Villain wants to live as a commoner chapter 18

Baek Gunho looked at me with a suspicious gaze, like someone watching a dog who had done something wrong.

This jerk always suspects me no matter what I do.

“Why are you so surprised? What were you doing?”

“What do you mean, what was I doing…?”

I was just looking at the business card.

But Baek Gunho, not trusting my words, inspected me up and down.

This wasn’t the first time, so I sat quietly, waiting for his fuss to end.

“Hmm.”

Baek Gunho, finding nothing unusual about me, took a step back and plopped down on the seat opposite.

“Sit down and calculate.”

Ignoring my words, Baek Gunho took my drink and sipped it.

Not wanting to share an indirect kiss with my stupid crush, I removed the straw, and Baek Gunho looked at me as if I was overreacting.

Then don’t drink from the same cup.

I went to the counter, grabbed another straw, and ordered an iced Americano.

When I returned with the drink, Baek Gunho gulped it down like someone wandering in a dry desert.

Baek Gunho, after roughly putting down the cup, glared at me.

“You said you weren’t involved with Kwon Sahyeok.”

“Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because it was funny watching you fuss alone.”

Baek Gunho glared at me with intense eyes but soon sighed deeply.

“Okay… I see.”

What’s with that lukewarm reaction?

“Good thing it’s not Kwon Sahyeok.”

“Why, I haven’t started dating him yet, but I could in the future.”

At those words, Baek Gunho glared at me again.

His stare was intense enough to pierce through me.

I made a scissor gesture with my hand and pretended to poke his eyes.

Baek Gunho didn’t budge and glanced at the business card I had placed down.

“Why don’t you just get along with Lee Jooyun?”

“How much did you hear?”

“From when Lee Jooyun started talking to you.”

So he heard everything.

Baek Gunho had the attribute of moving without making any noise.

Unless he intentionally made his presence known, it was impossible to notice him approaching.

It was almost a cheat ability.

I looked at Baek Gunho disapprovingly.

“You’re invading my privacy.”

“You have no privacy.”

“Do you want to die?”

To kill or not to kill.

“Lee Jooyun seems fine. I personally recruited him.”

Baek Gunho had an excellent talent for recruiting people.

Although the Somang Guild was smaller than other guilds, the quality of its members was high.

There were quite a few A-rank hunters, even if there weren’t as many as S-rank ones.

Having high-quality members doesn’t just refer to their rank.

High-ranking Awakened often cause problems, but incidents were rare in the Somang Guild.

Except for the guild leader, of course…

Anyway, if Baek Gunho vouched for him, he must be a decent person.

“I was thinking of introducing you to Lee Jooyun anyway, so this works out.”

Baek Gunho added an unnecessary comment. I couldn’t help but grip the business card tighter.

“Lee Jooyun isn’t bad, right? He’s got a decent face, a good personality, and being an A-rank, he won’t get hurt easily.”

“…”

“Give him a call. Even if it doesn’t work out, it wouldn’t hurt to be friends.”

“Okay.”

Damn it. I’m pissed. Yeah, Baek Gunho might be right. Just because I have a crush on Baek Gunho doesn’t mean I shouldn’t meet other people.

I picked up my phone and quickly drafted a message.

[Hello^^ This is Seo Heewon, the one you gave your business card to earlier.
Looking forward to getting to know you ㅋㅋ]

I messaged him out of frustration. Baek Gunho’s face brightened visibly.

“Good luck.”

Not even a hint of jealousy… Of course not.

I regretted messaging him, but it was already sent.

Whatever. I stood up.

“I’m going home.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

We went to the underground parking lot and got into Baek Gunho’s car.

On the way home, he suddenly turned the steering wheel towards his place.

“What are you doing?”

“Met your uncle. He told me to take care of you.”

I looked at Baek Gunho suspiciously.

I couldn’t tell if he was using my uncle as an excuse or being sincere.

“Try contacting him. He said he might not be able to come home for a while and asked me to apologize.”

“Okay…”

If he couldn’t even send me a message, he must be really busy.

I could go home, but I didn’t want to worry my uncle.

