As the crowd slowly dispersed, everyone began heading toward their respective lectures.
For a moment, I just stood there.
Then I turned—
"Are you a fresher too?"
A voice came from behind me.
I blinked and looked back.
A boy stood there, smiling casually, as if talking to strangers was the most normal thing in the world.
"Uh… yeah," I replied, a little unsure.
Another extra…?
"I'm Mark," he said. "You?"
I froze.
My name…
Right.
That was a problem.
"Uh… I—"
What was I supposed to say?
I didn't even have a name in this story.
"I'm… an extra," I muttered without thinking.
Silence.
When I looked up, Mark was staring at me, clearly confused.
Great. Genius.
quickly opened my mouth to fix it—
"Oh come on, Mark. Already hitting on a newbie?"
A girl stepped in, saving me.
I let out a small breath.
She had a light, teasing smile. Easy to talk to.
Comforting.
You're a scholarship student, right?" she asked, looking at me carefully.
Not a question.
A conclusion.
"Huh? …Yeah guess so"
That answered itself.
Of course I was.
But—
Why?
Why was this my setting?
Why was my character written like this?
In a university filled with elites, heirs, and CEOs-in-the-making…
Why was I the one who didn't belong?
"Guess so?*" she laughs lightly at my reaction. "You're interesting."
"Uh—"
"Cynthia, right? I'm Jessie."
My breath hitches.
Cynthia.
That's… my real name.
H..how? How can that be?
Before I can process it, Mark clears his throat awkwardly. "Uh, we should get going. We're getting late for the lecture.
The three of us ended up walking together.
We talked a little—about majors, classes, small things.
Simple things.
Normal things.
And for a moment… it felt real.
Maybe extras could have their own world too.
Even if we existed in the shadows of the main characters.
During the lecture, I played my part well—
Just another invisible classmate.My fingers tightened slightly around my pen.
Cynthia…
My name.
My real name.
And yet—
It was also hers.
The character.
The extra.
Was that a coincidence?
Or had it always been like this?
I wondered about all the possibilities in my head.
From the corner of my eye, I could see Lily and Samuel talking occasionally.
Samuel… he seemed like the type to develop an unnecessary crush on the female lead.
Just like the others in the novel.
But then again—
What did I know?
I hadn't even read past ten chapters.
It had felt too cliché and boring.
= = = = = = = =
At lunch, I sat with Jessie and Mark again.
It felt… nice.
Unexpectedly nice.
"You know Ryan Watt is sponsoring the internship program this semester," Jessie said.
"Who?" I replied without thinking. "The Cold Duke of the North?"
Silence fell.
Then laughter.
"You're funny," Mark said.
Funny?
That wasn't what I expected.
Maybe this wasn't so bad.
Even if I was stuck here.
Even if this wasn't my world.
Who knows how long I am stuck here? And in the worst case scenario..what if ..forever?
I just had to be prepared for everything
Back there—
I had been alone too.
Because of my condition.
Because of everything.
But here…I had a chance.
I could start new.
Just like that, I made a decision to live my own life here quitly away from the main leads.
But_
Why didnt tthe idea sat quit right with the fate ?