* * *

“Stop saying weird things. Seriously…”

I was already exhausted, and now his nonsense was making my head throb.

Pressing my fingers against my temple, I realized just how much Baek Gunho was getting on my nerves.

“Why? Does your head hurt?”

“No, you…”

It’s because of you.

I bit down on my lip, stopping myself from blurting it out.

What good would it do to blame him?

Swallowing back the words that threatened to spill over, I watched as Baek Gunho picked up the dagger that had fallen to the floor and handed it back to me.

“You resent me, don’t you?”

“…”

“Hmm? Heewon.”

Why is he so persistent? I’d already given him everything he wanted.

I glared at him, but still took the dagger he offered, as if giving in.

Removing its sheath, the blade glimmered with a sharp, cold blue.

Gripping it firmly, I pointed it toward myself and thrust forward.

Before the blade could pierce my skin, Baek Gunho grabbed my wrist in a vice grip.

“What the—”

His rough strength squeezed so tightly it felt like my wrist might snap.

With eyes blazing, he glared at me.

“What the hell are you doing?!”

“You’re the one who made me do the same thing!”

I shook off his hand with all my strength. His arm dropped limply, trembling faintly.

“…You.”

Even though he was the one who had started all this, his gaze bore into me like I was the one in the wrong.

“Then you should have stabbed me, not yourself! Why were you trying to stab yourself?!”

“You were going to stop me anyway.”

“And that’s supposed to make sense?”

Baek Gunho trembled with anger.

His reaction looked genuinely shocked.

I didn’t even go through with it—just mimed the action—so why was he so shaken?

I stared at his pale face for a moment.

Gradually, his expression crumpled, like he couldn’t decide whether to be furious or heartbroken.

“Then what do I have to do to make you act like before?”

“I told you. Let’s stop this already.”

The conversation was going in circles.

I’d never been able to break Baek Gunho’s stubbornness before, and I’d never really thought it was a bad thing. I always assumed his persistence was for my sake.

But this time was different. I had no intention of yielding to his unreasonable determination.

Still, the pull of old habits made me fear I might cave again.

“I’m tired. I need to rest.”

I decided to run away.

If I didn’t, I might end up agreeing to something against my will.

“Seo Heewon.”

“Please, just let me rest. Okay?”

My tone, tinged with irritation, made him flinch.

At that moment, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket.

There weren’t many people who’d call me at this hour.

When I checked, it was Kwon Sahyeok.

Ah, right. He’d told me to call once I got home.

I considered using this as an excuse to end the conversation, but before I could act, Baek Gunho snatched my phone and ended the call.

I stared at him, dumbfounded.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“…”

“Give it back.”

He ignored me completely, glaring at the now-blank screen like he wanted to kill it.

“Don’t tell me… you were with him today too?”

“So what if I was?”

“What did he do to make you look like this?”

What was wrong with my face?

Did I look unwell?

I rubbed my hand over my face.

He was imagining things.

“This isn’t because of Kwon Sahyeok.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“…Don’t tell me you tried to kill someone because of him or something?”

“What?”

“Did that bastard do something to you?”

“No, why would he— What are you even talking about?”

How had the conversation taken this turn?

My jaw dropped in disbelief.

Did it really look that way to him?

His misunderstanding was ridiculous.

The phone vibrated again.

This time, instead of handing it to me, Baek Gunho answered it himself.

“Don’t call.”

─ What the hell? Are you a stalker? Why are you answering his phone?

“What did you do to Heewon?”

─ That’s my line.

I stood there, silent, while these two idiots argued.

“Hey, give it back.”

“Stay out of this.”

“What do you mean ‘stay out of it’? Just give me my phone already!”

─ Heewon, are you okay? Should I come over?

Come over?

What for?

Frustrated, I reached up to snatch the phone, but Baek Gunho held it high, out of my reach.

Was he seriously flaunting his height now?

I kicked him and used the opportunity to grab the phone.

Ignoring his grimace, I answered the call.

“Kwon Sahyeok.”

─ Heewon, are you alright?

“I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”

─ I shouldn’t have let you go alone. I’ll come by now—

“This is about Baek Gunho. Not you. Don’t worry about it.”

─ How can I not worry? This is about you.

