Chapter 11.

 The Ten Conditions for Becoming the Male Lead (5)

“Teach me how to seem kinder to people.”

I couldn’t stop smiling the entire way back to the classroom. Eunho had actually asked me himself to teach him how to appear kinder to others.

The class bell had already rung, so I told him we would meet again at the school store during the next break before leaving the library.

Where should I start? His way of speaking? His voice? His behavior? His eyes? Even changing just one of those things could make a huge difference.

There had been a time when Eunho, who hadn’t gained much popularity in the early chapters of Welcome! Summer Film, gradually began building up a fan base.

It happened after he fell for Semin and his behavior slowly became gentler. People loved seeing a prickly boy soften because of one girl.

Of course, I did, too.

“Why are you smiling?”

“Nothing. It’s just strange, being here with you like this. Actually… I used to be a little scared of you.”

However, even that wasn’t enough to win over the female protagonist, Semin.

Semin seemed to place a great deal of importance on first impressions. Wasn’t that why she chose Dogyeom, whose first impression had been warmer?

If that was the case, I had a solution of my own.

Why not show her that Eunho was even kinder and warmer than Dogyeom?

“What the… Han Dogyeom?”

As I climbed the stairs toward the classroom, I spotted Dogyeom and Semin talking at the end of the hallway. Had they already gotten close enough to have conversations while I wasn’t paying attention?

I pressed myself against the wall and carefully approached them.

“There are so many different clubs.”

“Yeah.”

“Which one do you want to join?”

“Uh, I haven’t decided yet…”

“Since we’re seniors, maybe joining a club is a bit much, huh?”

I nodded slightly while staying pressed against the wall.

That’s right, Dogyeom. What kind of club activities should a high school senior be worrying about?

But in the original story, Dogyeom had joined the film club, Summer Film, after following Semin there.

I narrowed my eyes and carefully examined the posters plastered all over the walls.

Fortunately, the Summer Film poster wasn’t on the club recruitment board yet.

Great! Since I was changing the original story anyway, I could get Semin and Dogyeom to join different clubs…

“Huh? Yerim! Perfect timing!”

“Hello, sir.”

My homeroom teacher called out to me cheerfully from behind.

I hurriedly checked whether Dogyeom and Semin had noticed me. They were still busy talking to each other, seemingly unaware of my presence.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in class?”

“Oh, I was just about to go.”

“Wait a minute! Take care of this before you leave.”

My teacher told me to wait and handed me a poster that had been tucked into his notebook. He even kindly gave me some tape.

I was about to ask what it was, but the enormous lettering on the poster caught my eye before I could say anything.

“We’re Recruiting New Members for Summer Film!”

Oh, come on… The timing couldn’t have been worse!

“I’ve put up posters for all the other clubs, but ours is the only one missing. Go put it up, then head to class. Since it’s my lesson, I won’t mark you late.”

“Couldn’t I… put it up after class?”

I desperately tried to look like a model student, blinking my eyes like a kitten.

Would that work?

My teacher looked back and forth between me and the poster before breaking into a broad smile.

“Nope! We’re already short on members. If other clubs steal our students, our club will be shut down.”

What kind of homeroom teacher for high school seniors used the class president to advertise a club?

In the end, I had no choice but to follow my teacher to the club recruitment board, reluctantly agreeing to do as he asked.

Since he was watching me, I couldn’t simply refuse to put up the poster. So I used my entire body to shield it from view as I pinned the Summer Film poster to the board.

The conversation behind me stopped, and silence fell.

A moment later, Dogyeom spoke first.

“Oh? There’s a film club here, too?”

“Yeah, but it’s nothing special. We don’t make movies or anything. We just watch them. It’s basically a scam. There aren’t many members, either.”

I answered his question without even taking a breath.

My teacher shot me a glare. His eyes clearly told me to stop saying useless things and start promoting the club instead.

As if I would!

“Oh, really? It sounds like it would be fun to make movies, though.”

“What kind of movie-making are you going to do as a senior? Haha!”

As expected, despite my attempts to sabotage the recruitment, Dogyeom was reading the Summer Film poster with interest.

Semin, who was standing beside him, leaned forward to look at it, following his lead.

“Hey, you two! Aren’t you supposed to be heading to class?”

“Oh, right.”

“Semin, let’s go to the classroom together.”

“Okay!”

Before Semin could examine the poster more closely, I hurriedly linked my arm through hers and led her toward the classroom.

Back at the club recruitment board, Dogyeom was still staring at the poster, unable to tear his eyes away.

This was bad. Very bad.

I needed to speed up my plans.

