I Don't Want To Do a Romantic Comedy With a Villain! - Chapter 19

Episode 19

Personality and ethics in the form of a dog treat, she knows, but why would someone point a gun at a poor and decent citizen? 

Min-joo deliberately turned a blind eye to the cruel scene.

“Put the knife down.” 

Permette’s low and fierce voice made Min-joo open her eyes. Seeing the commanding posture, he seemed unharmed.

Perhaps there were other people besides the one shot. Min-joo opened her eyes and looked around. There was no one suitable in the space.

“Please, spare me.” 

The trembling woman, afraid and holding the knife cautiously, pleaded.

Next to the woman’s head, a faint smoke rose from a bullet deeply embedded. It was a warning shot. With Permette’s shooting skills, it was impossible to miss.

Min-joo carefully moved away from Permette, stepping back.

“Don’t back off too much.” 

A firm warning made Min-joo stop in her tracks. It was within reach if he stretched out his hand.

Permette, cocking the revolver, tilted his head arrogantly.

“Get away from the knife. Sideways, more. That’s it.”

As the revolver shook, the woman moved away from the knife. Faint whimpering sounds could be heard.

Min-joo cautiously pulled Permette’s robe.

“Did we come in by mistake?”

“Right here.”

“Then, is that woman a sorcerer?”

Min-joo and Permette’s gazes were simultaneously fixed on the woman. The woman glanced at them, then startled, huddled in a corner. Min-joo could finally examine the woman closely.

Tangled, thick gray hair, cheap clothes covered in clinging dust, and dirty dark skin that seemed unwashed caught Min-joo’s eyes. She looked more pitiful and lamentable than Min-joo had initially thought. Even the knife she was holding looked shabby.

“I-I’m not a sorceress. It’s not me.”

The woman who overheard their conversation reacted dramatically, clasping her hands and trembling as if in a match, tears rolling down in fear.

Min-joo couldn’t shake the feeling that something was odd. Permette coldly smirked with an angelic face, still aiming the gun.

“Mireille, a woman in her late thirties. A few years ago, she was caught using magic and fled, hiding in seclusion.”

“It’s a misunderstanding, I swear to God.”

Mireille burst into tears. Sorrow and injustice mingled as clear droplets fell endlessly. Min-joo didn’t feel that Mireille’s crying was insincere. Truly, she seemed genuinely aggrieved.

Perhaps Min-joo was too quick to trust people. Despite her tears weakening her resolve, she felt it was better than unjustly being killed.

So, Min-joo decided to give Mireille’s defense a chance.

“Lies won’t work here.”

“Just a moment, Permette.”

Permette turned to Min-joo in surprise. Calling him by his name used to feel unpleasant, but now it wasn’t bad at all. Perhaps they had grown closer.

Permette was taken aback by the subtle intimacy she felt from Min-joo and had no strength left to vomit at Min-joo’s actions. Min-joo stood before the now calm Permette, facing the woman.

Though the distance was considerable, her voice was audible, and the woman’s face, seemingly unbearable in its sorrow, was evident.

“What do you mean? Is it a misunderstanding? You’re not a sorceress?”

“Yes, I’m not a sorceress.”

Min-joo gestured to Permette to lower the gun. Permette lowered the gun hesitantly and stood awkwardly.

It was incomprehensible. Could people be trusted so easily? Maybe she had lived in a flower garden. The more Min-joo tried to analyze her, the more difficult it became to understand her.

Permette didn’t doubt that Mireille would make absurd excuses. He lowered the gun, but his finger didn’t leave the trigger.

Permette sneered at Min-joo.

“Do you think she’s not lying? Where does that trust come from?”

“I hope to receive it too.”

Permette was left speechless at Min-joo’s casual response. It was incomprehensible. Giving trust to gain trust? Was that a joke?

To gain trust, one had to be subtle and take advantage of situations. Permette had lived that way. He gained trust with money, cornered others, and then helped them to earn trust.

He had never been obsessed with trust and relationships. Yet, Min-joo gave trust to receive trust. Permette felt that Min-joo was a completely different kind of person from his world. That’s why he became more curious about Min-joo.

How did she build trust? What were the results of the trust she gave? How did it feel to receive trust from her? 

Thanks to the quiet Permette, there seemed to be a hint that the story could be understood, and Mireille began pouring out her grievances.

It was a story that no one had listened to or believed.

“I… had a friend I knew for a long time, and he was a sorcerer. I remember that day very vividly. It was a few years ago when my house caught fire. The door was already on fire, and I was in a situation where I couldn’t escape, helpless and about to die.”

