SOS! I’m Being Forced to Be a Villain - Chapter 31

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 31

Now that I looked, the notification window at the top of the screen was already flooded with messages from my brother. I couldn’t tell whether I should be relieved that the app didn’t show a ’99+’ indicator yet, or angry at his impatience for hanging up and calling again after just a moment.

“What, is it an important call?”

“…No.”

“Then take it later.”

I have to take it though… As I mumbled and trailed off, Lee Chung-hye spat out sharply.

“What are you going to do about it? Whose call is it anyway?”

“It’s my brother.”

“…Brother?”

Ignoring Lee Chung-hye’s questioning tone, I irritably moved my fingers to tap the button on the screen. Soon confirming the call was connected, I brought the phone to my ear.

– Hello. Yu Baek-hwa?

My brother’s voice was filled with deep worry and anxiety that would be hard not to notice. Feeling my heart churn unpleasantly, I gripped the phone tighter.

“Brother.”

– Why aren’t you reading my messages? I was so…

“I’m fine, and I wasn’t hit or anything, I just fell. I’m really busy right now, very busy.”

I rattled off before my brother could finish speaking. I could hear him pause and swallow over the phone.

“I’m doing well. Very well.”

– …Baek-hwa, is something wrong? Like when you suddenly asked to transfer schools last time.

I couldn’t let my brother’s worry for me grow any bigger than this.

“Nothing’s wrong. Nothing at all. I’m doing perfectly fine, I tell you.”

I absolutely didn’t want my brother to come back to Korea. At least not yet. Just like me, my brother couldn’t have completely escaped from his previous memories and emotions either. So just.

I bit my lip tightly and slowly rolled my eyes, then froze and stiffened my body. Soon I frowned slightly and stared at Lee Chung-hye, who had somehow closed the distance and approached.

Despite sitting far away earlier, she had sneakily moved to sit right next to me without pretense. She wasn’t even hiding her shameless attempt to eavesdrop. She had brazenly leaned her body and was even perking up both ears.

Glaring at Lee Chung-hye irritably, I spoke with a sigh-mixed voice toward my brother on the other end.

“Anyway, there’s no problem.”

– Baek-hwa.

“I don’t know how much the teacher exaggerated when she told you, but it’s just a small bruise on my knee, that’s all.”

I continued speaking without waiting for my brother’s response.

“And you should know since you heard. I was only a bit noisy at the beginning of the school year, but since becoming a second-year, I haven’t caused any trouble and have been behaving well.”

– …You know I’m not doing this because I’m worried you caused trouble. I’m worried about you…

It was going in circles again. No matter how much I said, he wouldn’t listen, so I had no choice but to forcibly end it here.

“So don’t worry. Nothing happened, geez.”

I snapped while irritably pressing my forehead.

“I’m hanging up. I have a friend over at home, how long should I make her wait?”

– Wait, Baek-hwa. A friend? Which friend?

Would you even know if I told you?

I swallowed down the anger I was about to pour out. The grumbling of ‘Would you even know if I told you my friend’s name?’ seemed too childish a remark. My brother wasn’t my parent, I wasn’t a child anymore either, and moreover, I was someone who had lived just fine without proper parents or guardians until now.

For me, myself alone was enough.

– Baek-hwa. Yu Baek-hwa?

“…”

– Listen to what your brother is saying…

Not wanting to hear any more, I frantically pressed the call end button repeatedly. The screen showing the call symbol switched, and a dial tone indicating the connection had ended rang softly – beep – beep.

Fortunately, my brother didn’t call back. He must have understood that I had spoken with my hackles raised.

Instead, messages began steadily accumulating. Without a moment’s hesitation, I flipped the phone over and placed it face down on the sofa.

I let out a small sigh and turned my head. Then I hesitated when I met eyes with Lee Chung-hye, who was frowning as if looking at some terrible criminal.

“…What a rude bastard.”

“What… what did you say, you bitch?”

“What kind of way is that to talk to your brother?”

“What do you mean? He’s my brother, not yours, right?”