So, reluctantly, I headed to Baek Gunho’s place.

After getting out of the car, we went into his house.

I changed into pajamas and came out to brush my teeth when I bumped into Baek Gunho.

“Did you eat?”

It seemed he had been waiting to make me a meal. I told him I had eaten.

He then scrutinized my body with serious eyes.

“Why are you getting so thin…?”

I did lose 2 kilos.

It’s creepy how he noticed even though I wasn’t wearing tight clothes.

Seriously, this jerk can tell if I lose a bit of weight but can’t see that I like him.

“Hey, Baek Gunho.”

“Yeah?”

“I…”

I like you.

I felt an impulse to say it but, of course, no words came out.

Of course.

If I could say it, I would have said it long ago.

“…Never mind.”

“What is it?”

“Forget it. I’m going to sleep.”

“Seo Heewon.”

Baek Gunho called me in a low voice.

I sneered.

One way to piss someone off is to start talking and then stop…

So I went into my room without saying anything.

I could hear Baek Gunho grumbling through the door, but I ignored it and flopped onto the bed.

Like any modern person, I checked my phone as soon as I had a moment, and there was already a message from Lee Jooyun.

[Lee Jooyun: (Hello Rabbit Emoji)
I must have startled you by suddenly greeting youㅠㅠ Thank you for contacting me.]

I pretended to be clueless and typed a reply.

[It’s nice to make a friendㅋㅋ
How old are you?]

[Lee Jooyun: I’m thirty-two^^]

[So you’re older
Feel free to speak comfortably]

[Lee Jooyun: I’m more comfortable this way^^
Thank you for contacting me, and I’d love to talk more, but I have to go into a dungeon now.]

[Oh, okay. Be careful.]

[Lee Jooyun: Thank you
(Smiling Rabbit Emoji)
Thanks to you, I’ll have a safe trip.]

[Have a good night^^]

When the conversation ended, I felt strange.

I felt a mix of regret and guilt for doing something unnecessary, along with a slight sense of relief as if I had deviated from the norm.

“He seems like a good person.”

All I had was a brief exchange of words, but the first impression was good.

Just as Baek Gunho had assured me.

However, whether I could get into a relationship with Lee Jooyun is another matter.

Even though I like men, I can’t imagine dating anyone other than Baek Gunho.

After pondering for a while, I threw my phone next to my pillow.

“I don’t know…”

It’s not like I have to decide anything right now.

Let’s just sleep for now.

Soon after closing my eyes, sleep overtook me.

I woke up in an unfamiliar place.

Since my first awakening, I have repeatedly had similar dreams, despite the details being different.

This is a dream. In my dreams, I am always the villain.

And Baek Gunho always comes to kill me.

Today’s dream was messier than usual.

Everything around me was destroyed and bodies were scattered everywhere.

Blood gushed from my side.

In a state where I should have fainted, I gritted my teeth to stay conscious.

‘Seo Heewon.’

Baek Gunho, standing before me, was also a mess.

But he stood firm, like someone who couldn’t feel pain.

‘What should I do with you…’

‘Kill me.’

‘Killing you is pointless. This will just repeat itself.’

Baek Gunho said something I couldn’t understand.

I looked at him for a moment and used my skill, with no intention of holding back, to kill him.

But Baek Gunho was quicker with his sword.

Despite my tattered body, his sword struck me down.

In the dream, I was so resilient that I didn’t even scream.

Yet, experiencing this dream, I felt like my body was being torn apart.

I couldn’t understand why it hurt so much, knowing it was just a dream.

Baek Gunho, looking tired, gazed down at me.

It was the face of someone exhausted, ready to give up on everything—a face I’d never seen in reality.

‘I didn’t intend to kill you, but you attacked me first. I had no choice but to retaliate.’

‘Ku… cough…’

I wanted to say something, but only blood-soaked coughs came out.

Baek Gunho approached, flipped me over, twisted my arm, and placed sealing cuffs on my wrists.

He didn’t just place one but several. Then, he forcibly lifted me.

I was dragged along by him.

It hurt.

It hurt so much.

I felt like I was going to die from the pain…