I Don't Want To Do a Romantic Comedy With a Villain! - Chapter 23

Episode 23

The first direct encounter with Neriant was today. 

When did she know she was her older sister, and did she guess Min-joo’s age as she looked younger than the people around her?

It doesn’t even make sense to call her sister. Unless they already know each other.

Min-joo stopped her thoughts, but thanks to her brain which didn’t completely stop, she gained a great realization. 

Something was strange. 

Showing determination not to let go, Neriant stared at Vehen, and Min-joo signaled to release by tapping her forearm with her palm.

“Wait a moment. Lady Velirian.”

“Does it hurt? Sister, please stay still. Your throat hurts.”

Due to the struggle, Neriant’s arm wrapped around her neck, and Neriant whispered affectionately. However, she didn’t let Min-joo go. When Min-joo’s throat involuntarily coughed due to the pressure, Vehen caught Neriant’s arm and pushed it away with a frown.

Vehen nervously grabbed Min-joo’s waist. Although he caught her without any hesitation, his hand, which was stiffly gripped, suddenly lifted upward.

Vehen, who pulled Min-joo out as if plucking her like a weed, subtly raised his lips, proudly displaying the veins on his backhand.

As Neriant approached with a sulky expression, Min-joo hid behind Vehen. 

A dispute ensued between Neriant and Vehen.

“Please be reasonable. Aren’t you causing her pain?”

“I don’t think someone who was going to wield her as she pleased should be saying that.”

“You’re no different. When you arrived, it wasn’t the carriage of the Velirian family. Sneaking away secretly to come here. Count Velirian must be desperately searching for his precious daughter, should I tell him?”

“Are you threatening me right now?”

“Yes, I am threatening you. I don’t want to get involved in such matters, so please go back.”

Having collected money and rented a carriage in secret, Neriant worried about how far and wide the count would chase after finding out. However, she had anticipated being caught from the beginning, so it wasn’t crucial at this point. What mattered now was that Neriant realized the count had changed from before, and the reason for that was Neriant herself.

Neriant had completely ruined her relationship with the count.

“It doesn’t matter. Go ahead. As long as I finish my business.”

“Is your business confessing love to a maid?” 

Vehen sharply retorted. It was obvious they couldn’t marry due to their difference in status, and Min-joo was supposed to return to her original world. This made him respond more sensitively, not being in a different position like Neriant.

Neriant, in a fit of anger, opened her lips widely, displaying an attitude that seemed so absurd that her jaw could drop.

“Love? Me?”

Seeing her reaction, it seemed that was not it.

Vehen reached out his arm to protect Min-joo, his expression deeply furrowed.

Neriant, with her mouth still agape, turned her head towards Min-joo.

Seeing Min-joo, who was tense with anxiety, Neriant began to think that this wasn’t it either.

Neriant slowly pointed at herself with her index finger.

“Sister, it’s me. Don’t you remember?”

“What?”

“Don’t you remember me?”

“What are you talking about?”

Min-joo entertained the futile thought that perhaps Neriant somehow knew that she was a character and had come to meet Min-joo, the creator. However, she quickly dismissed this idea as even more nonsensical than dimensional travel.

Hiding behind Vehen and cautiously peering out, Min-joo stared at Neriant, who was behaving oddly, with a wary expression.

“Sister, I’m Se-yeon. Kim Se-yeon.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I said I’m Se-yeon. Your high school junior, Se-yeon.”

This made no sense. Se-yeon had lost her life in a traffic accident a few months ago. 

Min-joo remembered it vividly—the bright smile in the photo displayed at the funeral, the child who seemed ready to run up and embrace her at any moment. Se-yeon’s family mourned as if they had lost the entire world, and her friends tearfully lamented her untimely death. Min-joo witnessed Se-yeon’s funeral and even visited the mortuary.

Unable to believe in death, she held Se-yeon’s photo, wondering why a healthy person like herself had to die. Se-yeon was the lovable kid who, in high school, enthusiastically declared that they would attend the same university together. Throughout high school, she followed Min-joo, expressing admiration, claiming she was the best and most beautiful, and professing love like a dear younger sister.

