I transmigrated into an S-rank scumbag villain chapter 35

* * *

As I stood there, dumbfounded, mouth half-open, Dad glanced sheepishly at Cha Rui while reheating the soup.

“He said he hadn’t eaten all day…”

Okay, sure, my dad can’t just ignore someone who’s hungry—it’s in his nature—but Cha Rui isn’t the type to insert himself into situations like this.

Still, seeing him sit there so calmly, looking up at me from across the table, felt… incredibly unfamiliar.

“Inho, you should sit and eat too. You didn’t get to eat properly earlier.”

“…Okay.”

Feeling his gaze persistently following me, I sat down and handed him the handkerchief right away.

Cha Rui’s intense stare shifted to the cloth in my hand.

“I had it thoroughly cleaned.”

Same place I sent Woo Jaehyun’s clothes last time—flawless work, though pricey.

Totally worth it for the results.

Just then, Cha Rui’s fingers brushed mine as he accepted the handkerchief.

Huh?

My heart gave a loud thump and I instinctively rubbed my chest.

That’s when Dad appeared, holding a steaming bowl of soup.

“Inho made this this morning for my birthday. It’s really good—give it a try.”

Earlier he’d been so cautious, and now he was treating Cha Rui like some poor, pitiful soul just because he hadn’t eaten.

Peeking into the bowl, I saw it was filled with meat, just like mine.

Watching Dad be so nice to him made me irrationally petty.

I started comparing the portions like a child.

“Thank you for the food, Dad.”

“Thank you for the meal.”

As they both thanked him and picked up their spoons, I gave Cha Rui a sideways glance—but then a memory suddenly surfaced and made my hand freeze mid-motion.

Wait… that’s right.

Cha Rui doesn’t have parents.

If I recall correctly, on the day the first Gate opened over Seoul, Cha Rui’s parents were killed by monsters.

It was a dungeon break.

E-rank monsters poured out and brutally took their lives.

That happened twelve years ago.

His family had money, so technically there were guardians in name, but in reality, Cha Rui had lived alone since he was sixteen.

Obviously, he wouldn’t have had many home-cooked meals.

Maybe that’s why… it was surprising he’d grown so tall, considering he never seemed interested in food.

The thought of how lonely his childhood must’ve been gave me an unexpected pang of empathy.

“Try some of this too…”

I pushed the dish of braised short ribs toward him, and Cha Rui, who’d been quietly eating seaweed soup, lifted his head.

There was something unsteady in his gaze as he looked at me.

But only for a moment.

He quickly returned to eating.

He was supposed to be indifferent to food, but he devoured the seaweed soup by the bowlful and even asked for more short ribs multiple times.

He didn’t touch any of the other side dishes, just focused solely on the soup and ribs.

It was… oddly endearing.

Does he actually like seaweed soup and galbijjim?

Apparently satisfied, Dad set yet another bowl of seaweed soup down in front of Cha Rui with a warm smile.

Then, without warning, he dropped a bomb.

“He seems like a good guy—eats well and all. Makes me wonder why he treated my son like that before.”

“Cough!”

I nearly spit out my water at that jab.

I barely managed to cover my mouth and avoid disaster, but what came next made that seem like nothing.

“I’m sorry.”

Cha Rui stopped eating and apologized to Dad.

Apologized.

With a bowed head, no less.

It was such an uncommon sight that even Dad looked stunned, mouth clamped shut.

It had only been a muttered grumble, not meant to provoke a real apology—but no one expected this.

And with good reason.

Even if they accidentally killed someone, S-ranks were the type to hold their heads high.

They were people who’d never bow unless it was chopped off.

Clink.

Regardless, Cha Rui went right back to finishing his meal.

At this point, I seriously wondered if there was something weird in that soup.

Has he been starving or something?

I stared blankly at him before snapping back to my senses and clearing my throat.

Whatever the case, it was still Dad’s birthday, and this tense atmosphere was not ideal.

“So… it looks like we’re mostly done eating—should I go get the cake?”

Thanks to his relentless eating, Cha Rui’s dishes were already scraped clean.

The seaweed soup, rice, and short ribs were spotless like they’d been washed.

So much for “not interested in food.”

Just like with Do Soohyuk—this was another blow to my faith in the original novel.

