VILLAIN 16

Seo Kangsan will probably eat a lot on his own even without me. After we got into the car, Seo Kangsan, who took my hand, clenched his teeth.

I don’t know why his eyes are filled with worry, but no matter what, do you think I’ll get beaten as much as you? For me, it’ll probably just end with being locked up and getting my cheek slapped.

‘Though it feels like the intensity has been increasing lately.’

With that thought, I held Seo Kangsan’s hand tightly as we drove for a long time. Soon, the car arrived at a grand mansion and began crossing through a garden.

I guess he really is rich. This was the first time I’d seen the outside world since coming to this world, and the garden we passed through on the way into the estate was quite beautiful, but it didn’t move me deeply or anything like that.

It just… felt like, “It’s been a while.” That was all.

“Alright, we’re here. It’s been a long time since you’ve visited, hasn’t it?”

Seo Jun, parking the car with a proud smile, led Seo Kangsan and me through the massive mansion doors and headed inside.

Ding!

You have discovered a new location.

Due to insufficient information on ‘Seo Taesan’, you cannot enter some rooms within the mansion.

How inconvenient. To think I can’t even open doors meant to be opened.

That’s why I told you to hurry up and get close to Grandfather, didn’t I? =_=

Ignoring the system window, I held Seo Jun’s hand and moved somewhere inside the mansion.

When we reached a place where the table was laden with food, Grandfather approached us with a smile and lifted Seo Kangsan into a big hug. I watched them with a sense of inward satisfaction, but Seo Kangsan struggled slightly as if asking to be put down, glancing at me.

“Is Kangsan not even happy to see his grandfather?”

“No, that’s not it….”

Seo Kangsan spoke urgently, then clamped his mouth shut and looked at me.

Seo Jun, who had been watching us with a pleased smile, checked the time and headed back toward the shoe rack.

“Dad has to go now. The chauffeur will come to pick you up later, so have fun playing.”

Of course. You have to be busy for the story of this game to progress.

I let go of Seo Jun’s hand, which I had been holding the whole time, and gave a small smile with a nod.

If you’re going, go quickly. So that Seo Kangsan can stop walking on eggshells.

“Yes, we’ll have fun before we go.”

Though, of course, I’m the only one who will be going back.

I waved goodbye to Seo Jun as he left the mansion, leaving Seo Kangsan still in Grandfather’s arms. I turned around and walked slowly back to where we were earlier to finish looking at the statues. I was trying my best to avoid eye contact with Seo Kangsan, but I heard a voice calling me from behind.

“…Seo Hosu.”

Having finally escaped the embrace, Seo Kangsan ran over and grabbed my hand tightly.

It felt somewhat pitiable to see him acting uncharacteristically restless and glancing at me, so I gave his head a couple of light pats.

Gurgle—

Right, you are at a growing age. I led Seo Kangsan—whose face had turned bright red out of embarrassment from the sound coming from his stomach—back to the dining area and sat down at the table as I pleased. Once I confirmed that Grandfather had also taken his seat, I pushed the most delicious-looking dish in front of Seo Kangsan. At that, Seo Kangsan frowned and pushed the plate back to me.

I caught the eye of Grandfather, who was staring at us, and sensing the right timing, I leaned forward.

“Grandfather.”

“Yes.”

“Seo….”

I was about to ask, Can’t you let Kangsan live here?

Ding—

Emergency Quest

Steal Grandfather’s heart away from Seo Kangsan.

I blinked at the system window and then clamped my mouth shut.

‘What the….’

I looked at the system window, which was turning increasingly red, and furrowed my brow slightly.

[Cry and throw a tantrum. 0/1]

[Say that you hate Seo Kangsan. 0/1]

[Throw food. 0/1]

The system window appeared with a ding ding sound, turning red and slowly shattering into pieces.

…What’s wrong with this thing?

“Hey, Seo Hosu. Hey!”

“Child? Are you sick somewhere….”

An ominous premonition surged through my entire body. I have to say it now. I realized instinctively that if it wasn’t now, the opportunity to ask him to take care of Seo Kangsan would never come again. And if I didn’t ask, Seo Kangsan would probably try to stay in that house too.

