Episode 5
“100% what? Island boy?”
According to the comment fairies’ statistics, Edin is definitely an island boy.
If namju is short for “male lead,” then seomnam… does that mean a boy who lives on an island?
“Edin. Did you use to live on an island?”
“Nope. I’ve never even seen the ocean.”
“Then do you know what seomnam means?”
“Huh? Sseomnam?”
└[Omg sseomnam???]
└[Is she casually locking in the love interest status now?]
└[These babies flirting is so cute lolol]
Wait, does sseomnam mean something else?
I tried to understand the meaning through context, but the expressions they use feel like a foreign language. Well, it is the language of the fairy realm, so technically foreign.
They were getting all excited again talking among themselves, so I thought maybe I’d stop listening and play with the girl next to me instead.
└[You guys who don’t know the taste of “galbal” male leads are truly missing out]
…Galbal is tasty?
‘I thought fairies ate bait?!’
Yes, bait. The kind you use for fishing.
It can’t taste good, yet the comment fairies always talk about picking up bait and eating it.
I thought they just had strange eating habits, but now they’re saying they eat the male lead?
‘So when they talked about “main dish” earlier, they meant this guy?!’
Bait is just a snack or treat, and this guy is the actual meal?!
└[Why are we suddenly promoting cannibalism]
└[We actually eat tteokbokki, pizza, chicken, bossam, jokbal, boiled pork, soy crab, burgers, sweet and sour pork, spicy soup, raw beef, budae jjigae, ramen, donuts, and iced coffee]
└[Wow y’all really eat well]
Each example they listed was a dish I had never even heard of.
‘So… basically, they eat everything?’
└[Shhh! Don’t let them know we’re pigs!]
I had imagined comment fairies to be tiny creatures with wings, but now, the image in my mind kept shifting to some kind of large monster. Maybe they should’ve been called comment monsters.
└[Rude]
└[We don’t literally eat male leads~~]
└[Still, everything’s so tasty, yum yum chubeleup]
Even among themselves, the fairies were arguing — some trying to clear up the misunderstanding, others making it worse.
I had to shiver in fear for a moment before finally realizing they were speaking metaphorically about someone being “delicious.”
Since daily life at the orphanage was pretty repetitive, the comment fairies who loved drama seemed to be showing up less.
Apparently, they called this the “slice-of-life part.”
When there’s not much happening, the fairies would go off to observe other protagonists.
So when things got quieter, an event occurred that brought them back.
“Why is everyone gathered here?”
“They say the director just brought in a new boy.”
The kids were crowded around the director’s office, too curious to hold back.
‘Wasn’t it just recently that the stingy director was whining about having too many mouths to feed?’
And yet, here we were with a new kid — maybe the orphanage had gotten some financial help.
‘Guess all that trying to impress the visiting sponsors finally paid off.’
At least a child had found shelter in a safe facility.
Sure, the director’s stingy, but it’s still better than a kid being shuffled around random places.
As the new boy stirred excitement among the kids, the comment fairies started buzzing around again too.
Well, I couldn’t see them gathering, but the sudden spike in their voices made it feel like they were.
└[Ooh, the new transfer student in the school drama? Total heroine entrance scene!]
└[You watch too many anime]
The fairies were excited about a possible new male lead. Apparently, characters who appear midway have a high chance of being the male lead.
I didn’t know why we needed a male lead, but I was curious about the new face, so I waited alongside the kids for the office door to open.
Soon, the door opened, and the teacher who came out with the new kid spotted me.
“Rose, you’re just the person I was looking for.”
“You were looking for me?”
“I was wondering if you could show the new kid around.”
“…Of course!”
Was I being seen as the guide now just because I used to show sponsors around?
└[I don’t like that guy. Shall we take him out?]
└[Is that the problem child the director favors?]
└[Pretty sure he’s embezzling]
How does this suddenly become about embezzlement?
└[Orphanage cliché: The embezzling director who gambles, abuses kids, or sells them off]
That’s horrifying!
He might not be the most hardworking teacher, but still — I need to stay on his good side for now.
