Villain wants to live as a commoner chapter 19

“Heewon!”

I woke up to someone shaking me hard.

The pain from the dream felt real, and I groaned for a while before I could barely open my eyes.

Before me was the real Baek Gunho.

Not attacking me, not looking tired like an old man—just the real Baek Gunho.

He wiped the tears from my damp eyes with his hand.

Embarrassed, I pushed him away.

He grabbed my arms firmly and held me still.

“Why are you crying?”

“…I wasn’t crying.”

“You were.”

“My eyes were just irritated.”

“Stop spouting nonsense. Why were you crying? Did you have a nightmare?”

“…”

“What kind of dream?”

Ever since I told him about a strange dream I had as a child, Baek Gunho had been persistent whenever he saw me having nightmares.

No way I’m telling him.

Dreams are said to be manifestations of the unconscious, but I don’t understand why I have such dreams.

Am I secretly afraid of Baek Gunho?

No way.

I’ve imagined confessing and receiving a look of disdain, but I’ve never feared Baek Gunho killing me.

Besides, there are times in my dreams when I kill Baek Gunho… which is absurd.

No matter how much I curse him, I never want to kill him.

“I wish I had a mental skill… I could open your mind.”

Seeing me troubled, Baek Gunho muttered seriously.

I could bet my future lottery winnings that he was 100% sincere.

What a crazy guy.

Fortunately, Baek Gunho didn’t have a mental skill, and it was already 7 AM.

He gave up pestering me.

“Let’s eat breakfast. We have to go to that shitty company.”

“Okay.”

On days I had dreams, I always checked my fortune, expecting the worst.

Thankfully, there was no bad news.

As I stepped outside, a delicious smell wafted in.

After quickly washing up, I found Baek Gunho had set the table.

Beef radish soup, braised beef, and other side dishes from the fridge made up the breakfast.

I was quite satisfied. Baek Gunho often settled for bread in the mornings, but he had cooked this time.

The soup Baek Gunho made was delicious.

He was good at everything, including cooking.

Whoever he ends up with is going to be lucky.

Imagining Baek Gunho standing happily with his future partner, I felt a pang of jealousy.

I should have given up by now, but I was stubbornly holding on.

“Stop picking at your food and eat up.”

At Baek Gunho’s urging, I focused on eating.

Last night, he had complained about me being too skinny, insisting I eat more.

“Should I drive you to work?”

“No, traffic’s bad.”

I declined Baek Gunho’s offer to drive me and instead joined the crowd heading to work, regretting my decision to not take the car even if it meant getting stuck in traffic.

Work was insanely busy, which helped me shake off the lingering effects of the nightmare.

Whether that was good or bad, I couldn’t tell.

✧✧✧

Today, I had plans with Lee Jooyun.

We had kept in touch, and by now, it wasn’t strange to say we were flirting.

And I was feeling guilty.

Baek Gunho probably didn’t care, but I felt like I was cheating.

I felt sorry for Lee Jooyun too.

Am I really that foolish…?

Torturing myself over someone who doesn’t even think about me.

I felt pathetic.

“Heewon!”

Lee Jooyun spotted me at our meeting place and smiled brightly.

He looked quite dapper today.

Not overly dressed, but clearly put together.

I felt a bit shabby in comparison, dressed as usual.

“You look lovely today.”

Thankfully, Lee Jooyun seemed to think I looked fine.

Though I don’t particularly like being called pretty, I returned the compliment.

Lee Jooyun’s ears turned red.

We headed to a barbecue restaurant near the Somang Guild.

Pork is casual, but beef usually means there’s a purpose behind it.

Today, Lee Jooyun treated me to melt-in-your-mouth beef.

I felt uneasy, and Lee Jooyun was nervous, but as time passed, the atmosphere became more comfortable.

Just as things got warm, a loud alert went off on our phones.

“Excuse me for a moment…”

Lee Jooyun checked his phone with an embarrassed look.

I also checked mine and, unsurprisingly, saw a gate alert.

