How to Survive as a Supporting Male Lead

So now she was trying to start a fight with him over Iann? Ridiculous. No one knew Iann better than he did.

“I’ll say it again. You’re the first person to ever tell me Iann is kind. Maybe you’re the one who doesn’t really know him.”

Iann, kind? It was almost laughable. A statement so absurd it should have brought out a bitter laugh. But for some reason, there was no laughter. Only a creeping irritation that rose up from somewhere deep in his chest.

“What could you possibly know about Iann?”

Kallian pressed each word down, voice low and tight. But the female protagonist, Yuhwa, refused to back down.

“I know what I’ve seen and heard living with him for the past month.”

“Ah.”

Yuhwa was just trying to protect the man who had saved her. And yet, every word she said felt like a barb. He knew there was no reason for it to feel that way, but he couldn’t calm the storm of annoyance brewing inside.

“I’ve known Iann for eighteen years.”

“But have you ever lived with him?”

“You think one month compares to eighteen years?”

“So you just can’t stand the idea of Iann being called kind?”

“It’s not that I can’t stand it. It’s that—”

It’s that you’re acting like you know him better than I do, when you’ve hardly been with him at all. That was the truth he nearly blurted out. Kallian clenched his jaw shut to stop the words from escaping.

What the hell? He couldn’t believe he’d even thought something like that.

“What? Why’d you stop talking?”

Yuhwa tilted her head at Kallian, almost mockingly, as he lost his words.

“I….”

Wait. Kallian’s self-defense mechanism kicked in, forcing the thought out of his head as fast as it had come. If he let himself admit that, he’d be crossing a line he could never come back from.

“Forget it. Let’s just say you’re right.”

“No, no, I want to hear the rest of what you were going to say.”

“Fine, fine. Maybe Iann is a little bit kind, okay? There, you happy?”

“No, I want the whole story! You know, Your Grace, there are two things in this world that make people the angriest. The first is starting to say something and then stopping—”

Kallian turned away, half-listening to her babble. Maybe if he found Iann, this ridiculous thought would vanish entirely.

“Iann?”

But there was no one there.

“Huh? Where did Derrick go?”

Yuhwa added in, looking around.

“Looks like we got separated. Do you even remember when we lost them?”

“No. I was too busy talking with you.”

That was true for Kallian as well. He let out a deep sigh.

“Then let’s walk back and look for them.”

“They might be somewhere else by now.”

“There’s no chance.”

He knew exactly what had happened. Iann had seen something fun and gotten completely sidetracked.

“I know Iann well.”

And, as expected, Kallian and Yuhwa found Iann and Derrick at the dart booth, throwing darts with childlike excitement. Yuhwa clicked her tongue and shook her head as she turned to Kallian.

“See? There’s no way someone this pure-hearted could be unkind.”

“I’ll agree with you on the fact that he is pure.”

Relief at finding Iann was short-lived. Kallian’s mouth twisted as he watched Iann laughing and joking with Derrick, completely ignoring him and Yuhwa. It irritated him. He was annoyed at how Iann could act like he didn’t care at all.

Kallian moved right up beside Iann, snatching the dart he was about to throw and tossing it himself.

Pop!

The balloon burst with a crisp snap that echoed in the tent. Iann turned to see who had taken his dart.

“Are you having fun playing all by yourself?”

Kallian’s tone was icy, his expression glowering. Iann blinked in confusion. Wait, wasn’t this guy having a great time with Yuhwa? Why did he look so mad?

“If you’re going to play, you need to pay the entry fee.”

The dart booth owner cut in with no mercy. Kallian paid without hesitation, grabbed another dart, and popped a balloon with effortless precision.

Pop!

“I asked if you’re enjoying yourself playing alone.”

“You’re not about to throw a dart at me, are you? In your hands, even a dart’s a deadly weapon. And I wasn’t alone, I was playing with Derrick.”

“Same difference.”