Mireille began crawling towards Min-joo, still seated, in a desperate movement. Min-joo couldn’t run away, nor could she comfort her by embracing her

“My friend saved me. He broke down the wall and pulled me out. Everything was magic. Before I could thank him for saving me, my friend ran away, and I, who survived in the pit of fire…”

The sorcerer who was Mireille’s friend must have escaped before being exposed to people. Judging by today’s societal perspective, Mireille took the risk of declaring herself a sorcerer and saved him. Perhaps, out of sheer friendship, she saved him without any calculations.

“My family abandoned me. I became a wanted criminal, and although I could go anywhere, I became helpless. Do you know what it’s like to be chased by bounty hunters?”

Due to that, Mireille was falsely accused of being a sorcerer and faced threats to her life. Even if she said she wasn’t, no one would have believed her, just like what happened to Min-joo.

So, she ran away and lived in hiding, resenting her friend.

Min-joo couldn’t find words to say. Even if words came to mind, she couldn’t utter them.

“The reason I had the knife was to protect myself.”

Mireille, who had crawled close to Min-joo’s feet, clenched her teeth.

“…Are you here to capture me too?”

“Yes?”

Mireille’s sorrowful eyes flashed with venom. It happened in an instant. Mireille drew the dagger she had hidden in her embrace and swung it towards Min-joo.

Dim light seeped through the tightly sealed window, and the dagger gleamed agilely.

“Min-joo!”

Permette urgently reached out and pulled Min-joo into his arms.

Min-joo’s robe tore apart from the sharp dagger. Before any judgment could be made, Min-joo was already in Permette’s arms, and simultaneously, Permette aimed the revolver he had in his hand and fired.

The heartbeat sounded rough and loud, almost resonating. It was a massive sound, and it was impossible to tell if it came from Permette or Min-joo.

Min-joo looked down at her feet. It was instinctive.

Right in the center of her forehead…

Min-joo covered her mouth and retched.

Even after witnessing countless horrifying scenes on her first night working under Vehen, it was difficult for her to handle what was happening before her eyes. Could anyone handle it in the first place? Min-joo burst into tears.

“Are you scared?”

See, this is what happens when you trust someone.

Permette swallowed the sentence that seemed to be choked up to his throat and asked affectionately. Laughter was about to break through.

How ridiculous it was.

Humans, by their very nature, were malicious and arrogant creatures.

To give trust to such kind of beings felt empty and meaningless. Min-joo must be regretting it. Permette never doubted his trust.

Min-joo nodded at the soft and gentle question. It wasn’t fear. She couldn’t accurately describe her emotions.

“Are you sad for losing trust?”

“No, no… It couldn’t be helped…”

Gasping for breath, Min-joo clung to Permette’s robe, leaning forward. Permette awkwardly embraced Min-joo and supported her.

Is it not sad to be repaid with betrayal after giving trust? Does it make sense to say it wasn’t miserable or painful? Could it be passed over as something unavoidable?

It was unbelievable.

Min-joo was a person who stood on fire after being betrayed by people, a poor person with nothing to beg for. Even if you were poor, you couldn’t afford to trust, let alone show kindness to others.

How could one like people? What was the reason to show kindness? If that’s the case, Permette had no idea why Min-joo was in pain.

Min-joo leaned on Permette’s well-built arms, suppressing her sobbing and stifling her cries.

“Why are you like this then?”

Permette’s forehead lightly wrinkled, as if he couldn’t understand at all. Despite his quite affectionate and gentle behavior, there was no underlying understanding in his words.

Permette grabbed Min-joo’s chin and turned her towards him.

The smell of gunpowder, mixed with a hint of bitterness strangely blended with the scent of sunlight.

Chills ran down her spine, and breathing became difficult.

“If you don’t tell me, I won’t know. Do you want to leave?”

Min-joo, wet with tears, repeatedly nodded her head in agreement. She wanted to leave. She wanted to run away.

Min-joo held Permette’s hand, clutching at her clothes. Permette, seeing Min-joo’s response, immediately embraced her.

The broken door still lay on the ground as they quickly left the alley. Dust rose faintly, and there was a loud noise. Since it was a deserted alley, no one paid any attention.

As they rapidly exited the alley, Permette tucked Min-joo’s head into his chest and whispered.

“It’s okay. It’s over. Nothing will hurt you.”

“Hmph, ugh…”

“She’s already dead. She won’t get up again.”

