The Background Character Loop: One Last Chance to Break the Cycle-Chapter 20: Just a Little Hope

Luna sat at her desk, just one seat and a table away from Ivansia, who sat silently with her back stiff and unmoving.

She stared at Ivansia’s back, feeling the heavy tension that hung between them.

Since this morning—ever since Ivansia walked into class with a pale face and tired, swollen eyes—Luna had wanted to talk to her.

She wanted to ask what was wrong, to offer help, or at the very least, let her know she wasn’t alone.

She parted her lips and took a silent breath, her golden hair gently swaying with the motion.

But... no words came out.

She felt awkward—unsure where to start, or if Ivansia even wanted to talk at all.

There were so many things she wanted to say. So many questions piled up in her head.

But the moment she saw how fragile Ivansia looked, every word she’d prepared suddenly felt useless... or worse, like they’d only make things worse.

So Luna just sat there, frozen in place by a silence that felt almost deafening, with all her unspoken words hanging heavy in the air between them.

And then—the sharp sound of the recess bell rang out, cutting through the silence.

Luna flinched slightly and looked toward Ivansia.

Ivansia stood up slowly, her purple eyes dull and tired.

She walked over to Luna’s desk and stopped beside her.

"Luna... Can we talk? Just for a minute," she whispered. Her voice was so soft it almost disappeared into the noise of students getting up.

Luna looked at her and quickly nodded. The two of them left the classroom and walked toward the school cafeteria.

Luna ordered a few things to eat and brought the food over to the table where Ivansia was sitting.

"Here. Eat something, Ivansia. You really don’t look okay..." Luna said softly, sliding one of the onigiri she bought toward her friend.

But Ivansia didn’t reach for it. She just stayed still, her head lowered.

"You can talk to me, you know," Luna said, giving her a small, comforting smile. "We’re friends, right?"

Ivansia bit down on her lower lip, as if holding back something she didn’t want to admit.

"Luna... can I ask for a favor? Please..."

"What kind of favor? It’s okay, just tell me." Luna gently rubbed Ivansia’s shoulder, trying to reassure her.

"Do you know if there’s... maybe a job opening at your dad’s company?" Ivansia asked, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

Luna blinked, a little surprised.

She remembered overhearing her father on a call yesterday. There was a job opening.

But... her father was strict. He only hired people who were highly qualified, with good backgrounds and strong skills.

Luna pressed her lips together, thinking hard about how she could help Ivansia.

"If there isn’t... then maybe... is there any kind of job I could do? Even just as a maid or something..." Ivansia added quietly.

Hearing that made Luna shake her head quickly.

"There is a job, Ivansia. Really. My dad just opened a position yesterday. I’ll try to talk him into hiring your dad," Luna said quickly, hoping to lift her spirits.

"R-Really?!" Ivansia looked up, her eyes a little shiny with tears—maybe from relief, or maybe just from having a bit of hope.

"Yeah. Don’t worry, Ivansia. I’ll convince my dad." Luna smiled warmly. "Now come on, eat the onigiri. Look at you... Just three days ago, you were still the prettiest girl I knew."

Ivansia let out a small laugh.

"Yeah... Thank you so much, Luna."

"Of course." Luna stood up and brushed off her skirt. "Alright, I’m going to head out for a bit. Make sure you rest, okay?"

She waved and left the cafeteria, heading up to the school rooftop to meet C.

---

Despite the afternoon sun, the rooftop felt cold and distant.

The air smelled strongly of rusted iron, and there was a thick, dusty taste clinging to every breath.

Luna leaned against the wall, holding her phone to her ear.

"Dad, can I ask you for a favor? Please, just this once," she said quietly.

["Hurry up. What do you need? I’m busy."]

"You opened a job position yesterday, right? Can you give it to my friend’s dad instead?"

["Let me ask first—does he have the qualifications? Any work experience? I’m not hiring a criminal, Luna."]

"I’m not sure about all that, but... her family’s in trouble financially. Please, just help them this time..."

["No, Luna. I can’t just hire anyone without checking them first."]

"Come on, Dad! Please!"

There was a pause on the other end. She could hear him sigh.

["...Fine. But only on one condition."]

"What is it?" Luna asked.

["You stop complaining about your engagement to Neil Arkes. That’s the deal."]

Hearing that made Luna’s face go pale. Her hand, still holding the phone, began to tremble.

"But—"

The call ended suddenly.

Luna stared at her screen in disbelief. A wave of frustration surged through her chest.

She felt like smashing her phone right then and there.

The sound of the rooftop door creaking open broke the silence.

A boy with brown hair stepped in.

"You don’t have to beg your father like that," he said casually.

"There’s no other way, C. How else are we supposed to help Ivansia?" she muttered.

"If it’s about money, I can handle it. I asked for your help this morning because I need you later—at Ivansia’s house."

"What do you mean?" Luna raised an eyebrow.

"There are some corrupt cops trying to scam Ivansia’s family."

Luna’s eyes widened in shock.

"What?! Corrupt police? How is that even possible?!" she shouted.

C didn’t know either.

The way this world’s events unfolded never made much sense. Why were there suddenly corrupt cops preying on a struggling family?

"I don’t know why either. But what I need you to do is simple—just plant a GPS tracker on one of their cars."

Luna nodded slightly. "And then?"

"That’s it. It’ll be easy. There’ll be a crowd in front of Ivansia’s house, so you’ll have a chance to sneak in without anyone noticing."

"Hmm... Alright, I’ll do it. But what about the money part? How exactly are you going to get it?"

C looked down for a moment.

Honestly, he wasn’t sure yet.

But in his mind, there was a certain place he could go to earn money fast. Even if it meant getting hurt.

It didn’t matter.

As long as he could get the money they needed, it would be worth it.

"Don’t worry. I already have a plan. And I’m not gonna steal, Really, you don’t need to worry about me that much."

Luna raised an eyebrow, then crossed her arms.

"Hmph! Who says I was worried about you?" she said, turning away from him with a pout.

"Yeah, yeah. Come on. The bell’s about to ring in two minutes—we should head back."

C opened the rooftop door and held it open for her.

"After you, Miss Luna."

That small gesture made Luna let out a soft, genuine chuckle.

She walked down the stairs first, with C following close behind.