Creator’s Favoritism

I arrived at Yeouido Park, not far from the entrance of Mapo Bridge, feeling like I was about to collapse from exhaustion. 

Running at full speed without stopping had left my throat burning with thirst. I bent over, coughing uncontrollably, which only made it worse.

Eventually, I fumbled in my uniform’s inner pocket, relieved to find my wallet still there. I pulled out a 1000-won bill and bought a can of milk coffee from a nearby vending machine. 

The warmth of the drink helped ease the dryness in my throat as I sipped and walked sluggishly, trying to catch my breath. It must have been lunchtime—the area was now bustling with tired-looking office workers.

-Beep-!

[SYSTEM: A hidden skill has awakened!]

[SYSTEM: Abnormal status occurred!]

A sharp beep sounded, followed by system messages. Glancing around nervously, I whispered under my breath, “Status window…?”

As if waiting for the prompt, the status window materialized before my eyes.

Name: Maeng Sun-woo
Age: 17

[Hidden Skills]
Corrupt Character (S-rank/Always Active Skill): Observe the worldview creator while detecting cut scenes of .
Original Work Fabrication (S-rank/Always Active Skill): Able to interfere with the flow of the original .

Beneath the [Corrupt Character] skill, a new hidden skill—[Original Work Fabrication]—glowed brightly. Like the previous one, it was an S-rank skill, but its content wasn’t nearly as impressive as I’d hoped. Honestly, it seemed laughable for something that was supposedly S-rank. How could such an insignificant ability be considered powerful enough to change anything?

And then there was the abnormal status—far worse.

[Abnormal Status!]
Chronic Lack of Affection: Will die if not the author’s favorite character by the end of .
Affection Ranking: (-)

The affection ranking was blank. Not a single number. I hadn’t even made an appearance in the work yet. Tito, the artist and god of this world, didn’t even know I existed.

Closing the status window, I scanned the buildings around Yeouido, searching for any sign of Kang Chagyeong. Normally, finding one person in this vast area without any way to contact them would be nearly impossible. However…

-Poof!

This time, instead of a full background cut, there was only a faint flash of light—no large, dramatic rectangle. 

After rubbing my face to focus, I took off running towards where the light had disappeared. Kang Chagyeong was there, somewhere.

I came to a stop at the Yeouido Station bus stop, where dozens of city buses continuously pulled in and out. 

Scanning the area, I caught a glimpse of light flashing across the long crosswalk that connected the massive buildings. 

A red Gyeonggi bus rumbled by, and when the light finally faded as if nothing had happened, my breath hitched. There—standing beyond the crosswalk—was a figure.

A boy in a school uniform stood on the opposite side, right in the center of the front row. In a sea of pedestrians, his position was almost too perfect, as if placed there deliberately, ready to be drawn. It was convenient for the artist, no doubt.

I stood there, staring blankly, until the familiar melody signaled that the pedestrian light had turned green. It snapped me back to reality.

As I crossed the street, the boy’s face became clearer, and the doubt I’d had from a distance vanished. This had to be Kang Chagyeong.

「Tito focuses solely on drawing ‘Kang Chagyeong’s’ face handsomely, even as he feels his occupational turtle neck syndrome worsening.」

I had to admit, his visuals were something else—maybe that’s why he was the protagonist. His slightly curly brown hair and striking eyes were far from ordinary. 

And yet, despite the late winter chill, he stood there in just his school uniform, no coat. Even wrapped in my thick windbreaker, I felt the sharp bite of the cold whenever the wind picked up.

「Tito draws the name tag hanging on Kang Chagyeong’s school uniform jacket pocket with sparkling eyes.」

Must be Tito’s taste.

I exhaled, trying to calm my nerves, and tore my eyes away from the hovering narration box. 

Kang Chagyeong, his backpack bulging with books, seemed tense—constantly looking around like he was expecting something to happen.

My mind raced. How was I supposed to enter the scene naturally? How could I slip into this world unnoticed? Just then, I glanced down at the milk coffee in my hand.

‘… I could spill it.’

It was such an overused cliché that as a reader, I’d have mentally docked the scene at least 0.5 points. But what choice did I have?

With a deep sigh, I transferred the paper cup to my right hand and pulled down the black baseball cap the demon had tossed to me.

—Cock-a-doodle-doo! Cock-a-doodle-doo!

At that moment, an awful sound shattered my concentration. My phone was ringing loudly in my pocket. Hurriedly, I pulled it out.

[Last day of part-time job]

Ah, right. My part-time job…

Despite the early hour, due to my graduation ceremony, I had agreed to cover a shift today. 

The noodle shop gig, which I’d promised the owner I’d quit when I entered high school, was one I had never been late for in nearly a year.

‘I wanted to finish with perfect attendance, end on a high note.’

But that damn devil had ruined both my middle school graduation and my last day of work.

While I stood there, lost in thought, a rectangular light flashed in front of Kang Chagyeong as he crossed the street. Instinctively, I closed my eyes at the intense brightness.

Even though these flashes were practically exploding in front of us, Kang Chagyeong and the rest of the people around us seemed completely unaffected—like the light didn’t even exist for them.

I was the only one wincing with every cut Tito drew. The office worker next to me glanced over as I groaned and rubbed my eyes.

Finally, as Kang Chagyeong and I were about to pass each other, I took a furtive glance in his direction.

‘Cliché means it works, right?’ 

I had no choice but to trust in the tried-and-true.

“Uh-oh…”

I pretended to trip and collided directly with Kang Chagyeong, falling to the ground. Immediately, a faint white rectangle appeared beside us.

“Oof?!”

The impact made him stagger, almost falling himself. The result? Nearly half of the still-full coffee in my hand splashed all over Kang Chagyeong’s school vest. The rest? Right onto my right hand.

