I Became the Terminally Ill Character in My Friend’s Academy Novel – Chapter 85

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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There were many characters I didn’t like in this messed-up novel.

Honestly, I didn’t particularly like Lilac, the protagonist, because he was so frustrating, and the villains who did all sorts of terrible things went without saying.

But even the psychopathic murderer Choi In-ho, the troublesome, idiotic, perverted trash elf, and the head of the Twelve Zodiacs who messed everything up for her own selfish desires and then smirked in satisfaction weren’t as disliked as the woman in front of me, at least when I read about them in the story.

Baek Seol.

The true protagonist of the academy’s Holy Sword Hero, according to the readers.

The one who ruined this novel, in my opinion.

Also, the woman who became Lilac’s first love, and the charismatic woman who opened Cheon Yoo-hak’s heart.

Baek Seol, the student council president of Reilan Academy, was that kind of person.

Simply put, when she first appeared, she was a cool character.

A character in the helper position who assisted the still-lacking protagonists.

A popular position.

In the original story, there were several enemies the protagonists couldn’t defeat.

A prime example was Latis Erbashun, that idiotic, perverted elf bastard.

The disgusting villain who overwhelmed Cheon Yoo-hak and defeated Lilac.

He, who was supposed to be a wall the protagonists would eventually overcome, an obstacle they had to surpass, was defeated too easily after they received her help.

It wasn’t just him, but other villains as well.

The remaining readers rejoiced upon seeing her easily crush the beings depicted as insurmountable walls until the protagonists graduated from the academy, the walls the protagonists couldn’t overcome.

Her refreshing actions seemed like a cool breeze compared to Lilac’s frustrating behavior.

That was why my friend wanted her to appear more often.

That was why she became the protagonist’s first love.

She became the person who always took the spot beside him.

The protagonist’s most trusted partner and beloved woman.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that after she appeared, this novel revolved around her, and not Lilac, for a while.

That was all fine.

No, it wasn’t fine, but I thought it was possible.

After this woman appeared, Yoo-na, whose first love drifted away from her, fell into villainy, and Lilac became like a spineless idiot who followed this woman’s every word.

Cheon Yoo-hak lost his symbol of aloofness and relied on Baek Seol, and throughout all of this, Baek Seol accepted it all without rejecting either Lilac or Cheon Yoo-hak.

It was terrible, but it was all possible.

-Huh? Haha. What are you talking about?

If only this crazy woman…

-We’re just senior and junior.

…hadn’t dumped both the protagonists in the end with that insane, crazy drift.

It was a betrayal that neither the protagonists nor the readers could have imagined.

She simply acted because it was rational, because it was more beneficial to help them. She never harbored any camaraderie or romantic affection, it was said.

And after graduating, she disappeared without a trace, not appearing again until the story was dropped.

Of course, since I saw the settings book, I knew what happened afterwards.

But I could guarantee that if the other readers knew what would happen when she appeared next, they would clutch the back of their necks and collapse.

Later, when I asked my friend, he said he wanted to portray an aloof flower or something.

Bullshit.

“So, can I ask you a few questions?”

“No? I don’t think so.”

Because this woman was just another frustrating character he created.

She had a surprised expression, perhaps because my answer was quite unexpected, but she soon smiled gently.

“You’re a prickly junior, aren’t you?”

Knowing that her smile and reaction were all an act made me incredibly displeased.

“Hey, hey! So-hyun, what’s wrong? She’s the one who saved us!”

“Yeah, it’s not like you to suddenly act like this.”

Those were Lilac and Cheon Yoo-hak’s arguments, and the others were also looking at me as if surprised, but I didn’t like what I didn’t like.

“Sniffle.”

Ah, shit.

I wanted to maintain a serious demeanor, but it was difficult for me to concentrate because of Professor Cathy touching my abdomen.

