Chapter 9: Doki Doki literary club

“Is this it?”

I pulled the doorknob, and the door opened into a vast space filled with books.

Perhaps because the school itself was large, the library was also enormous, comparable to a decent-sized public library.

It would probably take a while to find the books I needed.

I let out a gasp of admiration and carefully stepped inside.

Since it was after school, I was the only person in the large library.

Even the librarian seemed to be away.

Being in a library after so long brought back memories… Ah, but that wasn’t important right now.

The reason I came to the library today was for the group project.

I was in charge of the presentation, but it would be good to do some research beforehand.

After scanning the library, I found the poetry section and walked over.

I slowly looked over the bookshelves, which were taller than me.

“Ah, found it.”

I looked up at the top shelf, which seemed miles away.

I stretched my arm as far as I could, even standing on tiptoe, but I couldn’t reach it.

It felt hopelessly high from my current vantage point.

I wasn’t short for a girl, but my cheeks puffed out in frustration.

166 centimeters was considered an ideal height for a woman, but it felt incredibly short to me, who used to be a healthy high school boy.

It was impossible to reach with my current height.

If only there was something to stand on, but I couldn’t see anything nearby.

I gave up and was about to look for other books when a voice behind me made me freeze.

No, “unfamiliar” wasn’t the right word. My body froze because of a sense of déjà vu.

The sound of approaching footsteps, the beating of my heart, my slightly ragged breath from frustration—the strangely familiar voice seemed to freeze everything, as if time had stopped.

“Are you a freshman? Are you having some trouble?”

Slowly, slowly, ever so slowly, I turned my head.

A pleasant baritone voice, neither too high nor too low.

I’d described it as unfamiliar earlier, but it was definitely a voice I knew.

I’d just been momentarily confused because it was a voice I’d only heard through a screen.

Yes, I knew the owner of this voice. And I also knew his hidden secrets, which I had never encountered face-to-face.

“Oh…”

“You’re…”

Thin but distinct eyebrows that suggested a strong will and self-assertion.

Thin lips below a deep philtrum, tinged with a vivid pink.

Skin whiter than snow, more translucent than most girls.

Black hair that swayed around his Adam’s apple, undeniably masculine yet alluring enough to make me want to touch it.

He felt like the perpetual snow on a mountain peak.

A handsome face with a cold, austere expression.

Icy blue eyes gazed down at me.

Kim Seong-hyeon. The Ice Prince, was it? I used to find such nicknames cheesy and childish, but he was handsome enough to make me reconsider.

I gathered my scattered thoughts and met his gaze directly.

I must have been momentarily entranced. Or possessed.

How could I stare blankly at a boy’s face like that?

My 16 years of carefully constructed pride crumbled.

Feeling strangely flustered, I bit my lip, a slight pain blossoming.

“I see. You’re the one she keeps talking about… Do you know me, by any chance?”

What was with that cheesy, almost sleazy pick-up line?

But coming from him, it sounded like a line delivered by a movie star.

Was this the power of good looks? What a dirty world.

Anyway, I should pretend I didn’t know him.

He was famous as the student council vice president, so it wouldn’t be strange if I knew his name and face, but I wanted to avoid any interaction with him.

Just like with Choi Hyeong-gon, but even more so with him.

“I don’t know you.”

“Is that so? Hmm, I think I know you.”

What was I supposed to say to that? I furrowed my brows slightly, and he chuckled.

“Are you Lee Si-hyeon’s younger sister?”

“Yes, but how…”

Lee Si-hyeon was my sister’s name. I hadn’t expected him to know that, so I flinched slightly.

“The president often talks about you. She says you’re her amazing younger sister. She’s even shown me your pictures.”

His words, laced with amusement, made my face flush.

Sister… boasting about me like a proud parent… I had to tell her to stop doing that when I got home.

“Are you trying to get the book on the top shelf? Here you go.”

In our first encounter in the game, Kim Seong-hyeon, true to his nickname, treated the protagonist coldly.

Perhaps thanks to my sister, his attitude towards me, a stranger, was much softer than I expected.

He wasn’t actually an “Ice Prince.”

He wasn’t a cold person. He was just awkward at expressing himself, and he was quite kind in the past.

It was just that the complex he developed in his childhood overshadowed his good qualities.

He was a foolish character who couldn’t shake off the nightmares of his past, even in high school.

Frankly, he wasn’t mature.

He might have looked mature on the outside, but he was still a child on the inside.

So a relationship with him was a path of hardship. His personality, a mix of arrogance and inferiority complex stemming from his past, was definitely not normal.

As a result, the protagonist suffered endlessly throughout his route because of his twisted sadism.

Moreover, the choices in his route were the most difficult of the three.

Choosing what seemed like the generally correct option would actually lower his affection.

But saying only nice things would also lower his affection later on. What was I supposed to do?

More importantly, his family situation was far from normal.

If, like in the game, I ended up with him, or my sister ended up with him, it would be a disaster.

I wasn’t worried about myself. I was still wary of men.

There was no way I would fall for him. The problem was my sister.

As we discussed earlier, there didn’t seem to be any romantic feelings between them, but I might have missed something, or she might change her mind.

I’d said before that this world wasn’t just a game, but I still wanted to avoid him.

Because I still had a lingering sense of unease about him. Yes, perhaps I was just being overly cautious.

…My thoughts had strayed too far. If Seon-a and my sister had changed, it was possible he had changed too.

It was never good to jump to conclusions about people.

In the game, the path with him only led to ruin, whether it was a happy ending or a bad ending.

I’d gotten a little carried away by that fact and started digging myself into a hole.

The game and reality were different.

Wasn’t that a truth I’d reaffirmed just a few days ago? I didn’t want to be bound by such data, especially when it came to interpersonal relationships.

“…Thank you.”

Before I could say anything else, he left as soon as he was done.

The sense of unease that had been lingering finally disappeared, and I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. He made me uncomfortable, no matter what he said.

Left alone, I looked at the book he’d handed me.

The page it had fallen open to had a poem written in a neat hand:

My dearest, whom I loved so much,
I shall never forget you in my lifetime.
Though I know this love is not meant for me,
I shall cherish these feelings alone.
So remain ever beautiful.

Honestly, I didn’t like poetry. I still didn’t, but indulging in such sentiments occasionally wasn’t so bad.

But the reason I stood there wasn’t because of the beautiful poem, but because of the lingering doubts about him that had swept through me like a storm.