What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 866

The Consequences of a Sub-Male Lead’s Strike-866

May 10th, night.

D-1.

‘
’.

“……What is this?”

Jung Hyun-seo asked with the face of an executive sitting in the middle of an interview room.

I swallowed hard, extremely nervous.

My fists, placed side by side on my thighs, seemed to be trembling for no reason.

I barely opened my mouth to answer.

“The title. The fanfic title.”

“……”

“Like I wouldn’t know a fanfic needs a title? I was just too busy to think about it. Hyung [older brother or male friend], I’m not that dense.”

Please believe me.

“……This is the title?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re going to submit this to the contest as is?”

“Isn’t that right……?”

I answered and questioned at the same time.

Then, Hyung, who had been eyeing the laptop screen from the head of the sofa, crossed his arms and looked at me.

The tension was now almost at the level of a meeting with the CEO.

The faint sound of the ventilation fan turning could be heard from the bathroom near Eun-seo’s room.

It seemed like the youngest was about to come out after showering. I looked back at Johan Kyung for no particular reason.

He was quietly staring at the turning clothes dryer, lost in deep thought.

I hope he doesn’t dislike that too… Dryer-sensei [a playful, honorific title for the dryer] is one of the three great heroes of our family.

“Ye-seo.”

“Yes, I’m listening.”

I’m so scared. I clutched my old phone and Bi-ryeom’s Ark ring tightly.

“First of all, I know you worked hard to come up with a title to attract attention in your own way. Hyung really wants to praise you for that.”

“Thank you.”

“What’s ‘S-Class Romance’?”

“Pardon?”

As soon as I raised my head, I met Hyung’s eyes.

My mouth was so dry that I felt like I wouldn’t be able to say what I wanted to say properly.

I hurriedly stole a few sips of the protein shake Hyung was drinking.

Oh, it’s quite like misugaru [Korean grain powder drink]. Delicious!

“If you’re going to drink all that protein, Hyung, go out and exercise a little.”

“No, I only took two sips……”

“What is S-Class Romance?”

“……”

Ah, that. I quickly composed myself and cleared my throat. Ahem.

“As Toegye Gong [a famous Korean Confucian scholar] said, isn’t it one of the all-time greatest works that’s definitely in the top five among Korean romance fantasy readers? It’s a huge hit.”

“Yes.”

“So, like…… S-Class Romance.”

“No, why is ‘S-Class’ in there?”

“A lot of other web novel titles have S-Class in them, too? They say readers are more interested if it’s written as S-Class. Originally, S-Class is the best and most outstanding.”

-Bang!

“You idiot, the number of characters doesn’t match!”

Uwaaak! Jung Eun-seo came out with a towel wrapped around her head!

Leaving me, who was startled alone, Hyung calmly looked up at the youngest.

“The number of characters? What number of characters?”

“Think about it. The story in that world already has a title. That’s why we call it ‘NemoNemo File.’ You can’t ignore such a key plot point.”

“……Huh, really? Is that so?”

I quickly checked the NemoNemo file connected to the laptop.

The gazes of our three siblings instantly focused on one point.

‘□□ □□□ □□□□ □□□ □.hwp’.

“Wait, doesn’t the number of characters match? S-Class Romance’s…… One, two, three, four, five…… Ah, it’s one character too many. Too bad.”

No matter how many times I counted with my fingers, the result was the same.

Eun-seo looked at me and said coldly.

“Too bad, he says. Even if the number of characters matched, that title wouldn’t work. As a hardcore romance fantasy reader, I wouldn’t want to click on it.”

“Ugh……”

She must have been listening to the conversation while applying lotion in her room.

Just in time, Johan Kyung came over to dry Eun-seo’s hair.

Before I could even make my final defense, the youngest gave me a stern piece of advice.

“Don’t wander around looking at web novel titles these days, just write something that sounds like you, Oppa [term used by a female to address an older brother or male friend].”

“But you told me to prepare an eye-catching title……”

“You’re not the type to be provocative or stimulating, so how can you come up with such a title? That’s a kind of talent, and you have zero talent in that area.”

……I don’t know if she’s shielding me or insulting me……

“Still, it’s good that the title includes ‘Sub-Male Lead.’ That’s a bit fresh for romance fantasy readers.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. Most romance fantasies are told from the female lead’s point of view, and the male lead’s point of view is rare. But even the sub-male lead is the protagonist? That’s definitely interesting, even if it’s fanfic.”

“That’s a relief. Thank you!”

It was the first proper compliment I had received. I smiled brightly and looked back at Johan Kyung.

He created a warm breeze and brushed Eun-seo’s hair, curving his eyes as he met my gaze.

Then, the youngest added with a serious expression.

“Make sure the number of characters matches the number of squares. And who knows? Maybe that’s a hint that the future Little Oppa is sending to the current Little Oppa.”

“Oh…… Okay.”

“Match the spacing exactly, while you’re at it.”

“That might be a little difficult, but I’ll try my best.”

She’s seen too many sci-fi movies, so I don’t know how seriously I should take it, but anyway, Eun-seo was a ‘god’ in our world.

I willingly decided to follow the will of the gracious deity.

To be honest, just having Hyung, Eun-seo, and Johan Kyung by my side gives me strength and confidence every day. So……

“Aren’t you the type who does better in practice than in theory?”

Yeah. I can do it.

“Thank you, Hyung. I’ll really work hard on the serialization.”

“Yeah. Do as Jung Eun-seo says. Go with a title that can honestly capture your story. Don’t think too deeply, just go with the sentence that comes to mind right away.”