Either way, to properly celebrate Dad’s birthday, I pushed the empty dishes aside and pulled out the sweet potato cake from the fridge to set it up.

He had eaten more than enough to help out a little, but Cha Rui just sat quietly, watching the scene unfold.

It wasn’t arrogance, exactly—more like he simply looked unfamiliar with this kind of situation.

Well, it was my first time too, so it’s not like Cha Rui would be any different.

Without parents or real friends around, you end up missing these little moments in life.

“There are a lot of candles.”

I stuck six long candles and five small ones into the cake one after the other and lit them.

At some point, Dad had put on a party hat and gave us a sheepish smile.

“Happy birthday, Dad. I hope you stay healthy.”

“Happy birthday,” Cha Rui added, following my lead and naturally offering his own congratulations.

The moment I turned my head slightly, our eyes met.

His gaze wasn’t exactly warm, but at least it wasn’t hostile anymore.

Compared to how things started, that felt like real progress.

Come to think of it, how did he end up celebrating my dad’s birthday with us?

Sitting around the cake together like this… it was strangely surreal.

Clap clap clap—

We didn’t go so far as to sing the birthday song, so we just clapped awkwardly.

Even that seemed to make Dad happy—he blew out the candles with a bright, joyful smile.

“Hey, you have to make a wish before you blow them out.”

“I don’t have any wishes left. Thanks to my son, they’ve all come true.”

His offhanded comment made my chest tighten a little.

What would’ve happened to me if I hadn’t met Dad in this world?

No matter how much money I had, I wouldn’t have known what I was missing.

But ever since I met him, I’d started to accumulate regrets—things I wanted to hold on to.

When I was in danger, the first person I thought of was Dad.

I felt a pang of sadness over not being able to go on a trip with him.

In my old world, I would’ve never imagined feeling this way.

If that’s not a regret, then what is?

I ended up playing the role of a son, but oddly enough, each day, the holes inside me felt like they were being filled.

Sometimes, it made me wonder if this was all just a dream—that’s how unreal it felt.

I stared at Dad, who looked so happy, and stood up from my seat.

“Let’s take a photo, Dad.”

“A photo?”

I’d never done anything like this before, so I felt a little embarrassed.

But I knew if I didn’t do it now, I’d regret it later.

Moments like these should be preserved.

I lowered myself close behind Dad and stretched my arm out with my phone.

Seeing our awkward smiles on the screen stirred something strange in me.

A sense of nostalgia, and a confusing mix of emotions.

After taking a couple more photos, I looked over at Cha Rui, who was just sitting there.

He looked oddly lonely, sitting off to the side by himself.

“Come here. You too.”

He practically jumped up and walked over like he’d been waiting for the invitation.

I blinked at his unexpectedly eager face, then put an arm clumsily around his shoulder and faced the camera.

Through the screen, I saw the corners of Cha Rui’s lips curve up into a soft smile.

For a moment, he actually looked like a close friend.

His expression was surprisingly natural.

So he can make that kind of face…

Were we friends in the past or something?

I tilted my head, sent the photos to Dad first, then turned to Cha Rui.

“I’ll send you the photos too. Give me your number.”

There was apparently something called AirDrop these days, but I had no idea how to use it.

I wasn’t even that old, but keeping up with tech was getting harder and harder.

I handed him the phone with the keypad open.

Cha Rui’s brows twitched slightly before he silently took it and typed in his number.

His ears… were they turning red?

Or was it just the lighting?

I squinted up at the lights, then shrugged it off and picked up the cake knife.

“Let’s eat the cake.”

That evening, even after finishing the mango slices I cut for him, Cha Rui made no move to leave.

He looked so reluctant to go, it made me wonder if he’d hidden some kind of treasure in the house without me knowing.

He only finally stood up after I jokingly told him to get lost.

---

Cha Rui stood for a while, looking up at the towering apartment building, then turned around.

A self-deprecating smile hung on his lips.

“I must be out of my mind.”

Even to himself, it sounded absurd.

All this, over a handkerchief?

Back in school, he had no idea why he kept that handkerchief Seo Inho left on his desk.

He used to tell himself it was just too much of a hassle to throw away, but deep down, he knew that was a lie.

You don’t take that much care of something just because it’s a hassle.

And now, half on impulse, he’d come all the way here.

* * *