How to Survive as an Extra

Chapter 8

The main building.

Unlike the other stylish buildings, it was a small-scale building that stood out for its ordinary and practical aspects.

The reason Yun Jeongseop had summoned me was to talk about Park Oseok.

Thanks to Lee Eunho mentioning me, I was receiving unnecessary attention.

Of course, I had a vague premonition that he would call me.

After all, the episode had been updated shortly after I entered the dormitory.

Title: Mystery Club

Characters: Lee Eunho, Cha Yeri

Reward: None

This episode, titled Mystery Club, was an important one where Lee Eunho and Cha Yeri would officially join hands.

Though to the devoted reader, it seemed to be considered just a ‘sub’ episode.

I soon went up to the second floor of the main building and stood in front of the door to the vice principal’s office.

However, before I could even knock, I heard the words ‘come in.’

When I opened the door and entered, four instructors and two students turned to look at me.

Vice Principal Park Cheolyeong, shooting instructor Oh Hyeokmin, tactics instructor Lee Gangju, and investigation instructor Yun Jeongseop.

And the two students were, as expected, Lee Eunho and Cha Yeri.

Among them, Lee Eunho raised his eyebrows as if he was glad to see me.

We had just met in the infirmary this morning, so what was he so happy about…….

When I stopped next to Lee Eunho and bowed my head in greeting, Yun Jeongseop spat out a word.

“You’re late.”

I also replied curtly.

“Yes, because it’s far.”

At that, Vice Principal Park Cheolyeong let out a hearty laugh.

“Ho ho, an interesting student. Ji Seokhyeon, was it? A few years ago, I also had an open-minded student like you as my disciple.”

“……Ah, yes.”

“Aren’t you curious who that was?”

It had to be Yun Jeongseop, of course.

He would not ask if I was curious about someone I did not know, and it was possible for Yun Jeongseop to be a supervising instructor at a young age thanks to Park Cheolyeong’s help.

Still, I could not break the flow of the conversation, so I just pretended to be interested and asked back.

“Who was that?”

“Hehe, it was your supervising instructor!”

“……Ah, yes.”

Everyone else seemed unimpressed.

Only Lee Eunho looked surprised, his lips slightly parted, and he nodded his head three or four times.

“……”

Where on earth did my cynical and cold-hearted protagonist go?

As I was having such self-deprecating thoughts, the shooting instructor Oh Hyeokmin opened his mouth towards the students.

“Then, let me explain from the beginning as if we’re reviewing the story. The seven of us gathered here will all be secretly cooperating. The goal is to flush out Park Oseok’s accomplice. The reason we brought you in is because you saw through Park Oseok before we did. You are also the only students who know about this case. If you show effective results this time as well, you will be given a satisfactory amount of points. ……Anyone who doesn’t understand up to this point?”

Oh Hyeokmin deliberately sent his gaze towards me and raised his hand slightly.

However, when I just stood there blankly, he shrugged his shoulders alone and continued.

“The scope of the targets to be flushed out includes everyone staying on campus, including instructors and students. Current students are no exception.”

When he finished speaking, he sent his gaze to me again, but it was Lee Eunho who posed a question.

“What is your basis for thinking there’s an accomplice?”

“There are several grounds, but one reason is that Park Oseok’s actions were rash.”

“Pardon? Why is that……. Isn’t it difficult to be certain until we understand the motive for the crime?”

Lee Eunho’s question, asked while blinking his eyes several times.

Seeing signs that the questioning was about to drag on, Yun Jeongseop cut in dryly.

“The accomplice is the opinion of the Special Affairs Division. Instructor, let’s have the private lesson later. If we stay gathered here for too long, it will cause misunderstandings.”

“……”

Lee Eunho closed his mouth.

The weight of the name ‘Special Affairs Division’ had crushed his question.

I, who had been quietly observing the situation, sighed inwardly.

Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, the episode was proceeding according to the plot, but as I tried to predict the future, I felt a sense of hopelessness.

According to the Special Affairs Division’s opinion, they would cooperate to flush out the accomplice on their own.