“Well, you’re right. This might not be the right atmosphere for this kind of conversation. Will you show us your smiling face if we formally invite you to the student council later? It’s a shame to see such a pretty face looking so upset.”

“Haha, I’ll show you my smiling face now. So please don’t invite me.”

“No, I can’t do that because I have questions. And I’m a little interested in our prickly junior.”

Interested? You’re joking. This was why Lilac fell for her, because she could lie so naturally.

You might be able to fool that idiot, but you can’t fool me.

In the end, I kept staring at her back with a sullen face until she left.

Thinking rationally, I shouldn’t be this hostile to her, but what could I do if I didn’t like her?

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“He’s like a cat.”

That was her assessment of Kang So-hyun, whom she saw at the hospital.

His cute appearance, combined with his strong wariness and sharp aura, reminded her of a cat.

And she preferred cats to obedient dogs.

She was curious why he was so wary of her, and she was surprised that her acting, which always worked on others, didn’t work on him.

“Hehe.”

Just by smiling and walking, men, and even women, turned to look at her.

Hmm, so there wasn’t anything wrong with her acting.

She was curious.

How could she tame this small beast with its tail held high?

She was excited to see what kind of side he would show her once he was tamed.

To her, this causeless hostility, which she hadn’t experienced in years, was nothing more than a stimulating and interesting amusement.

“I should thank In-young.”

Because she had unexpectedly found something interesting in a place she visited out of curiosity.

Villains were useful sometimes.

She thought so as she hummed a tune.

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Did you know? No matter how heightened or excited a person’s emotions become momentarily, they eventually calm down and return to their normal state.

And if one is in the hero profession, where a moment of excitement can cost one their life, the speed at which that excitement subsides naturally becomes faster.

What did this mean?

Cathy.

Needless to say, she was a first-class hero.

No matter how excited she became, the speed at which she calmed down was exceptional, and it was like a physiological phenomenon that occurred whether she wanted it or not.

In other words…

She had already regained her composure and was timing when to release her hug.

No, she had an excuse for the hug itself.

She had finally recognized her feelings accurately, she felt indebted to him for saving her life, she felt guilty for almost killing him with her own hands, and on top of that, she just couldn’t help herself because she was so happy to see his face.

Twenty-six years old.

She couldn’t control herself, overwhelmed by the pink-tinged emotions she felt for the first time in her life, which had been filled with training and good deeds.

Of course, that didn’t mean she wasn’t embarrassed now!

‘What should I do…?’

Actually, there were plenty of opportunities for her to pull away.

She could have pulled away when the others first entered, or she could have pretended to be awkward and pulled herself away when the student council president entered the room.

But she was too reluctant.

His attitude of not rejecting her, even when she was hugging him, felt like forgiveness, and his occasional gentle strokes on her hair felt like he understood her feelings.

And she felt like if she left his embrace, all of this would become just a happy dream, and she would have to face his corpse and her blood-stained fists again.

Countless “felt like”s became reasons for her not to let go of him.

Of course, she was an adult, so she knew she was just looking for excuses.

The fear and guilt she felt were nothing compared to the fluttering in her chest.

Affection for the one who protected her, the one who had always lived protecting others.

The pounding of her heart, which made her certain that this was affection, was the biggest reason she couldn’t leave his embrace.

The others had already left the hospital room, and it was just her and So-hyun, so she really had to pull away now.

The moment she thought that…

A gentle touch brushed against her hair again.

‘Ah.’

This…

His touch had an indescribable magic.

She felt a sense of security, as if this child, who was much younger than her, could reliably protect her, and a sense of comfort, as if he would accept all of her emotions even if she poured them out to him.

She was about to pull away, but her instincts whined, wanting to cling to him and act spoiled.

“Professor…”

So-hyun called her, but she didn’t know how to respond to him.

What kind of voice did she usually use, and what did she usually say? Was responding to him really this difficult…?

“It’s okay, Professor.”

It was a gentle, beautiful voice. A kind voice that seemed to soothe a sulking child.

