How to Survive as a Supporting Male Lead

“No, but you’re able to keep up pretty nicely.”

“Iann.”

“Ah, fine, fine. I get it, I get it. Go on, hurry up and change.”

Iann shooed Kallian off with a wave of his hand as he went to change clothes. Even though he could feel Derrick’s worried gaze on him, he was too busy managing his expression to let it show.

Alright, he’d set the stage perfectly. Now all that was left was to use the festival to read the air between Kallian and Yuhwa.

* * *

But reading the air between them was no easy task. For one thing, Derrick was just too clueless.

“Derrick.”

“……”

“Derrick!”

“What?”

“Keep your voice down, you idiot!”

Iann hissed the words right into Derrick’s ear. Now was the perfect time to quietly fall back and watch Kallian and Yuhwa’s dynamic. They were in the heart of the festival, surrounded by a noisy crowd that was surprisingly lively for the North.

“How am I supposed to hear you through this thick robe? Don’t blame me!”

Derrick, feeling wronged, snapped back at Iann in frustration.

“Fine, fine. That’s not the point right now. Just slow down your walking, Derrick. Slowly, without being obvious.”

Thanks to Derrick’s obedient response, the distance between them and Kallian and Yuhwa widened a little. Naturally, the group split into pairs, front and back.

“Do you know why I wanted to come to the festival?”

“Ah, good. I was wondering about that. What’s with this sudden plan?”

“The truth is… I had a dream, a prophetic dream. I saw Yuhwa and Kallian enjoying the festival together.”

“What?”

Derrick hurried closer to Iann at the mention of a prophetic dream. It had been a while since he’d heard Iann talk about those.

“Really? But why didn’t you say anything?”

“There wasn’t enough time to tell you and still make it work. I woke up late today, remember? Anyway, the important thing is, if the story goes as it’s supposed to, this is when they’re supposed to really start falling for each other.”

“Then why the hell did you come? Iann, weren’t you the one who said you’d be Kallian’s rival? That you’d torment him every chance you got?”

Derrick’s valid point made Iann sigh deeply.

“I never said I wanted to drag Yuhwa into it. Besides, she’s way too nice.”

“Ah.”

“I can’t use Yuhwa for my personal revenge… A true gentleman doesn’t drag others into his vendettas…”

Iann tried to sound calm and magnanimous as he said it, but there was a deep regret in his tone that made it clear he wasn’t really feeling so magnanimous after all. It was more like he was upset about losing opportunities to mess with Kallian.

“And besides, yesterday at the hunting grounds… Yuhwa nearly got seriously hurt. …All because of my greed.”

“Iann… are you finally growing up?”

“I’ve always been grown up, okay? It’s heavy enough to kill me.”

“That’s an awful attempt at a joke… Never do it again. Wait—then why did you come to the festival? I’m even more confused now.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m giving up this perfect chance to tease Kallian. I’m just going to keep an eye on things, enough to not ruin their… love story or whatever, and then I’ll slip away.”

“You said you wouldn’t use Yuhwa.”

“I said I wouldn’t completely use her. Just… moderately. Honestly, isn’t it unfair if only Kallian gets to break out of singlehood? The world’s practically conspiring against us.”

“Ugh, fine. That does sound like you, yeah.”

“Don’t act like this is just my business. If I run, you’re running with me. No question.”

“Right, damn it.”

Derrick once again regretted every moment he’d ever decided to follow Iann’s lead.

“Anyway, while part of this is definitely about teasing Kallian, my first priority is still protecting Yuhwa. As her guardian, I have to make sure the person she’s meeting is actually decent, right?”

“Oh.”

“And besides… It’s weird. Even if… even if I saw in a dream that they’d get together, isn’t this way too fast? Inviting someone to your house after just two days, and I’ve known him for eighteen years. This is either Kallian being an absolute scumbag or there’s some other scheme.”

“That makes sense.”

Derrick was completely swayed by Iann’s logical words.

“So we’re just going to watch them from behind. Got it?”

“Got it.”

The two’s eyes shone with a shared mission as they turned their attention to Kallian and Yuhwa. The two of them were already deep in conversation, seemingly oblivious to how far back Iann and Derrick had fallen.

“Wow, they’re getting along better than I thought. Derrick, what do you think Yuhwa’s expression looks like?”

“She seems a bit nervous, but… no real issues. What about Kallian?”

“His expression’s a little sharp, but if you think of it as him focusing on Yuhwa, it makes sense.”

“Huh…”

“Wait. Are they actually… like, really getting along well?”