The predicted location was quite close.

When a gate occurs, nearby combat hunters are supposed to help.

“Shouldn’t you go?”

“Oh, yes. Let me take you home first…”

“I can go alone. You should go quickly.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry.”

There’s no need to apologize; it wasn’t his fault. He bowed and left. I got up to leave as well.

I should evacuate too.

The closest shelter was located in the basement of the Somang Guild.

I considered going there, but instead, I entered the guild building.

It was quieter here than being stuck among people.

The barriers in each shelter were meant to protect the building itself, so safety was assured.

During the evening, the guild was nearly empty.

Anyone who was there earlier had already left. I decided to head to the lounge and wait until the gates were cleared.

As I ascended in the elevator, I felt a moment of unease.

The guild building had all sorts of protective skills in place.

However, today, I couldn’t feel the characteristic magic of those skills.

Focusing my mind, I sensed a gap in the barrier, like a small hole.

This didn’t seem like a normal situation.

I stopped the elevator and headed for the stairs.

Cautiously, I climbed, checking for anything unusual.

When I almost reached the top floor, I felt an unfamiliar sensation.

The disturbance in the barrier was strongest on this floor.

This area was supposed to be a secure zone within the guild.

I quietly moved towards where I sensed a presence.

All the lights in the hallway were off, making the faint light from an office more noticeable.

I opened the door to the lit office.

Inside, someone wearing a hat and mask was intensely focused on a computer.

Their attire was too suspicious for someone who stayed late for work.

“What are you doing here?”

The person jumped up in surprise.

At that moment, I sensed another presence approaching from behind.

As I quickly turned, something hit my back.

As I momentarily froze, a third person hiding behind the door rushed at me.

“Ugh…”

A large hand covered my mouth, holding a cloth with a sharp scent. It was likely soaked with a sedative.

After a brief hesitation, I pretended to faint and went limp.

Soon, three people gathered around me as I lay on the floor, feigning unconsciousness.

They murmured among themselves.

“Damn, what do we do?”

“I don’t think they saw our faces… Hey, you should have kept watch better.”

“They appeared out of nowhere!”

“Stop fighting. We’ve finished here, so let’s… wait, hold on.”

“What?”

Someone grabbed my hair and lifted my head.

Whoever it was, you’re dead, bastard.

The person checking my face shook my head back and forth.

“This guy is one of the targets.”

“What? Are you sure?”

“Yes. Their face is noticeable. And appearing at the Somang Guild… It’s definitely them.”

“Oh, you’re right. Here… Seo Heewon. That’s the name.”

They seemed to have confirmed my identity. I had a bad feeling about this.

“Why are they here?”

“I don’t know. Let’s move quickly before the system recovers.”

With that, they lifted my body.

One of them carried me a short distance before throwing me. Instead of hitting the ground, I landed in a confined box-like space.

It seemed they had hidden me in a large cart.

Could these guys be part of the Baekmyeon Sect?

Recent experiences gave me certainty.

What kind of security does the guild have?

Letting people like this come and go. Baek Gunho isn’t doing his job right.

I wanted to land a hectopascal kick and escape, but causing a scene in the middle of the Somang Guild would surely reveal my S-rank status.

So I had to be quietly captured.

Still pretending to be unconscious, I was moved from the cart to a parking lot.

They took me to what seemed like a CCTV blind spot and carried me again.

Once more, I was shoved into a box.

A quick glance revealed it was a large suitcase.

As I was crammed inside, I struggled to breathe.

They dragged me somewhere and then threw me again.

Judging by the sound of a car door closing, they had tossed the suitcase into a trunk.

I touched the ring I received from Kwon Sahyeok. It should have sent a signal.

“Ha…”

I sighed. No matter how unlucky I am, things had been particularly bad recently.

• Meow.

A dust-like creature crawled out of the shadows and rubbed against my cheek, as if to comfort me.

It’s a relief to have you around.

I gently stroked the dust.