“What I need right now is for you two to stop fighting and let me rest. Got it?”

I shot a glare at Baek Gunho, silently pleading for him to let me go.

─ If you say so… But if you need anything, call me.

“Sure.”

I ended the call and headed to my room, ignoring Baek Gunho.

After overhearing my conversation, he didn’t try to stop me this time.

✧✧✧

I fell asleep as soon as I hit the bed and woke up to the morning light.

The apartment was quiet—no signs of anyone else around.

Sitting dazed for a moment, I reluctantly got up, knowing I needed to head to work.

My body felt heavy, my head pounding like I had a fever.

Was it stress?

My chest was tight, and my heart raced for no reason.

When I stepped into the kitchen, the scent of food greeted me.

Curious, I found a dish covered on the table.

Underneath were kimchi stew and rolled omelets—simple, but my favorites.

It must’ve been Baek Gunho’s doing… or maybe the landlord stopped by?

Either way, the food was there, and it would be wasteful to throw it out.

I served myself and ate. It tasted just like usual—familiar and comforting.

But once the meal was over, unease settled back in.

Dragging my feet, I made my way to work.

Thankfully, by the time I arrived, I felt a little better.

Everyone at work had been worried about me lately, but I didn’t want to burden them further.

For the most part, the day went by uneventfully.

At least, until lunch.

“…Oh my God.”

Right in the middle of the street, Supervisor Choi froze, unable to even scream.

A massive sign had fallen, barely missing her.

“Are you okay?”

“How… how did that even happen?”

---

It was already a chaotic lunch hour, with people crowding around, murmuring in agitation. Supervisor Choi stood up with great difficulty, aided by those nearby.

That object—it almost hit Supervisor Choi squarely.

If I hadn’t intervened and redirected it midway, it would’ve landed right on his head.

The memory of almost being hit by a car yesterday resurfaced, leaving me with a chilling unease.

The only people who’ve stayed close to me are Uncle and Baek Gunho.

Though our relationships might need redefining now… regardless, they are the only ones who’ve remained by my side.

My social circle shrank drastically after I awakened and acquired the trait Villain’s Qualities.

Ever since, people around me started getting involved in various incidents and accidents.

Not everyone around me gets caught in misfortune.

The trait seems to affect only those who are somewhat close to me.

Because of this, I’ve always been careful to avoid forming deep connections with anyone.

Supervisor Choi and I are merely colleagues—not particularly close.

But if Supervisor Choi almost got caught in an accident because of my trait…

“….”

It was just one coincidence. I was overthinking.

Shaking my head, I tried to banish unnecessary thoughts.

“Wow, I seriously almost died there… You saw it, right? It dropped right in front of me.”

“Is that something to sound so excited about? If that hit you wrong… I don’t even want to think about it.”

“I’m excited because I’m fine! Phew, I feel like I’ve used up next year’s bad luck all at once.”

Surprisingly, Supervisor Choi quickly brushed off the incident, treating it like his own near-death anecdote.

That was a relief.

Still, an unsettling feeling lingered.

Rather than subsiding, the unease grew and began to fill me entirely.

I ignored it as best as I could, finished my work, and went home.

When I arrived, the house was empty.

Until recently, Baek Gunho had been stopping by all the time…

Actually, he’d even been here just yesterday.

While it’s normal for him not to come without being called, the emptiness felt strangely overwhelming.

“Hey, come out.”

Instead of dwelling on pointless thoughts, I summoned my companions.

Four creatures emerged from the shadows, chattering away and calling my name, quickly silencing my needless worries.

“…”

But why did I still feel so uneasy?

Even as I tried to clear my mind, my heart wouldn’t stop pounding. I didn’t understand why.

Just then, my phone rang.

The caller ID showed Kim Jinhyung, one of Uncle’s subordinates.

The unease I had been stacking up felt like a precarious tower now with a heavy stone teetering on top.

I picked up the call.

“What’s the matter?”

Instead of scolding me for skipping formalities, Kim Jinhyung drew a sharp breath.

─ The team leader is currently… missing.

So, this was it.

My unexplained unease suddenly had a reason.

Countless past memories of losing Uncle flooded my mind.

The vague unease crystallized into a definite fear, tightening around my chest.

* * *