If The Villain Catches Me Alive

When I opened my eyes, I found myself standing in a dreary, damp, and unfamiliar place.

 

‘……What?’

 

I shook my head at the foreign sight I had never seen before.

 

‘……A dream?’

 

This is too vivid and realistic to be a dream… I’ve only ever seen torture chambers like this in videos in history class… And something is damp under my feet…

 

I dropped my gaze to the floor because of a small whimper……

 

“Ah, it hurts. Master…”

 

There came a voice from the corner that sounded like it was about to die.

 

I suddenly realized the presence of a person I hadn’t noticed while I was trying to assess my situation.

 

“…What?”

 

At first glance, the skinny kid was barely dressed in anything but a pair of pants, tied up somewhere and crouched down. His trembling upper body was covered with unsightly red line marks like a brand.

 

The chain of the handcuffs around his neck was connected to the wall, limiting his radius of movement. Preventing him from escaping.

 

I had never seen or experienced anything like this before… As an ordinary citizen of South Korea, my rational mind was momentarily overwhelmed by such a horrifying sight…

 

“Cough, cough!”

 

The sound of the child’s thick intermittent coughing brought me back to my senses as quickly as if I had been struck by lightning.

 

“Are, are you okay? Just, just a moment, I’ll be right there!”

 

I slipped and stumbled in front of him, my foot landing on something weird. Somehow, the wind blew the liquid I’d felt on my feet and soiled my clothes. It smelled fishy.

 

I didn’t understand the whole situation, but I knew what I had to do now. Quickly straightening my posture, I placed both my hands firmly on the child, who looked like he was about to collapse. I could feel his tremors travel through my hands.

 

I dragged a nearby chair by his feet and carefully sat him on it. Hastily removing my robe and draping it over his shoulders, I immediately examined his cuffed wrists.

 

“Hang in there… I’ll try to make this as painless as possible.”

 

But what the hell was up with these handcuffs, they didn’t even have a keyhole where they should have been…?

 

Unable to come up with a solution, I sat down on one knee in front of him and quietly asked.

 

“Who did this to you? Do you happen to know how to unlock them?”

 

“……”

 

The child didn’t answer my question, but… I guess he doesn’t know…? If he knew, he wouldn’t be locked up here…

 

He looked confused, and I added some reassuring words.

 

“I’m not a bad person. If you’re being held captive, let’s run away together. I’ll help you out.”

 

“……”

 

“Is there anyone out there keeping an eye on you?”

 

I asked, but he remained tight-lipped, a hypothetical theory running through my mind.

 

“Maybe you can’t speak……”

 

The child sobbed and shook his head. Tears rolled down his big eyes and onto the floor. The next words out of his mouth didn’t answer my question.

 

“I, I was wrong… Master…”

 

It was a very small voice, but I heard it clearly, and I realized, I still don’t know where I am, or if this is a dream or reality, but… I realized that the person who made him like this is called Master.

 

‘But that’s weird…’

 

I’m not bragging, but after 2N years of life, I can tell that this child and I are talking about different things. I can be sure of one thing.

 

His eyes moved around, his trembling didn’t go away even when I held his hand tightly, and he broke out into a cold sweat.

 

‘……Is he scared of me?’

 

I told him I wasn’t a bad person, but, um… No, from his perspective, I might look like a bad person, and I might look like even more of a bad person for saying that… But how do I prove to him that I’m not a bad person?

 

As I was thinking about that, I remembered what the child said earlier.

 

‘Ah, it hurts. Master…’

 

‘I, I was wrong… Master…’

 

Every word he had ever uttered had been addressed to that unpleasant ‘Master’.

 

‘And there are only two of us in this room, him……and me……?’

 

What?

 

I let go of the hand I was holding and took two steps backward, just in case, really just in case, and asked very carefully.

 

“Uh… I’m… um… I’m just asking.”

 

“…….”

 

“Am I that Master?”

 

I pointed at myself with my finger and asked. The child, who had been terrified until now, had eyes that shifted from curiosity to confusion. It felt like just that alone conveyed all the answers I needed…

 

“Yes……”

 

That was all the confirmation I needed.