“Okay.”

There wasn’t much time left.

I looked at the clock in the living room and counted the names of my precious people.

More than anything, I hoped that Johan Kyung could meet Herrit again.

And I wanted to go meet my friends too.

Even if no one remembers me, I want to do that at least once. No, no……

“……I have to go meet them again.”

If they’re struggling to regain their lost memories, I want to tell them that they’ve worked too hard.

And thank you so much.

Ga-in really cried her heart out.

“Sniff, hic…… Hwaaaa…… Mommy…….”

-Kkioooo……

“……”

“Damn it, why is life so…… Why is it so hard…… Hwaaaa…… Your Majesty…….”

-Awoooo……

Tears and snot streaming down her face, she sat down haphazardly outside the maze, wailing for a long time until her face turned red.

Tite and Leia, who had also experienced scary things, joined her in tears.

The Crown Prince leaned against the wall with his Hyegeom [his sword], silently waiting for her and the little ones.

In one of Ga-in’s hands was the rag doll that Cedric had picked up, and in the other was the white whip that Hanan Lumayan had given her.

She was giving so much strength as if someone would steal the doll and whip.

Cedric silently observed the state of ‘partner’s partner’.

“Hwaaa, rotten wood subject…… What’s a stable world when there’s no moon…… Stable! My ass…… Sniff! Keuheung…….”

“……It’s quite a sight.”

“Ha…… Whether it’s the World Tree or a living ghost…… I’m going to pack it so tightly that it can’t even be used, huh? Use it as a mat in the summer and burn it as firewood in the winter…… What did you say?”

Ga-in rolled her bloodshot eyes. She seemed to be doing better now that she had cried enough.

The Crown Prince lowered his posture in front of her, chuckling softly.

“Leg.”

“What about my leg? Hic.”

“Give it here.”

“Why, hic. Are you going to break it?”

“If you don’t hand it over willingly, I’ll tell Serenete about your behavior here……”

“Aaaah! I knew you’d be like this as soon as your memories came back, I, hic.”

Ga-in handed over her sprained leg with a grumpy expression.

Cedric examined the affected area with a dry face, confirmed that the bone was not damaged, and then wrapped her ankle tightly with a cloth to compress it.

First aid was essential because the Blessing of the Sea would not work until they completely escaped the maze and the shrine.

Since all of this was done without any hesitation or distress, Ga-in couldn’t help but ask.

“……But Your Highness, ahem. How are you so okay?”

“Because I’ve experienced it once.”

“Still, it was different from last time. Ahem. It was long. You were suffocating earlier, almost fainting. Sniff. I saw it.”

“Whatever it was.”

The man slowly raised his head, taking off his bare hands.

He must have lost his gloves in the maze. Soon, the eyes of the two partners met.

“That day. Nothing shakes me as much as the incident that happened here.”

“……”

A gaze that remembers everything. The gaze of someone who hasn’t forgotten a single fragment.

‘That day.’ Ga-in slowly nodded her head and looked over his shoulder.

“……”

It was her first time in the shrine.

The perfectly round room was all dazzling gold. Even if you couldn’t distinguish colors, you couldn’t not know the sparkle.

The gold-decorated ceiling was incredibly high, and the murals depicted various angels—even angels with the heads of humans and the bodies of bulls—as messengers of the main god, holding tulips and harps, blowing trumpets, or wielding swords.

The walls and floors below were also densely packed with intricate and ornate engravings, leaving no room for the eyes to rest.

‘They spent a lot of money.’ Ga-in muttered in a nasal voice and slowly moved her gaze to the center of the room.

Lophy was already there.

-Wowung

“……”

The gold pedestal.

The central ornament of the shrine, which supports the sacred object, was naturally placed there as if nothing had happened.

Ga-in gnashed her teeth and glared at it.

Looking at that damn pedestal reminded her of the accident that had happened in the main god’s universe, and a taste of blood lingered in her mouth.

Crown Prince Taeja seemed to have similar feelings, making a face as if he would cut down anyone who made a mistake on the spot.

“Tuh.”

Ga-in spat blood on the floor as if to show off and got up.

There was a slight throbbing, but it didn’t hinder her walking much.

This damn Vatican.

The Secretary-General is a cunning coward, his minions are all idiots blinded by greed, the World Tree is rotten, and the Holy Relic has been stolen for a long time.

At this point, it felt more like the Moon Hunt party had taken revenge on behalf of the main god by painting the temple building with poop.

Who committed blasphemy first? You bastards……

-Euwayaang

“……”

“Wait a minute.”

Ga-in, who had carefully taken care of the rag doll, widened her eyes.

Cedric’s face also hardened.

Lophy was crying sharply from over there, with her tail exploding.

-Weoooong

“……Why is there nothing there?”

Her heart sank.

“They said the Holy Grail was destroyed. Then shouldn’t something be left? If a plate breaks in half, there should be broken pieces.”

“……”

It was really unbelievable.

“No…… No, why is the pedestal empty? Could it be that the Secretary-General lied about this too? And deliberately didn’t tell anyone? Does it seem possible?”

“No.”

‘Not this time.’ Cedric denied firmly.

His long fingertip pointed to one spot on the pedestal. Ga-in reflexively squinted.

Upon closer inspection, there were fine powders scattered on the flat surface.

Smaller than sand dust, and the same color as the pedestal, so you had to look closely to see it……

-Saaaa……

“……This is……”

Golden……

-Saaaaaa……

“……”

……Ether.

Ga-in’s eyes widened as if they would pop out.