Villain wants to live as a commoner chapter 36

When I woke up in the morning, Uncle was still at home. I greeted him cheerfully.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yes. Are you going to work today?”

“Huh? Yes, I have to.”

“After what happened yesterday, why not take the day off?”

What happened wasn’t that big of a deal. I shook my head.

“It’s fine. I need to go to work.”

“If you say so…”

Uncle clicked his tongue, clearly not entirely pleased, but he didn’t push it further.

“Wash up, eat, and then head out.”

“Sure thing.”

Thanks to Uncle’s concern, I had a hearty breakfast.

Uncle had some free time this morning, so he saw me off as I left for work. Lee Jooyun, who had come to pick me up, stiffened nervously when he saw Uncle.

Uncle greeted him, not as a team leader from the Bureau but as my guardian.

“I heard you’ve been taking care of Heewon lately. Thank you.”

“Oh, no, not at all. I’m just doing what needs to be done.”

“I hope you’ll continue to look after him.”

“Yes, you can count on me.”

Lee Jooyun, who was already on edge, responded even more rigidly.

He was so tense that even after Uncle left, his posture remained stiff.

“Are you really that nervous?”

“Ha, ha… Well, Seo Hoon Hunter is such an impressive person. Plus, he’s your father…”

Lee Jooyun’s ears were red as he awkwardly answered. I also found myself at a loss for words, so I kept my mouth shut.

The awkward atmosphere lingered as we headed to work.

While I was busy in the morning, I received a message from Kwon Sahyeok.

[Kwon Sahyeok: Heard you were attacked.]

It seemed like the whole neighborhood knew about it. Before I could even ask how he knew, another message from Kwon Sahyeok came in.

[Kwon Sahyeok: You should’ve called me. Next time, call me, and I’ll handle it. It wasn’t even worth coming out for.]

[Kwon Sahyeok: If it’s about you, Heewon, I should be there. Nothing to gain from it, though.]

[Kwon Sahyeok: What would I gain? Information?]

[Kwon Sahyeok: You’re ignoring my pure intentions.]

[Kwon Sahyeok: smh]

I ended the conversation, ignoring Kwon Sahyeok’s whining.

The long day finally ended, and when I got off work, it wasn’t Lee Jooyun waiting for me, but Baek Gunho.

“You’re here?”

Without even responding to my words, Baek Gunho shoved me into the car and started patting me down.

“Hey!”

His large hands casually skimmed over my body.

Even through my clothes, his heat was intense, almost burning. I freaked out and pushed him away.

“What are you doing?”

“I heard you were attacked. Just checking if you were hurt.”

“If I were hurt, would I have gone to work? Stop touching me.”

It felt weird having him touch me everywhere. Not that he could understand what I was feeling, this laid-back guy grabbed my cheek and inspected my face.

“You weren’t assaulted or anything, right?”

“Assaulted? It was just a civilian.”

“Even civilians can be dangerous.”

“I’m an S-rank too, you know?”

“It’s good you’re unharmed.”

Finally, Baek Gunho let go of me. I glared at him and put some distance between us.

He smirked at my caution.

“Don’t get all serious. You’re not going to wear out from a little touching.”

“I will if you keep doing that.”

Ignoring my words, Baek Gunho started the car.

I glanced at him, noticing that he looked like he came straight to me as soon as he arrived in Seoul.

“You didn’t get hurt, did you?”

“Instead of worrying about me, you should think about your future.”

“This guy… I try to show concern, and this is the thanks I get…”

“I almost had to come up to Seoul in the middle of work because of you.”

“The situation was already over by the time you got here. What’s the point?”

“You’re my top priority.”

He casually threw out those words, not even flinching at the sharp remark I made. It was me who felt embarrassed by those words, even though I knew they were true.

After all, I had firsthand experience that he meant it.

I replied curtly on purpose.

“Just focus on your work, Guild Master Baek.”

“I probably work harder than you.”

Hearing his irritating words strangely helped me calm down.

Calm… Is this really calming?

It feels like my standards have been warped ever since I started liking this annoying guy.

As soon as we arrived home, Baek Gunho sat me down on the sofa and asked,

“So, what happened?”

“I was wondering why you didn’t ask earlier.”

“I was driving.”

He was holding back because he didn’t want to hear anything that might make him mad and cause an accident.

As expected, his temper…

“You know Lee Jaehee, right?”

“The guy who came was Lee Jaehee?”

As soon as I mentioned it, Baek Gunho’s face turned icy. He suddenly grabbed both of my arms.

His face was so close that, despite seeing it every day, I wasn’t used to this distance.

My heart was pounding so loudly I was afraid he might hear it.

“What did that bastard say?”

“He said he thinks I’m the one they’re looking for and tried to persuade me.”

Baek Gunho’s grip tightened. It hurt. I frowned, but he didn’t loosen his hold.

“And what did you say?”

“Of course, I said no… Why would I say yes?”

