I am not a Yandere chapter 86

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March arrived swiftly, marking the start of school terms, admissions, and new beginnings.

The warmth of spring filled the air, caressing one’s cheeks, while brilliant flowers bloomed… or so it was supposed to.

Despite it being March, the cold weather lingered, and some places even saw snowfall.

Jihoon, now back in school, helped out at the shop on days his classes ended early, and joined midway on days they ran late.

At first, he worried that there might not be enough hands.

However, the SNS craze had died down, and business wasn’t as bustling as before, so Yeongdeok felt he could manage on his own.

Meanwhile, Yeongdeok continued attending the bowling club regularly.

The members were all friendly, and they stuck close to him, often to the point of annoyance.

One weekend, something unexpected happened.

Namhoon, who always arranged bowling meetups, suddenly invited Yeongdeok to a café instead.

[Why not the bowling alley today?]

[Kim Namhoon: I thought we could just relax and bond over coffee this time.]

[Kim Namhoon: You always leave early without eating dinner, so we don’t get much chance to chat.]

Whether at the bowling alley or a café, Yeongdeok’s goal remained the same, so the venue didn’t matter.

After agreeing, he looked up the café’s location.

ꔚ

When Yeongdeok arrived at the café, the bowling club members, who had been sitting in a corner, rushed out to greet him.

“Welcome, Yeongdeok! This way, please.”

They led him to an empty seat, and from the moment he sat down, they started bombarding him with questions, as if he were the guest of honor.

“What did you do yesterday?”

“Worked.”

“Wow, work! You must’ve had a hard time.”

“What did you have for breakfast?”

“A sandwich.”

“Whoa, a sandwich! That’s packed with all the nutrients!”

Their exaggerated reactions and over-the-top attention made Yeongdeok feel uneasy.

Sure enough, the lively chatter suddenly fell into silence, and the air grew noticeably tense.

The members, usually so loud and bothersome, now seemed oddly serious.

Confused, Yeongdeok spoke up.

“What’s going on?”

The club members exchanged glances, then nodded in unison.

Namhoon, the president, clenched his hands on the table before finally speaking up.

“Actually, there’s something we’ve been meaning to tell you, Yeongdeok. We thought we’d talk about it today.”

Namhoon’s expression was grave, and Yeongdeok felt that something significant was about to unfold.

“Yeongdeok, have you been feeling extremely tired lately? Struggling to get things done?”

“Tired?”

“Like, your body feels heavy, your shoulders stiff.”

Is there any modern person who doesn’t experience that kind of fatigue?

A deep frown appeared on Yeongdeok’s forehead, but Namhoon, undeterred by the harsh look, continued.

“The thing is… I can see spirits around people. We’ve been blessed by the almighty god, Pilarius, who grants his loyal followers this gift.”

With such extraordinary abilities, yet wasting time in a place like this—that’s quite the talent.

If Yeongdeok had those abilities, he would never spend his life idly like those fools.

He’d be enjoying every luxury imaginable.

Yeongdeok found himself oddly intrigued by where this nonsense might lead.

Crossing one leg, he tilted his chin as if to say “go on,” and they eagerly continued.

“There are too many spirits around you who hold grudges against you, Yeongdeok. That’s why you’re feeling so drained, and why things aren’t going your way.”

“To cleanse those vengeful spirits, you need to join the Pillarius faith and devote yourself fully.”

Yeongdeok nodded, pretending to agree.

He had heard of strange clubs before, but this really took the cake.

Pillarius?

He’d never even heard of that god.

He smirked, thinking Zeus would be more convincing.

“Really? That’s impressive.”

He was being sarcastic, but it seemed they didn’t understand irony—or maybe they had a serious lack of awareness.

“Exactly! You have so many spirits around you, you need to act quickly.”

“You should join the faith and devote yourself to Pillarius as soon as possible. Otherwise… something bad will happen to you soon.”

Yeongdeok briefly considered what to do.

He wasn’t falling for this nonsense, but seeing these cult fanatics trying to recruit him was so pathetic that it almost seemed too absurd to ignore.

It was like watching a bad plot unfold in a novel, ruining the work of a writer like PetitRolang.

He wondered what kind of chaotic story might emerge if he actually went along with this offer. Pure curiosity started to take over.

“Tempting, really tempting.”

He acted like he was weighing a brilliant proposal, but just then, heavy footsteps stopped right in front of him.

A shadow fell over the table, and when Yeongdeok looked up, he saw a familiar, sharp face.

“What are you people doing here?”

