Villain wants to live as a commoner chapter 50

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“Heewon!”

A loud shout woke me up. It was a voice full of concern, something I never had in my dream.

I clung to the person beside me, still overwhelmed by the nightmare.

I felt the person flinch.

I held on even tighter to the stiffened body, desperate as if I would freeze to death if I let go of this warmth.

An overwhelming fear consumed me.

Although I had barely escaped, the nightmare clung to me like a foul stench.

What if all of this is a dream, and the nightmare is the real reality?

My body trembled uncontrollably.

It felt like something terrifying was going to pounce on me and devour me whole.

Slowly, the person’s hand moved up and embraced me.

I burrowed deeper into the arms holding me. The grip tightened around me.

The arms that wrapped around me were warm.

It was a warmth I was intimately familiar with, one that felt so natural to have by my side.

The anxiety that had been pricking at me gradually melted away in that warmth.

I am not alone right now.

There’s nothing that can hurt me.

I don’t have to kill the things that would kill me just to survive.

“It’s okay.”

“…”

“It’s okay, Heewon.”

The low voice above my head pulled me back to reality from the nightmare.

Baek Gunho’s arms tightened around me.

Our bodies were pressed so closely together that I could feel the heat.

It was a bit suffocating, but I didn’t mind. In fact, I liked it.

Even though I was still somewhat embarrassed, the lingering effects of the anxiety that had overwhelmed me hadn’t completely disappeared.

I entrusted myself to Baek Gunho.

Right now, I didn’t care who it was, as long as they held me with warmth.

Baek Gunho silently patted my back.

His large, warm hand, always there to support me when I was struggling, reassured me.

How could I not love this?

It hit me once again—letting go of my feelings for this guy wouldn’t be an easy task.

As the relief gradually washed over me, I regained my senses.

It was pathetic how I always turned to Baek Gunho in moments like this, which made it impossible for me to let go of him completely.

I pushed Baek Gunho away.

He backed off easily, raising his hand to gently cup my cheek.

I looked back at him quietly as he carefully studied my face.

After what felt like a long time, he finally let go.

“Are you okay?”

Instead of answering, I nodded.

Baek Gunho reached out and handed me a cup as if he had prepared it beforehand.

My throat was parched, so I downed the water in one go.

“…Sorry.”

I mumbled an apology in a small voice.

Waking up and suddenly clinging to him—how embarrassing.

“Did you have a nightmare?”

Instead of teasing me, Baek Gunho asked seriously. I nodded again.

“You said you saw strange visions before.”

“…”

“Was your dream related to that?”

I nodded once more.

“What kind of dream was it?”

“…Just a silly one.”

A dream where the man died, and I was dragged back to the Black Sea Guild.

It was like a nightmare crafted from the worst possible scenarios that could happen in my life.

It’s the kind of nightmare you’d expect from someone who fell asleep with a messed-up mind.

Baek Gunho quietly observed me.

It was obvious that he wanted to probe more, but my earlier reaction was so intense that he held back.

I didn’t want to explain the nightmare, so I pretended not to notice.

“Whatever it was, it’s not going to happen, so don’t worry about it.”

Instead of prying, Baek Gunho kindly reassured me.

“Do you think I’d let something like that happen?”

His words carried confidence, as if it were only natural.

And to be fair, Baek Gunho had the skills to back up that confidence.

The attitude that sometimes felt obnoxious now seemed reliable.

Yeah, with Baek Gunho around, something like that wouldn’t happen.

After all, he was the one who always found a way to resolve every misfortune that came my way. There was no reason to worry.

“Yeah, because you’re so capable.”

The words “I believe in you” or “thank you” were too cheesy, so I responded curtly.

Baek Gunho chuckled at my reply.

“You’re coming back to life.”

“…How did you end up here?”

“I came when I heard you collapsed.”

“I didn’t collapse.”

“You should take better care of yourself.”

I denied it immediately, thinking Lee Shinhae must have exaggerated, but Baek Gunho didn’t listen. He looked me over.

“Still so frail…”

“I’m an S-rank.”

“Among all the S-ranks I know, you’re the weakest.”

I checked the time, annoyed by Baek Gunho’s habit of making people seem weaker than they were.

“It’s already ten.”

“Yeah. Want to head home?”

“Let’s do that.”

Baek Gunho stood up first and offered me his hand. I took it without hesitation and got up.

