A case of Transmigrating as a Sick Villain chapter 119

* * *

Jinwoo’s relationship with his father didn’t seem bad enough to warrant such words, but he had no memory of it.

Even in the original story, Jinwoo’s father was only briefly mentioned in the context of their family history.

“Who said Jinwoo said something like that? Was it Dad?”

“Yeah. I was going to tell you once your memory came back, but he contacted me a few days ago. He said Jinwoo was threatening him, which is why he couldn’t reach out to you.”

Jingyeom wasn’t sure whether to believe this or not, but Sanho didn’t seem to be lying.

However, the Jinwoo that Jingyeom knew wasn’t the type to say such harsh things to his father, so it was hard to believe outright.

Of course, he also knew that Jinwoo wasn’t exactly a mild person.

That’s why he’d endured the tension between Wonbeom and Soohyuk for so long.

Jinwoo had toughened up, having been pushed around since he was young.

His once gentle personality must’ve become more hardened over time.

The only one he ever softened for was Baek Jingyeom.

Sensing Jingyeom’s disbelief, Sanho added more.

“I told you before, Baek Jinwoo is a bad guy.”

“Don’t call him a bastard.”

When Jingyeom responded curtly, Sanho clicked his tongue and turned his head, clearly annoyed.

‘What exactly happened between them for it to be like this?’

It was obvious that Sanho harbored animosity toward Jinwoo, and Jingyeom wanted to know why.

Though he didn’t particularly like Jinwoo himself, it was strange how Jingyeom had remained close to Sanho, who was openly hostile towards him. He thought to himself, ‘What kind of twisted heart do I have?’

While it seemed wise to keep his distance from Sanho, Jingyeom still hadn’t figured out the meaning behind the message Sanho had sent him.

In the original story, Baek Jingyeom had done something so terrible to Jinwoo that Wonbeom had him eliminated.

Jingyeom had been racking his brain, trying to remember what it was, but nothing came to mind.

Moreover, Baek Jingyeom wasn’t particularly strong, nor was he rich.

There was some account history showing that he’d sold some of the items he received, but it wasn’t enough to suspect any grand scheme.

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t imagine what could have provoked Wonbeom to take action.

Jingyeom also wondered if the message that said “It’s ready” was connected to this.

Could it be referring to something that would put Jinwoo in danger?

If Jingyeom had really planned something malicious, it wouldn’t be surprising if Sanho, who hated Jinwoo, eagerly helped him.

From what he’d learned from his conversations with Sanho, he knew Sanho was full of bravado.

One could even say he liked to act tough.

And every time Jinwoo was mentioned, Sanho made no effort to hide his disdain.

Even though Jingyeom had told him that he and Jinwoo were getting along and that he should stop bad-mouthing him, Sanho acted as if he’d never heard those words and continued to belittle Jinwoo.

It was as if Baek Jinwoo was Sanho’s trigger.

Jingyeom had a sudden thought: perhaps if they kept talking about Jinwoo, Sanho might get worked up and spill something he was hiding.

Sanho tried to speak politely to Jingyeom, but Jingyeom had caught him a few times furrowing his face in frustration and bottling up his irritation.

‘This must be a sign that Sanho is somewhat weak when it comes to Baek Jingyeom.’

Jingyeom didn’t know why, but he could tell Sanho was holding back.

If he played his cards right, maybe he could draw out the information he wanted.

Jingyeom pressed his temples with his hands.

He had been thinking so much that it was giving him a headache.

Lowering his hands, Jingyeom purposely said something to provoke Sanho.

“If Jinwoo really said something like that, he must’ve had a good reason.”

Sure enough, Sanho’s face twisted in anger.

“You’re really deep in it, aren’t you? Baek Jinwoo isn’t as good as you think he is. I don’t know how good he’s been to you, but once you get your memory back, you’re going to be so embarrassed by how you acted.”

‘If Baek Jingyeom really comes back, maybe that will be true. But I’m not him!’

Jingyeom thought to himself as he wrinkled his nose and responded, “Whatever I said in the past was probably exaggerated. Our Jinwoo is kind.”

“Kind, my ass. Don’t talk about him in front of me. It pisses me off.”

“You brought him up first.”

When Jingyeom said this with wide eyes, all Sanho could do was let out a hollow laugh. Looking at that innocent face, he couldn’t bring himself to say anything more.

It was easy to understand why everyone fawned over that face.

In high school, both Baek Jingyeom and Baek Jinwoo were famous.

Everyone was intrigued by the fact that they were twins, but the two were so different in appearance and personality that it drew even more attention.

On top of that, everyone knew Baek Jingyeom was physically weak.

During gym class, he was always in the classroom or sitting on the shaded benches.

He’d even collapsed a few times at school, so no one could forget him.

There were many students who wanted to get close to them back then, but both Jinwoo and Jingyeom put up walls, making it hard for others to approach.

Jinwoo especially hovered around Jingyeom, protecting him, which only made it harder.

Sanho chuckled, reminiscing about their school days.

