The Background Character Loop: One Last Chance to Break the Cycle Chapter 5: Not A Stalker (Totally Not)

Cold water splashed against Her face, washing away the leftover frustration from the argunt earlier in class.

Her usually neat blonde hair, tied up in her signature high ponytail with a blue ribbon, was now ssy, sticking to her damp temples.

She looked up and stared at her reflection in the school's worn-out bathroom mirror.

There, she saw the "perfect" Luna: the blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl with naturally rosy lips and a face that always earned complints. The school's heroine, admired by so many.

But next to that ideal image, the mirror seed to reveal another Luna—one far from perfect. Her eyes were slightly swollen, her jaw clenched in frustration, and faint lines on her forehead betrayed the anxiety she was trying to hide.

We had just gotten into a huge argunt with that brown-haired boy with no face.

That guy—with his calm yet piercing voice—told her straight up that Theo, the popular athlete she had been crushing on for so long, was clueless, dumb, and completely insensitive.

Ivansia had tried so hard to defend Theo. But each word felt empty. Deep down, in the part of her heart she hated to admit even existed... Luna agreed with him.

Theo really could be dense—too focused on his own world to notice what's around him. Guilt and disappointnt twisted in her stomach.

She looked down and picked up her open notebook from the sink. As she did, an old photo slipped out and landed on the cold ceramic floor. Luna bent down and picked it up.

It was a photo of her, Theo, and Ivansia in class. Theo was smiling brightly, Ivansia looked calm beside him, and Luna was beaming between the two of them.

A happy mory. One of those cheerful school monts.

But Luna's eyes shifted to a blurry corner of the photo.

There—barely visible on the edge, as if caught by accident—was part of a brown-haired boy sitting by the window, reading a novel.

That faceless boy.

Luna's heart skipped. She didn't rember when this photo was taken... or why that guy was even in it.

Had he always been there? Hiding in the background... unseen, but always watching?

The mirror reflected her face again, but now it felt foreign—like soone else was pulling the strings behind her smile, controlling her heartbeat, and forcing her to say words that weren't even her own.

She frowned and asked herself: Why... Why couldn't I control myself in class?

She let out a long sigh, patting Her cheeks to shake off the overthinking. She fixed Her uniform and hair before walking out of the bathroom.

The mont She stepped out, She was t with a strange sight: people with no facial features filled the hallway. They were just walking aimlessly around the school.

She turned Her face away, trying to ignore them. She just wanted to go to the school rooftop to relax. On Her way there, She passed by Her classroom—2-C. She glanced through the window and saw Ivansia and Theo studying together, probably trying to forget what had just happened.

Suddenly, She felt a weird pressure. It was like sothing was forcing Her feet to walk into the classroom.

"Ugh!" She gritted Her teeth, trying to fight the strange pressure, turning Her body around with all Her strength. Step by heavy step, She dragged Herself toward the rooftop.

Finally, She made it to the staircase. She reached for the door to the rooftop, but Her hand froze when She heard a loud, creepy laugh.

"Ha... HAHAHAHA!"

Her whole body froze. That laugh... It was the voice of the faceless guy! Could he be so kind of psycho who got his kicks from mocking people?

She started to hesitate. Slowly, She turned around, one step at a ti, backing away from the rooftop door.

"Oh... Luna!" a loud voice called my na. She turned Her head slowly.

With a nervous smile, She said, "Ah... I-I won't bother you anymore... S-So please! Just let go!" She cried out, begging him.

----

I froze. I was honestly confused about what was happening. Just earlier, I had felt the kind of happiness you only feel after surviving thousands of loops.

But now, right in front of , was the world's heroine—tears in her eyes, begging not to co closer.

Wait... Was she listening to from behind the door this whole ti?

I rushed down the stairs toward her. "L-Luna! Wait! This is just a misunderstanding—"

"D-Don't co any closer!" she said, her voice shaking. She stepped back... and didn't notice she had no more steps behind her.

