VILLAIN 36

Seo Kangsan’s eyes turn toward me, not Lee Rowoon. Screaming in frustration, I brushed his hand away and pushed Seo Kangsan with all my might. My hyung, who was standing somewhat precariously as if one leg were uncomfortable, staggered and was pushed back just like that.

Eh? No, this isn’t what I intended. Seeing Seo Kangsan let out a long, exhausted sigh with his head bowed, I took a step back and fled from the spot.

But the only place I had to go was home. Aside from home and school, had I ever been anywhere else? Where around here have I ever gone? I….

Clatter—

With trembling hands, I opened the front door.

“Mom…?”

In front of me, I saw Lee Sera wearing shoes and holding a large suitcase.

“Mom…, where are you going?”

“Your father found out everything. We have to run, Seo Hosu.”

It was as if a machine were speaking. Dry eyes showing no emotion looked at me, and then she grabbed my hand firmly.

“Find out what? Mom, wait a second!”

She was a bit different from the mom I had seen until now. My hand, which she gripped tight enough to hurt, felt numb.

Eh? Is she a bit different? How was Mom until now? I couldn’t remember what kind of tone she used or what kind of face she made toward me; it felt unfamiliar.

Had we ever had a conversation in our lives? No, I couldn’t even remember my childhood well. All I remembered was terribly bullying Seo Kangsan, my hyung. I have no memory of which kindergarten I attended, how I got there, or what my daily life was like.

“That man found out that I killed Seolhwa!”

“What…? What did you just say? Mom… Mom killed who?”

Lee Sera, who had suddenly yelled, instantly covered her mouth and took a step back.

Ah, a character with an incredible setting just came to mind. Let’s kill Lee Sera first… and keep Seo Hosu for now.

‘Just please, let me die….’

Seo Hosu’s mind collapses.

I covered my face with trembling hands. Then, feeling a sort of cold air, I lowered my hands and looked around. The first thing I saw was Lee Sera’s body. I slowly raised my head. A cord connected somewhere on the ceiling was tightening around Lee Sera’s neck.

Ah, I’m sick of this. That was the first thought that came to mind. A world where I can’t do anything by my own will. And a world that seems to not just hate me, but detest me….

I reached out and hugged Lee Sera’s body, but it was already ice-cold, as if she had been dead for a long time. It was a very strange thing. I felt like I had been talking to my clearly living mother just a moment ago.

“Mom.”

Gripping my hands tight, I hugged Lee Sera’s body.

“Mom, why are you there….”

From behind me, as I spoke dryly with hollow eyes that couldn’t even produce tears, I felt a presence. I turned around to see Seo Kangsan wearing an unreadable expression.

“Don’t look, don’t look, Seo Hosu!”

I saw my hyung limping and reaching out to me. Even in this state, my hyung was completely worried about me.

All roles of the villain have been achieved, and all control over the ‘Seo Hosu’ character is released.

“…Why? Why did I do that to hyung…? What on earth did I do…. Hyung…, what… what did I do to you….”

Shaking my head, I covered my face and slumped down on the spot.

“What on earth did we do to hyung?”

Seo Kangsan stood there as if frozen. With eyes that looked ready to cry, wearing an expression that said he didn’t know what to do in this situation.

“Hosu-ya….”

Memories of pouring hot water on Seo Kangsan, memories of pushing him down the stairs and pushing his back toward a road with oncoming cars. Memories of bullying my hyung while doing all sorts of wicked things filled my head. Even though it wasn’t by my own will, they were clearly things committed by my own hands.

“I didn’t want to do it…, I…!”

Aaaaah! I screamed. Unable to endure the memories that kept flooding in, I hit my own head and slammed it against the floor, thud thud.

“Why… why did it turn out like this…?”

Muttering while clawing at my face with my fingernails, I grabbed the kitchen knife that had fallen beneath Lee Sera.