Regretting that I peeked into the situation, I smiled and turned to the boy behind the teacher.
“Hi there! What’s your name…?”
Maybe I’ve been influenced by the fairies’ chatter too much — instead of his face, the first thing I noticed was his hair.
Actually, I couldn’t even see his face — his hair was so shaggy it covered his eyes. So technically, I couldn’t help but notice his hair.
‘Red hair?’
Before I returned to the past, my hair had a reddish-orange tint. And sure, I’d seen friends with reddish-brown hair — but this vivid red? It was extremely rare even in my previous life.
└[Red hair?? Male lead alert]
└[What about his eye color??]
His bangs were so long I couldn’t see his eyes clearly…
└[Guys who hide their faces always end up super hot]
Ignoring the comment fairies’ shallow takes, I smiled warmly.
“I’m Rose. What’s your name?”
“…Leon.”
His voice was hoarse, probably from everything he’d been through.
He was taller than Edin but still seemed smaller than me, probably because he looked so withdrawn.
‘Sure, I feel like I’m on vacation now that I’m back at the orphanage, but for a new kid? This must be terrifying.’
In situations like this, it’s best to give them time to adjust.
Every child in this orphanage has their own story. Asking how he ended up here would be inappropriate.
└[He’s totally the lost son of a duke or archduke, right?]
The fairies acted like they knew his backstory.
‘He’s not some lost luggage! Kids don’t just go missing that often — especially not in noble families.’
These are the same fairies who once said I might be a lost princess or noble’s daughter. They’re probably just talking nonsense again.
└[Clichés are clichés for a reason…]
Clichés or not — let’s be real. None of their predictions have come true so far.
I firmly believed there’d be no such cliché here and reached out to the new boy, Leon.
“Can’t you talk?”
“…”
“Du-mmy. Idiot.”
“…”
I heard Jeff picking on someone again, so I stepped into the hallway and found Leon as his new target.
Back when I first arrived, I’d fallen for Jeff’s childish taunts and gotten flustered. But now, I was well-versed in responding at his level.
“Jeff. Ever heard this saying?”
“What?”
‘Only a fool sees another fool.’
Jeff flinched, unable to respond right away.
He had just called Leon an idiot — which meant he was the fool in this case.
“I’m a genius, so I see geniuses. You see a fool? I see a genius in Leon.”
“What! You stu—”
Jeff paused, remembering what I’d said.
“…You genius!”
“That’s right. I’m a genius.”
I cheekily stuck my tongue out and accepted the compliment.
Jeff looked frustrated, clearly annoyed at having praised me by accident, but he couldn’t think of a comeback.
“Ugh. So lame. Let’s go!”
Jeff stormed off with his usual crowd of cronies, leaving the hallway silent once more.
‘Idiot.’
Feeling victorious, I basked in satisfaction — until the fairies jumped in again to compliment me.
└[Wow, our heroine is SO good at childish arguments lol]
└[That’s literally what I used to say to my younger sibling… Creepy how accurate it is.]
Is… is that praise?
└[You’re mentally an adult but still arguing with kids — what’s the point of the whole reincarnation plot then? I’m out.]
└[Another pro rage-quitter appears]
Maybe not praise.
└[When they say “idiot,” you should say it means “jewel of the sea.” And when they say “genius,” say it stands for “incredibly annoying.” That’s real kid logic.]
└[That’s practically a traditional folk saying lol]
Sometimes, the comment fairies teach me new and improved insult tactics for childish arguments.
‘I should try that next time. Noted.’
While I was upgrading my verbal combat skills, Leon had slinked off to his usual corner in the hallway — a gloomy little spot he always returned to. Looks like he was on his way there when Jeff stopped him.
‘It’s been days and he still hasn’t adjusted.’
Leon sat curled up, distancing himself from everyone, which made even Jeff lose interest after a few tries.
The one group that seemed most interested in him was… the comment fairies.
└[He won’t let anyone in… except the heroine. Delicious trope, Michelin-worthy.]
└[Hurry up and build the romance already, I’m getting dizzy here]
‘……’
