I Don't Want To Do a Romantic Comedy With a Villain! - Chapter 44

Episode 44

Permette ran his fingers through his ashy hair.

He couldn’t understand why Min-joo was getting worked up over such a trivial topic.

“Isn’t it evident just by looking at the food chain of animals?”

“Are you saying that humans, as thinking beings, are similar to animals?”

“That’s an exaggeration.”

Min-joo seemed to have a lot to say to Permette, who showed displeasure. Min-joo thought that Permette’s values and moral concepts didn’t align well with hers. After all, he was a character created as trash.

After rinsing her mouth with coffee, Min-joo spoke.

“What’s the difference between animals using strength to dominate and plunder, and humans doing the same? The idea that power is authority is too antiquated.”

Permette chuckled in disbelief, a more absurd attitude than mockery. As he finished his coffee, he retorted.

“Well, that was quite a lofty tale. So, who gives this power?”

“The weak. Those within the group make the judgment and give it to a person who is good and capable.”

Min-joo thought of elections. Choosing a leader through voting rather than an inherited system.

It was a system completely alien to this world. However, it was still a long way off. It was an era without even light bulbs.

Leaning on her hand, Min-joo scratched the plate with her fork and asked.

“But why does Permette think that way? Why do you believe power is strength?”

“Just look at hatred.”

“No, there must be a reason why Permette came to think that way.”

Permette opened his mouth but then closed it. It didn’t seem like something he wanted to discuss. It was too violent and too personal.

Min-joo saw Permette swallow his words. He had a lot to hide and didn’t like revealing things. That’s why Min-joo never tried to dig into his past or show too much curiosity. However, now she wanted to know more about Permette.

“Tell me. Was Permette’s relationship with family not good? Oh, sorry if this is too impolite.”

Min-joo thought that Permette’s lack of humanity towards the man sitting across from her was related to his family. Perhaps he had suffered abuse or received improper education.

Min-joo felt that Permette wasn’t entirely irredeemable from the core. So, she continued.

“I thought Permette’s values were rooted in family. If not, then never mind.”

Permette slowly closed and opened his yellow eyes.

Dust floated in the air. The sweet aroma from the kitchen connected to the hall, the faint sound of indistinct conversations, and the robust, bitter taste of coffee in the mouth created a vivid atmosphere.

Permette had never shared his family history with anyone, nor had he ever laid bare his inner thoughts. Discussing the concept of power or engaging in philosophical discussions about reshaping values were considered unnecessary luxuries by Permette.

Simply because they were too different. Because they were different kinds of humans.

Permette, like an apple rolling on the ground, naturally found himself drawn to Min-joo.

She pricked the remaining half of the apple tart with a fork. Even though she hadn’t finished it, from the moment it touched her lips, she had already escaped from paradise. Just like the primal human who, escaping completeness, learned about inadequacy, craving more, and greedily yearning.

Permette chuckled softly, his yellow eyes folding in half and shining like gold. 

“If you ask if my relationship with my family was bad, it wasn’t quite like that.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. It’s closer to me avoiding my family unilaterally. I’ve been deficient since I was born, as you know. So, I didn’t understand.”

Family. Permette muttered softly. It was the first time he had spoken about himself, and he wasn’t sure what to say.

“What you’re curious about, Min-joo, seems to be the reason I shot my family. Is that correct?”

Min-joo looked at Permette for a moment and then smiled lightly. Swinging the fork, she cut the remaining cake in half.

“That’s also interesting, but tell me something else. I don’t know much about Permette.”

“Why are you curious about my past?”

“Just curious. About what kind of person Permette is.”

So, that’s why. Min-joo wanted to dissect and examine Permette.

Was he shaped differently from her brain? Was that why he was so different?

Permette instinctively knew that no matter how he probed, the same answer would be repeated.

“This country still passes down the family line to the firstborn. I think that tradition is foolish. My brother was emotional, and my sister was delicate. They all told me not to harbor ambitions, from how to run a guild efficiently to how to perform errands. They said not to be ambitious.”

Min-joo silently listened to Permette’s words.

Permette took a deep breath. The scent of coffee and the aroma of snacks mixed, stimulating his nose.

“Don’t kill my brother’s spirit. Learn enough to marry into another noble family. Heeding their words, my brother never countered them. Maybe he hoped I wouldn’t threaten his position anymore.”

Thus, he was deprived of educational opportunities, and chances to experience were taken away. All family members viewed Permette as a potential threat, a black sheep coveting the position of the heir while being the second-born.

“I couldn’t understand it. Why should I suppress myself when I’m better? I don’t believe emotions are necessary to continue a family. If anything, isn’t it better without them?”

To prove that he was better than his elder siblings, Permette resorted to evil. Not permitted, he studied secretly and went out to harm people on the field. If Permette’s brother had been better, if he had been a more exceptional person, he wouldn’t have harbored such ambitions. It seemed within reach yet elusive.

The pond dried up when he stooped to quench his thirst, and the fruit-laden branches rose high when he stretched his hand due to hunger. Suddenly, something burst out.

“The reason for shooting the gun wasn’t much.”

Permette clenched is fist. Veins popped up on the back of his hand, and his bones protruded. The more prominent veins indicated how tightly he had clenched his fist.

