* * *
He was grateful to be wearing a mask; otherwise, Beom Sinje would see the pitiful state he was in.
He spat on the ground, tasting the metallic tang of blood as his mouth tore.
His stomach twisted, but he forced a defiant smirk.
“This is getting dull.”
If he was going to play the ultimate villain, he might as well throw in a fitting line.
Doyoung felt his powers surge, his eyes shifting to a deep violet.
“Come at me.”
Swish.
Even before his words finished, his dagger sliced through the air toward Beom Sinje.
Their battle was evenly matched.
Doyoung kept up a steady rhythm, countering Beom Sinje’s moves while ensuring he didn’t overpower him completely.
All the while, the system window flashed on the edge of his vision, updating rapidly.
The completion percentage reached 93%.
Excitement bubbled as he realized the end was near.
With newfound energy, he spotted an opening in Beom Sinje’s defenses and lunged forward.
Whoosh.
The blade brushed past his face by a hair’s breadth.
A chill ran down his spine as he quickly withdrew, realizing he’d nearly taken a slash to the face.
‘What’s with that look?’
Doyoung raised an eyebrow at Beom Sinje’s stunned expression.
His golden eyes were wide in disbelief.
Just then—
Thud. Thud.
The sound of something light hitting the floor drew Doyoung’s gaze down.
“…Ah.”
It was his mask.
“Why… why are you…?”
This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.
He had planned to reveal his identity in the most dramatic moment at the very end.
Still, determined to play his part, Doyoung closed his eyes, then opened them, letting sorrow fill his gaze.
“Why… why!”
But Beom Sinje’s reaction was even more intense.
His face twisted in anguish, and his eyes swirled with complex emotions.
‘Damn, now I feel a bit bad.’
He’d expected this, yet seeing Beom Sinje so visibly shaken left a bitter taste in his mouth.
But what could he do?
‘It’s what the author wrote.’
If anyone should be blamed, it was the writer—but the protagonist Beom Sinje wouldn’t know that.
As if to mock the tension, a system window appeared, presenting an annoyingly smirking expression option for his dialogue.
He chuckled dryly at the prompt.
“…It’s been a while.”
Though he was committed to his role as a villain, he couldn’t bring himself to pick the worst option.
Instead, he settled on something more neutral.
‘What’s up with my voice?’
It sounded raspier than usual, probably from being strangled by Beom Sinje earlier.
“Is it really you… Zero?”
Beom Sinje’s hand shook with betrayal as he asked.
Doyoung shrugged, saying that it didn’t really matter.
After all, he was simply following the script.
There was nothing more to say.
He only wanted this story to reach its conclusion.
Feeling a growing sense of boredom, Doyoung threw his dagger.
Unfortunately, it grazed Beom Sinje’s cheek, and Doyoung cursed under his breath.
‘Messed up his flawless skin.’
Though the effect added a certain gravity to the scene, it left him with mixed feelings.
“Why did you do this? Tell me the truth!”
Beom Sinje’s face twisted in anger, clearly irate about the cut.
Doyoung glanced back.
They were dangerously close, just a few steps apart.
Satisfied, he returned his gaze to the system window.
A new message awaited.
[The end is near.
Prepare for a dramatic final act to honor the protagonist’s legacy!! (๑•ㅂ•)و✧
Completion – 98%]
The time was near to fill that missing 2%.
Doyoung’s heart pounded as though it might burst from his chest.
His hands tingled, and he struggled to calm his nerves.
“Why all the noise? Just kill me.”
No, he didn’t want to die.
To survive, he needed to focus with every ounce of his being.
Drawing forth the strength he’d kept deeply hidden, he braced himself.
His chest felt tight—an effect of fortifying himself.
It had to be subtle so his opponent wouldn’t notice, requiring precise control.
Doyoung shouted inwardly.
‘Now! Stab me!’
He taunted Beom Sinje again, hoping he’d strike exactly where Doyoung wanted, with just the right force.
“Otherwise, I’ll blow this place up. We’ll both go down together.”
It wasn’t a joke.
As a last resort, Doyoung had planted explosives throughout the building.
He only dared to set them up because he expected that an S-rank Esper like Beom Sinje could still escape safely.
He didn’t want to use them, but if the protagonist kept hesitating, he had no choice.
“Doyoung!”
Fortunately, Beom Sinje yelled furiously and lunged.
Doyoung saw the tip of the sword heading toward him.
‘This is going to hurt.’
He forced himself not to close his eyes.
Thunk.
The sharp pain surged as the blade tore into his flesh.
“Ugh.”
Even gritting his teeth couldn’t stifle the groan that escaped him.
Tears pricked at his eyes.
‘Damn, that really hurts.’
He’d braced himself and done his best to prepare, but feeling the pain was something else entirely.
There was still more to do, though.
“Y…you…bast…ard…”
Forcing the words out, he felt blood spill from his mouth.
He glanced down; his torso was drenched in red.
‘Wow… No one would think this isn’t real.’
Amidst it all, he felt a strange pride in his flawless performance.
Doyoung began to pull his body back bit by bit.
Beom Sinje, still in shock, hadn’t caught on to his act.
‘Time to give them the villain’s grand finale.’
He let his body go limp, feeling the cold glass against his back.
Crash.
The sound of glass shattering followed as his body tumbled backward.
“Hyung!”
Falling, he caught a glimpse of Beom Sinje’s horrified expression.
His scream was so desperate that Doyoung wanted to tell him he was okay, that he wouldn’t die.
‘Sorry, Beom Sinje.’
This was the only way to save you and survive myself.
Not that he could tell the truth.
As his teammates struggled to restrain the frantic Beom Sinje, Doyoung noticed the system window reappearing with a cheerful emoji and a congratulatory message about achieving a fitting end for the worst villain.
‘Should I be proud of this or not?’
He couldn’t help but let out a weak chuckle as he squinted at the system window and selected “No.”
Seeing he wouldn’t be involved further was good news.
With a scoff, Doyoung braced himself for impact with whatever strength he had left.
There might be a mattress below, placed by his subordinates, but falling from the 78th floor made him wonder if it would do any good.
As he neared the ground, Doyoung squeezed his eyes shut.
Thud.
Something caught him, though it didn’t feel like a mattress.
It was soft yet firm, unlike anything he’d expected.
“Argh!”
From below, he heard a sound somewhere between a scream and a beastly roar.
Pain wracked his entire body, but he struggled to stay conscious.
His blurred vision registered a mass of fluffy white fur.
“Fur?”
“What the hell are you doing, falling out of nowhere?” a voice growled near his ear.
Somehow, it felt familiar.
“You…”
The one who had caught him was none other than Yeo Giwon, who had shifted into his werewolf form.
‘Why is he here?’
Shouldn’t he be fighting alongside Beom Sinje?
The situation made no sense, but there were more pressing matters right now.
“Run.”
“What?”
“I said run. Don’t stop until I tell you.”
With a commanding grip, Doyoung clutched onto the soft fur and tugged.
“Ow! That hurts!”
“Just go!”
After repeated urging, Yeo Giwon finally started running, his muscles moving dynamically under Doyoung’s touch.
His whole body trembled.
The strength he’d gathered seemed to drain out through the stab wound.
Thump.
Doyoung collapsed onto the broad back of the beast beneath him.
His mind was foggy, but one thought rose clearly.
‘It’s over. I didn’t die.’
After ten years of enduring the system’s demands and trying to help Beom Sinje while playing the villain’s part, he’d finally reached the end.
‘Now I can rest.’
Comforted by the soft fur, Doyoung surrendered to the darkness and let himself drift into unconsciousness.
* * *
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al fiiin!!! k emoción