I Became a Villainous Character with a Limited Lifespan

Episode 136

“…Do you feel refreshed?”

“As if.”

She grumbled and raised her hand again. However, this time she didn’t strike and just stood there for a while, then took a deep breath and slowly lowered her hand.

“I don’t even want to be involved. Do whatever you want now. I don’t want to be involved with you or that child anymore.”

They said his breath would stop within a few days. She was going to book the flight that took the longest right away and go anywhere. So she could stay at the funeral for the shortest time possible. She glared at Jae-young and said,

“I should have cut ties long ago.”

If she had known it would turn out like this, she wouldn’t have continued this undesirable married life until the end. After taking another deep breath, she said,

“I don’t know what’s so great about family and all that, but if you want that position so badly, you can have it. I just have one request. I can’t hold my head up out of embarrassment, so make it that only that child died.”

“…”

“No, if you really want to say it, wait at least a few months before doing so. I’m sick of this country now too. I don’t care what you say after that, just do whatever you want until I don’t care anymore.”

After quickly finishing what she wanted to say, she patted Jae-young’s shoulder and followed the path her husband had taken. The path they had gone, completely severing ties with Seung-hyun, was left with only a cold air.

Even if it was a relationship that would soon end if left alone, just imagining the two of them sitting at Seung-hyun’s funeral pretending to be sad as his family made him feel repulsed.

‘…It would be nice if I could become his family.’

Should I have tried to force it? It was frustrating that there was nothing he could do as someone who wasn’t family. Jae-young let out a long sigh.

“…Will you be okay?”

Professor Kim asked in a worried voice. No matter how much Taehyeop had withdrawn from management, he was still a person with great influence in the business world.

He wasn’t someone who would stay crouched forever either. There was nothing good about turning him into an enemy. In response to Professor Kim’s question, Jae-young shrugged his shoulders and answered,

“Who knows? I might regret this situation someday… but if I hadn’t said those words, I definitely would have regretted it.”

If he had let him go without saying anything, he definitely would have regretted it. He didn’t know what would happen in the future, but for now, he thought he did well.

“…I don’t know either.”

Professor Kim let out a short sigh and said. But he too was secretly thinking it was refreshing. He might face disadvantages too, but at most he would just be kicked out to a branch hospital.

‘Dealing with VIPs was only exciting at first. I was thinking it didn’t suit me anyway…’

“The pheromone levels have completely bottomed out.”

While thinking that, Professor Kim turned his gaze to the hospital room and discovered something. The pheromone levels that had been endlessly falling had finally reached 0.

“You can go in now.”

He had closely researched the cases of patients who had experienced oxidation fever for several days. Most of them reached death as their bodily functions slowly stopped one by one after their pheromone levels dropped to 0.

It felt unfamiliar because cases were rare, but for traits, pheromones were also a type of biological response, so it was natural that the pheromone gland showed the most prominent changes first.

Still, it was fortunate that pheromones were the first to stop, so there was time to say farewell like this. Professor Kim said a few words to the medical staff, returned, and told Jae-young,

“It’ll be two to three days at most. Now that the period is definitely set, you might feel more at ease.”

He had been anxious the whole time, worrying about what might happen while going back and forth to the hospital, so he was glad he could tell him accurately.

“I’ll get going then.”

If Seung-hyun’s breath completely stopped and they began the funeral procedures, there would be nothing more Jae-young, who had no existence on paper, could do.

If only there was no family, but Seung-hyun’s funeral, where many relatives who had no affection but had to maintain their outward image existed, would definitely be a bleak occasion attended by many people.

‘It would have been nice if the two of them could have had more time together.’

Professor Kim thought as he turned around. He considered comforting Jae-young a bit, but he couldn’t think of any words that would actually be comforting. In the end, thinking it would be pointless meddling, he left the front of the hospital room without looking back.

“…”

At most a few days, at the shortest a few hours later, everything would truly end. Somehow his mind felt calm. Jae-young stood in the hallway alone for a long time, then slowly walked towards the door.

