Part 1Off Script: The Side Character's Guide to Love

I was recently reading a high school romance novel, and the heroine was basically my dream girl—exactly my type.

Just as I was screaming "Wifey!" at the pages in the middle of the night, I transmigrated.

But I didn't wake up as the male lead. I woke up as the invisible side character the male lead doesn't even glance at.

I grieved. I stomped my feet. I cried. I gave up.

If I couldn't win the heroine's heart, I would win at the GPA game.

So, I studied like my life depended on it. I read while eating. I read while walking between classes.

I even studied on the toilet.

By some twist of fate, my grades got me moved into the same Honors homeroom as the heroine.

Just when I thought I could stay invisible and ride out the plot, the male lead cornered me. He accused me of stealing his woman.

* * *

The first day I woke up in this book, I fell for the heroine, Elena Vance.

It wasn't love at first sight; I had been coveting her for a long time.

Back when I was reading the book, I’d bury my face in my pillow and squeal. The cold, aloof, academic goddess—she checked every single one of my boxes. Seeing her in person? I could barely control myself.

But the situation had changed.

In this world, she couldn't be my fictional "waifu." She was a real person, destined to be a stranger to me.

I could only watch from a distance as her sweet romance with the male lead, Julian Sterling, unfolded.

A sense of loss sat heavy on my chest, suffocating me.

At that point in the timeline, she and Julian weren't together yet. Plenty of brave guys confessed to Elena.

Without exception, she rejected them all with an icy stare.

I figured my crush would have to be buried six feet under.

I was just a background character with zero presence. Broken family, average looks, zero confidence.

I didn't even get the standard "Transmigrator System" or a cheat code. I couldn't just snap my fingers and get what I wanted.

So, I turned my grief into motivation. I threw myself into my studies.

Partly because it’s what a teenager is supposed to do.

Partly out of selfishness.

I wanted to be closer to Elena.

I didn't ask for much. Just being in the same room as her would be enough.

From then on, I became that kid—the first one at school, the one reading textbooks during lunch.

After the placement exams, I jumped two hundred spots in the rankings and got placed into the Honors Block—the same homeroom as the main characters.

On my first day in the new class, Julian ran up to me immediately.

"Liam? Who are you looking for?"

In the original text, "Liam" (me) was a total slacker.

I was Julian’s "plastic bro"—fair-weather friends. By day, I’d gossip with him; by night, I’d bite my blanket in jealousy of his golden-boy aura. I used to be too busy being a bitter, shady loser to study.

That’s why he assumed I was lost.

"I tested into this class," I explained.

"Huh?" He froze, then ran to the bulletin board to check the roster.

He came back, looking me up and down. "Hell of an improvement, man."

I gave an awkward smile and kept my head down as I took my seat.

Elena was sitting on the other side of the room.

I pretended to look out the window, but I was watching her from the corner of my eye.

Julian seemed to be telling her about me testing in. She didn't look interested, but she did glance in my direction.

I held my breath and smoothly shifted my gaze to my notebook.

Close call.

Almost made eye contact.