live on the first, and the three siblings on the second.
Originally, Seung Hee and Seung Hyun occupied the second floor as kids before going to study in the States.
After Seung Hee returned, Do Yoon moved in, and now, with Seung Hyun back, all three share the floor for the first time.

The house is so massive that “crowded” doesn’t apply, but it’s still the most occupied the second floor has ever been.

Do Yoon’s room is at the far end of the second floor, practically a storage closet in terms of location.
Though, to be fair, even a closet here is nicer than the studio apartment Park Seung Hyun used to live in.

I steeled myself with a deep breath.
Honestly, sucking up to Do Yoon didn’t faze me.
It wasn’t much different from my old job, and compared to Director Jang, Do Yoon’s status was like a god-tier boss.

But seeing the young protagonist push me away over something as small as porridge made me think I’d need to clear up past grudges before anything would stick.
I mentally checked the timeline again.

‘I graduated last summer, traveled until the end of the year, returned in January, and now it’s April…
So, I’ll just apologize for whatever I did in those four months.’

Seung Hyun definitely did something awful in that time.
I don’t know what, but given his track record in the novel, it’s a safe bet.

Tiptoeing down the hall, I heard water running from the bathroom near Do Yoon’s room.
I stood outside, listening to the gushing water, mentally rehearsing what to say when he came out.

‘The porridge was just because you looked like you weren’t feeling well.
Sorry if it came off as meddling.’

‘You heard I have short-term memory loss, right?
I don’t remember, but I’m sorry anyway.’

‘Wanna be friends?
I’m not the trash you used to know…’

‘Don’t wanna be friends?
Fine, I’m sorry.
Let’s get along.’

“…What are you doing here?”

Do Yoon’s voice snapped me out of it as he stepped out, freshly showered.
I was awkwardly leaning against his room’s wall and quickly straightened up.
His gaze was intense.
Under the bright fluorescent light, not the dim streetlamp, his protagonist-level face was even more striking.
Water dripped from his dark brown hair, soaking into a towel, like a scene from one of the novel’s illustrations.
Forgetting my rehearsed lines, I blurted out.

“Uh, can we talk for a sec?”

“…”

“…Little brother.”

Man, even if he threatened to kill me, his face would look kinder than it does now.

Do Yoon’s glare could teach a masterclass in killing with a look.
But I wasn’t backing down.
Apologies are best done quickly.

You’ve got to bow early, while they’re still young and soft.
Once Do Yoon becomes the “department head” version, he’s a cold-blooded monster, and only the heroine can melt his heart.

I barged into his room before he could respond.
It was a tidy student’s room—bed, desk, and tons of books.
Despite it being past midnight, the room was brightly lit, with textbooks and study guides scattered on the desk, like he was about to study.
Do Yoon spoke flatly from behind.

“I don’t know what this is about, but make it quick.
I’m tired.”

“Oh, sorry.
You’ve got school tomorrow, right?”

He didn’t look tired at all, but I nodded politely and sat in a chair.
Then I gestured to him.

“Why don’t you sit too?”

I pointed to his bed, and with a face like he’d bitten into something sour, he sat.
Water kept dripping from his hair, making soft pattering sounds.
I was hyper-aware of his mood but tried to sound casual as I started.

“So, I was thinking about what you said in the garden…
I think there’s a misunderstanding between us.”

Do Yoon didn’t respond.
I cleared my throat a few times.

“You might’ve heard, but since I got discharged, my recent memories are fuzzy.
Got hit in the head pretty hard.”

Just in case he didn’t believe me, I turned to show him the back of my head.
But Do Yoon’s expression didn’t change—it was the same cold stare, like he was saying, ‘So what?’
I swallowed nervously.

“I still remember being a jerk to you before.
I want to apologize for that.
I’m sorry.”

His eyes widened slightly.
It’s working—a little.
Emboldened by his subtle reaction, I pressed on.