I bristled and found fault without backing down. Then Lee Chung-hye sighed deeply as if she’d seen everything, and pulled back her leaning body.

Leaning her back completely against the backrest, she made a sullen expression as if thoroughly offended. I couldn’t understand Lee Chung-hye at all, so I sent her a suspicious look before slowly opening my mouth.

“We should finish the conversation we were having earlier.”

Only then did she, who had been staring into space with dissatisfaction, look back at me.

“Ah, right. We were talking about how well you and those two people suit each other, how you’re absolutely perfect matches. I think?”

“You’re being crazy again, again!”

I moved my hands to roughly tousle my hair. I didn’t care that the rough touch caused stinging pain to spread across my scalp.

The disheveled hair sticking out interfered with my vision. I tried to fix my messy appearance but gave up and continued the conversation.

“…Honestly, it’s strange. Why did only you and I get to see the System window and learn about all this?”

“Well. I’m the main character and you’re the villain, so that’s probably why.”

Lee Chung-hye replied sarcastically and now wouldn’t even make eye contact with me. Rolling her idle gaze here and there to scan the living room was no different from a kindergartener who couldn’t focus on class and was fooling around.

While I found it puzzling that she had changed like this just because I had been rude to my brother, I didn’t try to dig deeper to understand the reason. If there was something I had learned from being tormented by Seo Jung-hoo and Kwon Tae-min these past few days, it was the fact that ‘crazy people are crazy until they die.’ They think differently from others from the start, so trying to understand them would only cause harm.

Therefore, I barely managed to calm my vocal cords that were about to shout for her to take this seriously.

“At least I understand one thing.”

“What.”

Lee Chung-hye glanced her eyes toward me.

“Only you and I learned the secret of this world, and because of that, we’re being forced to act.”

“…”

“Right? Those who don’t know anything will naturally act according to fate so there’s no problem, but we who learned the future are different.”

So they force our actions. They control us arbitrarily to make us move, speak, curse at others or act cute. Trying to fit us into the original fate somehow.

As I was thinking, an unexpected explanation suddenly interjected.

“I don’t like them. Not Seo Jung-hoo or Kwon Tae-min, absolutely not, definitely not.”

“…Who said anything? Looking at how you act, it’s obvious you do.”

“Of course it would seem that way. I already have someone I like.”

This was the first time I was hearing this news. I tilted my head with narrowed brows, but Lee Chung-hye just acted nonchalant as if she had no intention of saying a word about her romantic interest.

Eventually I gave up on pressing and swallowed a sigh.

“So what are you going to do? Whatever your feelings are, you’re the main character and I’m a shitty foreign element.”

“I don’t know, and I have no intention of dating those guys. They’re not even my type to begin with, how ridiculous.”

“Ah, I get it! I understand everything, so just tell me the conclusion of what you plan to do from now on.”

“Hmm.”

Lee Chung-hye, who had been letting out a quiet hum, soon narrowed her eyes.

“…What, why. What is it.”

Her gaze seemed to want something, making me feel goosebumps for no reason, so I shuddered and scooted backward, pulling my butt away.

“What the fuck. What am I supposed to do? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“…”

“Hey, Lee Chung-hye!”

Even when I shouted loudly, no answer came back. Lee Chung-hye just curled up the corners of her mouth into a bright smile.

The smile held by her angelic beauty was like warm sunlight. Of course, that was only the impression from other people’s perspective. To me, it was nothing more or less than an unpleasant smile that seemed ready to push me into danger at any moment.

“You, you…”

“Baek-hwa.”

I shuddered again. There was no way she could be controlled by the System to speak at this moment, yet somehow Lee Chung-hye called me ‘Baek-hwa’ instead of ‘Yu Baek-hwa.’ That cringeworthy nickname and coquettish voice gave me goosebumps.

“Please take care of me from now on?”

Lee Chung-hye smiled sweetly and extended her hand as if requesting a handshake. Since I couldn’t take her hand and just stared blankly, she wiggled her fingertips to urge me.

But in the end, I couldn’t accept that handshake request.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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