Chapter 8: Can school meals be this delicious…?

After the chaotic first period, I kept my head buried on my desk until lunchtime.

I couldn’t muster the courage to lift my head and listen to class. I was too embarrassed.

If I raised my head, I felt like all eyes would be on me again.

Since I’m someone who crumbles under the spotlight, keeping my head down was the best choice.

“….”

…How long are you going to keep staring at me? Are you really trying to make me a heroine? Please, just let me escape…

In particular, Lee Joohyuk was staring at me like a maniac.

I was already overwhelmed by the attention from others, but Lee Joohyuk had no reason to care and kept staring at me without even pretending to listen to the class.

It’s so uncomfortable—what’s his deal?

My head started aching from keeping it down for so long, so I tried to glance around to lift it, but Lee Joohyuk was always watching, so I immediately ducked back down.

Especially with that slight smile on his face—he was so unnecessarily handsome that it stirred something weird in me.

It was definitely a mix of anger and irritation.

I’ve never seen anyone that handsome in real life, but he’s the perfect candidate for a protagonist.

I wanted to be called handsome too.

People that good-looking just make me mad.

Of course, I’ve never actually gotten mad. Every time I tried talking to someone, they’d stand in front of me, and I’d get scared and run away.

Since I’m not the type to chat with people I’m close to, this situation was the absolute worst.

First, a stranger was paying attention to me. That stranger was Lee Joohyuk, the person I need to be most cautious of. And on top of that, he’s handsome, so I was burning with anger inside.

No matter what I wanted to say, I lost all will to fight because of that slim, good-looking guy who seemed like a parasitic brother-in-law.

My dream of becoming popular had long turned into crumpled paper or burned to ashes with a lighter.

“Hmm… It’s almost lunchtime already? I’ll let you go five minutes early as a special treat. Enjoy your lunch, everyone!”

As if reading my mind, I secretly cheered at the teacher’s words.

This torturous time is finally over!

Finally… I can escape this eternal suffering and have some time to myself…!

There’s a saying that if you try something new, you die, right? I vaguely recall something like that, and I couldn’t agree more.

I genuinely thought I was going to die. I decided I’d just watch popular kids’ lives on video, lifted my head from the desk, and stood up.

“…?”

Crack.

Suddenly, my head throbbed so badly I felt dizzy, and before I knew it, I’d collapsed onto the floor.

…Oh, crap. Orthostatic hypotension exists here too.

“Oh, ouch…”

The pain I hadn’t felt in a while came rushing back.

Somehow, my arms and legs had cushioned my fall, so my torso didn’t hurt too much, but my arms, trapped under me, hurt like hell.

“Ugh… It hurts… Did I stay face-down too long… Huh?”

I stayed sprawled out for a bit before getting up.

But the reactions around me were… odd.

“Are you okay?”

“Uh…?”

“Were you feeling unwell? You were face-down the whole time…”

“Uh…?”

Someone approached and asked if I was okay, and since I hadn’t processed the situation yet, only incoherent sounds came out.

“…Ah.”

After finally grasping what was happening, I…

“Ahhhhh…”

My face instantly flushed red with embarrassment.

Everyone in the classroom was looking at me with worried expressions.

What the hell, this was nothing short of a public spectacle.

“What do I do… You must really not be feeling well…”

“Oh, no…”

The girl in front of me, hearing my mumbled words, looked even more concerned, thinking I was actually sick.

She was so pretty I’d normally be too stunned to speak…

“Do you want to come to the infirmary with me?”

“No, it’s not that I’m unwell… Ugh.”

I was stumbling over my words, but for a slightly different reason this time.

It was embarrassing, sure, but this was a different kind of embarrassment.

So humiliating…!

Not once, but twice, I’d drawn the attention of the entire classroom.

I’m not some attention-seeking freak, so going through this not once but twice was utterly mortifying.

And then came the final blow…

“….”

From a distance, Lee Joohyuk was looking at me with a worried expression.

No way. If this keeps up, I might actually get treated like a heroine.

I need to make sure I’m seen as a guy somehow, but like this, people might think I’m some damsel in distress.

“Uwaaa—!”

“?!”

The moment that thought hit me, I bolted out of the classroom.

In possession stories, protagonists handle this stuff so smoothly, so why can’t I do the same?

Guess protagonists aren’t protagonists for nothing. I closed my eyes and just ran.

Of course, a few seconds in, I was so out of breath I had to stop and catch my breath.

Seeing no one around, I figured I didn’t need to keep running and decided to head to the cafeteria for lunch.

…By the way, where’s the cafeteria?

*

“Huff… Huff… Gasp, haa…”

After checking a nearby map, I realized the cafeteria was on the complete opposite side of where I was, so I trudged back.

“Why… huff, is the cafeteria… up a hill…!”

Whoever designed this academy like this, I want to meet them and have a word.

Anyway, I caught my breath in front of the cafeteria door, calmed down a bit, and went inside.

The cafeteria was set up like a buffet.

Food was laid out, and you could pick whatever you wanted in whatever amount.

My favorite kind of setup.

I grabbed a plate and started piling on food.

I went for sweet, salty, and spicy dishes, especially loading up on more meat than I usually eat.

I skipped the overly greasy meats and the heavily spiced dishes.

I’ll eat vegetables if they’re served, but I don’t go out of my way for them, so my plate naturally ended up veggie-free.

I also grabbed some creamy spaghetti like carbonara, even though it’s rich.

The food smelled incredible.

Just the aroma screamed, This is gonna be delicious, ringing in my head.

Oh, I just realized I need to find a place to sit.

The cafeteria was packed, and the seats were almost all taken, making it tough to find a spot.

“Where should I sit… Oh, found one!”

I started looking for an empty seat while moving and spotted one at the far end, so I headed straight there.

But I froze before I could sit.

Across from the seat was Lee Joohyuk.

The moment I saw his face, I started scanning for another spot. Even a small moment like this could lead to me becoming a heroine, so I had to be cautious.

But, just my luck, there wasn’t a single other seat available, so I reluctantly sat across from Lee Joohyuk with a sulky expression.

At least I’ll eat something tasty…

It’s a bit uncomfortable, but whatever. As long as I eat well, it’s fine.

With that thought, I shoved some stir-fried pork into my mouth…

“…!”

The moment I tasted it, my eyes widened.

What the hell, why is this so good?!

Compared to this, the stir-fried pork I’d eaten before felt like meat slathered in random gochujang. The seasoning, flavor, and spice were perfectly balanced—it was amazing.

“Is cafeteria food allowed to be this good…?”

Home-cooked meals, delivery food—it didn’t matter.

The best thing about being possessed in this novel is that all the food is delicious.

Every dish exceeded expectations, naturally putting a happy smile on my face.

With my small mouth and stomach, I can’t eat much, which felt especially regrettable today.

I completely forgot Lee Joohyuk was sitting in front of me, focusing only on savoring the delicious food.

“You eat so heartily.”

“…!”

Then I remembered Lee Joohyuk was there. His comment made me pause mid-bite and look at him.

My face instantly flushed red.

What did I just do?

I shouldn’t have let my guard down for even a moment, but I got too careless and created this situation.

I’m not becoming a heroine, am I…?

No, my heart’s still fine. I haven’t been captured yet.

Comforting myself with that thought, I shoved more meat into my mouth.

It was still delicious. Meat is always right.