A rigid voice with not a hint of flexibility hit Yeongdeok’s ears.

The lenses of a pair of clear glasses reflected the café’s light.

The gentle-looking face was now colored with fierce anger.

ꔚ

Wonjin being in the same café as Yeongdeok was purely a coincidence.

Wonjin had met up with an old high school friend, who casually mentioned that their class president from sophomore year had recently gotten married.

“So, Ha Wonjin, when are you getting married? We’re almost in our mid-thirties.”

Wonjin replied with an awkward laugh, sensing his friend’s attempt at advice on marrying before they got much older.

Marriage… It wasn’t something he had ever thought about.

He’d been so caught up in life that he always just assumed it would happen whenever the time was right.

At that moment, someone familiar entered the café.

He recognized the spiky bangs that didn’t quite reach the eyebrows.

Why was Cha Yeongdeok here…?

Wonjin felt surprised, but before he could say hello, a group of people had already crowded around Yeongdeok.

The fact that Yeongdeok had people to meet here seemed suspicious.

Wonjin’s senses sharpened, all focused on Yeongdeok’s table.

His friend asked what he was staring at, but Wonjin ignored him.

Something about the conversation he overheard began to feel wrong—wasn’t this a cult recruitment?

And now, here they were.

ꔚ

“Yeongdeok, how could you fall for these scammers? This isn’t like you. What are you thinking?”

The Yeongdeok Wonjin knew would never fall for such ridiculous tricks.

Even though something seemed off, Wonjin earnestly tried to persuade him.

Meanwhile, Yeongdeok couldn’t understand why this guy was here, though he wasn’t particularly concerned.

He replied playfully.

“They said I could get rid of the spirits by joining. Honestly, nothing I’ve been doing has been working lately.”

Wonjin’s face twisted as if he’d just tasted something incredibly bitter.

“What hasn’t been working out for you?”

“Making friends.”

“…What?”

Wonjin was so stunned it felt like his brain short-circuited.

Cha Yeongdeok, wanting friends?

He was still processing the shock when one of the men next to Yeongdeok chimed in.

“That’s right. If you get rid of the spirits, you’ll be able to make over a hundred friends easily. Actually, with your potential, even getting a hundred lovers would be a breeze.”

“Utter nonsense…”

Wonjin let out a noise of frustration through gritted teeth.

Seeing the clear irritation on Wonjin’s face, Yeongdeok smirked, feeling like he’d just scored a point, and motioned toward the cultists with his chin.

“That’s what they’re saying.”

“And do you believe that? Stop playing along and let’s get out of here.”

Determined to pull Yeongdeok out of this mess, Wonjin grabbed his arm and started to drag him away.

“Hey, Ha Wonjin, what’s your deal…?”

Before he could stop it, Wonjin had already pulled him toward the exit.

Meanwhile, Wonjin’s friend approached cautiously, asking if everything was okay.

Just then, a large man loomed over them, blocking their way.

“Hey, where do you think you’re going? We never said you could leave.”

The man’s voice was menacing.

The tension in the café rose, and people started glancing over at the situation.

“Let go of him.”

Wonjin calmly brushed off the man’s grip on his arm, but the man grabbed him again, this time more forcefully.

His friend was trying to reason with him, but it was no use.

“We met here for a reason. Why don’t you join us? You and Yeongdeok can both become followers.”

“I don’t believe in superstitions, and neither does he.”

“Superstition? Pillarius is real!”

The man clung to them persistently, and just as Yeongdeok was about to step in, Wonjin, clearly fed up, let out a curse.

“Oh, for crying out loud! You’re relentless.”

Yeongdeok couldn’t believe his ears.

Wonjin, whose innocent appearance was nowhere to be found, stared coldly at Namhoon and his gang with clear disdain.

“When someone talks, you should at least pretend to listen. Would you like it if I grabbed you like this? Huh?”

Wonjin reached out and tightly gripped Namhoon’s wrist.

Namhoon twisted his body in an attempt to break free, but when Wonjin tightened his grip even more, Namhoon could only yelp in pain.

“Spouting nonsense about something like ‘Filarius.'”

As Yeongdeok silently observed the determined Wonjin, the latter, who had been confronting the group, suddenly grabbed the edge of Yeongdeok’s coat.

He muttered softly, in a voice only Yeongdeok could hear.

“Now… let’s go.”

“What are you saying…?”

“Run!”

Without another word, Wonjin took off, dragging Yeongdeok with him.

“Hey, are you just going to leave me here?!”

Wonjin’s classmate, who had been left behind, hurriedly chased after them.

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