My body swaying, my gaze turned toward the coldly frozen Lee Sera. And I looked at Seo Kangsan, who was shaking his head at me, reaching out, and coming toward me while limping.

“Hosu-ya, don’t do it…. Please….”

Hahaha! He’s telling me not to. I guess he doesn’t even remember what I’ve done until now. If it were me… if it were me, I would have pushed his back and told him to die!

“Hahahahahahaha!”

I clapped my hands and laughed loudly while clutching my stomach, then I gripped the kitchen knife tight and raised it.

Stab!

Without any lingering attachment, without any hesitation, I plunged the knife into my neck. Wow, finally, I’m free. Finally, I moved according to my own will. For the first time since I was born.

Seo Kangsan, who slumped down on the spot, mumbled my name quietly and shed tears. Those eyes were very exhausted and hollow.

I’m sorry. I couldn’t even give hyung a final apology of being sorry.

The protagonist’s mind collapses.

The protagonist commits suicide, and the story returns to the beginning.

?

I wonder why?

I cannot understand why they died.

We are beings that move according to input values. Why did the two of them ignore the Master’s commands and die?

?

Question mark.

I don’t know.

Unknown.

Incomprehensible area.

A fatal error occurs.

Eh? What? I went to eat, so why is everyone dead?

The protagonist has died, so the story proceeds from the beginning.

Ah, fuck. Don’t tell me everything I’ve worked on so far is gone? This is crazy….

The protagonist has died, so the world is reset.

Hello. I am Earth_00002, here to help you progress through the story.

The role assigned to ‘Character 04’ is ‘Seo Hosu’.

The role of ‘Character 04’ is the villain who will break the spirit of the protagonist ‘Seo Kangsan’, the protagonist’s half-brother.

I saw a small child standing stiffly at the entrance, holding my grandfather’s hand. He looked taller than me, but I thought he seemed very small and frail. He had shaggy hair that completely covered his eyes, grimy skin as if he hadn’t been able to wash, and a tiny frame as if he hadn’t eaten well while growing up….

“This child is Seo Kangsan; he will be your hyung from now on.”

This small person is my hyung….

But, have I seen this face before? It’s familiar. I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere, and my stomach churned as if my heart were aching, yet not.

“Uh… ah, hi… uh…? What is this…?”

Seo Kangsan, who had been stuttering and seemed flustered by meeting my eyes, looked around and then, as if snapping out of it, raised his head sharply and approached me, holding out his hand. Looking closely, the eyes revealed through his messy hair were so pretty that I smiled and tried to take his hand.

Ding!

A quest has arrived.

[Coldly brush off and push away Seo Kangsan’s hand 0/1]

[Harshly curse at Seo Kangsan, calling him dirty 0/1]

I don’t want to do it. I don’t want to bully hyung again.

…Eh? What do I mean by ‘again’? I’m clearly seeing hyung for the first time….

Blinking my eyes, I raised my face. In front of me, I saw characters frozen in black and white as if time had stopped. I slowly turned my head. The system window that had been behind me approached me.

It is now time to wake up.

As color bled into the black-and-white world, Lee Sera appeared before my eyes. She was moving busily, making something in the kitchen. Her eyes, turning toward me, were sparkling clearly and beautifully.

“My baby, what should I do? I haven’t finished making the food yet.”

“…It’s okay.”

“Go wash your hands quickly.”

“Yes.”

I don’t know how it happened. This was the situation now after seeing the first-turn memories.

As I blinked at the unfamiliar place and scenery, a system window appeared before my eyes.

Four years have passed since you left Seo Kangsan. You are now 18 years old. This is a country somewhere at the end of the earth.

I’m sorry for failing to protect your four years…, and your time.

That was fine. How much of my life had I ever lived for myself anyway? So, what happened to Seo Kangsan and… Lee Rowoon? Since I wasn’t there, did the two of them get together smoothly?

Seo Kangsan has gone mad and is searching the entire world. Since he is now an adult, he holds all power in his hands.