I’m Not That Villain

42 – Reunion (2)

I heard… a thank you.

From the person I had secretly relied on.

Seol Yewon blinked. She lowered her head deeply for no reason.

She had never heard a thank you from anyone. Even the closest person had always criticized her, so she always walked with her shoulders hunched.

She used to cover her face with her bangs. Until she awakened her abilities, she always wore a mask. She had to earn money, but because she was shy, she could only do dishwashing or cleaning jobs.

“Why are you so slow?”

“You have no sense for work.”

“How can you be so unsociable?”

“Hey. It’s polite to look at someone’s face when talking.”

Working.

Living was very difficult.

A life of barely surviving day by day. And naturally in that life…

She had never received a thank you from anyone.

No friends.

No acquaintances.

I don’t use social media. Because people are difficult.

The only phone numbers saved on my phone are the contacts of the place where I work part-time.

In the midst of all this…

A person like a benefactor said thank you.

“……”

Don’t cry, Seol Yewon.

It’s unsightly. Really. You came out to worry, but you shouldn’t make others worry.

Pinch your thigh. Endure it somehow.

It’s okay… it’s okay…

“Hoo… hoo…”

“Are you okay?”

“Yes? Yes, yes! I’m, I’m okay. But… um…”

Seol Yewon, who barely managed to calm the tears that seemed about to flow, leaned her body forward slightly.

He said something that couldn’t be lightly ignored. So she asked.

“Assassination… is it true?”

“It’s true.”

“Why, why on earth…”

“Well. I don’t know the details yet. There’s nothing to know except that the opponent is the Steel Slate Workshop.”

She quietly looked into his eyes, which were revealed after he took off his sunglasses. A profile that seemed lost in thought. The rest was hidden by a hat and mask, but…

She couldn’t help but be captivated by that profile. But the next moment, she quickly came to her senses and organized what she had heard.

An assassin was after the uncle.

The reason is still unknown, but…

Because of that, he has currently stopped his livelihood.

“…….”

Where in the world would someone harass a good person like the uncle?

…But.

You’ve been preparing for today all along.

“I, I…!”

The voice that came out was cracked. She cleared her throat and then spoke again carefully.

“I… I mean… I’ve been working hard for the past few months…”

“Effort?”

“Uh, first of all…so…”

There are so many things I want to say. But I don’t know where to start.

I glance around nervously. Social anxiety is something that doesn’t easily go away, no matter how hard I try to fix it…

My hands are sweaty. I don’t need hyperhidrosis on top of this. Seriously. Ugh…

Am I…looking pathetic?

I sneak a glance up. As I look up hesitantly, the man in front of me waits quietly without saying a word.

He doesn’t rush me or do anything. He just waits there silently for my next words.

…That…

That is nice.

Since we started cleaning the room together, his attentiveness in not asking about other things. Those eyes that wait silently are nice.

“…I, I worked.”

“What kind of work?”

“Well…I’m still doing manual labor. B-but…unlike before, I greet people first. People used to be scared of me when I was in beast mode, but…now they sometimes talk to me first.”

“That’s commendable.”

“At the same time…I’ve been practicing controlling my abilities at night. At first, I couldn’t get the hang of it at all, but using your special equipment, I was able to get a rough idea…”

I start to ramble about the things I’ve been doing.

I just wanted to talk. About what I’ve been doing, how I’ve been holding back my desire to contact him more, and instead practicing my abilities and earning money during that time.

“So now…I can be half-human, half-animal. Wow, I still can’t fully transform into a beast, but…I’ve increased the power I can use in beast mode…!”

“That’s amazing.”

“A-and…I’ve been controlling my abilities while walking around, so I’ve gotten somewhat used to it…!”

The words I want to say rise up to my throat.

I want to say why I’ve been honing my skills. But…

That’s not something I should tell a kind man like him.

“…I’ve gotten used to it…”

“Gotten used to it?”

“I-I can walk around outside a bit more…I guess? Haha…”

I mumbled. What should I do?

Does he think I’m weird?

I glance around nervously again. He, who had been listening quietly, chuckled.

“You’ve tried.”

It was a calm remark. But that calm remark felt like a thunderbolt striking down in her head.

Seol Yewon checked once more if her mask was properly worn. There would be nothing more embarrassing than showing her face that seemed about to explode.

“Bring a chair.”

“Pardon, what?”

“Here. In front of me.”

She hurriedly dragged a chair with a grunt. As she sat in front of him, he slowly reached out his hand.

Her eyes instinctively closed tightly. But the rattling sound came from her neck, not her face.

“You’ve taken good care of it. It’s not even dirty… Do you always keep it clean?”

A collar.

He was holding the collar.

Her personal equipment, usually hidden inside her hood. She nodded frantically.

“Be-because it’s precious…”

“Precious, huh. That’s nice.”

“…What, what is?”

“That you cherish something I made. You’re my first proper customer.”

First customer.

Why does that word feel so good?

“Still, let’s fix it a bit. There’s a slightly worn-out part.”

“Sh-should I take it off?!”

“Stay still. It’s fine.”

There was a rattling sound. Along with it, he took off his hat.

Now, the only thing left was the mask she was wearing. She sneakily glanced at his face, focused on the collar-like equipment.

She fidgeted for no reason. She tried hard to suppress her twitching fingers.

So, so close.

Very close.

I, I like it. I like it…

B-but… I must not let my guard down. Yes.

Let’s remind myself why I made all this effort until now. Only then will this trembling subside a little.

