Nora decided that if the world was going to glare at her, she might as well glare back.
The day after whatever that was happened, everything felt slightly off. Not in a dramatic, lightning-striking way—but in the way where people paused a beat too long before speaking. Where schedules shifted. Where conversations ended abruptly when Nora and Iris walked by.
"This place feels passive-aggressive," Iris muttered as they walked down the corridor.
"That's because it is," Nora said. "The plot is sulking."
Iris snorted. "We apologized once and now the universe is mad."
They reached the courtyard just in time to witness something that made both of them stop dead.
Theo was supposed to be here.
Not like this—but here.
In the original novel, this scene happened three chapters later. Iris remembered it vividly because it was painful. Theo would get injured during training. She would rush in, dramatic and emotional, still talking about her ex, and he would look at her like he regretted every life choice that led him there.
Instead—
Theo was perfectly fine.
And standing next to him…
"Oh no," Iris whispered.
Nora followed her gaze. "Is that—"
"The original female lead," Iris finished.
There she was. Exactly as described. Calm. Beautiful. Untouchable.
The plot's favorite.
Theo turned slightly, clearly drawn toward her presence.
Iris's chest tightened.
"Well," Nora said quietly, "that didn't take long."
They both knew what this meant.
The story was correcting itself.
Later that afternoon, Nora ran into Julian again.
Literally.
She rounded a corner too fast and collided straight into him.
"Oof—sorry—" she started.
Julian steadied her by the shoulders automatically. The contact lasted less than a second before he pulled back like he'd been burned.
"…Watch where you're going," he said coolly.
But his gaze lingered.
"You're avoiding me," he added.
Nora blinked. "I'm… existing?"
"You haven't argued. Or complained. Or insulted anyone." He studied her closely. "It's unsettling."
She almost laughed.
Almost.
"What if I was just tired of being unpleasant?" she asked.
Julian didn't answer right away.
Instead, he said, "Then you chose a strange time to change."
That sent a chill down her spine.
That night, Nora and Iris regrouped in Iris's room.
"The female lead showed up early," Iris said flatly. "And Theo noticed her."
Nora sighed. "Of course he did."
Iris dropped onto the bed. "I wasn't even trying to interfere. I just didn't want him hurt."
"That's the problem," Nora said. "We're not supposed to want anything."
Iris stared at the ceiling. "So what now?"
Nora thought of Julian's eyes. Sharp. Suspicious.
"We stop reacting," she said. "No big changes. No emotional decisions."
Iris sat up. "You just said that like someone who is about to make an emotional decision."
Before Nora could respond, the door knocked.
Once.
Twice.
Theo's voice came from the other side. "Iris."
Both girls froze.
Nora mouthed, That's bad.
Iris swallowed and opened the door.
Theo stood there, tense, conflicted.
"I need to ask you something," he said. "And I need you to answer honestly."
Iris nodded slowly.
"…Are you finally done looking back?"
The room felt very, very quiet.
Behind the silence, the story waited.