Chapter 11: I became friends with the female protagonist of a romance novel

If someone asked about my hobbies, I would say reading web novels. It all started with webtoons.

I was working the night shift at a convenience store in the countryside. There were so few customers that I became an involuntary time billionaire, spending my shifts watching YouTube. Then, a friend recommended a webtoon.

-This will make time disappear.

He said it was a popular webtoon, a real time-killer. He told me to trust him and check it out.

“Is it that good?”

So, I read it. It was surprisingly engaging, and I quickly caught up to the latest chapter.

“Wait-for-free, huh?”

It was the latest chapter, but the story wasn’t finished. I had to wait a week for the next one, unless I paid.

“It’ll be released eventually, anyway.”

I was reading it to kill time at work, so why waste money?

“Ugh.”

But I was curious. Renting the next chapter was only a couple of cents.

“Just this once…”

So, I paid and read the next chapter. And then, I was told to wait another week.

“I should have just waited.”

I was disappointed that I couldn’t read any further, even if I paid more, but a comment on the latest chapter caught my eye.

-This is chapter 78 of the original novel! Chapter 83 is legendary!

“…Ugh, I hate reading novels.”

I didn’t enjoy reading, but “legendary,” he said.

Each webtoon chapter adapted about one to three chapters of the web novel. So, to see the “legendary” chapter, I would have to wait two to four weeks. Therefore…

“I’ll just read up to that point.”

It was supposed to be legendary. I’d just read up to that chapter and then wait for the webtoon. That’s what I thought. And that was a mistake.

“Good work today, Yuna.”

“Yes.”

I came to my senses as morning arrived. I switched shifts with the manager and returned to my apartment, a single phrase escaping my lips:

“That was fun…”

I’d planned to read just four chapters of the novel. I ended up binge-reading the entire thing, including the parts skipped in the webtoon. And frustratingly… it was as good as, or even better than, the webtoon.

I guess I’m a better reader than I thought. After overcoming that initial hurdle, I started reading novels as much as webtoons during my free time.

“This is good too.”

So, I spent my late nights at the convenience store, immersed in webtoons and web novels. Male-oriented fantasy, martial arts, alternate history… I read across genres, but perhaps because I started with ropan, half of the novels I read were of that genre. And then, I encountered a particularly memorable, love-hate relationship with a novel.

“Sigh.”

The title: Like a Flower Blooming on Barren Land.

“.…”

It started as a typical academy story, cheerful and lighthearted, but then it took a dark turn, and after the academy arc, it somehow became more action-packed than most male-oriented novels.

But I couldn’t stop reading. The writing was too good. And unlike most ropan novels, which ended quickly, this one was becoming an epic. It was infuriating, yet captivating.

“This damn author!”

But the fourth arc, the demon realm arc, was the breaking point.

“Ha… haha… this is insane. Forced marriage? Is he serious?”

I chuckled, half-delirious, over a mere novel. The academy boys barely managed a kiss with the heroine after over a hundred chapters. Some of those idiots hadn’t even kissed her before graduating! And this demon king, who appeared in the fourth arc, kidnapped and… well, you know, within thirty chapters. And then declared her his wife.

“!”

Maybe it was because it wasn’t explicitly 19+. Or maybe the author was leaving room for plausible deniability, like, “Oh, I just implied it, they didn’t actually do it.” The actual scene wasn’t shown, but the morning-after conversation heavily implied it.

“I had a bad feeling about that ridiculously handsome demon king on the cover of volume four.”

I’d been rooting for Prince Esid from the beginning, but I wouldn’t have been this angry if she’d ended up with one of the other male leads. But this was just wrong.

After 400 chapters of agonizingly slow romance, the author threw all the readers who’d been supporting the original pairings under the bus. It was bad enough that the final boss suddenly appeared as a potential love interest, but after 400 chapters of celibacy for the other male leads, this new guy gets the girl within a single volume? This was unacceptable.

5,700 words? Not even close. 11,400 words, double that amount, wouldn’t be enough to express my rage. If they wanted to send me into the novel, they should just do it. I channeled my fury into the comment section.

“These bastards…”

I saw comments praising the handsome demon king and celebrating his… conquest. Were we even reading the same novel?

They were okay with a forced relationship with a last-minute, ridiculously attractive final boss, after witnessing the agonizingly slow burn of the academy arc? I believed in respecting other people’s tastes, but this was beyond comprehension. I started arguing with every single pro-demon king comment.

I had no regrets. I had to vent this frustration somehow. Until the end of my shift…

No, until I fell asleep. With the loyalty of a minister offering谏言, I left a lengthy comment for the author. And with the righteousness of a loyal subject purging traitors, I battled the demon king faction in the comments section. Then, I woke up…

“…What the hell is this?”

I’d become the infamous commenter, a minor character in the very ropan novel I’d criticized.

****

It was a classic “extra” scenario in a novel, so I followed the classic route.

“Hi!”

I became childhood friends with the golden-haired, charismatic heroine, who unwittingly charmed countless men, including the imperial prince.

“It’s a dangerous world. You should learn some self-defense magic, just in case.”

“Really?”

