JISUNG'S PERSPECTIVE
The moment the adults started talking, Jisung already knew how it would go.
Polite smiles.
Carefully chosen words.
Subtle tension hidden under "respect."
He'd seen it enough times.
"…I'm going to walk around," he said quietly to his father.
His father gave a small nod, already distracted in conversation.
"Don't wander too far."
"I won't."
Jisung stepped away, hands in his pockets, letting the noise of conversation fade behind him.
He wasn't particularly interested in standing there while people tried to impress each other.
A quiet walk sounded better.
That was when he noticed them.
A small group, slightly off to the side—
Familiar.
Too familiar.
"…Of course," he murmured.
Yeon-hwa.
And the same two friends from before.
Plus… someone else. A girl this time.
They seemed to be huddled together, clearly trying to stay out of sight.
Which, naturally—
Made them more noticeable.
Jisung didn't approach immediately.
He didn't even mean to listen.
But as he passed by—
"…they look kind of arrogant."
He paused.
Just slightly.
Not enough to be obvious.
But enough to hear.
"Yeah. Like those main character types…"
Jisung almost sighed.
Ah.
So that's how it was.
His gaze shifted just enough to catch a glimpse of them without being seen.
Kim—animated, whispering.
Jake—trying not to laugh.
The girl—observing more than speaking.
And Yeon—
"…Exactly."
Jisung stilled.
So it was coming from him.
That was… interesting.
Not surprising, exactly.
But still—
Interesting.
He leaned lightly against a nearby wall, just out of their direct line of sight.
Not hiding.
Just… not interrupting.
"…You don't know him," Yeon was saying. "He's just—"
Jisung waited.
Curious, despite himself.
"Just what?"
The words slipped out before he could stop them.
Not sharp.
Not angry.
Just—
Direct.
The effect was immediate.
They all froze.
Jisung stepped forward slightly, making his presence known.
Four pairs of eyes turned toward him.
Silence.
Complete silence.
"…Hi," he said.
"…Hi," one of them replied automatically.
Jisung's gaze shifted—landing on Yeon.
There it was again.
That reaction.
Slightly stiff. Slightly flushed.
Like he didn't know whether to run or stay.
Jisung tilted his head faintly.
"…Main character?" he repeated lightly.
Yeon looked like he wanted the ground to open up and swallow him.
"I—uh—"
"World revolves around me?" Jisung added.
He wasn't angry.
If anything—
It was almost amusing.
The way they all reacted.
One of the friends immediately stepped back.
"I was never here."
Another nodded.
"Same."
Jisung almost smiled.
"…You weren't supposed to hear that," Yeon said.
"Clearly."
There was a pause.
Jisung exhaled quietly.
"…For the record," he said, "I don't think the world revolves around me."
He meant it.
That kind of attention wasn't something he wanted.
Another silence followed.
Awkward.
Heavy.
But familiar.
"…You don't like me," Jisung said, looking at Yeon again.
Not accusing.
Just stating what was already obvious.
Yeon froze.
"It's not—"
"It's fine," Jisung said, cutting him off gently.
Because it was.
People had opinions.
He was used to that.
Still—
There was something about Yeon's reaction that didn't quite match his words.
It wasn't simple dislike.
It felt… conflicted.
Jisung watched him for a moment longer.
"…You're not even going to argue?" Yeon asked, almost confused.
Jisung raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Should I?"
"I mean—no—but—yes—no—I don't know—"
Jisung almost laughed.
He didn't.
But it was close.
Behind Yeon, his friends were whispering again.
"He's malfunctioning."
"System error."
Jisung caught the words.
And this time—
He did smile, just a little.
"…Relax," he said. "I've heard worse."
That was true.
Much worse.
Things people said when they thought he wasn't listening.
Things people said when they thought he was.
Compared to that—
This was nothing.
Still—
Yeon looked slightly uneasy.
Like he expected a stronger reaction.
Jisung didn't give one.
Instead, he glanced back toward where the adults were.
"…They're probably looking for us."
An easy way out.
A way to end this without making it heavier than it needed to be.
They agreed quickly.
Of course they did.
Jisung turned to leave—
Then paused.
Just for a second.
"…And for the record," he added, not looking back, "if I were the main character…"
A small pause.
"…I'd have better luck than this."
Because running into the same person four times in one day—
And now this?
That wasn't luck.
That was something else.
He didn't bother finishing the thought.
Instead, he walked back toward the others.
Calm.
Composed.
But not entirely unaffected.
Because as much as he told himself it didn't matter—
His mind lingered.
On one thing.
Yeon-hwa.
"…Interesting," he murmured quietly.
And for once—
He wasn't thinking about family expectations.
Or responsibilities.
Just—
Him.