Villain wants to live as a commoner chapter 34

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When my mind is cluttered, the best thing to do is to move. I cleaned and tidied up my house, which wasn’t even that messy to begin with.

The final step in tidying up is throwing things away.

Just as I was about to take out the trash for recycling, I remembered Baek Gunho’s warning.

“Don’t go out alone.”

I could vividly hear Baek Gunho’s voice sternly warning me when he caught me trying to take out the trash by myself.

Although I didn’t think anything would happen during the short time I’d be outside…

On second thought, it felt like I was playing the role of a character in a horror movie, doing exactly what I was told not to do.

Characters like that always ignore warnings and end up sealing their fate, don’t they?

It really felt like I was tempting fate, so I decided to stop. I gave up and sank back into the sofa.

I turned on a drama and watched it idly while refreshing the latest news on my phone.

I confirmed that there were no new articles about the old man or Baek Gunho.

Then, I drifted off to sleep.

I woke up in a place I had never seen before.

This ambiguous feeling of being both in reality and not—it was a dream.

However, it wasn’t the usual dream that began with Baek Gunho and me being hostile toward each other.

A large silver snake lay stretched out at my feet.

The snake was enormous and terrifying enough to make every hair on my body stand on end, but in the dream, I calmly stroked its scales.

“Yeon-ah.”

The snake turned to look at me at the gentle call.

Its silvery-gray eyes had a faint blue hue.

The moment I saw those eyes, I was certain.

This snake was the same creature hiding in my shadow.

“I trust you. If it’s you, you can do it.”

My voice, murmuring, was filled with trust. Just like when I dealt with Baek Gunho.

I rested my head on the snake and closed my eyes.

At that moment, the surroundings seemed to shake a little, and the atmosphere suddenly changed.

When I opened my eyes again, the atmosphere had completely shifted.

The snake, which had been fine just moments ago, lay limp on the floor, covered in blood.

Deep wounds revealed bone in places.

It seemed impossible to survive such injuries.

I let out a long sigh and averted my gaze.

My eyes fell to my feet. I was stepping on someone’s chest.

The person grimacing beneath my foot was Baek Gunho.

I thought this dream wouldn’t involve any blood, but I guess I was wrong.

Baek Gunho’s wounds were so gruesome that they made me want to scream.

Despite the excessive bleeding that made it hard to believe he was still alive, Baek Gunho was, astonishingly, smiling, even with the shadow of death looming over him.

“What’s so funny?”

Baek Gunho didn’t answer.

Unlike the composed Baek Gunho, I was breathing heavily. I grabbed him by the collar.

“I asked what’s so funny.”

“It’s not you that’s funny. It’s my situation that’s amusing.”

Baek Gunho replied in a fading voice.

I glared at him for a moment, then let go. Baek Gunho fell to the floor and coughed harshly.

Ignoring him, I cast my gaze elsewhere.

There lay the snake, now a lifeless corpse.

“Are you crying?”

Baek Gunho asked in a voice so soft it could only be heard in the utter silence.

I quickly turned to look at him. Though no tears flowed from my eyes, I couldn’t deny his words.

“So, you can cry too.”

Baek Gunho seemed satisfied to see my despair.

It was worse than if he had taunted me.

Seeing his expression twisted my insides.

I used a skill.

A tremendous force bore down on Baek Gunho, who was already beyond resistance.

And then, blood splattered.

“Hah…”

I awoke from a terrible nightmare.

My heart was pounding with anxiety. In just a brief moment, I was drenched in sweat.

With trembling hands, I wiped my face.

I… I did that to Baek Gunho…

The sight of splattered blood was vivid before my eyes.

No matter how much it was just a dream, it was excessively horrifying.

Such a disturbingly realistic dream even brought about guilt.

Baek Gunho might be curious about my nightmare, but there’s no way I could ever tell him.

It’s just a dream. Let’s just forget about it and move on.

Just as I was trying to control my mind, the doorbell rang.

Startled, I got up and reflexively approached the door.

“Who is it?”

“It’s a delivery.”

“What? I didn’t order anything…”

There was some mumbling from outside.

It was hard to hear clearly through the door.

“What did you say?”

