The room stank of instant noodles and sleepless nights.
The only light came from the monitor.
I stared at the screen with bloodshot eyes as the anime's protagonist smiled—handsome, confident, surrounded by beautiful girls who laughed at every word he said.
"…Again."
I rubbed my face, fingers brushing against the dark circles that hadn't faded in weeks.
> "It's so frustrating," I muttered.
> "Why does the main character always get all the girls? Isn't it unfair?"
On the screen, the protagonist casually saved the day—again—and another heroine fell for him.
No effort. No pain. No struggle.
Just *chosen by fate*.
I scoffed.
> "If life worked like that, even someone like me—"
The screen flickered.
The anime froze.
Then the colors twisted.
"What the—?"
The monitor bulged outward like liquid glass. Blue light spiraled, forming a vortex that sucked the air from the room.
My chair screeched backward as an invisible force yanked me forward.
"WAIT—!"
My hand touched the screen.
And the world shattered.
I slammed face-first into stone.
"Ow—!"
The smell hit me first: dust, sweat, sunlight.
I groaned and pushed myself up.
"…Huh?"
Cobblestone streets. Medieval buildings. People in fantasy clothes walking past like nothing was wrong.
And above me—
A floating blue window.
> **[WORLD SYNCHRONIZATION COMPLETE]**
> **[ROLE ASSIGNED: MINOR MOB CHARACTER]**
"…Mob?"
Another window popped up.
> **Name:** Unassigned
> **Appearance Rank:** F
> **Narrative Importance:** 0.02%
> **Romantic Flags:** NONE
I swallowed.
"No. No way…"
A familiar laugh echoed nearby.
I turned.
There he was.
The protagonist.
The same perfect face from the anime—standing in the center of the street, three beautiful girls hanging onto his arms, eyes sparkling.
Exactly the scene I had watched last night.
"…I'm inside the anime."
My knees went weak.
A new message appeared, colder than the rest.
> **[WARNING]**
> You are not the protagonist.
> Interfering with the main plot may result in **correction events**.
"…So I'm just an extra."
A nobody.
A disposable background character.
I laughed bitterly.
"Fine. I don't want trouble anyway."
That's when I felt it.
Someone was looking at me.
"Um… are you okay?"
I froze.
That voice—
Soft. Curious.
I turned slowly.
One of the heroines was staring at me.
Not the protagonist.
**Me.**
Her eyes lingered on my face—on my messy hair, my tired expression, my worn clothes.
"…Huh?"
The protagonist frowned slightly.
The system reacted instantly.
> **[ERROR]**
> **Unregistered Interaction Detected**
> **Heroine Interest Shift: +0.3%**
My heart pounded.
"What?"
The girl tilted her head.
"You look like you haven't slept in days," she said gently.
"…Are you overworking yourself?"
No one had ever said that to me.
Not in my old life.
Not ever.
"I— uh—"
The protagonist laughed lightly. "Hey, don't worry about him. He's probably just a passerby."
She hesitated.
Then said something that made my blood run cold.
"…Still. He feels… different."
Another system window appeared—this time glowing red.
> **[CRITICAL WARNING]**
> A heroine has perceived the mob character.
> **Narrative deviation detected.**
I stared at the protagonist.
At his perfect smile.
And for the first time—
I saw a crack in it.
"…You've got to be kidding me."