As we left the room and walked a little, we found Lee Shinhae sitting in the living room.

He was engrossed in his phone, only looking up when he noticed us.

“You’re up? Feeling better now?”

“Yes, I’m fine now. Sorry about earlier, hyung.”

“No need to apologize. Heading home?”

“Yeah, I think I’ll do that.”

“Alright, take care.”

Lee Shinhae waved us off. I gave him a small bow and left the workshop, heading home.

I returned home with Baek Gunho leading the way.

The familiar shoes were scattered haphazardly in the entryway.

Seeing them made me feel an inexplicable urgency. I quickly kicked off my shoes and rushed inside.

“Uncle!”

“Oh, Heewon, you’re back?”

My uncle’s reply came a bit late, as if he had dozed off on the couch while watching TV.

This was the home we had lived in for so long. The moment I saw my uncle, relaxed in his casual clothes, the last remnants of anxiety that had been clinging to my heart melted away completely.

I smiled at my uncle.

✧✧✧

Work at the company suddenly got busy.

The sales of our company’s fatigue recovery supplement, which had once almost been tarnished with rumors of causing magical power addiction, had skyrocketed.

It was thanks to a post on social media claiming that our supplement actually had better ingredients than those of other companies.

Since it was already a hot topic on the internet, people took notice, and soon word of mouth spread.

The CEO was enthusiastic, saying we had to strike while the iron was hot.

As a result, there was talk of launching new products, increasing production, expanding distribution, adding more sponsorships, and shooting new commercials.

The entire company was busier than usual.

And while looking for YouTubers to advertise our product, I came across a familiar face.

“Could it be…?”

At first, I wasn’t sure just by looking at the paused video, but when I heard the person speak, I was certain.

It was the same person who had diagnosed someone with magical power addiction on the subway before.

Curious, I started watching that person’s videos on my way home.

The person, known online as Healer Star, was a healer affiliated with the Samho Guild, just like Kwon Sahyeok. Without thinking much of it, I watched Healer Star’s videos as I headed home.

“Heewon.”

As I approached a nearby alley, Baek Gunho suddenly appeared, holding a grocery bag in one hand. He glanced at my phone and spoke.

“Isn’t that Na Hongju?”

“You know each other?”

“Not exactly close.”

So, it’s a one-sided acquaintance.

Baek Gunho might seem indifferent to others, but he was surprisingly well-informed about the hunters in Korea.

After all, he was the one who recruited all the competent hunters into the Somang Guild.

He wasn’t just aware of them; he had a good grasp of each individual’s personality as well.

As we entered the house side by side, I asked Baek Gunho.

“What do you think about this person?”

“Do you like Na Hongju?”

Baek Gunho replied with a lukewarm tone.

For someone who’s always eager to set me up with anyone, his reaction made me wonder if Na Hongju had a questionable character.

“It’s not that. We’re thinking of placing some product ads with YouTubers, and I wanted to make sure there’s no potential for controversy.”

“No, it’s fine. You can go ahead.”

Baek Gunho’s expression immediately softened. I glanced at him with suspicion.

“Something feels off.”

“What does?”

“If they’re a good person, why didn’t you suggest I date them?”

Baek Gunho usually tries to turn any hint of interest I show into a romantic connection.

Normally, he would be saying things like, “I should introduce you to them,” or “You’ll find them nice once you meet,” or “You two seem like a good match,” spouting all kinds of nonsense.

“Come to think of it, you haven’t been nagging me about dating lately.”

It’s been a while since the nagging stopped.

I’d welcome it if he really decided to stop with the nonsense.

I stared at Baek Gunho, who didn’t respond. Instead of answering, he just pressed the elevator button firmly.

The more silent he was, the more suspicious I became about what he might be planning.

“You’re up to something, aren’t you?”

“……”

“Hey.”

Even when I persistently called out to him, Baek Gunho remained silent.

This guy was definitely acting suspicious. I blocked his way as he tried to enter the house.

“If you want to come into my place, say something.”

“Don’t be childish.”

“You just need to say it and go in.”

Baek Gunho let out a deep sigh.

“It’s just that pushing random people on you is pointless, so I stopped. No big deal.”

“……”

“I’m serious.”

He’s been at this since we were around twenty years old, and now, all of a sudden, he’s quitting because it’s not working?

That didn’t align with Baek Gunho’s personality. He’s the type who pushes until he gets what he wants.

There had to be some other reason.

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