The moment the break bell rang, I hurried to the school store.

Students were gathered in small groups, eating bread and drinking milk.

However, in the spacious store, one particular area was noticeably crowded. Why were so many students huddled together so awkwardly?

“Ah, it’s because of Eunho…”

Eunho was sitting at the table right beside them.

It wasn’t as though he had some contagious disease, but the students were clustering together and keeping an eye on him, afraid of getting involved with him by accident.

Meanwhile, Eunho sat at the table, casually gulping down his drink without a care in the world.

When I sat down across from him, his expression changed ever so slightly for the first time.

Oh, so this was what Eunho looked like when he was happy to see someone.

“You’re here?”

“Eunho, try smiling.”

“What?”

“Come on, smile.”

At my request, Eunho thought for a moment before awkwardly lifting the corners of his mouth.

Good grief. He looked like a clown!

A forced smile was an automatic fail.

I shook my head and gave him another instruction.

“Then try relaxing your eyes a little.”

“How am I supposed to do that?”

“Hmm, imagine there’s an adorable puppy or kitten in front of you. That should make your eyes soften, right?”

“I don’t really like animals.”

“Don’t lie. There’s no way you don’t like animals. You absolutely adore—”

“How would you know that?”

Oops.

I’d acted as though I knew him far too well.

In the novel, Eunho secretly fed stray cats when no one was watching. Semin had also started opening her heart to him after seeing him take care of a stray cat.

And that scene was the fourth moment when I fell for Eunho.

“I can just tell.”

“Are you a shaman or something?”

“Then you really don’t like animals?”

“No.”

“Then why did you lie…?”

At my question, Eunho glanced around us.

I wondered why he needed to be so cautious about answering such a simple question, so I leaned closer to him.

His lips twitched before he quietly replied.

“It makes me look like I’m not living up to my size.”

What?

“You said you didn’t care how other people saw you! You actually care a lot!”

“N-No, I don’t!”

“Anyway, imagine that there’s an adorable little kitten or puppy right in front of you. Hurry up!”

Eunho sighed at my sudden request before fixing his gaze on me.

The intimidating look that had seemed to radiate murderous intent just moments ago disappeared. In its place was Eunho with a much softer expression.

This was it!

I clapped my hands and patted his arm to praise him.

“Eunho, from now on, imagine that everyone around you is an adorable puppy or kitten. You’ll look much friendlier than you do right now.”

“Why do we have to go that far…?”

“You said you’d give it a try! So, which did you imagine just now, a cat or a dog?”

“…I imagined something else.”

“Something else? Like what?”

“Not telling you. It’s a secret.”

Was it just my imagination, or did Eunho’s face turn a little red for a moment?

Before I could get a proper look at his face, he waved his large hand in front of me, bringing me back to my senses.

“Anyway, this is all I have to do, right? Seems easy enough.”

“See? You look much better when you do what I tell you!”

“Whatever.”

“This isn’t something to laugh at! If you just listen to me, you can become the greatest male lead ever.”

We’d barely had time to talk before the bell rang, signaling the end of the break.

I stood up with a disappointed sigh. Eunho followed me and held out a can of soda.

“What’s this? Is it for me?”

“It’d feel a little wrong to buy one just for myself.”

“Thanks, Eunho!”

Getting a drink from my favorite character!

How many fans were lucky enough to experience something like this?

Our Eunho really was a quick learner. I taught him one thing, and he was already thinking about other people and taking care of them!

We left the school store together and climbed the stairs.

Eunho’s classroom was one floor below mine. After saying goodbye to him, I continued up the stairs.

Just as I reached my floor, I heard Eunho’s voice from below.

“Hey, Moon Yerim!”

Why hadn’t Eunho left yet?

I leaned over the stair railing and looked down at him.

Eunho gazed up at me from below.

“Actually, there’s something I’ve been wondering about for a while.”

“Huh?”

“Becoming the male lead… What’s so great about it?”

His unexpected question left me speechless.

If you became the male lead, you’d end up with Semin…

And then you’d be happy, right?

But I couldn’t say that to him.

I thought for a moment, then remembered Eunho, who had secretly harbored feelings for Semin.

My heart ached as though I were in Eunho’s place.

No, perhaps I really was in his position in a way. After all, I sincerely wanted him to be happy.

“The person you like will be able to like you back.”

That was all I could say right now.

I wanted Eunho to have a chance with Semin, the girl he liked.

I smiled at him, and Eunho gave me a faint smile in return from the stairs below.

Since coming to this world, it was the first time in a long while that I had felt so at ease.