I Don't Want To Do a Romantic Comedy With a Villain! - Chapter 140

Episode 140

She couldn’t understand why Vehen was standing there, but her body moved faster than she thought. 

She embraced Vehen as if she were possessed. 

The familiar scent came over her, and she felt enveloped in a firm yet spacious embrace.

“What, why are you here, Vehen?!”

She stupidly asked after embracing him. Min-joo looked up at Vehen, looking around.

It wasn’t the villa corridor. 

This was Min-joo’s house. The door Min-joo had opened was behind him, and beyond Vehen, familiar stairs were visible. Next to the stairs, there was a hallway leading to the living room and kitchen, with Chichen and Genshtar revealing their faces inside.

She had returned. To this place she had regretted and missed.

“I didn’t want to call.”

Vehen whispered with a moist voice. His voice was moist, and Min-joo looked up at Vehen.

“Are you crying?”

His eyes turned red, and shadows darkened beneath them. The man who Min-joo thought could be complete without her, with his neatly combed hair now messy, was holding back tears.

He would probably answer that he wouldn’t cry.

Before hearing the answer, Min-joo opened her mouth first.

“I missed you, Vehen.”

Min-joo grabbed Vehen’s cheek and pulled him closer. Vehen was pulled towards her face helplessly.

“Me too.”

His voice, boiling like suffering, sent shivers down her spine.

She loved his voice, his embrace, his scent, and his appearance so much that she shivered.

“You said I didn’t have to ask permission, right?”

“What?”

Their lips met.

It was still a trivial kiss that could be mistaken for a kindergarten child’s, but their lips felt hot, and it felt like they would melt with a moist touch.

If possible, he wanted to lick her disgustingly, swallow her, and devour her.

“It’s too much to call it a reunion gift.”

Vehen muttered against Min-joo’s forehead, pressing his against hers. A very hot heat could be felt from their touching foreheads. Vehen’s face was also flushed.

“What nonsense. We’ve never even parted ways.”

Min-joo laughed gently and teased, Vehen closed his mouth with a face that seemed like he might cry.

He thought he wouldn’t see her again. He thought it would be better to regress and meet Min-joo.

He couldn’t stand the thought of himself, who had been hoping for it, rationalizing that letting Min-joo go was right.

Since Min-joo left until now, he had never stopped thinking about Min-joo.

He regretted not doing better, not expressing more, not being more together. Regret followed.

Every night, he swallowed his tears and missed Min-joo. He even imagined the person he would never see again in his head.

“I like you so much that I feel like the world could end.”

Seeing Min-joo, who appeared in a completely different attire from the one he remembered, he felt that way.

It felt like it would be really good even if the world ended.

It was a strange attire he had never seen before, but it was incredibly beautiful and lovely.

In the original world, Min-joo was like this. He was curious, but when he saw her, he wanted to spit out his heart.

“Why should the world end? It’s not a good thing.”

“Words can be deceiving.”

“I’d like to take a peek inside Vehen’s mind~”

Min-joo teased, turning Vehen’s usual phrase into a playful joke. 

Suddenly, a loud fake cough echoed behind Vehen.

“Why don’t you just come into the room?”

Robert glared at Vehen and Min-joo with disdain.

Feeling the chill in Robert’s icy blue eyes, Min-joo stepped back, releasing Vehen.

“Robert, is it you who called me?”

“Then who else would it be? Just start shooting the movie already, come on. It’s getting tiresome.”

Robert scoffed, pushing Vehen’s shoulder aside with irritation.

Though annoyed by Robert’s nerve, Vehen didn’t retort and stepped back.

Facing Min-joo, Robert stood solemnly, her expression serious.

“I need you, and I’ll take you back if you want. But you have to listen to me first and think about it.”

Min-joo tilted her head in confusion, nodding hesitantly.

What could Robert possibly ask of her?

Yet, the mention of needing her made her heart skip a beat.

She had longed for a world that needed her so desperately.

Robert began to speak, listing raw words.

The time would revert to just after Min-joo left.

Vehen had struggled immensely, and Robert had locked herself in.

‘Should I just end it here?’

Losing her purpose felt like drifting on the sea, and the confined room grew more depressing by the second.

She slept on the bed and spent days lying still.

She woke up from her sleep and sat still for days.

She heard a loud noise outside the window and got up.

The protest was massive, filling the square beyond capacity.

“Robert, Mr. Genshtar is away, can you go grocery shopping with me?”

Opening the door as if enchanted by Chichen’s call was also because she wanted to see the protest up close.

The protest was truly impressive. They shouted at the top of their lungs without a break, it was for their safety.

“People are dying because of taxes! The country is killing its people!”

“Stop the violent response! Let’s live a little!”

People were excited, their fervor rising.

While making way for Chichen and Robert, they were heading towards the palace.

Robert found such a sight incredibly fascinating.

Before entering the store, the military revealed themselves.

“Disperse! We will not tolerate any further gatherings!”

A high-ranking soldier shouted, but people didn’t step back.

Robert realized at that moment that something was wrong.

“We have to get away.”

“What?”

“You, go inside right now. Don’t come out!”

Robert pushed Chichen into the store and closed the door.

Perplexed, Chichen tried to open the door, but Robert forcefully locked it, and at that moment, the gunfire began.