The door that opened so easily it was ridiculous, Jae-young entered the hospital room without anyone stopping him and slowly approached Seung-hyun.

Should he say it was fortunate? Compared to before when he couldn’t eat well because he had no appetite, his complexion looked better now that he was receiving nutrients through injections. That made it even more unbelievable.

As if he would wake up like this and ask why he was being so sentimental. Jae-young looked down at Seung-hyun for a long time and smiled.

‘Knowing it can’t be, even though I know.’

A face peaceful as if asleep. Looking at that face, he had thought each time that it seemed like he would wake up soon, but this was the conclusion. Seung-hyun would cross the path he couldn’t return from like this, and Jae-young would be left alone.

Everyone said it was foolish, asking if they weren’t both alphas anyway and saying it was rather fortunate, but Jae-young felt like he wouldn’t be able to forget this moment for a long time.

It would have been nice if the given time was a bit longer. Jae-young slowly raised his hand. The hand reaching for Seung-hyun’s cheek wandered above it and eventually failed to settle, returning to where it originally was.

“You said you were sorry for not regretting meeting me.”

Although he knew he couldn’t hear, Jae-young slowly opened his mouth. There were words he had to say even if they couldn’t reach Seung-hyun.

“I feel the same way, so you don’t need to be sorry.”

He regretted the hurtful words he had said to Seung-hyun, regretted casually talking about the future as if it was a given, but he didn’t regret meeting Seung-hyun.

If he could turn back time, he would do everything he could for him during that given time. It would be endless no matter how much he did, but at least within that time, he would pour his everything.

“I’m sorry for getting angry. Actually… I wasn’t angry at you, I was angry at myself. I was also happy to see those fireworks, no. I was so happy to see you watching those fireworks that I couldn’t think of anything else.”

It would have been nice if these were the last words Seung-hyun heard. Jae-young slowly continued,

“I was angry at myself for not being able to take care of you properly until you caught a cold, but if I acknowledged that, it felt like everything was really my fault, so…”

Thinking about it again, it was a foolish thing to do. Jae-young bit his lip, unable to finish his words.

“I’m sorry. And I’m sorry for saying this so late. I had a lot I wanted to say… but now this is all that comes to mind.”

There were definitely many good moments, but the fact that all that came to mind now was himself saying hurtful words made him sad. After being unable to continue for a long time, Jae-young spoke again.

“And, thank you… for saying you like me. You mustered up that courage, but I just said stupid things like that.”

How much agonizing must there have been to say those words? Jae-young thought of Seung-hyun, who must have agonized alone, and washed his face. He didn’t cry well even when he was young, but these days it felt like he was shedding all the tears of his life.

“…”

He felt sorry for the child, but he was grateful Seung-hyun didn’t know of the child’s existence. Even though he knew Seung-hyun couldn’t hear, Jae-young had no intention of ever mentioning the child.

He would bear the guilt alone, so he hoped Seung-hyun, who had been deeply troubled, could leave a bit more peacefully at least.

“I’ll live well. Because I was happy during the time we spent together. I’m grateful you made these memories for me, and that’s enough… so don’t think about being sorry or anything like that.”

He regretted easily talking about tomorrow and the future without knowing anything while by his side. But he understood why Seung-hyun couldn’t say anything.

It must have been because he didn’t want to make him worry and didn’t want to plant needless guilt. And that was the same for Jae-young now.

If he could, he wanted to cling to him saying he didn’t want it to end like this. However, even jokingly, he couldn’t say such things in front of Seung-hyun, who was in a deep sleep.

“Sleep well. Don’t dream about me, just… I think it’s enough if it’s just a happy dream.”

Jae-young sincerely wished and gently placed his hand on top of Seung-hyun’s. The warm hand was so soft he didn’t want to let go.

With all his attention focused on that hand, Jae-young failed to notice the numbers on the machine beside him that began to move and remained still for a long time.