I, I… Sir. I…

The bad comments that uncle received didn’t sit well with me. I tried to endure it, but I couldn’t hold back.

It wasn’t just a few. There were many. A lot. A lot, actually. But when I see those kinds of posts, uncle gets hurt.

Uncle is not a fraud. He’s an incredible person. He’s so kind that words can’t even describe it.

…It’s strange, right? Those things.

So… I left the room. I increased my work.

I tried hard to buy food outside. I also worked hard to control my abilities…

I made money.

I found something I wanted to do. You see, I’m not very good with machines. In fact, I’m close to being a technophobe.

So instead, I needed a person to find certain individuals for me. But when I looked into it, I realized it would cost an enormous amount of money.

So I made money. Gritting my teeth. Working hard.

I also did a few “experiments.”

I easily found the people who insulted uncle.

It turns out people tend to use the same IDs on the black market and on their social media accounts.

A hacker told me that breaking into the black market’s security was hard. But luckily, it wasn’t that difficult to find the same ID and confirm they were the same person.

You know, uncle… if you knew, would you think I’m strange?

…But still… even so…

If I hadn’t done it, if I hadn’t gone through with it, I felt like I would’ve gone crazy.

But now, looking back, it seems like it was the right thing to do. The people who posted those bad comments weren’t just trying to bring uncle down; they were even trying to kill him.

So, my experiments…

Confirming that I could kill a person who’s less than human.

It was all the right thing to do.

Uncle doesn’t need to know. It’s fine. I just need to know.

I’ll quietly take them out, one by one. The people who say bad things about uncle. The people who call him a fraud.

It wasn’t something I did because I was expecting something in return.

I just…

I don’t want uncle to quit his job. I don’t want him to get hurt.

If he quits, then we won’t have any more connection, and if he gets hurt, my heart will hurt even more.

So… so…

I’ll kill them all for you. The people who speak badly about uncle.

Without you ever knowing.

“…Mister.”

“Yes?”

Since I finally have the strength to use…

This opportunity.

I won’t miss it.

“Ta-take care… of your cold.”

After all, I’m just a kid who can’t do much else.

“A cold?”

“Y-yes… I just don’t want you to get sick…”

“You take care too.”

“…Me? But I’m strong…!”

“Just because you have special abilities doesn’t mean you won’t get minor illnesses. Your body may be strong, but your internal immune system is the same. You get sick and suffer just like anyone else. So be careful.”

“…Yes!”

Seol Yewon shook her head vigorously. He released his hand from her collar.

As if the work was done, he put away his tools. She stared blankly at him, then quickly turned her head when their eyes met.

“If you catch a cold, let me know.”

“…What?”

“It’s lonely to be sick alone.”

He packed his bag.

“I’ll come visit you.”

“…….!”

Seol Yewon pressed down on her backside desperately.

This is why being in beast form is troublesome.

The tail moves on its own.

. . .

Returning to her quarters, Juhwa Lin stared blankly at her personal equipment.

The grip that fits perfectly in her hand. The stylish appearance.

The more she repeated the motion of lightly gripping and releasing it…

The more she liked it.

“…Huuu.”

The expensive custom equipment that my sister bought for me in the past was not even this good.

A gun that seemed to be customized just for me. No, it was indeed customized.

Moreover, there were ten special magazines that he handed over to me.

A hundred bullets. A total of a hundred bullets. But you know what?

Having a hundred bullets should make me feel secure, but I don’t feel secure at all.

I wish I had more, more… If possible, a thousand bullets?

No, ten thousand bullets!

“…….”

Juhwa-rin was now at a crossroads.

That damn kid is gone. There is no one to stop me. I have completely distanced myself from Heukgyeong and left that building.

If I set my mind to it, I could betray him right away. Disappearing altogether wouldn’t be a bad idea either. Or, I could try to assassinate him once more.

…But.

I like this weapon too much to do that.

“Is he a god…?”

Juhwa-rin carefully placed the gun on the cloth. In the messy room, it was the only clean place, and she placed it there like a sacred object, staring at it blankly.

With this, I can become competent. I can write a legend like my sister, and become someone who would interest my sister who left me.

My sister was always a person who got bored easily.

She was always looking for someone to relieve her boredom.

I hate that kid. Yes. I hate him so much. That damn kid. He’s annoyingly strong and always looks at me with those piercing eyes.

I don’t like that dumb girl either. Even when she’s just standing still, everyone around her takes care of her, which is completely different from me. Watching her makes me feel twisted inside.

That cat is the same. Always snapping at me with sharp words, making me feel extremely uncomfortable.

A disgusting group! It was no different from a den of lunatics!

…But.

There is one person I like.

“No, Juhwa-rin. You were always competent, weren’t you? I just gave you wings to fly even higher.”

It was the first time I heard such words. But those words were so sweet.

I grew up only hearing that I was lacking. I never heard such words from my sister or my peers who were trained with me.

But he said it.

The words I wanted to hear all my life.

I like him. At least him. So, there’s no reason to betray him, so I’ll listen to his opinion.

Although an unfulfilled request appeared on my sister’s account for the first time, I can explain it well when I meet her later.

Juhwarin picked up her phone. She was well-versed in the basics of assassination under systematic training.

This time, she took a deep breath to avoid making the same mistake as before.

She wanted to do it flamboyantly, but…

Since the story could get a bit complicated, let’s prepare thoroughly.

It’s the first debut stage with this body’s exclusive equipment!