I’m Not That Villain

41 – Reunion (1)

I sent Joo Hwa-rin away. She seemed to fully understand my necessity, so I didn’t worry much.

Well, if I’m not around, it would be troublesome for her, so of course she would listen to me.

Originally, candy is something you don’t know until you put it in your mouth, but once you do, you want to put it in again.

If she decided to stop using her sister’s account, well, there would be no reason not to listen to me…

She’ll do well on her own. Yes. Absolutely.

While taking a break, I leisurely checked my personal bulletin board. As the order slots were no longer open, the flood of comments began.

[Where did Heuk-gyeong go?]

[Damn. My thing broke again.]

[Is this person not active anymore?]

People were flocking in. But as I didn’t give any response, some started to make wild guesses.

[No way… did he commit suicide?]

[It would be more accurate to say he was murdered.]

[No. Damn. He was selling things so cheaply, but the politics were crazy.]

[Everyone was complaining everywhere. But do you know those guys were actually brokers?]

[Brokers?]

Before I knew it, the comments on my bulletin board were having a heated debate. The way things were going was very interesting, so I watched quietly.

[There’s a guy sniping. The first comment here was left by a guy named Black Mask.]

[The other guys are the same. If you look up the IDs of the ones who were publicly shamed, they’re either affiliated with workshops or individual sellers.]

[Why the hell are they targeting someone in the same industry?]

[Honestly… isn’t the price ridiculously low compared to the skill?]

[It’s good for us, but it must be really annoying for them. b*stards.]

[I’m in this industry, and that’s completely baseless nonsense. Everything this repairman has fixed is defective. I can prove it.]

[Prove it, my ass. Are you drunk?]

[Prove it. I remember your ID.]

[This guy stopped commenting from here. He’s a troublemaking b*stard.]

[But honestly, the price is ridiculously low… how can you be sure it’s not defective?]

[They’re creeping out. b*stards.]

[How much did you pay for a secondary account? Is it still expensive these days…?]

The noisy comment section was followed by a flood of messages.

[Mr. Heukkyung ㅜㅜ Are you not taking orders anymore…?]

[If there’s a personal issue, please contact me.]

[You’re not dead, right?]

[Please pull yourself together and come back soon…]

Sigh.

I appreciate the warm support, but…

I know it’s because I sell things at the cheapest price.

But it’s good. Yes. Isn’t it a very good reaction?

Maybe I should do this once in a while when I’m stressed?

…No.

If I take breaks too often, my credibility will drop.

I leisurely made coffee. Renata was scrolling through her phone.

“Mr. Lee Seo-jun…”

“Yes?”

“You’re not taking next month off too, right?”

“That’s not the plan for now…”

It depends on them.

Whether they succeed or not will surely be my answer.

I made it clear to Ju Hwalin as I sent her away. Leave a message on the scene about the consequences of touching the Black Mirror.

She’ll probably figure out how to leave it somehow, right? I hope she succeeds…

Well, it doesn’t really matter if she doesn’t succeed.

She doesn’t know exactly where this place is. Just like when she came in, we blindfolded her and knocked her out before sending her out.

The only way she can contact me is through her freshly made account on the Killing Machine site.

It bothers me a bit that she knows my face…

If things go wrong, well.

I can ask Lily for help. I’ll owe her a favor for a long time, though.

“Do you want a cup of coffee?”

“Oh, is it an Americano…?”

“It’s mixed coffee.”

“…Hmm…”

“I’m not giving it to you.”

“Oh, ah! Please, give it to me! I want to drink it!”

Scarlett, who was purring above my head, narrowed her eyes. Is it because she’s in a cat’s body?

She’s acting more and more like a cat. Even purring.

“If the master gives it to you, just drink it in one go.”

“But it’s before a meal, so if I drink something sweet, I might not be able to eat…”

“Pig.”

“Ugh!”

They get along so well. Really well.

At that moment, I received a text message. Just in case, I had fixed it separately, the first customer who took my special equipment.

[…Mister. Are you alive?]

Seol Yewon.

She sent a message.

[Please tell me you’re alive… Please…]

“…….”

It was a somewhat unsettling message to just ignore.

Normally, it would be right not to reply, but this kid was my first customer…

I had contacted her a few times personally. She occasionally sent me messages to check in.

“…Sss…”

[Sir… Sir…]

Even through the text, I could see the desperation. Was she worried about me?

For me, the concern of others was something I had rarely experienced. I never had a wide circle of acquaintances to begin with.

But receiving it so directly like this felt strange. Slightly peculiar.

