VILLAIN 33

My head began to ache. Students were focusing on the lesson and studying again, while others were goofing off in class. As if the conversation from just a moment ago had never happened, Lee Rowoon was simply nodding off with his chin propped on his hand.

‘Life is… fuck, why is it so hard….’

I had intended to at least stay alive until I saw Seo Kangsan and Lee Rowoon get together with my own eyes, but I’ve lost the confidence to survive until then.

With glazed eyes, I stood up and opened the window.

Rattle—

“Seo Hosu?”

Everyone’s eyes focused on me as I slowly stood.

Mr. Seo Hosu? What are you doing right now….

As I climbed onto the windowsill, Lee Rowoon gritted his teeth and grabbed my arm.

“Let go… fuck, let go… please….”

I can’t stand it anymore.

If the world wants to kill me this badly, what reason do I have to stay alive? Now that things are turning back toward killing us instead of bringing Seo Kangsan and Lee Rowoon together, why on earth should I hold on?

Behind me, as I gripped the window frame tightly to throw myself out while Lee Rowoon struggled to pull me away from the window, even the classmates joined in to try and stop me.

Mr. Seo Hosu.

Perhaps due to extreme stress, heat began to rise in my head.

Through my blurring vision, the system window appeared, and I lifted my head with vacant eyes. The system window was shaking slightly.

It’s too late now. If you die, Seo Kangsan dies too.

What…?

Please don’t die…. Don’t give up….

Just as I’ve done until now, I won’t give up on you all until the very end.

Please, stay alive

Ah…. I feel like I’ve seen the message in this system window somewhere before.

Surely, before I fell from the rooftop….

Ah, it’s getting hard to think anymore. As my body collapsed and I lost consciousness, the plea for me to stay alive felt like it was suffocating me.

۶ৎ

— Why… why is my body doing this…? Sera….

A trembling voice could be heard. A woman with an angelic face I’d never seen before stood in front of Lee Sera. She held a knife to her own throat.

— No!

A piercing scream erupted; I snapped my head up and looked back to see Lee Sera reaching out and grabbing her hand to stop her. Lee Sera’s face was a mess of tears as she shook her head.

— Please, please, Seolhwa. Please…!

— Sera…, my body feels strange…. Why… is my body… moving on its own….

What? Why can’t I hear any sound? Is this the scene where Lee Sera kills Yoo Seolhwa? Ah, I don’t know. She’s a character that won’t even show up anyway, so just wing it. And the next setting is….

A voice I’d never heard before, dripping with annoyance, rang out from the air.

— Sera… Sera…, I don’t want to die…. I need to see San-i more…. Our San-i….

Slash!

While struggling over the knife, she eventually drove the blade into her own throat and collapsed weakly. Lee Sera slumped to the spot and covered her face with trembling hands.

— Aaaaah!

— Mom…?

And beyond that, Seo Hosu can be seen coming out of the room while rubbing his eyes.

“Gasp….”

I suddenly snapped my eyes open and clutched my throat. As I struggled because I couldn’t breathe, someone grabbed my arms firmly. I thought it was Seo Kangsan, but the grip wasn’t as strong as I expected; when I barely managed to open my eyes, Lee Sera was right in front of me.

“Mo… Mom….”

As I gasped for breath, shed tears, and sputtered while clutching my neck, Lee Sera hugged me with trembling hands.

That’s why I thought it was a dream. The embrace was so warm and tender that I thought I was still inside that nightmare.

“My baby….”

Lee Sera, who had been trembling before pulling away from me, was holding a kitchen knife in her hand.

Will you command Lee Sera to kill ‘Seo Hosu’?

I stared at the main system window with glazed eyes and slowly closed them.

Yes

“…Please don’t do it.”

Beep!

A fatal error occurs in Lee Sera.

She refuses to kill ‘Seo Hosu’.

“Don’t commit any more wrongs….”

Clang!