“Can you look up? Please?”

Just moments ago, she had been so afraid to see his expression, but now, her head slowly rose as if by magic.

A question surfaced in the corner of her mind that wondered if her expression was a mess right now, but it didn’t matter to her in the end.

“Well, hello. This is the first time we’re greeting each other face to face today, isn’t it?”

There was no resentment or malice in his gentle smile as he playfully greeted her.

Rather, combined with his gentle smile that conveyed relief and a hint of affection, his charm, usually hidden by his slightly furrowed brows, was too clear.

What should she do?

Her face was burning.

When they first met, he wasn’t dressed up at all, but his long eyelashes, his large eyes, and his handsome face with attractive features were completely different from back then.

Stroke.

Ah…

Hair. Good. It was a gentle caress, not too forceful, as if he knew where and when to stroke her hair.

“Our professor is usually so cool, but why do you seem so childlike today?”

He was a child she wanted to protect.

“That can happen. Even professors are human. We can make mistakes and fail sometimes. Even heroes can’t be perfect.”

She couldn’t even protect him.

“It’s okay. Today, Lilac, Yoo-hak, and I are all safe. It was just a small accident.”

How did this child know exactly what she wanted to hear?

She didn’t know what kind of expression she was making right now.

She just wanted to see the boy’s charming smile a little closer, to imprint it in her mind.

“Today, let’s not be the cool Professor Cathy, but just Cathy noona. It’s okay to cry if you’re tired, and it’s okay to whine if you’re anxious.”

She didn’t even think of resisting the magic she felt in his red eyes.

“It’s okay when it’s just the two of us.”

This was too much.

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Hmm, did I go too far?

No, this was the most effective way to soothe crying children back at the orphanage.

There were many different kinds of children at the orphanage, and some of them were what you would call mature.

They pretended to be strong, different from other children, and tried to do everything on their own, but how strong could a child really be, no matter how mature?

In the end, they just cried and sulked alone without showing it.

The most effective method for those children was sharing secrets.

Yes, becoming secret friends.

You’re usually not like this.

It’s just that you’re being especially honest with me right now.

If you gave them that kind of excuse, they would eventually become teary-eyed and honest, since they were just kids.

All you had to do was make eye contact and listen to them patiently.

It was even more effective if you gave them delicious snacks and patted their heads.

-I’m going to marry oppa later!

-What? I’m going to marry him…!

-No, I am! I’m going to marry hyung…!

It was funny seeing the kids coloring their fingers with crayons and confessing their love.

Anyway, I tried it because it seemed like it would work since she had suddenly regressed all of a sudden, and thankfully, it worked.

But did it work too well?

It was nice seeing a beautiful woman blushing and looking up at me with a relaxed expression, but it didn’t seem very healthy for my mental state.

“So-hyun, is it okay?”

“What?”

“Is it okay if I just let go of my responsibilities for now, just in front of you, and act like myself and not a hero…?”

“Of course.”

“Of course… huh.”

-Achievement unlocked.-

…Huh?

-Heroine completely captured. Acquired the title ‘Heartthrob’! Congratulations on your first capture! You have become her most precious person.-

…This was a bit much.

A strange longing could be felt from beyond her sparkling emerald eyes.

“Thank you.”

No, it was nothing.

“So-hyun.”

“Yes?”

“Can I kiss you?”

…What?

Excuse me?

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T/N – Woah woah woah! I never thought Professor Cathy would be the first! The MC is just too good and now we know why. He started practicing his rizz skills on little girls in the orphanage. 😂

Seriously though, dick move by the author friend to make a cool female deus ex machina character, have both protagonists fall in love with her, and make her lead them on, only to have her reject both of them. I really can’t fathom how he doesn’t realize why his novel is so unpopular. I also don’t like this new girl’s personality at the moment. Terrible first impression, though I think that’s actually what the actual author is going for.

If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.