How to Survive as a Supporting Male Lead

Derrick’s sniffles reached Iann’s ears, making him close his mouth, which had been hanging open in surprise. Then he opened it again, as a wave of emotion welled up in his chest. Slowly, Iann replayed Derrick’s words in his mind, and for a moment, he felt his nose tingling.

So, this was why Derrick had only booked one room—for this embarrassingly touching conversation!

“Aagh! Derrick!”

Overflowing with affection for his dear friend, Iann leapt from his blankets and threw himself at Derrick.

“My friend! The best, absolute best friend! You crazy bastard! Derrick, my heart’s pounding with how moved I am. Hey, I’m so moved! I’ll make sure your name is at the very top of my will!”

“Oh, get off! And stop talking like that!”

Derrick, alarmed, kicked Iann away. Even as Iann tumbled off the bed, rolling to the floor, he still gave Derrick a thumbs-up. Derrick, with a look of utter disdain, brushed off his hand, which had briefly touched Iann’s chest.

“Hey.”

“What.”

From his spot on the floor, Iann called out to Derrick. Derrick’s response was cold.

“Don’t cry.”

But Derrick couldn’t hide the quaver in his voice. Hearing the increasingly frequent sniffling sounds, Iann called up to him from the floor.

“I’m… not crying!”

“Ugh. He’s twenty-seven and crying.”

“Oh, shut up!”

Hearing Derrick’s disgusted tone, Iann curled up, chuckling. And, sneaking a glance to make sure Derrick wasn’t watching, he sniffled himself.

The unexpected comfort had melted away a layer of Iann’s worries. He had been trying to ignore the fact that he was swept along in the accursed flow of this story, but Derrick had opened the floodgates of his feelings.

With the novel’s major plotline about to begin, it wouldn’t be long before serious events kicked off.

Every time Iann thought about how he might die just as his sister had, an uncharacteristic sadness washed over him.

But he couldn’t dwell on it forever—his sister’s last wish had been for him to live happily. Iann had to push away his gloom. Seeking warmth, he crawled back into bed.

“Derrick.”

“Go away.”

“Aww…”

Derrick kicked at Iann, who was trying to cuddle closer. With his annoyingly long legs, Derrick stretched out to keep Iann at bay, forcing Iann to cling desperately to the blanket.

“Instead of clinging, why don’t you explain what’s going to happen next?”

“Oh, right, well…”

Iann stopped squirming and tried to remember.

“So, the female lead—that is, the Saintess—is found by Kallian. They get all lovey-dovey. Then, I clumsily butt in and try to blackmail the Saintess into dating me. And then Kallian kills me.”

“……”

“The end.”

“…So that’s the future you saw in your prophetic dream?”

“Yup.”

“Well, I can totally see you doing something that idiotic. So, are you planning to do the same this time?”

“Nope. I’ve decided to keep my purity intact.”

“Good thinking. Keep it that way forever.”

“Don’t curse me like that, man!”

“So, how exactly does Kallian kill you? Give me the details. Right now, he can’t even beat you in a duel, though that’ll change soon enough.”

“That’s not true.”

“Yes, it is. Now, explain the situation.”

Derrick waved his hand dismissively, as if brushing away a nuisance, while Iann frowned, searching his memory.

“Kallian eventually becomes a Sword Master and keeps training until he’s ridiculously powerful. Meanwhile, I lose my mind and kidnap the Saintess, locking her up at the top of the Magic Tower. Then I threaten her, using the people around her as leverage, demanding that she love me.”

“Wait a second. Why do you go insane, exactly?”

Iann’s mouth clamped shut. Why go insane, indeed? It was because, within a year, both his parents and his sister had died, leaving him an orphan without any explanation or clear culprit. But that was an old story. Iann averted his gaze, feigning ignorance. He’d never explained this fully to Derrick.