“Huh? My ideal type?”

He looked utterly startled. Was it really that shocking a question?

“Yeah.”

“Uh... I like people who are kind and nice.”

“I see. Then what kind of person do you dislike?”

“Someone who discriminates by rank, who’s arrogant, rude, and always says whatever they want.”

...Exactly the same.

Kim Jun’s taste was just like it was in the original. He used to say the same things in the novel.

After realizing who Joo Seunghyuk really was, he used to rant about how much he hated him.

The problem was that his words and actions didn’t match. He was basically the human embodiment of the phrase: ‘He says no with his mouth, but yes with his body.’ You couldn’t really trust what he said at face value.

Like in the original, he might say stuff like that and still like him—or he might genuinely hate him. Either was possible.

Should I ask if he’s into S&M...? No, I have to think about my social standing. Besides, the chances he’d answer honestly are slim anyway.

“What about you, hyung? What kind of person’s your ideal?”

“I’m the same as you. I like kind and nice people.”

“...Then why are you dating someone like that?”

“Huh?”

“I mean, I really wish hyung would be with someone warm and gentle. Joo Seungh—”

“Hey!”

Right then, Jihee noona—who was sitting next to me—cut him off with a shout and clapped a hand over Kim Jun’s mouth.

“Noona...?”

“Jun must be drunk or something.”

“I’m not drunk...!”

He tried to pry her hand off, but she only clamped it tighter.

“He says he’s not drunk.”

“Have you ever heard a drunk guy admit he’s drunk? Jun, go sit in the back today. The professor’s sensitive to the smell of alcohol.”

“But—”

Kim Jun resisted, but she dragged him off to the back row by the arm. After whispering something to him there, she came back to her seat.

“He didn’t smell like alcohol.”

“Stay next to him long enough and you’ll smell it.”

“What’s with day-drinking anyway?”

“Sounds like some Changwi seniors made him drink as a prank at lunch.”

“Really...?”

Anyway, what mattered right now was me getting dumped by Joo Seunghyuk.

Should I just try swearing at him?

No. In the original, Kim Jun cursed at Seunghyuk once and got beat to a pulp. I’d just end up hurt, and the obsession would probably intensify.

How about playing the tragic, pitiful victim?

Nope. If I pulled that stunt, he’d probably just shower me with even more gifts. Better not try anything involving money—it clearly doesn’t work.

Should I try destroying something he values?

No way. If I did that, I’d die before he even had time to lose interest.

“Yeonsu, is something wrong? Your face looks gloomy.”

“It’s because noona won’t hang out with me. I’m bored.”

“Say that to your boyfriend. Aren’t you two all lovey-dovey these days?”

“It’s not like that.”

More like I was walking on a tightrope over thin ice.

“Not like that? Didn’t you go all the way to the East Wing just to see Joo Seunghyuk? So jealous. I wanna be in a relationship too.”

Instead of getting dumped, I was just spawning weird rumors. And I couldn’t even deny it—so I quickly changed the subject.

“Noona, don’t you have a boyfriend?”

“Not a boyfriend. It’s a situationship.”

She’d been seeing an Esper from KN Guild lately.

“I thought you said it was about to turn into something real.”

“It ended.”

“Just like that?”

They seemed so close.

“Ugh. No, Yeonsu—look at this!”

She let out a huge sigh, like she still couldn’t believe it, and showed me her messenger screen.

What kind of message could it be to warrant this reaction? I leaned in, feeling tense.

“Jihee, sorry. My cold still isn’t better, so I don’t think I can meet up today. I’m really sorry ㅠㅠ”

But contrary to expectations, the message was... perfectly normal.

“What’s... the problem?”

“What do you mean, what’s the problem?!”

She looked horrified. What the hell was the problem?

Was I just too clueless because I’d been single all my past and current life? I re-read the message carefully.

“Oh, you’re upset because he canceled over a cold?”

“No. If he’s sick, of course he should rest. Better than giving it to me.”

Wrong answer.

“Uh... did he lie and meet someone else?”

“He’s not that kind of guy.”

Even my more advanced analysis missed the mark.

“Then... what?”

I gave up trying to guess and just asked outright.

“Don’t you see it?”

She pointed to the phrase ‘cold still isn’t better (감기가 안낳아서)’.

“What about it?”

“You seriously don’t see it?!”

“The spelling?”

“Yes! That’s the problem!”

I tilted my head. I’d noticed the typo from the beginning. But what did that have to do with ending a situationship?

“‘낳아서’ means to give birth, not to get better! It’s a totally basic mistake!”

“Is that really worth getting mad about?”

“I’m not mad. I’m disgusted. My feelings are just gone. How can anyone mess up something that basic?!”

Wait... someone can lose feelings just because of a spelling mistake?

Then again, come to think of it, I used to be the same. In my past life, anyway.

