SOS! I’m Being Forced to Be a Villain - Chapter 38

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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 38

Name: Kwon Tae-min

Age: 18 years old (Seolam High School, 2nd year, Class 8)

Role: One of the main characters in the novel ‘Only Two’

Background: This character has been developing an obsession with Main Soo ever since meeting him in childhood, and his nature is violent and twisted… (Show more)

Current emotional state: Anticipation, mixed feelings, confusion, worry, excitement

Inner thoughts: “Yu Baek-hwa agreed to hang out together tomorrow? Really?”

It seemed Seo Jung-hoo was finally explaining the situation to Kwon Tae-min. Of course, it didn’t look like he was telling it straight, and it was obvious he was distorting and twisting the story considerably.

I swallowed a sigh and turned my gaze away from the system window. Only after firmly locking the entrance door’s latch did I head inside the house.

I went straight to my room. I carelessly dropped my bag and collapsed onto the bed without even changing clothes. After staring blankly at the ceiling for a while, I slowly took out my phone.

I turned on the phone that had notifications disabled the whole time. Contrary to my expectation that messages would be piled up, there were only three messages from my brother.

I read the sentence written in the last speech bubble among them.

Yu Bae-hyun

Contact me when you wake up.

He must have heard the news that I had lost consciousness at school and was lying in the infirmary, so it seemed he didn’t just pour out messages or make calls recklessly.

I wondered if I had been thinking too hastily. Although he had shown quite emotional reactions regarding my affairs since our parents died, my brother was originally someone who acted rationally in all matters.

I moved my fingers slowly. After typing and sending a message, the read receipt appeared in less than a minute.

I just got home.

Yu Bae-hyun

How’s your body? Are you feeling better?

Don’t you need to go to the hospital?

If you can’t go alone, I’ll send someone

I’m not going to the hospital

There was no reply message. I was staring intently at the screen when the phone vibrated softly after a moment, indicating an incoming call.

The caller was, as expected, those familiar three characters. I connected the call, pressed the speaker button, and put the phone down on the bed.

“Hello.”

– Baek-hwa, are you okay? Are you sure you’re not in pain anymore?

I kept my mouth tightly shut, then slowly opened it.

“I’m not going to the hospital. There’s no need to go.”

– …Wouldn’t it be better to go and get examined while we’re at it?

“Examination my ass. I won’t do it. And if I really feel sick and strange, I’ll go on my own.”

Even though I refused with a quite sharp tone, my brother wouldn’t give up. I let his continued persuasion go in one ear and out the other, then irritably pressed my forehead.

“I said I won’t go. It’s annoying to suffer through all those tests one by one, and I hate lying alone in a hospital room.”

I had lived in hospitals enough when I was young. I didn’t want to experience the hospital’s distinctive disinfectant smell or the cool, quiet hospital rooms anymore.

My brother paused for a moment after hearing my irritated muttering. The suggestion that came through the phone was completely unexpected.

– I’ll return to Korea. Then you won’t have to be alone in a hospital room.

I suddenly lifted my eyelids that had been closed.

“What? Are you kidding me right now?”

– I’m being serious.

“Fuck, do you think I’m…”

I couldn’t finish my words and trembled. I froze like that, then belatedly reached for the end call button.

“I’m hanging up. I’m busy right now.”

– Wait a moment, Baek-hwa.

“I won’t answer even if you contact me.”

– Baek-hwa…

I frantically pressed the call end button with rough movements. Soon a window indicating the connection was terminated appeared, and the screen turned black.

Worried that my brother might call again or send a message, I even changed the notifications to silent and flipped the phone over. Not satisfied with that, I pushed it deep under the blankets like sealing it away, and only then caught my breath that had become rapid.

My chest rose and fell busily. I couldn’t be sure exactly what was causing my pounding heart. But I could vaguely guess. I wasn’t ready to face my brother yet.

I wished my brother was also a character in the novel. Then I could have read all of his emotions and inner thoughts and been certain.

How he thinks of me, why he takes it upon himself to be my guardian and puts up with all my tantrums and bad temper. And if he’s going to go this far now, then why…

I moved my lips slightly. A shapeless wind sound leaked through my teeth.

‘Did he say he’d come and wait starting at 8 AM tomorrow?’

If Seo Jung-hoo comes at that time, Kwon Tae-min will also come right here at the same time. And if Seo Jung-hoo isn’t someone who says one thing and does another, he’ll wait for hours until I come out of the house.

My heart started pounding unpleasantly again. I swallowed dry saliva and struggled to get up.

‘…Let’s sleep early.’

Rubbing my face roughly, I headed to the bathroom with difficulty.

* * *

I felt bad from the morning. I don’t remember, but I think I had some terrible nightmare. Even just blinking my eyes while looking at the ceiling, even wandering around the empty house after getting out of bed, the unpleasantly sunken emotions wouldn’t improve.

I moved mechanically to wash lightly, then sat buried in the sofa, staring blankly at the turned-off TV. The blurry silhouette reflected on the black screen looked infinitely small and… pitifully lonely.

I was glaring fiercely at the screen when I suddenly turned my head. The clock hanging on one wall of the living room was indicating that it would soon be exactly 9 o’clock.

‘…What am I going to do when I go out?’

It’s not like I’ve ever hung out with friends, and I don’t even have experience going out with family. So I’ll just be dragged around by Seo Jung-hoo and Kwon Tae-min again.

In that process, I won’t be able to rest comfortably for even a moment. My mouth will babble on its own, and my vocal cords will be strained from working all day, so they’ll be completely hoarse when I return home.

What if the situation gets worse before that, and I end up swinging my fists in the middle of the street?

No, the problem was something else. Due to the accumulated stress lately, I’ve been experiencing nausea and headaches more frequently, so how could I be confident that such damn things wouldn’t happen while I’m out?

Rather than going out and suffering needlessly, it would be a hundred, a thousand times better to rest quietly at home.

Moreover, just spending a weekday evening with those two people had earned the anger of the existence beyond the system. But if I showed myself visiting various places and having fun all day on the weekend, I would surely face severe consequences this time.

…However.

‘Then what should I do? Send a message telling them to go home since I’m not planning to come out?’

They weren’t the type to obediently return home saying “I see.” At least not the two people I’d seen so far. So there was no way I could enjoy my weekend in peace.

There are problems if I do this, and problems if I do that.

‘It’s my life, but really…’

I let out a sigh filled with lamentation, then slapped both cheeks loudly with my hands. Hot pain spread across my tender skin.

My confused reason seemed to suddenly come to its senses. I kneaded my soft cheeks and continued my thoughts carefully.

Let’s just go out for a short while. If I find all sorts of faults and act up, they’ll go home on their own.

With that resolution, I abruptly got up. I crossed the living room where cool air lingered and entered my room. I opened the large wardrobe door and rummaged through it, taking out the clothes I usually liked to wear for brief outings in front of the house.

It was a white hoodie zip-up with black sweatpants. I wore a white short-sleeved shirt underneath, pulled the hood down tight, and shoved my bare feet into sneakers.

What’s the big deal, yet tension was rising for no reason. After taking a small deep breath, I unlocked the latch. Soon I stepped outside the entrance door.

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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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