Lee Sera, who had dropped the kitchen knife from her hand, fumbled over her own body before hugging me tightly. As I slowly held and stroked her shaking, sobbing body, Lee Sera began to wail aloud.

“Why… why did I… to my baby… why did I…! Why does this keep happening…!”

It’s because it’s not our will.

I’m immune to the system control, but since you aren’t, it’s even worse for you.

It’s not your fault, but in the end, it all becomes your fault….

“I made her… I made her die…. And then I did that to that child….”

Biting my lip hard, I quickly grabbed Lee Sera’s arm as she suddenly pulled away and reached for the kitchen knife on the floor with trembling hands. I shook my head rapidly. An ominous premonition began to rise wildly from within me.

“Please….”

Will you command ‘Lee Sera’ to kill ‘Lee Sera’?

Yes

An error occurs in Lee Sera.

“Please… don’t do it. Please…! Why… why are you leaving me behind again…!”

“My baby….”

Lee Sera strokes my face with the hand not holding the knife. That hand was shaking violently, but Lee Sera forced a smile as if trying to reassure me.

Even as you stand before death. Even as you’re about to be forced to die by a power you don’t even understand, how can you smile like that? How can you….

Will you command ‘Lee Sera’ to kill ‘Lee Sera’?

Yes

Ah, fuck, just both of you die already. That way I can focus on the main story and move on.

“…Baby…, keep your eyes closed….”

Through vision blurred by tears, I could see Lee Sera’s face still trying to smile faintly to reassure me. But as if her body were moving on its own, she brought the knife to her throat with a trembling hand.

Don’t kill her. Please don’t kill my mom….

I beg of you. Please, someone help. I don’t want to see this anymore. No more seeing Mom and Hyung die….

“Please… please… someone….”

Ding!

The system forcibly moves ‘Seo Kangsan’.

I struggled with Lee Sera, gripping the hand that held the knife.

As if she didn’t want to hurt me, Lee Sera shook her head with a face ruined by tears.

“…Help me….”

When I spoke while tears dripped down, someone firmly grabbed Lee Sera’s arm and lifted it. Clang! The knife Lee Sera was holding fell to the floor. I hastily reached out and hid the knife behind me.

In that moment, Lee Sera met Seo Kangsan’s eyes and smiled faintly.

“…Kangsan….”

Seo Kangsan, who had been looking at Lee Sera with a hardened expression, parted his lips. It seemed he noticed her eyes were different than usual.

“You are… the most precious treasure in the world…. The beautiful and precious treasure Seolhwa left behind….”

At the quiet voice, Seo Kangsan’s eyes widened slightly.

Lee Sera slowly reached out and stroked Seo Kangsan’s cheek. Tears were still flowing from her eyes.

“I’m sorry… that I… couldn’t protect Seolhwa… your mother…. It’s all my fault….”

Thump.

With those final words, Lee Sera lost consciousness and collapsed. Seo Kangsan, who reflexively caught her body, looked at the floor with eyes that were trembling slightly before slowly meeting my eyes.

Ding!

Part of Seo Kangsan’s fragmented memories return.

“What is… this?”

Soon after catching Lee Sera, Seo Kangsan slumped down as if collapsing, his eyes shaking.

The strength left my legs as well, and as I sat on the floor, I looked at my hand holding the knife before slowly covering my face. My hand, perhaps injured during the struggle with Lee Sera, was covered in blood and shaking like crazy.

Boom!

In that moment, the main system window appeared above my head. Seo Kangsan and I lifted our heads simultaneously.

Ah, fuck. Lee Sera was supposed to die, but it can’t be helped. For now….

The main system forcibly moves the characters.

I closed and opened my eyes to find the background had changed.

It was a funeral hall. Looking around, I saw a familiar face in front of me.

Lee Rowoon, who had been staring into space while wearing his school uniform, spotted me and approached.

“Are you okay?”

“…What?”