VILLAIN 7

Because I am doing nothing but resting my chin on my hand and watching Seo Kangsan, the system window—turning increasingly red—shakes slightly and floats closer to my face. I gaze at Seo Kangsan through the transparent window without blinking, then slowly lean back against my chair.

‘You said you couldn’t kill me anyway.’

You said you needed me?

If I keep ignoring this, I’ll probably just end up vomiting blood again. Though if it kills me, all the better for me.

Drip. I look down at the red blood falling onto my clothes and reach for my cup, my face twisting into a grimace.

That fishy taste surging up from inside, the pain as if my organs were bursting—the same sensation I’d experienced before. And this time, I even had a nosebleed. Reflexively, I lowered my head and pinched my nose, only for Seo Kangsan to leap up and rush over, grabbing my face and forcing it up. Through his messy, unevenly cut hair, I saw his pretty eyes, wide with panic.

‘His eyes are pretty.’

Anyway… even if you hurt me like this, I have no intention of listening to your demands, Stem-ah.

S-Stem? Who is that! ⊙△⊙ꐦ

Ugh, it hurts like hell.

Tears stream down physiologically, so I stare blankly at the ceiling for a moment before slowly closing my eyes.

Seriously… it’s damn hard just to have a single meal.

۶ৎ

A spoiled rich young master with a nasty personality who is physically frail from birth and bullies his half-brother.

It seemed this character’s concept was something along those lines. Of course, the vomiting blood was the system’s influence, but regardless.

After opening my eyes and being examined head-to-toe by a doctor, I was finally left alone to rest. Perhaps they didn’t want me to hear the results; I had no interest in the conversation as they stepped out to speak with the doctor, so I pulled the blanket up to my chin and stared blankly at the ceiling.

I felt around my body to check for painful spots, but as expected, I felt fine after waking up. Is it because I’m inside a game? It seems there’s a feature where stamina recovers after sleep.

Why on earth do you refuse to listen and just make things hard for yourself? Sigh….

“Why are you clinging to someone who says they won’t do it? Just….”

Can’t you just let me rest?

I didn’t commit suicide just to come here and abuse a kid. Actually, I can’t even remember the reason anymore.

As I frowned with weary eyes and sighed, the system window went quiet.

Thump!

“My child.”

Ah, damn it, please knock.

As I stared with eyes wide from the sudden startle, Lee Sera was nowhere to be seen, and Seo Jun rushed in to pull me into a tight embrace. His hands were trembling; he seemed very shocked by the news that I had vomited blood.

His eyes were different from Lee Sera’s. Eyes full of genuine worry searched to see if I was okay. It would be easier if he were a villain like Lee Sera; then I could comfortably act the part of his son and deceive him. With a bitter heart, I forced a smile, though it felt like my face might cramp.

“I’m okay.”

“Yes, I will make sure to find the cause, so do not worry about a thing.”

He must have heard that they couldn’t find the cause of the blood-vomiting. Is it because there’s nothing actually wrong with my body, and the game system is simply making it happen?

‘I guess it’s not some kind of disease it gave me.’

“Dad…, where’s Mom?”

“She heard that Kangsan played a mean trick on your food. She went to scold him.”

What kind of nonsense is this? A mean trick?

“Kangsan-hyung is going through puberty lately, so please try to understand him.”

His eyes looked as if he were pleading with me not to hate Seo Kangsan too much. Looking at Seo Jun, who was smiling awkwardly, I slowly covered my face with my hands. Ha… that snake-like villainess. So she’s turning everything into Seo Kangsan’s fault? I’m going to tell on you for everything today.

“That’s not it…, Seo Kangsan-hyung’s food….”

Ugh. I tried to say Lee Sera did it, but my stomach throbbed with the sensation that I was about to vomit blood again.

…No way.

“Dad, Lee—!”

Lee Sera did it! My lips are moving, but no sound comes out. Instead, blood trickled from my mouth.

Seo Jun, turning pale and stiff, jumped up and ran out to find the doctor again. What is this? Are there restrictions on what I can say? If this is how it is, my plan to tell everything when Grandfather arrives….