‘Ah! It’s burning hot!’

A sharp, stinging pain shot through my skin as the hot liquid scalded my hand. I struggled to control my expression, my face contorting in pain.

Another Pang!—another cut burst nearby.

「While drawing the reddened back of the extra’s hand, Tito turns his own hand at various angles for reference.」

I should have said something, done something, but the pain from the burning coffee made it hard to think straight. 

Now I finally understood why they always used iced coffee in dramas.

Kang Chagyeong’s eyes widened like full moons, clearly caught off guard. I adjusted my cap properly as I stood up, still bowing slightly in apology.

“Ah… I’m sorry. I was so tired… I didn’t see you coming.”

The moment I spoke, flashes of light erupted multiple times in quick succession. 

Passersby cast curious glances at us, but continued walking, leaving me standing in the middle of the crosswalk, apologizing profusely.

“I’m really sorry.”

It was essential not to act rudely, especially if I wanted to maintain a presence in this webtoon without making myself the villain. 

The last thing I needed was for my character to meet a premature end, floating down the Han River as a plot device for catharsis.

Keeping the dangers of being an extra in mind, I cautiously observed Kang Chagyeong.

“Uh…”

Still at a loss, he looked down at his vest, the once pristine fabric now stained with coffee. The metal nametag pinned to his jacket caught my eye. 

It was engraved with his school emblem and information: ‘中’, class ‘3-2,’ and his name—Kang Chagyeong.

‘Third year of middle school. Same age as me.’ 

Not a bad situation for slipping into the role of a side character.

While I calculated my next move, I raised my eyes to properly take in Kang Chagyeong’s appearance.

Up close, he was handsome, sure, but not in the sharp, archetypal shounen manga way. 

His faint dark circles, timid expression, and thin frame gave off more of a gloomy air. 

He wasn’t tall, didn’t radiate that aura of confidence most protagonists carried.

‘He’s got potential as a dark, brooding type, but… not exactly in a cool way.’

As the pedestrian signal countdown ticked down, he stood frozen in place, still staring at the mess on his vest. 

A protagonist with this much hesitation and anxiety? It was hard to picture.

“Let’s cross the street first, okay?” I gestured to him, watching the numbers drop. We barely made it across before the signal turned red.

I couldn’t help but wonder how many cuts Tito had drawn of me so far. Since I was in the scene anyway, I hoped he was making me look decent.

「Tito checks the prologue synopsis in his notepad, his brow furrowing as he scratches the back of his head with the end of his tablet pen.」

Once we were safely on the other side, I bowed again, trying to sound as sincere as possible. “I’m really sorry. Are you hurt anywhere?”

Kang Chagyeong finally snapped out of his daze. He shook his head, but his expression remained awkward and stiff, like he didn’t know how to react. 

Not exactly protagonist material at the moment.

Still, I had to keep playing my part. I couldn’t afford to be a throwaway character in this world.

I glanced nervously at the narration box floating near me. There was an odd pressure building, like I needed to fill the silence. 

Before I could think of anything clever to say, my mouth opened on its own.

「Tito is surprised by the tablet pen moving freely without resistance. Recalling a famous webtoon artist’s interview about characters leading the story on their own, Tito’s creative urge surges.」

“Ah… It’s okay. Don’t worry about it… It’s my fault for not looking ahead properly…” Kang Chagyeong mumbled, his voice low and meek, revealing just how passive he was. 

Anyone watching this scene could tell it was clearly my fault, not his.

Even though I’d orchestrated the entire coffee-spilling incident, guilt started gnawing at me. Maybe because of the mundane cruelty of it all.

But no matter what, getting screen time was the priority.

“Hey, you’re seventeen, right? Judging by your nametag, you look like a third-year middle school student. Me too.”

Kang Chagyeong visibly flinched at my words, awkwardly fidgeting with his nametag. His eyes darted to the faintly visible nametag on my coat, confirming my identity.

「Tito writes down the name ‘Maeng Sun-woo’ that suddenly came to mind. Tito’s fingers pause at the subtle outdatedness.」

‘Messing with my name already, huh?’ I thought with mild annoyance. 

My creator had a real gift for coming up with slightly irritating details.

Ignoring the narration box, I focused on making eye contact with Kang Chagyeong. “Let’s go to a coin laundry nearby together—”

Before I could finish, pang!

A blinding light flared up as a close-up shot of my face was drawn, completely catching me off guard. It was like staring directly into a spotlight. 

The intensity was so sharp, it felt almost physical, like I was being exorcised.

“Uh, ugh…” I grumbled, flailing my hands as if that would make the blinding light disappear.

Kang Chagyeong looked at me, his confusion growing. To him, I probably looked like I was having some sort of strange spasm. 

My eyes were squeezed shut against the flash, but I knew deep down—this wasn’t a good look.

‘You’ve got this, Sun-woo,’ I chanted internally, struggling to maintain composure. When I finally managed to pry my eyes open, I tried again.

“Let’s go to a coin laundry togeth—”

-Pang!

Another bright light exploded even closer than before, slamming into my face with no warning. It was relentless. 

My reflexes hadn’t gotten any better in the span of a few seconds, and again, I couldn’t help but squint and flinch away from the flash.

The worst part? I was sure the artist had captured that exact moment of weakness.

With a sinking feeling, I opened my eyes to see a message window confirming my fears.

「Tito feels a small joy at the unexpectedly well-drawn face of the new supporting character ‘Maeng Sun-woo.’ Though it’s a suddenly created character, Tito thinks it’s decent enough to use as a squinting supporting character and modifies the next episode’s development.」

‘No, Tito, that’s not it!’

「Tito nods with a satisfied expression.」

‘I said I closed my eyes!’

But it was too late.