“I need to hurry to my next delivery…”

“I didn’t order anything.”

“This is the correct address, though.”

The conversation dragged on, and I sighed as I opened the door.

A man wearing a helmet stood in front of the door.

He said it was a delivery, but he wasn’t holding any packaged food.

“You’re… not here for a delivery?”

The helmet, which had been facing the ground, turned to face me directly.

“I’ve been wanting to talk, but it’s been hard to meet you.”

Suddenly, the man’s voice layered over itself, making it sound unnatural. This wasn’t a normal situation.

I thought I had avoided a bad outcome by not taking out the trash, but my luck wasn’t so easily turned.

As I flinched and took a step back, the man grabbed the door and stopped me from closing it, then suddenly stepped inside.

“Who are you?”

“If I say Lee Jaehee, does that ring a bell?”

The man unexpectedly offered his name freely. It wasn’t a particularly unusual name, but it was unfamiliar to me.

“Ask around. Someone should know.”

“Are you from the Black Sea side?”

A laugh echoed from inside the helmet.

That laugh, also layered several times over, was eerie enough to serve as a horror movie sound effect.

“Don’t be too wary. I’m not here to do anything right now.”

Does it look like I wouldn’t be wary?

I drew a gun and pointed it straight at him. Even with the weapon aimed at him, the man showed no sign of being threatened.

“After all the trouble you’ve caused, what nonsense are you spouting?”

“Oh, there won’t be any more of that. We’ve reached a conclusion.”

The man said this with apparent confidence.

“What conclusion?”

“It seems that the person we’re looking for is none other than Seo Heewon.”

Do you hear that?

Yeah, I hear the sound of everything going to hell.

I shouldn’t have asked what he meant. Knowing wouldn’t change the facts, but ignorance could bring bliss.

My mind raced.

Weren’t they looking for their god?

There’s no way I could be the… that they’re seeking.

The mere thought gave me chills.

“Seo Heewon, you are our destiny.”

Chills ran down my spine.

Out of all the terrible luck I’ve faced, this was the worst.

A hybrid of a cult and a criminal organization had marked me as their fate.

“We can do a lot for you, Seo Heewon. Why don’t you come over to our side?”

“Me? Are you crazy?”

“We can give you anything you want. Wealth and power, as much as you desire. If there’s anything else you want, just say the word.”

What I wish for is a modest, ordinary life.

Sure, I dream of winning the lottery, but I want legally clean money, not the dirty money connected to cults or crime syndicates.

“I just want you to get lost.”

“I’m just here to deliver a message today.”

“No, get out of my life.”

“But I want to get entangled with you, Seo Heewon.”

Uttering words that sent shivers down my spine, the man approached me.

Instead of pulling the trigger, I put the gun back in my inventory and twisted the man’s arm behind his back.

Unable to react immediately, I pinned him to the ground and subdued him.

I took out handcuffs from my inventory, cuffed him, and removed his helmet.

Although his arm must have been quite painful, the man’s eyes remained dull.

Am I being manipulated again?

It seemed likely that Lee Jaehee, who had been speaking so far, was elsewhere, and this person was just an unwitting third party.

“Ah… quite intense, aren’t we? We haven’t even finished our business yet.”

“What business?”

I asked, turning on the phone I had brought using my skill.

“A bad omen is targeting Seo Heewon. Be careful not to die. The threat is lurking right beside you.”

Lee Jaehee replied quite seriously to what seemed like a throwaway line.

I couldn’t believe what he was saying, like some kind of fortune teller.

“An introduction?”

“We really need you, Seo Heewon. Please, take care of yourself and don’t get hurt.”

“Is that really something you should say?”

All my recent misfortunes were related to them.

Seeing me flare up, Lee Jaehee chuckled.

“Don’t resist fate. No matter how much you struggle, your destiny is already set.”

That statement naturally brought to mind my attribute: [Villain’s Qualities]. An EX-rank attribute that had designated me as the villain of this world.

Did he know something?

I doubt he could see through my attribute, but it was too ominous to be just meaningless words.

Just then, the man suddenly rolled his eyes back and went limp.

It seemed that Lee Jaehee’s consciousness, which had been controlling his body, had departed.

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