Baek Gunho stared at my face for a while before finally loosening his grip.

But his stiff expression showed no sign of softening. I quietly backed away.

“I heard Lee Jaehee’s bounty is 3 billion won. Catching him would be like winning the lottery.”

I tried to lighten the mood with a joke, but it only made Baek Gunho’s expression harder.

“Don’t even think about it. That guy is dangerous.”

“What makes you think I would?”

“Don’t you want revenge?”

It was a wild thought. I laughed as if it was absurd.

“Hey, if I wanted revenge, would I be living like this, hiding my rank? I’d have become a Hunter.”

Revenge… It’s such a harsh word. It doesn’t suit the modest life I aim for at all.

Being in the Black Sea Guild’s research lab was…

Well, it was a dark time in my life, but it wasn’t so bad that I’d want to go on a revenge spree.

For me, it’s just a past I want to bury.

Finally, Baek Gunho’s stiff expression softened as he carefully studied my face.

“Yeah… I guess so.”

“Yeah.”

“You’ve gone soft, Seo Heewon.”

“Since when was I hard?”

“I’ve softened you up quite a bit.”

Baek Gunho boasted. I had no idea what he thought he had done to soften me up.

Sometimes, I think this guy really believes he raised me.

Now that he was back to his senses, Baek Gunho pondered for a moment before murmuring,

“We should be extra careful for a while.”

“More than this?”

Baek Gunho stared at me as I grimaced.

“Do you want to hide on some remote island for a few years? I’ll take care of everything in the meantime.”

Just when I thought he was going to say something reasonable, he started talking nonsense. I responded seriously,

“Why don’t you go?”

“Well, islands are too vulnerable to intruders. Once you’re found, it’s over.”

That’s not really the issue here.

“A basement would be safer…”

“I don’t like places where I can’t breathe.”

“I’ll make it comfortable for you. You like staying at home anyway, don’t you? Come on.”

“Yeah, and I’ll escape as soon as I can.”

I decided to ignore Baek Gunho’s nonsense.

✧✧✧

In the end, Baek Gunho decided that there was no way to keep me locked up in some island or basement, so he continued to escort me to and from work.

Thanks to that, my days were starting to feel repetitive.

Either Baek Gunho or Lee Jooyun would drive me to and from work, and I would get shuttled between home and the office.

Uncle hadn’t been home for a few days, and when he did come home, he would only change clothes and leave again.

In his absence, Baek Gunho practically moved into our house.

When I returned home with Lee Jooyun, a delicious smell greeted us as we entered the house.

I thought it might be Uncle, but it was Baek Gunho again.

“You’re back?”

I clenched my teeth as I looked at Baek Gunho, who asked me a question after coming out of the kitchen.

Why is he wearing a shirt and pants today, as if he’s just come back from some event?

The sight of him neatly dressed like a proper, attentive spouse was provocatively infuriating.

I responded like a rude husband hiding behind a facade of aloofness.

“Yeah. What are you doing?”

“Pork kimchi stew.”

His choice of menu was perfect too. I resisted the urge to tease Baek Gunho like a boorish man.

He might look polished on the outside, but he’s still Baek Gunho on the inside.

With that thought, I sat at the dining table, trying to control my mind.

“Where did you go today?”

“Oh, I had some work at the Association.”

“Because of Shin Chaeyoung?”

“No, I went to listen to some barking.”

It seemed like there was another typical power struggle.

Although our country’s Hunter Association is relatively transparent, various interests are still tangled up in it.

“I saw Kwon Sahyeok.”

“Yeah.”

“He asked if you were doing well.”

“Did he?”

They’re not close enough to exchange greetings. Especially after the fight they had last time.

‘He must have done it on purpose, right?’

Does that guy poke at Baek Gunho knowing he’ll get scratched? He probably does. The way he acted last time made it seem like he was having a lot of fun.

Baek Gunho, who took it lightly, looked serious.

“Are you with Lee Jooyun or Kwon Sahyeok?”

“You’re talking nonsense again.”

“Nothing new with Lee Jooyun?”

Just 30 minutes ago, he was like a crush making my heart race, but now he’s acting like a parent pushing for marriage and setting up dates.

Annoyed, I slammed my chopsticks down on the table and glared at Baek Gunho. He didn’t care whether I was angry or not.

“As long as we can come to an agreement… I don’t mind either. With you, that’s fine.”

I decided not to respond to his nonsense. Fortunately, Baek Gunho didn’t press further.

After finishing my meal, I washed up, half-lay down on the sofa, and flicked through Netyflix with the remote until I found a drama.

Just then, Baek Gunho, who seemed to be working, started preparing to go out.

“Where are you going?”

“Something came up. Stay here and don’t go anywhere.”

“Okay.”

“And don’t open the door for anyone.”

“I got it.”

Baek Gunho looked at me as if he didn’t trust me, but he left the house quickly, as if the matter was urgent.