I Don't Want To Do a Romantic Comedy With a Villain! - Chapter 31
Episode 31
“It’s unnecessary worry. Even if Min-joo worries about Lady Velirian, Lady Velirian won’t worry about Min-joo.”
It was a firm response.
Neriant spoke as if she naturally didn’t consider Min-joo important, recounting her own experiences. Permette still stared directly, and as he finished speaking, he closed his mouth.
His long eyelashes and calmly sparkling yellow eyes were beneath a well-defined nose and a graceful jawline, creating a face so beautiful that it didn’t need gender identification. Min-joo silently observed Permette’s profile with thin lines, while beyond, the dense trees and falling shadows of leaves created a scene reminiscent of a cinematic masterpiece.
Beautiful Permette, seemingly devoid of human emotions, looked like a god observing from a distance. Min-joo couldn’t bring herself to touch that beauty and clenched her fist.
“Why does Permette think that way? I was very close with Se-yeon, no, with Neriant.”
“The past is not so important. The current situation is what matters.”
Permette replied maintaining eye contact and looking down at Min-joo. His yellow eyes seemed to pierce through her, or rather, to read her.
Min-joo did not avoid Permette’s gaze, patiently waiting for the conversation to continue. Leaves rustled as the wind carried them away. The trees shook softly.
“Lady Velirian is not the person you knew as Se-yeon.”
It took Min-joo a moment to understand Permette’s words. Se-yeon was dead, and Neriant now inhabited her body, meaning her identity, circumstances, and everything else were different from the Se-yeon Min-joo knew. It was advised not to approach Neriant with the memories of the past.
Min-joo stopped walking. Permette’s steps, beside hers, went a bit further ahead. The sound of his shoes crushing the earth broke like waves.
“But the Se-yeon I know is still the same.”
She still valued Min-joo, her strength, her ability to admit mistakes and apologize, and even Se-yeon’s nonchalant attitude towards others. It was still the Se-yeon Min-joo knew.
In response to Min-joo’s words, Permette turned his body. His deep blue jacket and ash-colored hair fluttered with the motion. Beneath the curly golden hair, his yellow eyes sparkled, purer than white, and brighter than black.
Min-joo could finally read the emotions Permette often revealed to her. It was anticipation. But what exactly? Min-joo had nothing to offer to Permette—no wealth, no power, nothing. What could he possibly expect from a commoner like her, who barely relied on the nobility for work?
Even if she knew the future, there was nothing she could do. If she could overturn the world, Min-joo wouldn’t have faced the threat of execution and wouldn’t have had to beg for her life from Vehen.
“I don’t understand you, Min-joo, what makes you so sure that Lady Velirian is the way she is? What in the world do you believe and give such faith so easily?”
Permette frowned and paused in his steps, getting closer to Min-joo.
Leaves rustled, whimpering, and the earth beneath his shoes suffocated under the pressure. In the scent wafting from Permette, Min-joo slowly blinked and looked up at him.
Min-joo softened her lips as she observed Permette’s expression.
“I can’t forget the time we spent together and what she showed me. The Se-yeon I remember is still Se-yeon. The same goes for Permette.”
There were no signs of Permette’s forehead creasing in response.
Min-joo playfully smiled and nudged Permette’s forehead with her index finger. His head briefly recoiled before returning.
“Permette’s personality may be like trash, but he’s quite good on his own. He willingly carries heavy burdens, protects in danger, and, even if he can’t empathize, he shows consideration. His manufactured sociability isn’t all that bad.”
A sense of unease hung in the air, like being submerged in water, making Min-joo’s ears feel heavy, and her breath caught.
Her limbs seemed to float freely as if losing gravity. Permette grasped his chest, opened his mouth, and took a deep breath.
Water invaded his mouth and lungs, blocking Permette’s breath.
“Permette is undoubtedly a born villain, but he’s not so bad to me. Communication is better than expected, and he has helped a lot.”
Permette recalled what he had wished for from Min-joo.
Min-joo, who had often seemed to see through others, wished she could truly understand him by peering into his own heart. She hoped to unravel Permette, who was layered with labels like messenger, villain, and tool, and reveal his essence. However, Permette had overlooked something: he didn’t know what he truly was, what essence he possessed. Having become too accustomed to his external appearance, Permette stared at Min-joo as if enchanted.
Black strands of hair fluttered in the wind, echoing like ripples in the lake of Permette’s mind—gentle, expansive.
“If not your person, you wouldn’t even spend money, but you’ve gifted me shoes.”
Min-joo playfully laughed, lifting her foot to show the shoes Permette had given her. The shoes already showed signs of wear on the scuffed toes.
Permette suddenly wanted to ask. When he gave her those shoes, did she think of him? Did she feel good because of the things he had given her?
But Permette had hidden much about himself because he didn’t know who he truly was. He had become so familiar with his appearance that he had forgotten himself.
“It’s not a gift if you have to pay it back.”
“If I don’t pay you back, will you ask for it back? I don’t think so.”
“Why would you judge me like that? You don’t even know me.”
Min-joo rolled her eyes at Permette’s question. The sound seemed to echo from her large eyes with black pupils.