She slipped.

I quickly grabbed her arm to stop her from falling. Without thinking, I pulled her up and brought her to the rooftop with .

"L-Let go of ! You're crazy! Let go or I'll scream!" she yelled, trying to pull away.

I released her arm and looked at her. "Tch, calm down. I just need a minute, okay? There's sothing I need to tell you." I ran a hand through my hair.

She rubbed her arm where I'd accidentally gripped too hard. She frowned and stared at sharply.

"So... what do you want to say?"

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself.

I reached out and placed my hand on her shoulder. "Luna—"

"Can you not touch ?" she said, brushing off my hand.

"Ah, sorry."

"Ahem... Luna! You're a hero—" Just before I could finish the sentence, it felt like a stone got stuck in my throat. I dropped to the ground, coughing and gasping.

"Ugh... Cough, cough... Luna, you... Cough, ugh!" My throat burned like it was being stabbed by needles.

Luna's face tightened with worry. She knelt down and reached out to .

"Hey, are you okay? Do you have so kind of illness? Maybe we should talk later," she said, clearly confused and concerned.

Damn it! This cursed world won't let tell her the truth...

Crap... What now? What should I do next? How can I protect Luna from the danger she's going to face?

I held onto my knee and slowly stood up again, looking her in the eye.

"Luna, don't leave your house tonight."

"Hah?! What the hell do you an by that?! You've been acting super weird—laughing like a lunatic, grabbing , coughing like you're dying—"

"Please! Just this once, trust !" I stepped closer to her.

"How am I supposed to trust you?! You insulted my friends, I don't even know you! I don't even know your na! What could possibly happen if I go out tonight?!" Luna shouted.

"YOU'LL GET KIDNAPPED!" I yelled back.

Luna's face went pale. Her mouth opened slightly.

"...."

"W-Wait... I need to ask you sothing." Her voice trembled.

"What is it?"

"Have you... ever had the sa dream as ?" Luna took a deep breath before continuing. "A dream where... I was in a dark, damp alley, surrounded by three terrifying thugs and... a brown-haired boy, who looked just like you." Her breath was shaky.

"He... He protected with everything he had. And then... I saw the world end. The sky shattered like glass. Purple and blood-red light spilled out from those cracks. That! That—!"

"Hey, hey, calm down, Luna!"

Her breathing was a ss. She was starting to sweat.

"The dream felt so real. No... It wasn't a dream. It felt more like a mory. D-Do you know anything about it?"

Wait! Could it be?! Luna is rembering fragnts of her mories from the previous loop?! Holy crap! If that's true, maybe—just maybe—she can break free from her role as a 'Heroine'!

I took a deep breath. "Yes, Luna! That dream is actually—Cough, cough!" I started coughing again.

What the hell?! I can't even give her a single clue?!

"Hey, did you forget to take your cough dicine or sothing?"

"No, I just choked on my spit."

Luna raised an eyebrow, clearly confused by my answer.

"So... do you know sothing about my dream?"

"Hah... You still believe in dreams at a ti like this?"

Luna's face turned red. Maybe she was mad. "Hah?! Then why did you tell not to go out tonight, idiot!"

I pulled out my phone from my pocket and showed her a news article on the screen. "Look at this. So gangsters have been roaming the area near your neighborhood."

Her eyes widened as she read the article. "Why didn't you just show this in the first place, dumbass?!"

"Well, because you wouldn't stop talking about your nightmare!" I shouted.

"That's your fault! Also, how the hell do you know where I live?! Don't tell ... you're stalking ?!" Luna backed away, heading toward the rooftop door.

I laughed a little. "Haha! If I really were your stalker, then why are you only realizing it now?" I started walking slowly toward her.

Luna's eyes filled with fear. "Hiekk! Stay away from , you creep!" she scread and bolted down the stairs.

I burst into laughter watching her run away in fear. Honestly, seeing her all flustered like that... is kinda cute.