A precious friend who turned Min-joo, an otherwise unremarkable person, into someone special. A beloved sister-like figure. 

It hadn’t been long since she accepted the death of this warm-hearted, hopeful younger sister.

However, now, she entered the scenario.

“This is absurd.”

It’s unbelievable. 

Not only did the lack the ability to move between dimensions, but also ended up possessing each other. Moreover, the possessed Se-yeon didn’t even like romance. 

It’s unbelievable. If this were a novel, it would be a complete failure.

“If only you knew how Se-yeon is. Se-yeon is…”

“I don’t know how I ended up like this either. Sister, it’s so nice to meet you…”

There was no reason to lie, as the people here didn’t know about Se-yeon’s existence. And looking at Neriant, who was using force in such an outrageous manner, it seemed like Se-yeon had been snatched away.

The situation was so absurd that her head was spinning, and she felt dizzy as if her stomach was churning.

When Min-joo grabbed Vehen’s clothes and took a deep breath, Vehen turned to look at Min-joo. He gently patted her shoulder as his arm, which had reached out to protect her, surrounded her. His expression was full of concern.

“Breathe properly. Your complexion doesn’t look good.”

“Sister, are you okay?”

Seeing Min-joo’s precarious condition at a glance, Neriant approached with concern. Vehen reached out his hand to indicate a refusal.

It meant not to come any closer, not to interfere more, and not to ruin Min-joo’s condition.

Neriant took a deep breath and stepped back. Vehen pulled Min-joo into his arms, gently massaging her neck with his thick hands. It was a careful touch.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but please come back next time.”

“What? No. How did I even get here?”

“Is Min-joo in a state to have a conversation right now?”

She was in a state to talk.

Even though Vehen buried Min-joo’s face in his chest, preventing her from breaking free by gripping her, it didn’t show on the outside. Min-joo pulled at his clothes, asking to be let go, but she only appeared to struggle, with no effect.

With her face buried in his chest, it was difficult for Min-joo to breathe evenly, and amid the struggle, the coolness of his neck and his voice poured over her head…

“I’ll make space next time. Go back.”

Knowing that Min-joo was fine, Vehen, arrogantly raising his face as if unaware, coldly rebuked Neriant.

Neriant couldn’t force the issue any further.

Min-joo struggled, and the duke, torn between evicting her and firmly standing his ground, became increasingly ambiguous.

Neriant hesitated for a moment, then coldly fixed her face.

“In that case, I’ll take sister with me.”

He didn’t expect this response.

Vehen furrowed his brows seriously, twisting his body to prevent Min-joo from being taken away.

“You said earlier she didn’t get any permission. Allow it now. I’ll take Sister and make a living, cook, do whatever we want.”

Neriant took a step forward. Her slowly extended fingers were small and slender, yet filled with strength.

It seemed like she would be taken away. If given a little opportunity and caught off guard, she might disappear like smoke caught in a net.

Vehen grabbed the back of Min-joo’s head, asserting his ownership.

The atmosphere, thickened and settled, was menacing.

“She’s mine. She belongs to me, my maid. I cannot send her away. Didn’t I say I would make room again? If you force the issue like this, I have no choice but to forcibly evict you.”

“But…”

“Hey! Lady Velirian is leaving! Safely escort her!”

When the conversation didn’t get through, Vehen shouted towards the door. A servant who had been waiting outside opened the door and entered.

The servant sensed something unusual in the situation but pretended not to see anything, keeping their gaze on the floor as they approached Neriant.

“I can’t leave like this!”

Desperately shouting, Neriant pushed away the servant. With that touch, the servant convulsed and writhed on the floor.

It was a formidable force.

Neriant, swallowing her tears, reached out towards Min-joo. But before she could touch her, Vehen turned and blocked her way.

“Go back before I call the guards.”

“I can’t go back until I take my sister!”

The voices grew louder, and the atmosphere became precarious. Min-joo twisted her head, took a deep breath, and pushed Vehen’s hand away.

Startled, Vehen let go of the back of Min-joo’s head.