I was too naive. Thinking back, there was no way this crazy game system, which makes me vomit blood for not following quests, would let me off that easily.

Cursing the system window that hadn’t appeared for a while, I let out a small, tired sigh. Rubbing my forehead, I stared at the blanket with a serious expression before slowly raising my head. What about writing? If speech doesn’t work, there’s always the written word.

I got out of bed and looked for paper and a pencil.

Crack!

“Lee Sera did it.” Just as I was about to write that, my finger twisted and I heard the sound of a bone snapping. Unable to even scream, I slumped to the floor and clutched my hand.

…Ha? They say when things are too absurd, all you can do is laugh.

I laughed hollowly while looking at my hand, which had turned blue and was bent at a strange angle. Then I stopped laughing and glared into the void.

I quickly grabbed my own throat with my other hand.

“Come out. Before I put pressure on it.”

I spoke to the air with eyes flashing, but there was no reaction.

“I said come out! Do you really want me to die? You s—…!”

Son of a bitch, come out.

I gritted my teeth and applied pressure to the hand on my neck, but the door burst open and someone rushed inside to snatch my hand away. What now! I scowled and turned my head to shake them off, but stopped when I realized it was Seo Kangsan.

“Hey! Are you crazy?!”

…Is it you?

Strangely, the moment I saw Seo Kangsan, my body went limp as if relieved, and I let out a small sigh. Even if I applied pressure, how much could I really do? Through his disheveled hair, his trembling eyes were fixed on my neck, where there probably wasn’t even a mark.

Seo Kangsan, stroking my neck with trembling hands, saw my other hand twisted grotesquely and grabbed my body tightly in shock. I could feel him applying strength with his shaking hands.

I didn’t do that to my hand, though; this feels a bit unfair. As if I had self-harmed my hand too, Seo Kangsan shook his head while gripping my uninjured hand tightly. My heart eventually softened at his gestures, which looked as though he were about to cry, and I let out a small sigh.

Furthermore, the wounds visible through his clothes had worsened, as if he’d been hit again in the meantime. Does Seo Jun really see this and believe Lee Sera hit him simply for discipline? Even with “game logic,” isn’t this too cruel for the protagonist?

“…Does it hurt?”

Perhaps because I’d bled again, my body felt lethargic, and my eyes felt like they would close at any moment.

Despite everything, his injuries kept bothering me. Slowly stroking Seo Kangsan’s red, swollen skin, I asked in a low murmur before my hand dropped and I closed my eyes.

No, wait. This isn’t right. I should have told him I didn’t do that to my hand before passing out. I had no idea why the question of whether he was in pain came out first.

This goddamn system. This goddamn house….

۶ৎ

Forbidden from leaving the room, forbidden from getting out of bed.

Forced into bed, I stared at the ceiling and frowned. It was the second day of resting alone in my room. Staying in bed all day was killing me, seriously.

Moreover, I don’t know where that damn system window went, but it hasn’t appeared. I let out a sigh and glanced toward the door. The sound of footsteps running from a distance. Judging by the footfalls, which were a bit light for an adult, it was Seo Kangsan again. Expecting this, I closed my eyes.

Knock, knock—

“Yeah.”

At my answer, Seo Kangsan opened the door and strode inside, carrying a tray with a bowl of porridge.

He tried not to show it, but his eyes were full of worry. Coming to my side, Seo Kangsan knelt on the floor, set the tray down, and placed his hand on my forehead. He had sat like that every time he came to see me over the last two days. No matter how much I told him to sit on the bed or a chair, he wouldn’t even pretend to listen.

Perhaps because I’d had a fever yesterday, Seo Kangsan obsessively checked my temperature with his hand before letting out a small sigh and pulling his hand away.

As luck would have it, my right hand was broken, so I couldn’t even use a spoon properly. Thus, I had been under his forced care for the past two days. I told him I could eat with my left hand, but whenever mealtime came, Seo Kangsan would bring porridge like this and feed me himself.

…Doesn’t this kid even hate me?