It was a ruthless massacre. Alongside the brutal gunfire, screams mixed with smoke and blood filled the air.

What unfolded before her eyes was hell.

People fleeing, bodies strewn about, those hit by bullets dragging themselves along the ground.

Among them, many drew their guns to fight back, but the outcome was obvious. They couldn’t win against trained soldiers, even if they held guns themselves.

“…I…”

Robert had the power to save them. She was a sorcerer.

With just one spell, she could erect a shield and protect them. But she couldn’t move. If her identity as a sorcerer was revealed, she would face a miserable death.

Just run away. There was no need to intervene and help them.

“Huhu…”

A child’s cry was heard.

Robert quickly turned her head to find the source of the crying amidst the chaos.

A child, about ten years old, was crying uncontrollably, lost in the crowd.

Then it became instinctive.

She ran to the child, shielding her from the bullets flying their way.

Even after saving the child, Robert couldn’t understand why she had intervened.

She should’ve just left it alone. As she always had.

“Mom…”

Seeing the child cry so pitifully, she felt relieved for a moment.

But that feeling didn’t last long.

Amidst the continuous gunfire, she ran blindly with the child. Wherever her feet landed, wherever her eyes saw.

And then she returned home with the child, and Chichen could only return after the situation calmed down.

After the brutal massacre, Paital remained eerily peaceful, as if nothing had happened.

The protest of that day, the excessive suppression, didn’t make it into the newspapers.

Instead, the newspapers were filled with articles about the prince declaring the emancipation of slaves.

“The country has gone mad…”

Robert believed that violence was the answer.

She didn’t believe that gathering peacefully and chatting would change anything.

But the horrific scene she witnessed that day couldn’t be justified.

One-sided slaughter. A child crying helplessly amidst it all. The tragedy of a civil war was not the solution Robert had been talking about.

Only then did Robert understand what Min-joo meant by peace.

To not be crushed miserably like insects. At least, to keep the child from harm.

It was only after witnessing hell that Robert realized she needed Min-joo.

Min-joo, upon hearing this story, couldn’t close her mouth.

“The imperial family went that far?”

Vehen was silent, too, his head hung low as if he had nothing to say.

Min-joo couldn’t comprehend how such a tragic outcome had occurred since she left.

Did Ceteran order the crowd to be suppressed like that?

Was Neriant safe in the army that exercised such unilateral violence?

Were Tedric and Permette safe?

Leaning against the door, Min-joo exhaled a thin breath. Vehen pulled Min-joo’s shoulder, leaning her against his chest.

“Marquess Trimidri gave the order. There are even murmurs among the nobles that it’s excessive.”

“Marquess Trimidri…”

As Min-joo whispered, Vehen gently placed his hand on her shoulder. It was a touch that oddly conveyed affection.

“What were you planning to do, Vehen?”

“Marquess Trimidri has become a close aide to the crown prince and is abusing his power. It’s an outright tyranny, and it needs to be stopped.”

But wasn’t she supposed to be the leader of the reformists? It didn’t seem like she could be easily brought down.

As Min-joo nudged Vehen and headed to the reception room, Robert and Vehen followed suit.

“First of all… it seems like the public’s perception of the incident won’t be favorable, right?”

Min-joo asked as she sat down. Vehen nodded.

“Yeah. So, I’m thinking of making it an issue and bringing it to court.”

“Alright. Is the plan I set in motion progressing well? Since the situation has turned out like this, it seems useless now.”

Vehen nodded again. Min-joo planned to implement a constitutional monarchy by aligning the nobles’ consent with the timing of the protests. However, the plan was disrupted by the violent turn of events.

“First, it’s great that the slave system has been abolished, but do we have any policies in place to protect former slaves?”

“No. So, many people are still in the same situation despite the change in status.”

“Tell them that the ……Hiltate Theater will hire actors and production staff.”

Min-joo’s words were immediately understood by Vehen.

“Yeah. We can prioritize hiring former slaves. Since we need a lot of staff for the many scripts we’ve contracted anyway.”

“Yes. And what about the public’s perception of the constitutional monarchy?”

“Opinions were divided. Even among the reformists, there are opposing views, and among the conservatives, there are supporters. Probably, Marquess Trimidri had a hand in the conservatives.”

Tedric had convinced conservative nobles. Min-joo nodded, pondering deeply.

Preventing Marquess Trimidri from exacerbating the situation should come first. The revolution could proceed afterward. Despite feeling completely disoriented here, her mind quickly filled with countless thoughts and vanished.

“Min-joo!”

A lively and refreshing voice was heard. As Min-joo looked up, Hin, with bandages on her legs, was waving her hand.

“…Hin?”

Why was this child here? As Min-joo hesitated and tried to get up, Robert frowned.

“Why did you come out? Your legs aren’t fully healed yet.”

Robert stood up and hugged Hin.

“I came to see Min-joo because you said she’s here! Min-joo, your house is amazing!”

“Thank you. Hin, are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah, they said I can’t use my legs yet, but I feel fine!”

Min-joo couldn’t say anything.

Seeing Hin being hugged tightly by Robert with a pained expression, seeing a child who might never run again.

This was why she had hoped for a peaceful resolution.

Hin’s face looked innocent and cheerful, making it even harder for Min-joo to speak.