Leaning forward, Min-joo extended her face beyond Vehen’s arm, awkwardly smiling while suppressing her heavy breathing.

“See you next time. Se-yeon, I need some time to gather my thoughts.”

“Sister.”

“I want to go with you too. But later. Let’s talk later, calmly and slowly. Later.”

A single tear rolled down Neriant’s desperately stiffened face. Min-joo couldn’t bring herself to wipe it away and averted her gaze. The palpable reaction from Min-joo made Neriant feel a sense of devastation.

Upon hearing Min-joo’s firm rejection, Neriant reached down, grabbed the servant who was wailing on the floor by the collar with one hand, and lifted him upright.

It was truly an immense display of strength.

With the servant who intended to take Neriant away in front, Neriant looked back at Min-joo desperately.

The tears wouldn’t stop.

“See you again, Sis.”

A plea seemed to echo in the voice. Min-joo raised her hand in farewell, pulling it from Vehen’s embrace.

Neriant forced a bitter smile and walked away with the servant.

As Neriant left and the door closed, Min-joo finally let out a deep breath, leaning her upper body against Vehen’s arm.

‘Does this make sense? Se-yeon possessing the female lead?’

This couldn’t be right.

This couldn’t be…

When Min-joo’s hands trembled in confusion, Vehen gently guided her to sit on the sofa. 

With a gaze filled with concern, Vehen took a seat beside Min-joo. Handing her the tea that was meant for Neriant, Vehen didn’t object when Min-joo took a sip.

“What happened?” 

“It seems like my high school junior has possessed Neriant.”

“High school?” 

Vehen tilted his head slowly at the unfamiliar words. Min-joo swallowed, her throat dry from the cold tea.

“My close younger sister. We were close. But a few months ago, she died in a car accident. I even attended the funeral.”

“You said possessed?”

Vehen pondered Min-joo’s words, tapping his chin with his fingers. When you mentioned possession, it meant that another spirit entered the body. Though mentioned in the records of the temple, it was such a fantastical account that no one believed it. But now, it seemed possible.

Looking down at Min-joo, Vehen mused.

‘Well, there’s also dimensional travel.’

What difference did it make if it was possession? Now, Vehen could understand the strange rumors about Neriant. Being possessed probably meant becoming a strange person, after all.

Dealing with supernatural phenomena through connections, huh? Knowing that words spoken might lead to a rebuke, Vehen held his tongue.

Vehen lightly patted Min-joo’s shoulder and spoke.

“But I don’t understand why you didn’t follow. You said you’d go with her and then abandoned me.”

Right, Vehen was still a bit annoyed. He still remembered the moment when Min-joo had casually stuck to Neriant, pushing him away.

Min-joo chuckled ironically and leaned back on the sofa. Disheveled hair cascaded down the back of the sofa.

“It was terrifying, for a moment. A person I know is dead, calling me right in front of me. Who wouldn’t be scared? Moreover, calling me ‘sis’ in someone else’s body was creepy.”

Vehen couldn’t find words to console her. Such an experience was likely unique to Min-joo. 

Of course, Vehen had his wishes. He’d rather have his deceased parents wake up in someone else’s body.

Min-joo spoke with a serious expression.

“Moreover… Neriant looks so different from Se-yeon. Neriant is slender, delicate, and, you know, just like that. Not now, but she used to be.”

“Why is that?”

“Se-yeon is a fitness enthusiast. She claims she can do laundry with her stomach.”

“Ah.”

Her abdominal muscles were so tight that if you punched them, your hand would hurt more than her body.

Min-joo closed her eyes tightly, struggling with the disparity between Se-yeon and Neriant. The gentle face of Neriant and Se-yeon’s muscular body lingered painfully in her mind. It would undoubtedly become like that soon.

Unable to satisfy herself with Neriant’s body, she would grow her muscles to become extremely healthy. Like a muscle-building expert, maybe.

Or perhaps it had already happened. It seemed quite firm when embraced. 

Oh… Min-joo let out a small sigh. 

The plot was deviating from the assignment, and now even the outcome was unpredictable.