I am not a Yandere chapter 158

* * *

Roran flinched at the raw emotion in Yeongdeok’s voice.

He had never seen him look so human, and it unsettled him.

But more than that, an alert system popped up before him, flashing ominously in red.

[System Alert: -DANGER-]

[System Alert: Story synchronization rate at 3%.]

This isn’t good. If this keeps up, the story might collapse entirely.

“Make your choice now. Are you going to do what I ask?”

The truck’s engine growled menacingly, and Roran’s henchmen began pulling out their weapons, ready to act.

Yeongdeok’s expression twisted, cracking under the pressure.

PetitRolang was making it clear: give up your revenge and return to the original plot, or resist and watch Seo Jihoon die.

It was a choice: vengeance or Jihoon.

Yeongdeok wrestled with the question.

Was Jihoon worth abandoning his revenge for?

His mind replayed every effort he’d made to undermine PetitRolang, his entire life shaped by a relentless pursuit of vengeance.

Vengeance was everything.

His identity, his purpose—it all centered on destroying PetitRolang.

And now he was supposed to give that up?

“Your pathetic revenge or Seo Jihoon—what’s it going to be?”

PetitRolang’s demand came again, cutting through Yeongdeok’s turmoil.

His lips moved as if to answer, his resolve beginning to solidify.

But before he could speak, a voice—hoarse and weak but unmistakably gentle—broke through the heavy atmosphere.

“…Hyung.”

Yeongdeok and Roran both turned toward the sound. Jihoon, somehow awake, was gazing at Yeongdeok with warm, unwavering eyes.

A faint smile played on his lips as his sharp features softened.

“Make the choice you won’t regret, hyung. That’s enough for me.”

Yeongdeok froze.

He’d heard words like that before, not too long ago.

“That’s all I need.”

Jihoon, finishing his words, didn’t add anything else, as if he was genuinely satisfied with leaving it at that.

Yeongdeok was sure Jihoon had misunderstood something.

He must have thought this situation was either a prank pulled by some malicious YouTuber or a surreal dream that hadn’t quite worn off yet.

Otherwise, there was no way he’d say something like that.

“Do you even realize what kind of situation you’re in right now?”

Jihoon didn’t respond.

But from the consistent expression on his face, Yeongdeok realized that Jihoon had grasped the entire situation without a single error.

This wasn’t a trivial scenario of accepting or rejecting a confession.

It was a life-or-death situation.

How could Seo Jihoon still say such things?

Yeongdeok had told him countless times: helping others recklessly without weighing gains and losses would only lead to harm.

“Are you… truly an idiot?”

Yeongdeok’s voice trembled, and soon, his eyes reddened as a hot sting spread through his eyelids.

“I don’t know much, but… this seems to have something to do with the revenge you’ve been talking about.”

“…”

“You’ve worked so hard for it all this time. I hope you don’t give it up because of me.”

Jihoon was right.

Yeongdeok had been desperately pursuing revenge all this time.

But…

There was a time when Yeongdeok had dismissed all of Jihoon’s kindness as ulterior motives.

Surely, this broke guy just wanted to cozy up to him for some crumbs.

Of course, since Yeongdeok needed him for his revenge, he had been willing to play along with that give-and-take relationship.

Even on the day Jihoon celebrated his birthday, Yeongdeok had been sure there had to be a reason behind it.

But on the night he returned from Cha Heeseok’s party, when Jihoon had gently stroked his flushed cheek and tenderly whispered that he didn’t need anything in return, Yeongdeok realized there was no hidden cost behind Jihoon’s kindness.

Thinking back, Jihoon never hid behind a fake facade.

Though his words could be harsh, his actions were always sincere, his gaze devoid of deceit.

Even when Yeongdeok himself felt indifferent toward his own pain, Jihoon bore it on his behalf.

And despite gaining nothing from it, Jihoon stood by Yeongdeok’s side.

Their relationship may have started with Yeongdeok approaching him for revenge against PetitRolang, but somewhere along the way, as Jihoon treasured him, Yeongdeok began to treasure Jihoon, too.

He remembered something Jihoon had once asked him.

“Then what if I’m of no use to you? If I have no value to offer?”

Back then, Yeongdeok couldn’t answer.

But now, he felt like he finally could.

“I never needed anything in return. And, honestly, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have come this far either.

“But when that bastard talked about you so carelessly, I couldn’t stand it.

“Make the choice that feels right for you. That’s what I want for you.”

And it didn’t matter.

Just like Jihoon had done for him, Yeongdeok, too, didn’t need anything in return.

As Yeongdeok blinked, tears blurred his vision, streaming down his cheeks.

Then, with firm resolve, he gave his answer.

It wasn’t a decision made in impulse, nor was it one coerced by PetitRolang’s threats.

It was the choice Yeongdeok genuinely wanted to make, just as Jihoon had urged him to do.

“PetitRolang, I’ll do as you say.”

The moment Yeongdeok declared his intent to give up on a revenge he could never achieve and submit to Roran, Roran let out a fleeting smile, feeling momentarily at ease.

However, that relief was short-lived.

Before long, the system window began to flash even more violently than before.

[System: -Danger-]
[System: Synchronization with the Original Work: 1 Percent-]

“What… Why is this happening?”

As Roran panicked, Yeongdeok realized something unexpected. Despite abandoning his life’s goal of revenge and choosing to submit to PetitRolang, he felt surprisingly calm.

What would happen now if he returned to Cha Dowon and destroyed Eungyeol to restore everything back to the original plot?

Would he find himself facing Seo Jihoon, Baek Seonwoo, Ha Wonjin, and Eungyeol as enemies again, only to return to that dreary company and work himself to death, eventually being hit by a truck?

The thought alone left him suffocated. But defying Roran wasn’t an option either.

Who knew when, where, or how Roran might try to kill Jihoon?

Still… Yeongdeok thought about how, until Roran possessed this world, he’d genuinely enjoyed his time with Jihoon and the others.

He’d experienced and felt so much.

So, even if everything reverted back to its original state and he faced his ultimate demise…

As he dwelled on these thoughts, his vision blurred again, tears rolling down his cheeks.

Strange.

He hadn’t thought of himself as an emotional person.

But now, Yeongdeok finally understood.

What he truly wanted wasn’t revenge against PetitRolang.

Revenge was merely the means to an end.

What Yeongdeok really wanted was to survive, scrape by, succeed in his revenge, and live his life freely, untethered to PetitRolang, Cha Dowon, or the original plot.

To follow his feelings and live for his happiness.

And by his side…

Through his teary vision, Jihoon’s face came into focus—his expression looking like he might cry, too.

“Hyung, why are you crying? Don’t cry….”

Jihoon tried to free his bound arms to wipe Yeongdeok’s tears, but the ropes were tied so tightly they wouldn’t budge.

Realizing this, Jihoon’s face grew somber.

Meanwhile, Roran stared at the system windows, which were now shifting in real-time.

The red flashing danger signs had suddenly turned black, becoming static as if everything had reached its conclusion.

“What’s going on…? Why is it doing this…?”

[System: Full authority over ‘Cha Dowon’ has been revoked.]

[System: Synchronization with the Original Work: 0 Percent.]

[System: All protagonists in No to obsession have deviated from the original storyline.]