I Was Rejected by the Main Character in a Romantic Fantasy. - Chapter 69

TN: Thank Shin-wo… I mean Nepper for the chapter.

I wanted to rush to the Duke Geyrus manor as quickly as possible, but it wasn’t something I could do at will. I couldn’t just skip the academy’s schedule as I pleased, and the head of the ducal family wasn’t someone I could meet just because I wanted to.

“…I’ll at least inform the duke about it first.”

“Thank you.”

When I asked Cain to request a meeting with the duke, he readily agreed to relay my message. After expressing my gratitude to him, I let out a small sigh and started walking.

In truth, I wasn’t sure how much of an answer meeting with Duke Geyrus would provide me. After all, he was still a person of this world.

It was also true that lately, I couldn’t focus on other things due to the thoughts constantly jumbling in my mind.

I returned to my familiar dormitory room and sat on the bed, opening my notebook.

“…”

Since meeting the Goddess, I have started writing down information about my original world in a notebook to avoid forgetting my original self.

I began writing everything from my basic personal information to small details that came to mind.

However, the reality was that I hadn’t even filled three pages yet. At this point, writing even a single line was becoming difficult.

“This is driving me crazy.”

I roughly ran my hand through my hair and started rolling the pen between my fingers. It was pen spinning, something I had practiced out of boredom during my school days.

By now, it had become such a habit that I could do it as naturally as flowing water.

‘…The habits remain, huh.’

It was amusing that small habitual movements remained in my body memory. Even though I had become someone else’s body.

But the fact that I couldn’t remember trivial memories made it something I couldn’t laugh about even if I wanted to.

One positive aspect was that, although hazy, I could recall bits and pieces if I tried hard enough. I couldn’t remember everything, but I could recall to some extent.

The problem was, as I mentioned, there had been no progress since then.

“I guess I’ll stop here for now.”

Letting out a small sigh, I put down the pen and closed my eyes momentarily. My eyelids felt a bit hot.

***

Lee Shin-woo.

That was my original name.

Born the only son in an ordinary family, I grew up receiving love from my parents and having nothing to envy.

I lacked nothing, and my parents showered me with attention and love. I think I was someone who knew how to give that love to others, having grown up receiving it.

I had many friends around me, and I had even experienced what people call “having a crush” several times before. Of course, those didn’t lead to actual relationships.

Anyway, my friendships were good, and my academic performance wasn’t bad either.

But all of that was only until I was 17 years old.

Lee Shin-woo, age 17.

An incident occurred where my parents died in a car accident on a rainy road while returning from a wedding. Having lost my parents in an instant, I pushed myself into a dark room.

Thanks to the money my parents had saved and the insurance payout, there was no problem with daily life. Still, the fact that my parents were no longer in this world tormented me terribly.

Holed up in my room, I immersed myself in various games and web novels.

It wasn’t an inspiring story like those of protagonists in other web novels who found comfort or hope for life through novels.

I simply escaped reality and indulged in the delusions of novels.

After continuing to live like that for a while, not going to school and staying cooped up in my room, there was nothing left around me.

Friends who had come to check on me out of concern, adults who worried about me, and relatives—they all stopped coming to see me.

At first, I felt at ease when those trying to pull me back to reality disappeared, but later, a deep sense of emptiness and loneliness washed over me.

When I realized I was truly alone, fear crept in.

What if I die alone like this?

What if something happens to me and no one comes looking for me?

This fear led me out of my room.

However, I didn’t have the courage to return to high school. I didn’t want to see the worried faces of friends who used to be close to me, awkwardly trying to talk to me.

I applied for withdrawal from high school and started preparing for the high school equivalency exam.

Fortunately, thanks to what I had studied so far, I passed the equivalency exam without problems, and then I prepared for the university entrance exam.

In my spare time, I started sorting through my parents’ belongings. It wasn’t easy to organize things that still held my parents’ scent and memories, but I felt it was something I had to do.

In my first college entrance exam, I received a score slightly short of getting into the university I was aiming for. Debating between retaking the exam and giving up on my target university, I ultimately decided to enroll in a slightly lower-ranked university.

Although I was trying to be as frugal as possible, I knew that money wasn’t infinite and that it would decrease the more I used it.

Even after entering university, I shied away from forming relationships with people.

I couldn’t bear to see people’s expressions change when they heard I had no parents. Studying alone, I voluntarily became a loner, and that’s how I became a sophomore in college.

Then, my military enlistment notice arrived.

Without hesitation, I took a leave of absence from college and enlisted in the military. To be honest, military life somewhat suited my disposition.

It was where I had to silently follow orders and do the tasks assigned to me well. I followed even orders I thought were unreasonable without much thought, and I smoothly completed my military service.

After being discharged from the military, I immediately returned to college, and after graduating, I got a job at a decent company.

Actually, I wanted to get a job in the IT industry, but I realized it was impossible after failing to get into the university I wanted, so I got a job that matched my level.

It wasn’t the field I wanted, and the company had quite a few so-called “old-fashioned” superiors. Still, it wasn’t bad to work there since I didn’t have much attachment to the company itself.

Even then, I continued to read web novels.

As a hobby, I tried writing down things I thought about, but the response wasn’t very good. Honestly, it would be more accurate to say I gave up because of the many malicious comments.

Two years of college, two years in the military, three years of company life.

I spent my 20s without a moment’s rest, and that’s how I came to be 27 years old, living day by day.

And then, one day, I came to this world. My life was originally colorless—an uneventful daily life with no special features.

A colorless person with a story that could happen to anyone living in an ordinary world.

Even I don’t know why someone like me was possessed into Felix’s body. But there was nothing. There was nothing for me to cling to in that world.

I didn’t think much about going back to the original world or about the original world itself.

The result of that might be gradually forgetting the memories of the original world.

“…”

When I opened my eyes, I saw the now-familiar ceiling. Judging by the darkness slowly settling in, it seemed some time had passed since sunset.

The last time I remembered was seeing the sunset, but it seemed I had dozed off for a few hours. While pressing the back of my hand against my still slightly hot eyelids to cool them, I realized I had broken out in a cold sweat.

Seeing myself sweating as if I had a nightmare, I let out a hollow laugh and wiped the sweat from my forehead.

Am I living such a comfortable and happy life now that memories of the original world feel like nightmares?

As I let out a hollow laugh, I casually turned to the table where the notebook had been placed.

There was an unfamiliar box placed there.

“…What’s this.”

The moment I saw it, I felt goosebumps.

It’s unlikely that someone entered my room to harm me, but the fact that I hadn’t sensed any presence at all was unsettling.

Frowning, I stared at the box on the table, but I couldn’t help but feel relieved when I saw the note on top of it.

[You’ve seemed worried lately… They say eating something sweet makes you feel better!]

The note, written in round and neat, pretty handwriting, was clearly in Helena’s style.

It seems my worries had been showing on the outside. Letting out a hollow laugh, I picked up the note on the box and couldn’t help but smile without realizing it.

…Unauthorized entry into the men’s dormitory is against school rules, Helena.

***

“…What, what was that?”

Helena, unable to hide her confusion, sank down in the hallway.

She had only intended to leave some snacks because Felix hadn’t seemed to be in a good mood lately…

Seeing the notebook on his table was clearly unintentional. The notebook was open, and the writing inside caught Helena’s eye.

And its contents…

“Who in the world is Lee Shin-woo?”

It was something utterly unbelievable for Helena.