How to Survive as a Supporting Male Lead

So, it wasn’t easy for Iann to fully accept that Kallian and Yuhwa had already fallen in love. He knew Kallian too well. That guy only acted kindly when he had some ulterior motive. He had never shown any of that ulterior-motive kindness to Iann himself, but still.

Anyway, Iann decided he needed to keep the frequency of Kallian and Yuhwa’s interactions under control until he could figure out exactly what Kallian was thinking. They’d eaten before coming here, and he’d made sure to take the room closest to Kallian’s himself.

He couldn’t just toss his sweet, innocent sister-like Yuhwa to that wretched, scheming Kallian.

‘Yeah. I’m Yuhwa’s protector—so at the very least, I should check out the mental state of any guy she might bring home as a prospective husband.’
When Iann finished with his musings, he jumped up. He was going to probe Kallian a bit.

Iann wandered around Kallian’s mansion as if it were his own home. He’d been there more times than he could count, and he’d gotten used to roaming around without anyone guiding him.

Like a secondhand bargain hunter trying to shave off even a bit more from the price, Iann meticulously inspected Kallian’s mansion. It was surprisingly fun to spot the changes since he’d last visited a few weeks ago. Plus, it was good to memorize the layout while he still could roam freely. His next visit would probably be a stealthy break-in.

Before long, Iann arrived at Kallian’s office door. This was the door he knew best in the whole mansion. Thanks to Kallian’s obsession with his office and bedroom, Iann had memorized every detail of both.

Knock knock—

Iann rapped on the door. After a moment, a low voice called for him to come in. Iann flung the door open.

“Iann, entering—huh!”

Thunk! A dagger flew straight at him, only to be deflected by the shield he’d hastily conjured. Iann stood there, staring blankly at the dagger clattering on the floor. That thing had nearly gone through his neck.

“You crazy bastard! Is this how you treat your guests?!”

“…I didn’t recognize the footsteps and thought it was an assassin.”

“What kind of insane assassin knocks before coming in?! And how can you still not recognize my footsteps after all this time?”

“That’s true, I suppose.”

Kallian, looking weary, calmly acknowledged Iann’s point.

“What the hell? What’s going on? Why are you agreeing with me? Wait a minute—does that mean you knew it was me and still threw it?!”

“Yes. I suspected it was you. But there’s always a chance it’s not.”

“What nonsense. Don’t sugarcoat it. You basically just said you threw it because you thought it was me! Hey, I’m a patient right now, remember? And even if I weren’t, a surprise like that is too much!”

“You wouldn’t be taken down by something like this.”

Kallian’s clear gaze fell on Iann. Not a flicker of doubt in those eyes. Iann had expected him to keep a straight face while saying, ‘I threw it so you’d get hit.’ But instead… Kallian’s half-assed compliment threw Iann for a loop. Should he be pleased, or should he be angry?

“Anyway! Don’t throw things at me next time. My heart can’t take it every time I walk into your office.”

“What other reason would you have to come into my office so often?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know. I’ve probably been in here more than anyone else.”

“Please stop coming.”

“I’ll think about it. By the way, do you have any chocolate?”

Iann began rifling through Kallian’s office like it was his own kitchen pantry. Kallian watched him quietly, then tapped on the desk.

“Over here. Come here.”

“What? Really?”

Iann stopped searching the bookshelves and took a step closer. Kallian pulled a box of chocolates from his desk drawer and pushed it across the table to Iann.

“…You’re giving it to me?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Iann clutched the box to his chest and narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Kallian. This wasn’t like Kallian at all. To speak so gently and hand over chocolate so kindly… Iann quickly checked outside the window. The moon was shining normally. So it wasn’t the end of the world—yet.

“Did you poison it or something? Hey, did you? I’ve told you a hundred times, I’m immune to that now. Ever since what you did to me, I’ve been building resistance.”

“I didn’t poison it.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Really.”

“…Nope. You eat one first.”

Iann opened the box and chose the most unappetizing piece—a weirdly colored chocolate overloaded with nuts—and held it out to Kallian.

“Ah.”

“I don’t wa—mmph.”

Kallian’s face twisted as Iann shoved the chocolate into his mouth. The rich, syrupy sweetness flooded his senses. But Kallian didn’t care for sweets. And this one, picked out with Iann in mind, was so sweet it almost tasted bitter.

Seeing Kallian’s face contort, Iann dusted off his hands with satisfaction.

“Good. No poison, I guess.”