World Rank 0, Please Stop! (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 6

“Huh… Huh… You stubborn bastard…”

I’d practically sprinted here, and now I was gasping for breath like I was about to die.

I leaned against the building’s outer wall within sight and tried to catch my breath.

I turned around—no one was there.

Thankfully, I’d succeeded in shaking off Ban Ha-min.

To be precise, it wasn’t that I’d shaken him off myself; Sung Ji-chan had grabbed Ban Ha-min by the collar just as he was about to chase after me.

“Chun-ja? Are you insane?”

It was so absurd I muttered to myself like a lunatic.

I’d occasionally seen female leads in web novels called bizarre names like Chun-ja or Mal-ja, but I never imagined I’d be the one stuck with such a name.

Sometimes they even twisted it into weird nicknames like “Glasses” or “Alien.” Honestly, neither version was any better than the other—they were both equally terrible.

From “Pretty One” to “Oppa,” “Focus,” and now even “Chun-ja.”

I’d heard so many soul-crushing remarks today that I was already completely drained.

It wasn’t even 2 p.m. yet… Maybe I really should’ve come out in the morning? Is this divine punishment for laziness? At this point, I couldn’t help but reflect on my entire life.

“Enough. Let’s just go home quickly.”

After all, home was the only truly safe place.

If I stayed outside any longer, who knew what other humiliating spectacle I might witness? I needed to get back fast.

Just then, a dialogue box suddenly popped up right in front of me.

[No way!]

“Why again!”

I couldn’t hold back and shouted in frustration. The system stubbornly insisted:

[But you promised to create a happy ending!]

Basically, what the system was saying boiled down to this:

To interfere with the original story, I needed to get close to the original characters.

Moreover, just now had been a perfectly natural opportunity to approach the male lead.

So why was I running away?

[Hurry back! It’s not too late yet! (＞﹏＜)]

The system whined, displaying its text. Even though it was just text, why did it feel like my ears were ringing? I’d never actually heard its voice, yet it was incredibly noisy.

Still, when I refused to respond, the system played its trump card.

[SYSTEM] [QUEST] [〈The Three Great Boys Appear!〉] [Description: The wild Three Great Boys have appeared. Greet them and exchange phone numbers.] [Clear Conditions:

Sung Ji-chan’s number (0/1)

Ban Ha-min’s number (0/1)

Seonwoo Jin’s number (0/1)] [Reward: “System Off” 1-day pass] [Accept? Y / N]

“Ah, no. No. No.”

I wildly waved my hand to swipe the quest window away.

“I’d rather die than get tangled up with those guys.”

If I hadn’t known anything, maybe I could’ve considered it.

But after witnessing Ban Ha-min’s shameless way of speaking, I simply couldn’t bring myself to press Y.

Besides, exchanging numbers?

Even if they were willing to give them—which was doubtful—accepting would be problematic.

Wouldn’t that basically be planting a huge flag saying, “Make me the female lead”?

The female lead?

Me, the web novel’s female lead?!

The reward was tempting, but not enough to sacrifice my comfortable daily life.

Trade my peaceful routine just for one easy day?

‘Yeah, not happening. Not even if I die.’

I nodded resolutely.

When I firmly pressed ‘N,’ the system kept popping the quest window up again and again, clearly desperate.

But in the end, I won.

Then another dialogue box appeared before me.

[If you keep being so uncooperative, I’ll turn Ju-eun into the female lead!]

How could it say something so cruel?

I was utterly shocked.

But whether the system made me the female lead or I became one by approaching the male lead myself—it amounted to the same thing.

‘Actually, it’d be worse if I did it myself.’

Because then I’d be willingly becoming the female lead…

[Ju-eun is mean! (T_T)]

Whatever.

I decided to ignore the system and head straight home.

If I kept acting like this on the street any longer, people would really think I was crazy.

But when I looked around, the neighborhood felt strangely unfamiliar.

Upon closer inspection, I realized I’d ended up in the next district over.

‘When did I get all the way here?’

I must’ve walked here in a panic while fleeing from Ban Ha-min.

I knew this place was at least four bus stops away… Guess I really was desperate to escape.

‘Well, I’ve got plenty of time anyway. I’ll just walk.’

Surely nothing bad could happen in the meantime?

Even God couldn’t be that cruel to me.

After walking for a while…

Something suddenly caught my eye.

‘Huh? What’s that?’

Across the streetlight, a long line of people stretched out.

Following the queue to the front, I spotted the neighborhood’s famous café.

1st Anniversary Event! Slice cakes—Buy One, Get One Free starting at 3 p.m., first come, first served!

This café was renowned more for its desserts than its coffee or drinks. Employing a premium pricing strategy, it was pricier than average cafés, but the quality of taste, service, and even visual presentation was meticulously cared for.

Its main clientele were women in their teens and twenties, and I’d actually overheard students at school talking about this place several times.

So what?

I quietly took my place at the very end of the line.

‘I’ll buy exactly two pieces.’

I firmly resolved this in my heart.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Ah, I’m happy.”

Two hours later, I stepped out of the café with a blissful smile.

A shopping bag in my left hand, a slice cake in my right.

With both hands full of treats, I felt like I owned the world.

Though bulky, the load wasn’t heavy, so walking home shouldn’t be too difficult.

Then again, what did difficulty matter? I had these slice cakes in my hands.