“It wasn’t mine to begin with. Why should I, who am so talented, not have it? Why should the order in the world be so important? My brother said difficult tasks were for him, and I shouldn’t suffer. It’s so ridiculous… Some people covet that position, and some even strive for it…”

Frustrated, Permette took a deep breath. With each inhale, his shoulders and chest rose significantly.

“So, I thought, I’ll just kill everyone. Though it seemed like you were looking for a grand reason, it was just my greed. I wanted to become the heir. That’s why.”

Permette’s distorted expression gradually faded into a soft smile. Min-joo thought it was the first time she had seen Permette react so emotionally.

“Strength is power. Just as I harmed my family to seize the position of the heir.”

“Didn’t Permette love his family?”

“Yes. But I understand. My family loved me. It’s just that I couldn’t reciprocate that affection.”

Permette knew why his brother told him not to suffer. He probably didn’t want him to endure a life of hardship, filled with errands and misdeeds, working under the estate.

He wished for him to live a warm life with their sister, only seeing the good things. However, even that was a betrayal for Permette. He knew why his parents didn’t recognize him as the heir.

It was because he lacked humanity. His parents believed that even if the heir did something wrong, they should be able to discern right from wrong to lead the household.

If one harmed others, they should stay up all night regretting it and feel the torment of being human. In that aspect, Permette was deemed unfit to become the heir.

Permette had become a perfect tool, a person who could harm others without guilt. And that expectation was accurate. 

Min-joo thought Permette’s hair color perfectly suited him. Not entirely black like a lunatic, and not completely fair, indicating he was an ordinary person. The fact that he didn’t even love his family made it feel absurd that Permette loved Min-joo. 

Min-joo raised her head and looked out the window. The tired sun was setting over serene buildings. 

“Still, you know that it was wrong, right?”

“Even so, if I could turn back time, I would make the same choice.”

“…Then, if I were to meet the Permette from back then, I would try to stop him. There must be other ways.”

Min-joo finished the remaining coffee, straightened her skirt, and stood up. Even if there were other ways, she didn’t want to waste time and emotions when there was the most efficient and quickest way. 

Even if Min-joo tried to stop him, Permette would pull the trigger again.

Permette didn’t doubt that. Permette stood up and followed her.

“Let’s go back. We can discuss what to do over dinner.”

“I had cake, do I have to go in again?”

“Meals and snacks are separate.”

“You have two stomachs like a cow.”

“That’s how it is.”

As the two left, the remaining piece of cake fell off the plate with a soft thud.

* * *

Permette left Min-joo standing at the intersection to call the carriage. 

Min-joo looked around and realized that the place she was standing was near the building she had moved to in this world. 

As Min-joo had crossed dimensions over the wall, she became curious about what might have changed when she checked the wall again after some time had passed.

After confirming that Permette had disappeared from her sight, Min-joo spoke to a newspaper-selling boy who had been standing nearby, keeping an eye on things.

“If a handsome man with dirty gray hair and yellow eyes asks you where the dark-haired, dark-eyed woman is, will you tell him to wait for her, that she’ll be right back, and if she doesn’t come after twenty minutes or so, tell him to go back first?”

“Sure thing.”

“Thanks.”

The newspaper boy nodded with a friendly smile. Min-joo sighed in relief, clutched her skirt, and began to jog toward the gray building. Having roamed around for a week, she vividly remembered this building.

Swiftly scanning around, she discovered the gray building beyond the alley on the other side of the main street. The roof had a bluish tint, just as she remembered.

Growing anxious, she quickened her pace. Her breath became increasingly labored. 

Crossing the alley and moving through another block, the familiar figure with light blond hair and vivid pink eyes approached.

The twilight cast a dim, reddish hue on the figure. The flamboyantly embroidered suit was recognizable.

It was the person she had seen on the street during the day.

‘It’s Tedric.’

What should she do? Min-joo stopped jogging and hid behind the building. 

Tedric was having a conversation with an older nobleman in a narrow alley, surrounded by individuals who seemed to be his guards.

She didn’t have a gun to intervene, and just letting it happen felt wrong. Silently holding her breath, she heard Tedric’s gentle voice.

“There seems to be a growing demand for the emancipation of slaves, more than I anticipated. I heard there were even some nobles participating in the recent uprising in the capital. They were referred to as reformists.”

“Yes, that’s correct. There have been speeches advocating for slave emancipation in various parts of the capital for a while now.”

“It’s troublesome, Count Mirtese. The reason they act so radically must be because there is a powerful force supporting them from behind, right?”

Count Mirtese, running his fingers through his white beard, responded quietly.

“It is expected that they received support. Shall I investigate further?”

“Yes, please. And also, request additional cleanup.”

Cleanup. 

Min-joo raised her head and peeked at Tedric from behind the building. 

Clearly, there were plans to harm the reformist nobles. And the one supporting them was Permette, with Vehen at the top.

She needed to go back and inform them. As Min-joo was about to step back, in a fleeting moment, Tedric’s voice reached her ears.

“It’s inconvenient if someone overhears our secret conversation.”

Min-joo’s image was captured in Tedric’s vivid pink eyes. The intense color coldly penetrated through her.