I urgently grabbed Grandfather’s hand and opened my mouth.

“Grandfather, please save… me.”

“…What?”

“Please save hyung…, cough.”

This shouldn’t be happening

Just as I felt a rapid tick-tock sound, the completely shattered system window appeared, and blood surged up from inside me with a retch.

Frowning, I hunched over and covered my mouth. Feeling a pain as if my internal organs were being shredded, I made another retching sound, and Seo Kangsan scooped me up into his arms.

Wow, damn…, this is intense. It hurts even more than last time.

This… shouldn’t… be….

Cough, I continued to vomit blood and covered my mouth while leaning against Seo Kangsan, and now even my nose began to bleed.

I must have been on the verge of fainting because there was a buzzing sound in my ears, and I couldn’t even hear who was saying what. I barely managed to raise my hand to grab Seo Kangsan’s collar and spoke.

“Hyung, say… you’ll live here….”

“Seo Hosu! That’s not what matters right now…!”

“…Don’t go… back to that house, you….”

Ah, it hurts too much. Since I’m going this far, Seo Kangsan will reconsider too, right?

۶ৎ

‘I told you not to touch me!’

Slap!

‘Don’t touch me. Don’t even look me in the eye! It’s disgusting!’

I saw myself screaming and throwing things at the Seo Kangsan in front of me. I don’t really know for what reason that young child, who couldn’t even pronounce words properly, had come to hate Seo Kangsan. Because the thing inside this body now was a different soul. Seo Kangsan, who had been looking at Seo Hosu with eyes wavering as if wounded, raised his hand and smoothed his hair down, covering his eyes and bowing his head deeply.

Seo Hosu, with a distorted face and eyes turned bright red, raised his head and looked toward me.

‘We… can’t….’

Someone grabbed my collar while I was watching that scene. I turned around to see a significantly grown Seo Kangsan standing there. He had grown so tall that I had to look up for a long time to see him. His face was painted black so I couldn’t see it well, but I could tell that the grown Seo Kangsan’s hands were trembling.

‘…Seo Hosu.’

And behind him. I saw a single large eye watching us. A bloodshot brown eye. It was staring fixedly at us. The moment I met that eye, I felt a cold sweat break out and a chill run down my spine.

“How long… are you going to keep killing?”

Regardless of my will, my mouth moved as I looked at that eye.

After spitting those words out, I snapped awake with a whoosh, as if being kicked out of a dream.

As I curled up and coughed, struggling to catch my breath, someone gripped my hand tightly.

With my other hand that wasn’t being held, I fumbled around and felt my stomach. Fortunately, now that I had woken up from the faint, the pain had completely vanished.

I slowly turned my eyes and looked around. It wasn’t my room, nor did it look like Seo Kangsan’s room… it seemed we were still at Grandfather’s house. I locked eyes with Grandfather, who was sitting next to Seo Kangsan, and I slowly sat up in bed. Of course, before I could even fully sit up, I was pushed back down by Seo Kangsan’s hand and had the blanket tucked up to my neck.

The story progression has changed; ‘Seo Taesan’ is synchronizing with the story.

This again? I was scowling at the system window when I locked eyes with Grandfather.

The way he looked at me shone sharply. Not knowing what he might say to me, I hurriedly sat up and covered Seo Kangsan’s ears.

“You… shouldn’t hate… a child….”

“Hey, what are you doing? All of a sudden…!”

“Just for a moment.”

“…The child… did nothing wrong….”

Synchronization 1%

…Does “that child” refer to me?

Synchronization 70%

What, why is the gauge filling so fast?

Synchronization 100%

Ding!

― Level up! Favorability of some characters will now be displayed!

― New locations outside the house have been added.

― Current Level 5

I instinctively looked at the gray heart displayed above Grandfather’s head.

― 0%

I had expected this, so it wasn’t that much of a shock….

Still, hadn’t he treated me relatively gently? It was a bit surprising that there wasn’t even 1% favorability.

Grandfather blinked as if he had come to his senses and focused on me. Meeting his gaze, I lowered the hands that had been covering Seo Kangsan’s ears.

“Grandfather.”