 

It nailed the most ridiculous assumptions that had been swirling around in my head as true. It was like a siren blaring in my ears.

 

‘……You’re kidding, right? This can’t be…’

 

Did I do this?

 

***

 

I don’t know how in the world I got out of that hellhole.

 

‘Why does it have to be BL……’

 

I thought to myself as I offered the child a glass of warm water. Why doesn’t this place have a single thing that kids would like…

 

Anyway, I quickly turned off the light and flopped down in my office chair. I glanced out the window in disbelief and saw two moons, and it seemed to sink in a little more. This isn’t really where I used to live…

 

My mind had already flown out of the sky. How the hell did I get out of that underground torture chamber in this state? I…

 

“Haaaaah…….”

 

I sighed at my unknown future. My mind raced with thoughts.

 

‘I was mostly reading romance…’

 

Why is it that the place I’m stuck in is a ruined BL world… There… There were plenty of easier worlds, like the one where you can raise a child with love and support.

 

‘I’m getting dizzy……’

 

I wanted to grab someone and tell them what I was going through, but the introvert in me wouldn’t let me. I mean, you know… To others, I would be seen as a crazy person who got too absorbed in books and believed I possessed someone.

 

I gradually realized that I was losing my mind, but I couldn’t stop my train of thought.

 

‘All web series these days are not about possession of protagonists, but of extras… secondary characters… maids, or other supporting characters…’

 

Well, actually, after experiencing possession, I realized that possessing the protagonist would be too extreme, so they chose extras. Or… something like that.

 

‘But then why am I the villainous teacher?’

 

And to be the one destined to be murdered as revenge!

 

‘Master’s name…?’

 

‘Yes. It’s okay, just tell me.’

 

‘It’s…… Dan… Te…’

 

My name was very familiar to the child as he begged and pleaded. How could I not know… I just finished reading the novel entitled <Jeffrey>.

 

‘But I didn’t like it so much that I wanted to be become a character here…’

 

It’s not a world that’s at peace after the end of the original story, and it’s not even a world that’s at peace, but a world before the original story even started, with only a thorny road ahead…

 

I rummaged through the memories that hadn’t yet dissapeared.

 

In <Jeffrey>, the character named ‘Dante’…

 

was a third-rate wizard who was demoted from his position as a researcher at the Tower of Light because he didn’t produce enough research to be worthy of the position. And he took that demotion to heart.

 

‘Ah, it hurts. Master……’

 

He’s a stereotypical villain in fictional novels who bullies those who are weaker than him. And….

 

‘That’s me now.’

 

The realization struck me with utter disbelief. Suddenly, I remembered a passage that had made an impression on me as a reader.

 

The tables had turned.

He looked down at his master, Dante, begging for his life on his knees, with eyes so lifeless and empty, he could hardly feel any emotion. He should have been pleased, not this emotionless.

Time had made him that way. He thought about what he had lost, and then he saw his own childhood overlaid on the image of Dante in front of him.

Suddenly, a subtle change occurred in his expressionless face.

Just barely…..

If it was this unpleasant, he would have preferred not to feel it at all, but it was enough to make him sick. Theodore ran a hand through his hair, feeling somewhat exhausted.

“I am exhausted. Master.”

That was all.

The words and the breath that came with them were a tangle of countless unexpressed emotions. His breath dispersed into the void.

Dante’s disciple ended his life on that spot. And their long, tragic relationship as well.

“Farewell.” ]

 

Crap…

 

Is this a sign from God that that is what lies ahead for me and that I shouldn’t even think about living? I’ve been pretty devout up until this point… God, why did you put me through this!

 

My emotions were all over the place, and I ended up crying. I thought I had finally gotten a job in a big company and had some stability for the first time in my life, but you took that away from me.

 

‘The world is clearly not on my side…’

 

***

 

Starting with that night, Dante’s memories flowed naturally into my mind.

 

It was a year ago when I first met Theodore.

 Just saying, I didn't chopped up the chapters in parts. It's originally written in parts.