How to Survive as a Supporting Male Lead

One noble spat out his wine, but no one paid attention. Everyone was too shocked by what Iann had just said.

…You’re really blaming the Duke here?

Iann’s mouth, which had just uttered those shocking words, didn’t stop there.

“You were the one who stole my ring first!”

The crowd buzzed again. A ring? Did the Grand Duke of the North steal the Archmage’s ring? The Grand Duke? And he did something as petty as stealing a ring?

“Me?”

Kallian’s response came through the murmuring crowd, his voice filled with disbelief, his brows furrowed. His expression was clearly that of someone who had just heard something utterly absurd.

The onlookers nodded. Of course, there was no way the Duke of the North would stoop to stealing a ring from the Archmage.

But Iann didn’t back down. He seemed genuinely convinced that Kallian had stolen his ring.

“Don’t pretend you don’t know. My ring disappeared right after you visited my room.”

“That’s because you came to my office first—”

Kallian’s cold response abruptly cut off. Not because Iann’s logic had stumped him, nor because he had actually stolen the ring. It was because he realized this argument would never end if it continued. Their disputes were too frequent, and their history too long to sort through everything, and besides, going back to the root of their first fight was… well…

‘Ancient history.’

With that, Kallian decided to take a different approach. Instead of debating who was in the wrong, he chose to focus on something else: making Iann mad.

Kallian’s atmosphere shifted in an instant, his energy calming. Before Iann could sense the change, Kallian spoke in a quiet voice.

“You’re not taking responsibility for your own actions while slandering others and throwing tantrums…”

“What?”

“That’s what you call a ‘tough man’ sc name=”ref1″ ][/sc] isn’t it?”

“…What?”

“Then that makes you the ‘tough man.’”

For once, Iann’s mouth clamped shut. His brain stalled, unable to process the unbelievable situation. First of all, the fact that Kallian, the Duke of the North, had just used the word ‘tough man’ was shocking.

Had Duke of the Norths in novels ever used such vulgar language? No! They were always refined, elegant, and most of all, restrained in their word choices. According to his friend who had drawn romance fantasy webtoons in his past life, that’s how it was.

Seeing his chance, Iann immediately ridiculed Kallian internally.

‘Kallian, you’ve failed as a Duke of the North character. No wonder you’re just a Duke and not a Grand Duke of the North. Actually, be grateful you even got to be a Duke. Imagine if you were a Viscount of the North. How pathetic would that be?’

With that inner criticism marking the end of his first shock, Iann moved on to the second one. Who exactly was this tough man that the Duke of the North was referring to?

“…Me?”

Iann asked in a dazed voice. His dumbfounded expression made Kallian smile faintly. It was the first genuine smile Kallian had shown since entering the party.

“Yes.”

“…….”

“You.”

“…….”

“Iann de Loit.”

“…Ha!”

Iann let out a dry laugh, full of disbelief. But within that brief sound, the wounded pride of a man was laid bare.

“I am not a ‘tough guy’!”

“Isn’t it a trait of such a ‘tough guy’ to get angry when called one?”

“Hey!” sc name=”ref2″ ][/sc]

Despite never having provoked someone like this before, Kallian effortlessly mocked Iann. On top of that, when Kallian said “tough guy,” it came across with a weight and seriousness that hadn’t been there when Iann had thrown the same insult at him, making the word feel like an even harsher criticism.

For Iann, whose ego was everything, this attack was unbearable.

“If you say one more word, I swear I won’t let it slide.”

“You’re all talk, but you don’t do anything.”

“…….”

“Oh, right, that’s another trait of a ‘tough guy.’”

“Hey! Come outside, now!”

“Gladly.”

And so, Iann, practically spitting with anger, rolled up his sleeves, effectively pulling the classic “meet me on the rooftop after school” move.

T/N:

^[1] ↩

The word here used is ‘하남자,’ which translates to ‘tough man’ or ‘real man’ but funnily enough apparently, that’s not what it means. It’s been made an internet meme for a man who’s cowardly and cheap.

It gets funny when you read it in the text the more you read haha

^[2] ↩

If you’re not familiar with Korean culture and mannerisms, saying “야” (ya) which means “hey” can actually be incredibly rude. In contexts like this, it’s either used to drop the formalities or it’s used to insult. You might also often hear it when people drop honorifics. Instead of speaking politely and saying “Could you tell me how old you are?” it becomes “Hey [derogatory]. How old are you?”

Generally, it can be used casually among friends, very much like the English “Hey,” though.