Lee Eunho and Cha Yeri would operate among the students under the guise of a club activity called the ‘Mystery Club,’ and the instructors would each set out to flush out the suspect in their own way.

However, Vice Principal Park Cheolyeong wanted the Mystery Club to investigate the instructors, not the students.

If they were to carelessly suspect the instructors of Hero Prep, who had considerable pride, he was in a position where he could be placed in a rather troublesome situation.

The Lee Eunho of the original work knew that and solved the case at his leisure, but…….

If I were to place my expectations on the retriever showing a righteous gaze next to me now, there was a high probability that nothing would be accomplished.

This was the reason I was sighing right now.

I was in a position where I had to storm out of the vice principal’s office before the Mystery Club was formed, but when I thought about the episode being ruined, my feet would not leave the ground.

“……Therefore, it would be better in many ways to move under the guise of a club activity. In case it’s necessary to go off-campus, something like a mystery investigation club would be good. The faculty advisor will be……”

While Oh Hyeokmin was briefly pausing, Lee Gangju, who had been listening quietly, stepped forward.

“I’ll do it. I don’t happen to be in charge of any club.”

“Alright, the next rendezvous will be according to the tactics instructor’s directions. ……Mr. Vice Principal? Do you have any other instructions.”

Park Cheolyeong, who had been stroking his bushy beard, nodded his head once and said.

“Although it’s a disguise, if it’s a club activity, a president must be chosen. What do you think, you all? The one who raises their hand first usually has leadership qualities.”

A president…….

It would be ridiculous to make one of the two the president, so it was not even mentioned in the original work.

It was probably a change that occurred because my head was added to the count.

I thought that, as the flow dictated, Lee Eunho, who was 1st place and the top student, would be appointed as the president, but surprisingly, Cha Yeri, who had maintained her composure throughout the discussion, was the first to break the silence.

“I believe Student Ji Seokhyeon is the right person for the job. The fact that he was the first to see through the case means he has that much insight.”

For an instant, everyone’s attention was focused on me.

I looked at Cha Yeri with a bewildered expression.

The skilled expression of a fourth-generation chaebol heir, whose intentions were difficult to penetrate…….

What on earth was she thinking?

Was she trying to get revenge, keeping in mind that I had laughed at her in the clothing store?

If it was Cha Yeri, she was more than capable of doing so.

Honestly, the fact that she was not showing any sign of having helped me was also scary.

First, I opened my lips to refuse.

However, Park Cheolyeong’s words came out first.

“A very clear-headed opinion. As expected of a child of the Hyeonseong family. Now is the time for the Investigation Division to step forward passionately. ……As an aside, I recently changed my TV at home to a Hyeonseong one. Hahaha.”

As Park Cheolyeong let out a good-natured laugh and gave a light hand signal, Oh Hyeokmin feigned a smile and spoke on his behalf.

“Then, we will disperse for now.”

***

He said to disperse, but the instructors remained in the vice principal’s office a little longer.

I came out into the hallway about 5 minutes late, having been observing the atmosphere.

Lee Eunho was inside, receiving a private lesson from Oh Hyeokmin.

In other words, it meant I could return to the dormitory while strolling through the quiet night alone.

However, belying my expectations, Cha Yeri, who had been the first to leave the vice principal’s office, was waiting for me on the staircase landing.

“I’m glad you look healthy.”

Formal speech.

Was it because it was one of the qualities of a direct heir in the business world?

Students known as the children of prestigious families, including Cha Yeri, did not speak informally to those they were not close to.

They could be connected through business later, and there was a high probability they could become talents they would lead, so they would first draw a line with formal speech.

In the Investigation Division, at least Gwon Chihun…….

No, never mind.

“Thanks to you. Thank you.”

As I lightly dismissed the greeting and set my foot on the stairs, Cha Yeri quickly added, as if she had no intention of just letting me go.

“Are you only going to offer words?”

“Pardon?”

“Then buy me a warm cup of tea, if you’re really grateful.”

“Uh…… now? It’s late.”