It was a strange comfort. A bizarre consolation that made odd sounds like squeaking gears. Feeling Permette’s scent and the beating of her heart, Min-joo held her breath.

Despite thinking that humanity was already broken and beyond redemption, it seemed Permette was a human who knew how to console, at least to some extent.

It wasn’t a grand or significant comfort, but it was something.

Still, Min-joo gradually, albeit faintly, regained composure. Permette’s strong and sinewy hand gently ruffled Min-joo’s hair.

It didn’t take long to reach the carriage. Permette’s pace was quick, and to reassure Min-joo, he walked even faster.

Permette seated Min-joo in the carriage and instructed the guild member disguised as a guard who was waiting.

“Go and get rid of the bodies. Also, search inside and bring anything that could be evidence.”

Permette sat next to Min-joo without starting the carriage. Min-joo trembled, breathing heavily, still keeping her eyes tightly shut.

Permette covered Min-joo’s hands with his own. 

“I don’t understand why you’re shaking so much.”

“It’s scary.”

“But you said it wasn’t scary.”

His tone was steady, and his demeanor remained calm. Min-joo turned to look at Permette. Her fear and guilt seemed like nothing now.

It felt like making a fuss about something trivial.

“Why are you so unaffected?”

“Do I need to feel something?”

Min-joo was at a loss for words. She knew this character would be like this, but the actual sense of disconnection was substantial. Min-joo tried moving her still trembling hands.

Permette’s grip on Min-joo’s hands tightened. Permette’s face was ecstatic, lightly smiling. There was a strange mix of emotions, a feeling of discomfort, and perhaps something not so pleasant.

Min-joo laughed in a self-deprecating manner, feeling pathetic for making a fuss over such a trivial matter.

The pressure to get used to this place was overwhelming. The corners of her mouth quivered slightly.

“…But there was a sorcerer.”

“Yes. If we focus on investigating Mireille, we might find some leads.”

“…How long do you think it will take?”

“I’m not sure. First, we need to meet her hometown and family, and then inquire about this ‘friend.’ Wouldn’t it take at least a few months?”

“I see.” 

Min-joo replied quietly.

It was disheartening to hear that it would take months when she just wanted to go back quickly.

Seeing Min-joo’s less-than-enthusiastic response, Permette tilted his head slightly in question but didn’t press further.

Why didn’t Min-joo blame Mireille even after being betrayed? Why did she suffer so much from her death? Why did she easily trust and show kindness to others but never share that simple affection with herself?

There were piles of questions he wanted to ask, but he refrained.

Because Min-joo was struggling too much.

It seemed better to steer the conversation away, to have a talk that would not bring those moments to the forefront, a conversation that would soothe the soul.

Permette smiled awkwardly.

“But you called me by my name.”

“…Me?”

“Yes. Permette.”

Did she? Min-joo furrowed her brow, trying to recall. Permette, with an affectionate smile, leaned in closer, narrowing the distance between them.

“I made a mistake. I won’t do it again.”

“No, it’s okay. You can call me by my name.”

“Why?”

“Well, just because?”

The distance was close.

Even from afar, the dazzling face became overwhelming as it approached. Min-joo awkwardly laughed, moving her body backward.

“Oh… yes. Sure.”

“Can I call you by your name too?”

“…Well, sure, go ahead?”

He probably already called her by her name, Min-joo thought until she heard it from Permette’s mouth.

“Park.”

“Yes?”

“Park.”

Min-joo had overlooked something. In Korea, the family name comes before the given name, but here they put the family name last. So, Permette knew Min-joo’s family name as her given name.

Up until now, when he affectionately called her Min-joo, she had observed proper courtesy by using her family name.

Min-joo bumped the back of her head against the wall. 

Thud, thud, several times. Permette, puzzled, reached out and gently covered the back of Min-joo’s head with his hand.

“Did you suddenly turn around?”

“That’s my family name.”

“What?”

“That’s my family name. The family name is Park! My given name is Min-joo!”

Oh… Permette, frozen in embarrassment and disbelief, was at a loss for words. Permette’s face quickly turned red as he fully grasped the situation after being in a daze for a while.

“Then…… why haven’t you told me before?”

“I thought that’s just how you are!”

Permette retreated with a squeak, covering his mouth with his hand in embarrassment. Heat flushed rapidly over his fair and translucent skin.

It was almost like touching a delicate veil.

“I… I don’t call people by their names casually. Especially if they’re ladies.”

So what, Min-joo thought, feeling the awkward atmosphere, she playfully tapped Permette’s warm and embarrassed back of the head.