I couldn’t bear to see the saintly heroine kidnapped by the demon king again because she couldn’t protect herself, so I worked hard to cultivate Daisy’s magical talent from a young age.

“These are fun.”

“But Mom said I shouldn’t read these!”

The original male leads were hopelessly dense, so I fed Daisy romance novels, hoping it would help accelerate their relationship. I was convinced that it was faster to enlighten Daisy about romance than to hope those useless male leads would make a move.

“I got into the academy!”

“Me too.”

Thanks to our improved stats compared to the original storyline, we were both admitted to the academy without any problems. This was it. With a mix of excitement and dread, I started planning for the upcoming events.

“The Little Sword Emperor of the Swordsmanship Department lost?”

On the first day of classes, the rapidly spreading rumor confirmed that the original storyline was in motion. Or so I thought…

“To Adam Smith?”

“…What?”

I involuntarily grabbed the person spreading the rumor.

“W-Who?”

“Adam Smith.”

They looked startled, but I was even more surprised. Why was the Invisible Hand suddenly appearing and defeating the Little Sword Emperor? That was supposed to be Ellen, the prince of Leon, another sub-male lead and the Little Sword Emperor’s rival!

He was one of the strongest swordsmen in the setting, capable of defeating even the demon king in a pure sword fight. The Little Sword Emperor was supposed to be crushed by him, leading to a comforting scene with Daisy. That was a key plot point in the academy arc. Aslan was initially portrayed as a potential male lead, along with Prince Esid, while Ellen was almost antagonistic. But now, that crucial event had been completely altered.

“What’s going on?”

I wondered if there was a change in the story, and Ellen didn’t enroll, but that wasn’t the case. He was the one who ultimately defeated Adam Smith.

“What in the world…?”

I was suspicious. But I needed more information. So, I observed Daisy, waiting to see if the other events would unfold as they did in the original.

“Are you interested in the Flower Arranging Club?”

She approached the isolated imperial prince, inviting him to join the club.

“What are you doing here?”

She found the Little Sword Emperor sulking in a corner, nursing his defeat, and lured him in.

“Do you know a lot about flowers?”

She even recruited another member while buying flowers for the club. Watching the male leads fall into place one by one, I thought the original story was intact.

“I think this will work.”

“Oh, I see.”

…But then, Prince Ellen threw another wrench in the works. What the…? Why was his storyline different?

Who was Prince Ellen? Along with Gerard, the second son of the Rainer family, the protectors of the demon realm’s border, he was supposed to be a “Northern Duke” type character. Cold, powerful, but warm only to the heroine.

Of course, that development came later. In the early stages, he was supposed to be aloof, harboring a secret affection for the heroine while keeping his distance. Just like Gerard was currently doing.

But Prince Ellen was different. He’d discarded the cold, Northern Duke persona and was now happily learning flower arranging next to Daisy.

“…”

That wasn’t his character. He was supposed to be a loner throughout the academy arc, emitting sub-male lead vibes, achieving nothing significant until after graduation. He and Gerard were supposed to become active in the third arc, after the academy. Gerard was following the script, but Ellen was already sprinting ahead.

“It’s definitely him.”

Finding the culprit was easy. There was a new character, not present in the original, beside the changed Prince Ellen. He might have been an extra originally, but after defeating the Little Sword Emperor, he couldn’t be dismissed as such. There was just one problem.

“What if it’s a regression?”

Reincarnation, regression, transmigration – essential elements of web novels. Possession like mine was one thing, but regression could have unintended consequences.

“Considering how messed up the story is, regression is plausible.”

While a few delusional readers supported the demon king as a male lead, any sane reader would agree that the plot was a mess. After dragging out the heroine’s first time for so long, a random last-minute character appears and takes it by force through kidnapping and confinement? Regression was necessary to fix that disastrous development. It didn’t make sense for it to be a new character, not one of the original male leads, but…

“…Did the demon king’s sudden appearance make any sense?”

Considering the author’s questionable writing choices, I wouldn’t be surprised if the world ended in the fifth arc, and a new male lead candidate appeared through regression. So, I couldn’t rule out the possibility.

“Whatever.”

But considering the upcoming events, I needed to confirm whether he was friend or foe. So, I asked Prince Ellen, who was unusually cheerful, unlike in the original, to deliver a letter, summoning Adam Smith to the rooftop of the old school building after club activities. But what should I say? Regression? Possession? Reincarnation? No, I had to be subtle.

“Do you know… Like a Flower Blooming on Barren Land?”

Damn it. I blurted out the question and immediately regretted it. I’d planned to subtly hint at the novel’s title, but where did that “Do You Know” come from?

“Do you know… kimchi?”

Damn it. Perhaps because he recognized the novel’s title, or perhaps because I sounded like a crazy person, he looked bewildered. I tried another code word, something only someone from our world would understand. The nonsensical “Do You Know” slipped out again, but this time, there was a definite reaction.

“Do you know Co… Oh, . You’re from South Korea, aren’t you?”

This time, I managed to stop the “Do You Know” and just went for it.

“…I am.”

And just like that, I’d found someone from my previous life in this strange, ropan-infested world.