I was kind of a stickler for spelling. But once I started working at a publishing house, I got over it.

No matter how many times we proofread, typos would still sneak in. We got complaints from readers, and I was brutally reminded of how lacking my own knowledge of grammar was. Even ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) the Director of the National Institute of the Korean Language once admitted he wasn’t confident in spacing rules. I’d just been arrogant.

Ever since then, I stopped getting bothered when people made grammar mistakes. But Jihee noona clearly hadn’t.

“He’s not even an Omega—what the hell was he giving birth to?!”

As I stared at her fuming, a sudden idea struck me like lightning.

That’s it! This is it! If I do this, Joo Seunghyuk will definitely dump me!

***

The original plot was already twisted beyond recognition—it was no longer a useful reference.

So at this point, I’d have to make Seunghyuk lose interest by just being an objectively unpleasant person.

I sat on the bench in front of the West Wing and searched “relationship dealbreakers.”

Multiple survey results popped up, and sure enough, grammar mistakes consistently ranked in the top tier across different platforms.

It wasn’t just Jihee—most people hated them.

I closed the browser and pulled up my messages with Seunghyuk. His spelling and grammar were flawless. Mine were too. No wonder he hadn’t lost interest.

So I sent him a message.

“Seunghyuk-ah, something totally unbarrassing happened in class today.”

Heh. I bet he flinched when he read that.

“What happened?”

Contrary to expectations, the reply was shockingly normal.

Maybe he thought it was a typo?

“Guezz wat it is~!”

Studies said that texting with excessive cuteness also turned people off.

I followed that advice to the letter and even added a ridiculously cutesy emoticon for good measure.

This should seriously gross him out. Just as I’d hoped, his reply stopped coming altogether.

Should’ve done this from the beginning. It was such a simple solution—why had I been stressing out?

With a smug grin, I took a sip of the orange juice Kim Jun had given me after the Ethics of Guiding lecture ended.

It came with a tiny note, folded like a miniature envelope out of torn notebook paper. I guess having a close junior meant I got stuff like this now.

Yeonsu sunbaenim!

Thank you always for teaching me guiding.

Drink this and focus hard in your next class!

Fighting!

– Your junior, Kim Jun

Surprisingly, his handwriting was round and cute. I smiled without meaning to—but just then, someone snatched it from my hand.

“What’s this? Did some punk just confess to you?”

Joo Seunghyuk was pissed. But... not in the way I’d hoped.

“N-no...” 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

His expression crumpled as he read the note. It was so menacing I didn’t dare ask why he was reading my stuff.

“I just taught him some guiding theory. He gave me that as a thank-you.”

“Throw it away. What if he laced it with something weird?”

“He wouldn’t—”

It’s not like Kim Jun was a yandere. There’s no way he’d drug a drink. But I couldn’t win against that chilling glare, so I shut my mouth.

“Seunghyuk, you’re sweating...”

Beads of sweat clung to his forehead, and his breathing was ragged.

“Did you run here?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“You messaged me so suddenly—I thought something happened.”

...Did he think I was in a rush and made typos because I was panicking?

Now I just felt bad.

“It wasn’t anything like that.”

“Then what was it?”

“Oh, uh...”

I hesitated. The truth was, I just wanted to use the word “unbarrassing.” There wasn’t any real incident.

“The professor got the class time wrong and showed up thirty minutes late...”

“That must’ve been annoying.”

I thought he’d get mad for making him worry over nothing. But Seunghyuk just answered with a gentle voice and sat beside me—though he did toss the orange juice far away.

“Not really. The shorter the lecture, the better.”

“You think so too?”

He let out a low laugh and pulled me into a hug.

“Of course.”

“That’s surprising. I didn’t think you’d be the type.”

“What do you mean? I’m always hoping class ends early.”

“Huh... I figured you liked studying.”

So he thought I was some model student... I just liked books, that’s all.

But if that’s what he believed, then all the better.

If Seunghyuk was drawn to me because he thought I was smart or refined, this plan would work even more perfectly.

***

Excited by my new idea, I acted a little too rashly.

I couldn’t afford to fail this time. I compiled a list of behaviors people found off-putting in dating or situationships and built a concrete plan.

I ruled out the riskier ones—like two-timing or emotional manipulation. Not only were they dangerous, they’d probably just deepen his obsession. I wasn’t even confident I could pull them off.

Besides, even if I didn’t want to be with him, it still wasn’t right to mess with other people.

I also ruled out abusing service workers or being cruel to animals. I wasn’t going to make innocent people suffer just because I wanted to break up with Joo Seunghyuk.

Breaking promises was also off the table. If I tried that on a yandere, I’d probably end up dead. Or back in petite imprisonment.

Even after excluding all that, there were still plenty of options left.

Once I finalized the details, I began my mission in earnest.