ICYM Ch 1

Episode 1

A breeze drifted in through the open window. The curtains fluttered in its wake, carrying with them the scent of sun-dried fallen leaves. Having just been out in the sun, sweat trickled down from my forehead. I glanced toward the window. Leaves that had begun to fall from the trees were piling softly beneath it.

Click.

The sound of the library door opening made my body tense up.

The dormitory library was on the top floor, and since very few people studied even in the dorms, the ones who came here were always the same.

After a month of observing, I’d learned that on weekend mornings, only two people came and went: me and one other person.

At this hour, the library was practically our secret hideout.

I gulped down the soda I had just bought from downstairs to soothe my dry throat from nerves. The cold drink fizzed sharply in my mouth.

“Whew…”

My seat was in the farthest corner, so I couldn’t see the door while sitting. Conversely, it also meant that whoever opened the door couldn’t see me either.

Perfect. It felt a bit cowardly, sure, but for someone like me who wanted to confess but lacked the courage to do it face-to-face, it was the ideal setup.

Click.

As the door opened again, I quickly spoke up before the other person could walk in any farther.

“Hey, wait a second.”

At my words, the person at the door froze mid-step.

“Just… listen from there.”

The timing was perfect.

Though I hesitated, thinking that he might not like me, I didn’t want to delay it any longer. Clenching and unclenching my fists, I tried to steady myself.

Sunbae^[1] standing at the door must have recognized my voice because they stayed there and waited for me to speak. I swallowed dryly and squeezed out my courage.

“I like you… I want to date you. Let’s go out.”

Once the words left my mouth, I covered my lips with the back of my hand and squeezed my eyes shut. I was nervous, sure, but I still felt confident.

More than the fear of confessing, what really made my heart pound was the uncertainty of how our relationship would change from here on.

“Okay.”

A deep voice answered. It was a yes.

I should have been overwhelmed with joy at hearing the response I’d hoped for, but I wasn’t. I snapped my eyes open.

“…Huh?”

It was definitely the answer I wanted, but something felt off. I quickly sprang to my feet.

My gaze halted at a height much taller than what I was used to seeing.

The moment our eyes met, I was so shocked I forgot to breathe.

“Okay. Let’s date.”

“…Huh?”

Seeing my confused expression, still unable to grasp the situation, Kendrick looked straight into my eyes and calmly repeated himself.

As if to say both the confession and the person who made it were clearly understood.

Wait, what are you doing here?

It was only then that I realized the mistake I’d made, my mouth falling open in shock. I had confessed… to the wrong person.

How had things gotten so completely messed up?

To understand how this all went wrong, we need to go back to the beginning of the semester.

* * *

September 13.

It had already been a week since I transmigrated.

I had adapted so quickly that I now instinctively turned around whenever someone called the name “Hayden.”

The novel I’d entered, “Soft and Sweet Boarding School”, was a teen romance novel set in a pair of private schools—one for girls, one for boys—in a small town in England.

It was the kind of book I never would’ve touched under normal circumstances, but it had been a gift from my childhood friend, who’d given it to me after I’d graduated high school and was doing part-time jobs.

“Why are you giving me a book all of a sudden?”

“Because I wrote it, so don’t you dare lie and pretend you read it. Actually read it, okay?”

Out of respect for my friend’s effort, I skimmed through it, and to sum it up briefly, the novel was a total “head full of flowers^[2]” story.

“Nowadays, schools are divided by alpha and omega status, not boys and girls. Having separate schools for boys and girls is so outdated.”

“That’s not the point.”

When I pointed out what bothered me most, my childhood friend smacked my shoulder so hard it hurt and scowled, saying that wasn’t how you critique a novel.

“When do they even study if they’re always dating?”

“It’s a romance novel. What kind of person whines about studying in a romance? You’d totally get caught up in it too if you were in the same situation.”

“I would not.”

“Oh, please. You get lonely super easily and you like pretty things. Don’t act like you’re above it.”

“That has nothing to do with dating.”

“And sometimes you just fumble your way through stuff. You know people like that end up dating first, right? Because they’re not picky.”

“…Are you just openly insulting me to my face right now?”

“You’re just now realizing that?”

I shook my head as I recalled that conversation with my friend before this whole transmigration thing happened, waiting at the crosswalk. Then I turned off the main road and started walking along the shoulder, where leaves had begun to pile up.

From what I remember, the plot of “Soft and Sweet Boarding School” went something like this. The female lead and male lead had been childhood friends. But when they were young, the male lead’s family got transferred overseas, and they drifted apart.