It felt like I was doing something terrible, even though I wasn’t actually dead.

Well, of course, I plan to resume my activities once I eliminate the one who tried to get rid of me later. So, should I just let it slide?

I shouldn’t create any unnecessary variables…

[Sir. Sir. Sir.]

[Are you really dead? You’re not, right?]

[Please, at least send a reply.]

[Where are you? Where are you?]

[Are you alive? Give me some kind of signal.]

[If you’re really dead, if that’s the case…]

[I’ll kill them.]

[All of them.]

[Allallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallallall

I went to the cafe where I had met her before. And, of course, Lily accompanied me.

“I’ll stay quiet like before. Just to let you know, don’t follow Seol Ye-won to her house. Don’t even think about following her.”

“Got it.”

We took a seat in the cafe. Just like before, we reserved a separate room and ordered a drink to place on the table.

Lily waited in the opposite room, just like before. She could watch this side through the installed camera and could enter at any time if needed.

She’s really thorough. Well, maybe that’s a good thing.

Thirty minutes before the appointment time. Suddenly, the door burst open, and something rolled into the room.

“Uncle!”

It was a familiar voice. But at the same time…

I blinked at her.

“Who…?”

“Yes, yes?”

She stopped abruptly as she approached. I stared blankly at the girl wearing a hood.

A girl. It’s a girl. Although she’s wearing a mask, I can see her pretty eyes. Long eyelashes. Even though she’s pressing down with the hood…

It’s clear that there’s something under the hood, slightly bulging.

No, that’s not the important thing. I can tell just by looking at her eyes. The delicate features with light makeup. The curves of her body and her slender legs that can’t be hidden by the baggy hood.

“…Seol Ye-won?”

“Ah, Uncle… Did you hurt your head… Ah!”

Seol Ye-won bent slightly at the waist.

“Come to think of it… This is the first time… Ah, Uncle is seeing my body… Ah, no… Is it the second time…? But back then, Uncle tried not to look by turning his head… Yeah…”

I didn’t look because she said she didn’t like it…

But I still caught glimpses. I didn’t expect it to be this level since I didn’t look properly. Her face was always covered, so I couldn’t see it.

“How’s your social anxiety?”

“I’m working on it… So these days… I’m practicing going around with just a mask…”

She glanced at me cautiously.

“Is it weird…?”

“Not at all.”

The thick hood didn’t seem to be just for covering her face. I pointed at what was peeking out from under her baggy hood.

It looked like she was wearing a big headband and had the hood pulled over it, with something bulging on top of her head.

“What’s that?”

“Ah… this is, well…”

She carefully took off her hood. Her fine sky-blue hair swayed.

And then…

From beneath the removed hood, *pop*animal ears sprang out.

“……?”

In human form, but only there, animal ears. Somewhere between human form and beast form, I suppose.

Respect for… preferences? I guess we should respect that?

“Do you go around like that on purpose?”

“…Yes.”

“Why?”

“To control my power…”

Is there a reason she can’t say?

Well, it’s a good thing. Trying to control her abilities even in everyday life is a very good thing. I gestured to the seat in front of me.

She sat down. The animal ears, whether fox or wolf, perked up and moved.

Do they change with her emotional state? Her gaze seemed slightly awkward, as if the ears were also being cautious.

“Are you okay…?”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

Hmm. The special equipment seems to be fine…

That heart-shaped ring is still attached. It makes me embarrassed for no reason.

Ugh. It feels like looking back at a dark history.

“It’s fine. There have been some issues recently, though.”

“Issues…?”

“I was almost assassinated. That’s why I paused the business for a while.”

“……?!!!!”

Seol Yewon stood up abruptly. The table shook with her.

“Wh-who?! Who tried to…!”

“Calm down. I’ve taken some measures, so it’s okay.”

“But, still… still…!”

“I said calm down.”

Seol Yewon, who had been shouting, flinched. She sat back down in the chair and lowered her head deeply.

“I’m, I’m sorry… I, I don’t know why I got so excited…”

No.

I thought something had changed, but this part is still the same.

I pushed my coffee forward. I had deliberately ordered one without caffeine.

In case she came quickly, I planned to give it to her. Of course, I had no intention of revealing my identity in a place like this.

Even to Seol Yewon in front of me.

“It’s okay because it actually made me feel good.”

“…What?”

“It’s the first time someone has worried about me that much.”

I chuckled.

Yes. I came to say this. Incidentally.

“Thank you, Seol Yewon.”

“…….!”