My legs were slightly numb from running so hard earlier, but that was bearable.

I’d waited in line a bit longer than expected, but it was absolutely worth the time.

“Wow, the weather’s really nice today.”

Since my transmigration, I’d never felt the world was this beautiful—not even once.

Right now, I felt like I could even give Ban Ha-min my name and phone number. Not that he’d need it.

My steps grew light again.

Humming cheerfully to myself, I headed home.

“Hey, isn’t that her?”

“She looks just like the photo—and she’s wearing the exact same clothes!”

“Hey, hey, she’s leaving! Grab her, grab her!”

Suddenly, someone grabbed my right arm tightly.

‘…Huh?’

What? Déjà vu?

This felt strange… I was pretty sure something similar had happened just a few hours ago…

The pull from behind made my body spin around automatically.

Because of that, I immediately saw the face of the person who’d stopped me.

Standing right behind me were…

“Hey, you. Come with us for a sec.”

Kim Ji-eun and Lee Da-hee—friends of Yoo Hee-na, the original story’s villainess.

…Huh?

[This is the timeline separator]

Yoo Hee-na.

The original story’s villainess.

In other words, my future boss.

That’s right—this girl was the one who’d plunge the original “Lee Ju-eun” into the abyss of eight prior hospitalizations.

‘In the original story, Lee Ju-eun falsely accused the female lead of theft under Yoo Hee-na’s orders.’

In short, I was destined to become Yoo Hee-na’s lackey in the near future and commit all sorts of villainous acts.

There was even a nickname for Yoo Hee-na’s clique, including me: the “Four Great Girls”… But that was so embarrassing I’d pretend it didn’t exist. As far as I was concerned, I knew nothing about it.

Anyway, Yoo Hee-na was a fairly significant character in the original story.

‘She was the main one who tormented the bullied female lead.’

Unlike Seol Yu-bin, the mastermind who pulled off one big reveal at the end, this girl was a minor villain who constantly dealt small, petty blows to the female lead throughout the story.

Starting fights over eye contact, hurling insults, mocking her, locking her in the bathroom—you name it.

Yoo Hee-na and her lackeys were responsible for most of the hardships the female lead faced at school.

‘Which is why none of them met a good end.’

Yoo Hee-na’s gang, including me, would eventually get thoroughly punished by Seol Yu-hwa once her true identity was revealed.

Of course, the one punished the harshest would be me—the future eight-time hospitalized lead.

‘That’s exactly why I’ve been avoiding Yoo Hee-na more diligently than any other character.’

Yet here we were, running into each other like this.

It was already hard enough to avoid her since we were in the same class. Remembering all the pointless efforts I’d made just to steer clear of her made me feel unfairly frustrated.

As expected, I was dragged straight to Yoo Hee-na herself.

“So, you’re still not going to say anything?”

Yoo Hee-na glared at me.

“You’re challenging me to see who wins, is that it?”

Her lovely voice dripped with icy coldness.

Yoo Hee-na frowned again, her delicate brows furrowed.

Judging by the intensity in her expression, she clearly had no intention of letting me go easily.

Half out of my mind, I stared blankly ahead.

‘What’s going on all of a sudden…?’

This unexpected major event left me utterly disoriented.

‘What? Seriously, what? Why is she suddenly acting like this toward me? Did she take something?’

To summarize the situation:

After buying cake and happily leaving the café, I was abruptly seized by Yoo Hee-na’s friends and forcibly dragged into a nearby alley.

‘What in the world is happening…?’

While I stood bewildered, the three of them surrounded me.

Wall behind me, Kim Ji-eun and Lee Da-hee on either side, Yoo Hee-na in front.

It was a classic case of being cornered from all sides.

No, wait—Yoo Hee-na herself? Why? And now of all times?

No matter how hard I thought, nothing made sense.

Maybe in the original story, the two of us got close like this?

Does she always invite people to be friends in such a threatening way?

…but her expression didn’t seem to suggest that at all.

“You know exactly what you did wrong, don’t you?”

After glaring at me for a long while, those were Yoo Hee-na’s first words.

‘Wrong? What wrong?’

Now it wasn’t just absurd—it was downright unfair.

‘What did I even do wrong?’

Was it the minor extra’s crime of not proactively serving the great villainess?

No matter how hard I racked my brain, that was the only possible “wrong” I could think of.

I couldn’t have possibly wronged Yoo Hee-na specifically—of all people!

I’d gone to such lengths to avoid her!

But I also couldn’t say to her face, “I’m sorry for not serving you properly.” I might be crazy, but not so far gone that I’d lose all sense of judgment.

And… judging by the atmosphere, this didn’t seem to be that kind of grievance anyway…

Yoo Hee-na let out a disdainful, “Hmph,” and gave a haughty snort.

“Fine, let’s settle this. Let’s see who wins—you or me. I’ve got plenty of time today. Let’s take this all the way to the end.”

I don’t have time!

I was so frustrated I felt like spitting blood.

‘I just want to go home…’

Today was clearly cursed—thoroughly and completely.

How could my luck be this bad all day long?

Had heaven truly abandoned me?

An uncomfortable silence hung in the air.

Yoo Hee-na crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently, radiating clear hostility toward me with her whole body.

Her future underlings—soon to be my colleagues—were diligently glaring at me from either side.

…Maybe someday I’d end up acting just like them.