“I’m fine.”

Cha Yeri held the stair railing with one hand and tilted her head slightly to the side as if to urge a response to her question.

Then she blinked and looked up at me standing on the stairs, and…… she was pretty.

A calculated expression and movement that she had surely used on various people of the opposite sex, regardless of age.

To put it bluntly, other than thinking she was pretty, I felt no particular emotion.

Was it because the thought that she was a character I had created was still at the forefront?

I only felt a self-satisfaction of ‘I did a good job describing her with effort.’

“It’s 8 p.m. now, the cafes on campus will be closing soon.”

“The unmanned convenience store is open 24 hours.”

“……”

Persistent.

Of course, I had a rough idea of what Cha Yeri’s intention was in waiting for me.

Today, when I had caught a glimpse of her coming and going on campus, she had been wearing an ordinary ribbon tie, but now she was wearing a bolo tie with a jewel embedded in it.

The bolo tie that had been a gift from the designer.

It had not even been a day, but the reason she had changed her tie was obvious.

It must have been to indirectly bring up what had happened at the clothing store.

This was one of the methods Cha Yeri used.

A headache-inducing and rather annoying method of getting an apology from the other party without mentioning it directly.

If you thought about it that far, she seemed like a merciful person who respected the other party’s reputation and gave them a chance to apologize, but in reality, her inner intention was to make them submit by asking for her forgiveness.

But I also wanted it.

There was no need to create conflict with a main character, and in order to lead the Mystery Club from behind the scenes, it would be beneficial in many ways to accommodate the other party’s mood.

“Is a vending machine okay too?”

A sharp addition that gave the opponent no room.

I feigned an expression and opened my mouth in a low voice.

“Sorry……”

However, before I could even finish the sentence, Yun Jeongseop approached and placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Sorry, but this fellow has a prior engagement with me.”

“……?”

What was he talking about.

I hurriedly tried to brush Yun Jeongseop’s hand off my shoulder to finish my sentence, but Cha Yeri’s words came out faster.

“Is that so? I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“No, that’s not it……”

Cha Yeri left the building, descending the stairs without giving me any time to make excuses.

While feigning a smiling-eye, no less.

“……”

There was no answer.

I would probably be socially buried within four weeks.

My reputation, which was plummeting within the Investigation Division, would surely reach the Combat and Support Divisions.

I was about to discuss the situation with Yun Jeongseop to clear up the misunderstanding, but he also suddenly showed a serious expression and hurried me.

“Follow me.”

***

An unmanned convenience store near the Hall of Truth, also known as the Magic Tower.

Yun Jeongseop had brought me here out of the blue and was eating instant cup noodles from the convenience store.

While blowing on it to cool it down.

“Have you not eaten?”

“I have.”

“……A late-night snack, I see.”

“Yeah, the school food doesn’t suit my taste.”

The fact that the hundreds of dishes at the Grand Pistachio did not suit his taste was something that should make him doubt his own palate, but…….

For Yun Jeongseop, it would be an exception.

A little later, after he had satisfyingly drunk the broth, he finally brought up the main topic.

“While verifying Lee Eunho’s statement, I discovered a few questionable points along the way.”

“……”

The topic I had been worried about was mentioned.

“Why didn’t you go straight to the library then?”

“……”

“The question is why you, who should have moved separately from Lee Eunho, ran to the Hall of Heroes.”

Yun Jeongseop, as if he was conducting an interrogation across the plastic table.

His words continued.

“The inference through the empty seat was excellent. Though it’s possible an instructor assigned to another grade had hoped to attend. The reason for specifying the medical instructor was also understandable. You probably didn’t know that they had stacked healing potions behind the stage. But…… is it just my feeling that it seemed as if you had to send Lee Eunho to the Hall of Heroes.”

“……”

Yun Jeongseop’s pupils were unwavering and calm.

They only blinked occasionally due to his lazily moving eyelids.

Pressured by the atmosphere, I gulped.

“I’ll ask again.”

Soon, his voice settled heavily on the table.

“Why didn’t you go to the library?”