I Became The Male Lead’s Female Friend - Chapter 26
Still, I shrugged my shoulders lightly as I watched him sit quietly on the sofa opposite me without breaking his guard down.
Well, now it’s time to move on to the next topic. I spoke casually without any playfulness.
“Then listen, you remember we were supposed to go together?”
“Yes.”
“I said that we should find something we like together.”
“That’s right.”
“So I was thinking…”
I glanced at Rudrick and continued.
“I don’t think it’s possible to just find something you like.”
“Huh?”
Rudrick tilted.
“What are you talking about?”
“Even if you find something you like, you won’t even look at me.”
“…”
“If you say you don’t like what I like, could you tell me for sure?”
“…”
Rudrick’s face grew darker, perhaps because he understood what I meant.
I quietly waited for his answer, and after being silent for a long time, he answered, shaking his head helplessly
“No…”
Then he suddenly raised his head.
“Well, if you practice speaking…”
“Unless your personality changes, won’t it be difficult?”
“…I know.”
Rudrick’s head fell down again. I looked at him still and asked carefully.
“Well, if there’s any way to change it…”
“Huh?”
“Then would you like to try it with me?”
Rudrick stared at me without saying a word. I felt nervous for nothing as he stared at me in the blink of an eye.
What if you think I’m being nosy? I was also worried about what would happen if I crossed the line and thought that my meddling was too much for him.
“No, of course, it was only a suggestion or it could be just me being nosy! However, I want you to be confident without caring about other people any more.”
“…”
“Honestly, I’m not an expert, so I couldn’t say for sure if that would help you change… But I’d help as much as I could… I thought it may affect you if I helped… Oh, anyway.”
“All right.”
As I was speaking gibberish, I suddenly lifted my head at the sudden voice. There was Rudrick smiling happily.
“Thank you.”
Instead of asking, ‘What?’ I scratched my cheek shyly. Because Rudrick’s gaze towards me was outright straight staring at my heart.
I was anxious about how I was giving such unconditional beliefs, but at the same time I was happy.
Being that kind to other people was never easy.
Now when I was more embarrassed than Rudrick, I heard his gentle voice.
“So what am I supposed to do?”
I suddenly came to my senses and lifted my head.
“Oh, I mean, um.”
“Huh?”
“Shall we write a diary together?”
Rudrick’s eyes widened.
“Oh, no, not that…! Let’s write an exchange diary.”
“Exchange Diary…?”
I had an ominous feeling for a moment at his reaction as if it was the first time he had ever heard of it.
So I asked softly.
“Have you ever written a diary?”
“I don’t know if I should call it a ‘diary’…”
“What?”,
I asked him as if I didn’t really understand what he said.
“I had to fill out my daily routine and submit it to my father. If I don’t, I will get scolded…”
“Ah…”
‘I’m only asking him to do something nice as a child.’
I paused a little.
I could truly understand why Rudrick said he liked coming to the capital.
Once he got there, it was obvious that he would run out without being able to hold out for even a week.
“Uh… it’s… It’s kind of like that, but it’s different!”
“Really?”
“We’re going to use something different other than that.”
I took what I had prepared in advance from under the table. Rudrick’s gaze followed my hand as I pulled out something.
Soon after, I held out a red and blue diary.
“Gift.”
“Huh…?”
“I didn’t know what color you would like, so I just prepared a color that came to mind. What color would you like to have?”
Rudrick glanced at the diary with a puzzled look on his face. Rudrick, who alternated between me and the diary, had a very troubled expression on his face.
Actually, I knew that Rudrick couldn’t choose, so I prepared a color that suits each one of us.
It wasn’t red because it was for a woman, and blue because it was for a man, but it was colors matching each other’s eye color.
But Rudrick made an unexpected decision.
“I want to do it with this.”
What Rudrick was pointing to was the red diary.
“Red?”
“Yes.”
“Do you like red?”
“Huh? Um…”
Rudrick hesitated for a long time before barely answering.
“…I think I like it.”
“What, you should’ve told me! I like red too!”
“Oh, huh? Then just with Dahlia…”
“It’s okay. I also like blue. It’s pretty because it’s like the color of Rudrick’s eyes.”
“….”
Rudrick bowed his head down. I couldn’t see his face because of his long hair, but his exposed ears were red, so I had to hold back my laughter.
I pretended not to know and opened my mouth.
“Anyway, what we need to write down is…”
“Yes.”
“What I liked about the day.”
I held my breath for a moment.
“Write down what’s good.”
Rudrick asked again.
“Something good…?”
“Yes, it’s not about work or writing. It’s purely about things that made you happy or enjoyed.”
“You are free to write in any way you like. Write one line or one page as you like! Instead, we show each other once a week.”
“Oh…”
“What do you think?”
Rudrick gave a look of uncertainty. Then he replied a little, touching the diary.
“It’s a little difficult.”
“It’s okay. It’s also my first time doing it.”
“Really?”
“Well, actually, I don’t even keep a diary… You have to make up your mind to do this. So do I have to understand if you really write one line?”
“Haha!”
“Don’t laugh, it’s serious.”
The more I beat him up, the louder Rudrick’s laughter grew. In the end, I too followed Rudrick and laughed.
After a long laugh like that, I smiled so hard that I touched my stiff mouth and asked for the last time.
“So, you’re gonna do it, right?”
Rudrick smiled brightly.
“Yes.”
Then, he hugged the diary he chose as if it were precious. He looked so cute.
I was looking at him with a proud smile… Then I looked up in amazement and was startled.
At first glance, the sun was already setting by the window.
‘Oh.’
I got up hastily. Rudrick was looking at me in wonder.
“Dahlia?”
“We have one last thing to do.”
Walking along, I strode somewhere. It was in front of a large cloth-covered object that had occupied a corner of the room for a while.
Rudrick’s eyes automatically turned to me, and I pulled the cloth that was covering it without delay.
“Huh?”
Rudrick’s eyes widened.
There was a full-length body mirror.
* * *
What I proudly presented in front of Rudrick.
It was a mirror.
The full-length mirror, which clearly shows reflection from head to toe, was also an item that I specifically requested from my parents to buy.
That’s the method that the grandpa butler told me, ‘Solution Clause 5 of the 8 solutions for confidence’ I prepared.
It was to practice,
[look in the mirror and praise yourself].
And we’re…
“I- I can’t…”
“Hurry up.”
“How am I supposed to do that?”
“Why can’t you— you can do it!”
There was a fierce scuffle in front of the mirror.
Towards Rudrick, who first looked in the mirror and opened his mouth, I briefly explained what I was going to do from now on, how effective it was, and what to do.
While listening to me half way through, Rudrick’s face grew paler and soon pointed to the mirror with trembling hands.
‘Looking in the mirror… You want me to tell myself…?’
