Chapter 5
There was once a peaceful era—no monsters, no wars. The lands were fertile, food was plentiful, and both spirits and monsters lived in harmony with humans.
This peace was thanks to a mysterious gem given by the gods, called the Cycle. With its power, the world remained in order.
Only one person, a saint chosen by the gods, was allowed to use the Cycle’s power under divine permission. And because of that, the world stayed peaceful.
But that peace was destroyed by a greedy emperor.
“Why must we always borrow the saint’s hand to use the Cycle’s power?”
He killed the saint and tried to take the Cycle’s power for himself.
But the moment he touched it, the Cycle shattered into pieces and scattered across the world. Losing the gods’ blessing, the world quickly fell into chaos.
The broken pieces of the Cycle merged into compatible living beings—animals, plants, and even humans. Those chosen by the Cycle and granted its power were called Gems.
Each Gem bore a Mark, a jewel or pattern that appeared somewhere on their body.
The location of the mark varied. But the rarest and most powerful was when it appeared in the eyes—those with Jewel Eyes. That meant they were the most in sync with the Cycle and could wield great power.
Because of this, people with Jewel Eyes were often guaranteed a successful future.
The male lead of this story, Leotis, was one of them. He had the mark in both eyes.
But… no one welcomed him.
Why?
Leotis tried to pick up a carrot using an old, worn-out wooden fork.
Snap!
The fork couldn’t handle the hard carrot and broke. The carrot slipped and rolled onto the floor.
“Hey, Leotis! Can’t even use a fork properly?”
“Did you throw it on purpose ‘cause you didn’t want to eat it?”
The other kids laughed and pointed at him.
‘Those little punks. How can you expect someone to eat a raw carrot with that old wooden fork?’
The first kid who picked a fight with Leotis, Limon, snatched the broken fork from his hand.
“Why don’t you just eat it with your hands?”
Leotis stayed silent.
“What, you can’t talk either? What are you, mute?”
They had crossed the line completely.
Selena clenched her fists. She was about to stand up and punch Limon’s smug face when—
“Everyone, sit down.”
Someone had called the director.
Silence fell instantly.
The kids of Tryce Orphanage feared the director. She often hit them for no reason.
In the heavy silence, the director spoke.
“Why is it so noisy in here?”
No one answered. Then Limon raised his hand and shouted.
“Leotis threw his carrot on the floor because he didn’t want to eat it!”
The director’s face twisted angrily.
“You picky brat! Wasting precious food like that—pick it up and eat it, now!”
Even after seeing Leotis’s plate piled with carrots, she scolded only him.
‘There’s no one on his side here…’
Leotis bent down to pick up the fallen carrot. But even the one right in front of him, he struggled to find.
Because of his Jewel Eyes.
The mark in Leotis’s eyes was a deep, black gemstone—Obsidian. It blocked all light, making him completely blind.
Obsidian was known to appear only in monsters. On rare occasions, a human would get it too—but they always ended up consumed by dark powers, turning into monsters themselves.
That’s why people called it the Devil’s Curse. Those with obsidian eyes were feared and hated. No one knew when they might lose control.
A cursed child, unloved by god. A lonely orphan with no one to protect him.
Leotis’s childhood was destined to be miserable.
‘They have no idea this kid is going to become the future High Priest.’
The director clicked her tongue while watching Leotis fumble along the floor.
“This won’t do. A child who doesn’t value food doesn’t deserve to eat.”
She grabbed Leotis by the ear and yanked him up. The rough pull looked like it might tear his ear, but Leotis didn’t make a sound.
The director cursed him, calling him a demon. But to Selena, he just looked… so sad.
‘He knows he has no one on his side.’
Even if he cried out in pain, no one would comfort him. He had grown used to the constant violence and insults.
Leotis was only seven years old.
The director dragged him away.
The other children continued eating like nothing happened. They laughed and chatted happily—without a hint of guilt.
‘They’re all strange. It’s like they think bullying Leotis is totally normal.’
Selena suddenly remembered some comments she’d seen when reading the original novel.
“Leotis 😭 he’s too pitiful…”
“Author-nim, please let Leotis be happy.”
“Do male leads really need such tragic backstories? This is kinda too much…”
└ “Don’t overreact.”
└ “If you don’t like it, then don’t read lol.”
Despite being titled “I Will Be Happy This Life,” Leotis’s childhood was anything but.
Abuse from the director. Bullying from the kids. Until he turned sixteen and met the heroine, he never once felt happiness.
Why did he have to suffer this much?
As a romance-fantasy novel addict, Selena knew why.
‘It’s all for plot logic.’
The male lead’s tragic childhood gives the story a reason for why he falls in love with the heroine.
The heroine saves the broken male lead. Then comes the happy ending.
Leotis’s painful past makes their love story believable—and makes the heroine shine even more.
The heroine, born to be loved. The male lead, saved by her. Though Leotis was suffering now, his happy ending was already written.
But for Selena, a girl who wasn’t even in the original story, her future was full of uncertainty.
‘Unless some rich noble adopts me, there’s no way I’ll live a comfortable life.’
Right now, it was more important for Selena to find a way to survive than to worry about little Leotis.
And yet…
‘Still, this isn’t right.’
Even if the world was made for the heroine’s happiness, this was just too cruel.
What if she were just a reader, flipping through pages?
She probably would’ve just left a pity comment for Leotis, like everyone else.
‘But for me, this is reality now.’
Selena decided—she wouldn’t ignore Leotis’s pain anymore.
Watching a child be abused and doing nothing about it? That was wrong.
‘And besides, I went through something similar in my past life.’
Before becoming Selena, she too had suffered abuse. That’s why she couldn’t just look away. She understood his pain better than anyone.
Selena quietly picked up a piece of bread from her tray.
A dark storage room with barely any light. The air was thick with dust.
Leotis was locked inside.
Selena used a key she’d secretly taken from the director’s office and quietly opened the door.
Leotis flinched. Curled up in a corner, his black, empty eyes shook with fear.
As Selena stepped closer, he instinctively raised his arms. A reaction born from years of abuse.
“Leotis, are you okay?”
Hearing her voice, Leotis slowly lowered his arms. Selena carefully brought the lamp closer. Even with light shining right in front of him, his eyes didn’t react.
‘He really can’t see a single speck of light…’
To think he had to live in total darkness until the heroine showed up…
Selena felt a deep sadness.
Even though it was still fall, the storage room was freezing like mid-winter. Selena rubbed her arms. She hadn’t been inside long, but she was already shivering.
‘If I’m this cold, how cold must Leotis be, wearing just short sleeves…’
The director never gave Leotis proper clothes. He always wore torn-up summer clothes.
‘Good thing I brought the blanket.’
She took out the blanket she’d been hugging and offered it to him.
“Here, use this.”
Leotis flinched when the soft fabric touched his fingers. His anxious eyes blinked slowly, still unsure.
After a moment, his thin fingers began to move. Selena smiled warmly as he pulled the blanket toward himself.
How could anyone hurt such a precious little boy…?
Whap!
Huh?
The blanket flopped right onto Selena’s lap. Leotis had thrown it back at her.
As Selena blinked in confusion, Leotis glared at her and shouted in a sharp voice.
“Stop pretending to be nice and get lost.”
“…Huh?”
“I said, get lost.”
Selena was stunned.
Did she hear him wrong?
‘No way. Leotis would never say something like that… right?’
But just as she tried to process what was happening, his voice rang out again.
“Are you deaf? I told you to get lost. Can’t you hear me?”
Hold on a sec, author-nim—weren’t the keywords for this male lead supposed to be #KindGuy #DevotedLover??