However, when they become high school students, the male lead returns to his hometown, and upon finding the female lead still there, their relationship quickly rekindles.

The female lead, a passionate Omega, asks the male lead, a dominant Alpha, if he has a girlfriend.

He replies that there’s someone he’s liked for a long time.

Of course, I thought he meant someone back in the country he’d lived in… but it turns out, he was talking about the female lead all along.

It was a novel that perfectly reflected my childhood friend’s taste.

All things considered, I was lucky to have transmigrated in this story.

Recalling the minefield of plots my friend told me about from other novels, I felt a wave of relief.

I wasn’t someone who read novels often, but thanks to all the plots I had indirectly heard from my friend over time, I was able to assess my situation pretty calmly as soon as I transmigrated.

From my perspective, the genre of this novel would be classified as a “transmigration” story.

In stories like these, the protagonist generally falls into one of two categories. Either they actively intervened in the plot or they did everything to avoid it.

But there was always one common truth. Whether you tried to avoid it or meddle too much, either way you just got pulled deeper in.

Transmigration or not, I’ll just focus on doing what I’m supposed to.

That was the conclusion I’d come to.

After a few days of failing to find any clues about how to return to my original world, I quickly decided how I would live here instead.

From my friend’s earlier question, “Who even studies in a romance novel?” I’d chosen to be the one who did.

* * *

Maybe because the school term and the moment I transmigrated were about a week apart, by the time I came to my senses, I realized I had become a student who didn’t quite fit in, neither in the classroom nor in the dormitory.

I wasn’t being bullied. There were a few people who invited me to eat lunch with them. Still, it was the kind of relationship where if I declined, they wouldn’t take it personally.

I liked this ambiguous position.

In the dorm, I had no intention of tagging along behind the group of tightly-knit alphas, and I also didn’t plan to get close to the local kids who already had their own circle.

Watching students walk in groups of threes and fours in their uniforms, I strolled leisurely toward the dorm.

It wasn’t quite full-on autumn yet, so the air was still muggy.

As I walked, I refreshed the school’s community app on my phone. It greatly helped me adjust after arriving in this world.

The dorm I’d been assigned to was located in a residential area about ten minutes from the school.

What I liked most about the dorm was the wall near the front entrance—red brick with ivy climbing up it, reminiscent of the ivy that grew on the apartment building I used to live in before all this.

I passed the front entrance, punched in the passcode at the side door, and entered the dorm.

I thought about grabbing a bit of the cash I’d left with the dorm supervisor before the weekend, but when I looked around inside, it seemed no one was there.

I’ll just get it later.

Thinking it wasn’t a big deal, I cut through the lounge. It was the fastest route.

That’s when it happened.

Mr. Higgins, who had been setting out snacks inside, clapped his hands when he saw me and stopped me in my tracks.

“Perfect timing. I just made tea and put out some snacks. Have some.”

“Thank you. I’ll take it to my room.”

Of all the dorm supervisors on duty today, it just had to be Mr. Higgins.

He was the type to chat endlessly if he got the chance. Once caught, you wouldn’t be free for at least ten minutes.

“Ah. Today’s the day, isn’t it.”

As expected, his voice halted me as I tried to walk past.

When I reluctantly turned around, Mr. Higgins winked and pretended to nudge me in the side. Unable to show any dislike here, I gave an awkward smile.

“…Is that so?”

“He should’ve arrived earlier, but it looks like he is running late.”

If there was one thing I regretted after transmigrating, it was this. I had been enjoying the comfort of having a double room all to myself, only to suddenly end up with a roommate.

Unfortunately, whether it was out of pity or just bad luck, I ended up being assigned a roommate—a student who had to move into the dorm because of his parents’ sudden job transfer.

Because of some transfer student who suddenly showed up, now I can’t have the room to myself.

I did feel a little lonely at times, sure, but still, I’d preferred being alone over sharing a space with a complete stranger.

“Is that so?”

“I think it’d be great if you could help him out.”

As if I had the time or energy to take care of someone else.

While it was nice that I could now understand English automatically, the education system itself was so unfamiliar that just trying to keep up was exhausting.

“Then I’ll head upstairs first.”

“He’ll be here soon. Are you sure you don’t want to wait?”

“I really need to use the bathroom.”

Forcing a smile, I piled some snacks onto a plate and quickly slipped out of the lounge.

Taking the stairs two at a time in a half-run, I opened the hallway door on the upper floor. I wasn’t paying much attention as I stepped forward when—

“Mmph.”

For a second, I thought there was an extra wall in front of me.

Before I could stop, I walked straight into it. Only after my face collided did I realize that what I’d hit… was someone’s chest.