“Hey, you know you’re good-looking, right?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s why you’re so sly. You’ve used that face to get whatever you want.”

“I’ve never really used it as a weapon.”

Of course, there were perks to being attractive.

For instance, after going grocery shopping at the same market a few times, he got friendly with the owner and received some freebies or discounts.

But aside from such small perks, Jingyeom was also aware that his looks made it easy for people to like him.

Even he admitted that if someone with a face like his came up and talked to him, he’d probably be drawn in as well.

But he never thought to use it as a tool.

Jingyeom slowly looked over at Sanho, who was lying on the sofa, kicking his feet.

He had gathered some information from chatting with some of Baek Jingyeom’s old acquaintances.

He’d found out that, aside from the items he sold for cash, there were things he had been gifted as well.

Some people had even sent pictures of the gifts they’d bought for him, and while he didn’t remember selling them or keeping them, it was strange.

And now, the shoes Sanho was wearing looked exactly like one of those gifts.

A limited-edition sneaker from a collaboration with a famous singer.

There was a huge premium on them, and since so few were sold, it was almost impossible to buy them even if you wanted to.

The person who gave them to Jingyeom had asked for them back, but since they were no longer in Jingyeom’s possession, he had to apologize and send the guy a reasonable amount of money.

Seeing those shoes today made a theory about Baek Jingyeom and Sanho’s relationship come to mind.

Baek Jingyeom had given Sanho some of those gifts.

Perhaps it was just a pure gesture of friendship, but since their shoe sizes were different, it suggested that Baek Jingyeom had considered that from the beginning when giving them away.

It was only a theory, but it seemed there might have been some kind of transaction between the two.

More than anything, Sanho’s comment about Jingyeom using his face as a weapon bothered him.

While Jingyeom had only gotten small favors like grocery store discounts, it seemed like the old Baek Jingyeom had used his looks to get expensive gifts from people.

‘…And wasn’t it Sanho who got him into sneakers and online chatting? Sanho had even said so himself.’

Could it be that Sanho had orchestrated all of this?

Jingyeom couldn’t shake the doubt.

Although Sanho insisted he hadn’t forced anything, with Baek Jingyeom gone, the truth would never come to light.

Jingyeom thought about asking Sanho about the shoes but decided against it, not wanting to stir up unnecessary trouble.

“So the only thing you’re giving me is this photo?”

“Hey, that’s huge. I was the one who pointed out that you almost didn’t recognize your own father while walking down the street.”

Acknowledging the truth of the statement, Jingyeom gave a slight nod and subtly asked about the message.

“What was that thing you said you were preparing last time?”

“Now’s not the right time. You’re too close with Baek Jinwoo.”

“…Is it related to Jinwoo?”

“Think hard. Once it clicks, you’ll know naturally. Oh, and when you’re discharged, let’s go somewhere.”

Though it was obvious the conversation was being steered away, Jingyeom didn’t press further.

That didn’t mean he didn’t pick up on something, though—it definitely seemed to involve Jinwoo.

“Where?”

Sanho, sprawled across the couch, answered nonchalantly.

“There’s a nice place.”

Jingyeom wasn’t thrilled about going somewhere alone with him, but he figured he might pick up some clues if he followed along.

He picked up the photo again.

“Can I keep this photo?”

“Yeah. I brought it for you. Just don’t show it to Baek Jinwoo. He doesn’t know you and I are in touch. If he finds out, it’ll be chaos.”

“Got it. Thanks for the photo.”

“…Hearing you say ‘thanks’ feels really weird. Ugh, it’s giving me the chills.”

Sanho shivered dramatically, scratching his arm before turning on the TV with the remote on the table.

He showed no sign of leaving.

It wasn’t until the hospital’s scheduled dinner time that Sanho finally left after lounging around and devouring a large amount of snacks.

All Sanho had done was give him a photo of Baek Jingyeom’s father, eat snacks, and laugh at the TV.

Finally alone, Jingyeom lay comfortably in bed.

The cold had passed, but his body still felt heavy from its lingering effects.

Even though he was well enough to live normally, no one seemed willing to agree to his discharge.

It wasn’t just Jinwoo—Soohyuk and Wonbeom also wanted him to stay in the hospital.

“It feels like half of my life as Baek Jingyeom has been spent in hospitals…”

Hugging a pillow close, Jingyeom rolled around on the bed. The slipper dangling from his toes finally fell off with a soft thud.

Now that he no longer needed a caretaker, the long stretches of time spent alone were starting to feel endless.

While doing random things on his phone helped time pass, it all felt meaningless, leaving him with a sense of emptiness.

Though Jinwoo had brought him a laptop, all it offered was watching YouTube or browsing the internet.

“I want to do something fulfilling. Is there anything?”

He briefly considered studying, but it didn’t seem like it would feel rewarding.

The last time he’d taken a certification exam, he’d spread the news everywhere, only to fail to even enter the test center.

This time, he planned to prepare quietly.

“…Maybe I’ll just search for something fulfilling.”

The internet is always the best for moments like this.

* * *