No, it might have been Permette’s heartbeat.
Looking at the branches covering the sky, Min-joo casually replied. Her response was clear like autumn, refreshing like a cloudless sky.
“Why not? I’ve seen you quite often. Then, Permette, do you not know me?”
“…Yes.”
“What kind of person am I?”
Sensing an odd flow in the conversation, Permette closed his mouth.
Min-joo tilted her head, leaning forward as if urging Permette to answer. The distance between them shortened.
A scent similar to Vehen emanated from Min-joo. A mix of coffee on her body and a subtle aroma of paper. Yet, it was different from Vehen’s light scent of flowers, more profound than a fruit scent.
Permette swallowed his breath for a moment.
The proximity made Permette inexplicably uncomfortable, and he took a step back, then another. The distance only widened when he finally stepped back.
However, Min-joo still awaited Permette’s response. Meanwhile, a storm of thoughts churned inside Permette.
‘You trust people too easily.’
‘It’s amusing to tease you.’
‘You claim to know prophecy, yet it’s useless.’
‘Your mind is unnecessarily positive, like a garden of flowers.’
‘You’re white, fragile, easily hurt, and waste emotions unnecessarily.’
‘And…’
Permette gazed at Min-joo, who was faintly smiling in front of him. Her slender neck and limbs were revealed by the simple and inexpensive dress. The shoes he had given her, and her delicate, soft fingers, seemingly untouched by hardship.
Under the black hair covering her eyebrows, a graceful jawline and light double eyelids continued, along with a puppy-like droopy-eyed look.
Like a dog that wags its tail, loving and trusting people easily, even if betrayed and hurt. Min-joo’s face as she looked at Permette was composed of affection, a small amount of love, and intimacy.
‘Tender.’
‘You don’t see the bad side, only compliments the good.’
‘Easy to deal with. It feels quite comfortable to be around you.’
‘You have a sweet scent, and your skin is fair, so black hair suits you well. Blue looks prettier than red.…’
It felt like he was transferring these thoughts to the woman in front of him. It was confusing and dizzying.
The sensation was similar to losing discernment, and Permette felt disoriented. His mind, which had always been judged based on information, was not in a favorable state.
It felt distorted and broken as if a virus had infiltrated, causing damage. Permette shifted his gaze and murmured lowly.
“…Wanderer.”
Permette, accustomed to wielding power, did not like being on the receiving end. He had never experienced it before, and he had no immunity.
Naturally, he responded lightly, hiding himself and answering without weight to easily change the flow. It might be a nonchalant response that could provoke anger or disappointment.
Permette glanced at Min-joo with a side-eye.
“At least let the species be the same.”
It was a frivolous laugh. What came from Min-joo was not sadness or resentment but laughter. Permette realized it at that moment—Min-joo had no expectations of him.
She didn’t ask for anything or want anything. Permette felt a strange discomfort in his chest, and the reason was unclear.
As Min-joo looked into the distance, Permette, who was observing her from afar, felt a pang of loneliness. He couldn’t understand why.
Turning to face Min-joo, he caught her gaze. At her admiration, Permette casually shifted his gaze to the trees.
Indeed, as Min-joo mentioned, some trees were turning red.
“Is it beautiful?”
“Yeah, I like it.”
The man rolled his yellow eyes, capturing the woman in his gaze. Rather than the trees turning red, the woman looking at them appeared more beautiful. More than the mesmerizing nature, the petite woman standing beside him seemed even more enchanting.
Min-joo, who had been standing still, kicked the dirt with her heel, murmuring as if complaining. Though her voice was small, it was loud enough for Permette to hear.
“Now that the big task is over, I should have some free time, right? I hope so.”
“Is it that difficult for you?”
Why he was concerned about Min-joo, Permette himself did not realize.
“It’s tough. There was so much work to do. I am quite a weak person. I grew up delicately.”
Indeed, she seemed that way. Min-joo’s hands were soft, without any signs of injury. She crumbled easily, trusting people without clear reasons. Like someone who grew up being loved.
Permette nodded lightly. Min-joo’s laughter then broke into fine pieces.
“So, I want to quit being a maid quickly. I want to go home, rest in my bed, and submit my assignments.”
“Do you really want to go?”
Permette knew it was a cautious question, but Min-joo didn’t pay much attention. Going home was a natural desire for her.
“Yes. I don’t have money or status, but I have a life.”
The man clenched and then spread his hands, and as the presumed wind left, it rustled through the ends of his coat.
Min-joo did not pay much attention to it and continued speaking.
“That’s why I want to go home. It’s the only thing I wish for.”
The man looked at his hands, marked with scars, then opened them. The wind that seemed to be caught gently brushed through his fingers.
He glanced at Min-joo’s face and then looked up, focusing on the fluttering ends of her hair.
In the familiar face of the smiling woman, longing was embedded.
Permette realized it. What Min-joo expected and wished for was solely to return home.
To Vehen, to Neriant, and even to her intimate wish, it was just one desire – to return home.
At the age of twenty, the young man felt an inexplicable desire to fulfill the woman’s wish. The wind that touched his skin was tingling.