* * *

It didn’t take long for Baek Yoomin—or rather, Do Yejun—to come to a realization.

Perhaps the author had no choice but to turn Cheon Sahyun into the villain.

Cheon Sahyun wasn’t a character anyone could handle.

His evil deeds, many of which were left out of the story, were endless.

Even the insignificant Do Yejun had been coerced into becoming his spy through threats.

It was terrifying.

For the first time, Do Yejun realized human eyes could look like that.

If the author claimed they couldn’t control Cheon Sahyun and simply let him run wild, resulting in the story’s disastrous ending, Do Yejun would have believed them without question.

After all, he couldn’t defy Cheon Sahyun either.

Do Yejun concluded that to return to his original world, he needed to steer the story toward a happy ending.

After all, rewriting the plot to ensure a happy ending was a time-honored trope in transmigration stories.

Besides, there had to be a reason why he’d become Do Yejun—Han Siyeon’s closest friend, yet a character with minimal significance.

If nothing changed, he was bound to die in the same accident as the protagonists.

To save himself and escape this world, he had to stop Cheon Sahyun and bring about a happy ending.

Being the sole outsider with knowledge of the plot made this responsibility entirely his.

And so, Baek Yoomin, now Do Yejun, set out to change “the love of the three ended in ruin” to “the love of the two blossomed beautifully.”

How did he manage it?

By redirecting Cheon Sahyun’s attention away from the female lead.

He deliberately sabotaged their dates, played the role of a friendly confidant to Cheon Sahyun, and subtly manipulated events.

The “other place” Cheon Sahyun’s attention turned to?

Well, that was Do Yejun himself.

Do Yejun even lied to Cheon Sahyun, risking his life in the face of that chilling gaze.

Each time he uttered a blatant falsehood, his knees trembled, but he gritted his teeth and endured.

Whenever it got too much, he’d flip Cheon Sahyun off behind his back—only occasionally.

After countless trials, Do Yejun succeeded in bringing the main couple together without anyone dying.

Of course, there was one tiny—or rather, enormous—problem that arose in the process.

Still, avoiding the worst ending, the “ruin,” was an achievement in itself.

Cheon Sahyun didn’t kill the protagonists or even cling to his title as the second lead.

In fact, he gave up so cleanly that Baek Kanghyuk, the official male lead, was left feeling awkward about it.

When informed that Han Siyeon and Baek Kanghyuk were officially together, Cheon Sahyun merely shrugged and said:

“Well, good for them.”

“…”

“We’ll live our lives as we see fit, too.”

Was that supposed to be classy or pitiful?

Do Yejun couldn’t decide.

With those ambiguous words, Cheon Sahyun truly walked away from everything.

Naturally, Do Yejun was there beside him, though he had no idea why he’d been dragged into this position.

Sitting next to Cheon Sahyun, he looked like he was about to drop dead, nervously watching for any sign of danger.

Meanwhile, Han Siyeon smiled warmly, thanking him for his understanding and wishing them happiness.

What happiness? Why would he and Cheon Sahyun need to be happy together?

Do Yejun shot a fiery glare of protest, but it failed to reach Han Siyeon.

However, there was no way he could blurt out anything like that with Cheon Sahyun sitting right next to him.

Instead, he quietly sipped on his Americano, using the action to wet his dry throat.

Someone, however, was looking at Do Yejun with immense satisfaction in their eyes.

That someone was none other than Cheon Sahyun.

Placing a hand on Do Yejun’s shoulder, he said with a dazzling smile, “From now on, all that’s left is for us to be happy together, Yejun hyung.”

Do Yejun’s pupils trembled as though undergoing an earthquake at a rate of 100 times per second, but Cheon Sahyun seemed oblivious.

His breathtakingly beautiful face lit up with a radiant smile.

“Everything else is meaningless. As long as I have you, that’s enough.”

Only six months ago, this same Cheon Sahyun had been utterly infatuated with the female lead, Han Siyeon, wreaking havoc upon himself for three whole years in pursuit of her.

And now, within just six months, he claimed his heart had changed so drastically?

Do Yejun couldn’t make sense of it.

“It’s clear I was bewitched back then.”

Of course, it made sense.

Cheon Sahyun had been operating under the parameters of his role as the male lead.

Granted, he had fallen from being a second male lead to a full-fledged villain in the second arc, but still.

“Until I met you, I thought what I felt was true love.”

That, too, was logical.

He was written as the romance novel’s protagonist, destined to love the female lead.

“But the real thing is right here.”

That wasn’t logical at all.

No, no, no.

You’re mistaken!

Completely deluded!

Do Yejun desperately conveyed his sincerity through his gaze, pleading with Cheon Sahyun to snap out of it.

Yet Cheon Sahyun, already lost in his own world, returned his gaze with the mad, love-stricken eyes of someone entirely consumed by affection.

Do Yejun’s mind teetered on the edge of collapse.

“How can you be so sure about your feelings?”

Do Yejun’s desperate question was received by Cheon Sahyun as an endearingly sulky plea for reassurance.

Looking down at Do Yejun with an amused smile, Cheon Sahyun gently cupped his cheek and said, “I’ll show you one step at a time, starting now. So don’t worry.”

Don’t worry?

That was the last thing reassuring.

If anything, it only made things worse, but Cheon Sahyun seemed blissfully unaware of that.

Forcing a smile, Do Yejun nodded. It was the mechanical reaction of a broken robot.

“Ha… haha… Well, that’s… something to look forward to. But actually, I just remembered something urgent. Can I head home first? I’ll, uh, contact you later!”

Scrambling to gather his belongings, Do Yejun bolted from the scene as though fleeing for his life.

Behind him, Cheon Sahyun’s gaze lingered, impossibly intense and far too fixated.

* * *