I Don't Want To Do a Romantic Comedy With a Villain! - Chapter 57
Episode 57
8. Actually, that’s how it was.
Min-joo sensed that the emotions conveyed in Vehen’s confession were not composed of pure affection. There was a subtle distortion in Vehen’s face, and Min-joo caught a whiff of the scent of dust accumulated in the lungs.
Vehen insisted it wasn’t so, but Min-joo was not surprised by his confession.
She already knew Vehen’s feelings, and she thought it wouldn’t be strange for him to confess at any time. Besides, she didn’t dislike Vehen. His confession even felt somewhat pleasant.
It was a strange feeling.
Min-joo took Vehen’s hand and gently comforted him. Vehen couldn’t bring himself to let go of Min-joo’s hand, squinting his eyes as if trying to discern an image in the pattern of the carpet beneath him.
“…Vehen, I don’t know how long we’ve known each other, but I haven’t spent enough time with you to accept your feelings. Moreover, I’ll be going back home, and if that happens, parting is inevitable.”
“I know. I know it very well.”
“But if Vehen wishes for progress between us…”
Vehen, with half-open eyes, looked at the carpet pattern on the floor and then gazed at Min-joo. His jade-colored eyes were moist. Min-joo couldn’t judge his reaction. She didn’t know how much life he had lived, how much pain he had experienced or lost.
Min-joo, despite knowing the outcome was determined, was a foolish person who could easily escape and run away. So, if parting was waiting, it was okay. If the ending was acceptable.
It’s your decision, Vehen, persuade her.
“Express it. That you care about me, that you have feelings for me. If you don’t express it, I won’t know.”
Yes, Vehen also knows. He knows what Min-joo is saying. But having experienced so much deprivation, helplessness, and loss, he couldn’t determine a suitable standard.
He wanted to save Min-joo and vowed to make her happy even once in the countless lives he endured. He felt resentful for being so greedy after just one confession. Even though he should be satisfied after expressing his feelings.
But fearing that his persistence would burden Min-joo even more, he couldn’t bring himself to nod hastily.
“It will be a burden for you. If I can safely send you home, I’ll be satisfied with that.”
“Vehen, as I just said, do what you want. As long as it doesn’t harm others, anything you do is okay.”
“I’m afraid that what I want to do will harm you.”
She knew he was a considerate person, but she didn’t expect Vehen to be this cautious. Min-joo thought he’d tell her to handle it herself.
Min-joo looked at Vehen, who seemed either sulky or powerless today, with pity. His broad shoulders, usually straight, looked slouched today. Awkwardly, Min-joo tried to lighten the mood, raising her voice.
“Do you know if it will harm me or not? Did you ask me?”
“What?”
He was so bewildered that he couldn’t respond properly. Vehen raised his head in confusion, and the light flickered, casting shadows on his face. Leaning his upper body, elbows resting on his thighs, Vehen, with his imposing stature, resembled a wolf pretending to be a herbivore.
Vehen was known as a villain in society, rough and difficult to date due to his blunt and efficiency-focused personality. However, he was a warm and surprisingly caring person.
Min-joo was unfamiliar with the emotion called love between partners. She didn’t know what was beyond the vague feeling of liking someone. If she were to learn about love, she thought it would be nice if Vehen were the one to teach her.
He was not one to handle emotions lightly, given his gruff exterior.
“If you really like me to the extent that it would harm me, do you think I wouldn’t know?”
“You wouldn’t know because you haven’t experienced it.”
“Why not ask me? If you want to give me a gift, hold my hand, or go on a date with me, just ask. If I don’t like it, I won’t do it. And I don’t dislike you, Vehen.”
Vehen was left speechless, staring at Min-joo in confusion.
Yes, he had forgotten something so obvious. Because he had lived so long, he forgot that if he didn’t ask, he wouldn’t know.
Min-joo was different this time. She had a close friend, a dear sibling on Neriant, unlike the perfect stranger who endured alone in the foreign world before. Or maybe something was changing, and Min-joo’s reactions were different.
Vehen had never met a Min-joo who actively expressed opinions about improving their relationship. Perhaps it was his issue of keeping a distance, fearing that he might cling to Min-joo too much.
He suddenly realized that he hadn’t engaged in deep conversations with Min-joo, who was willing to save him. Min-joo had been facing each situation differently, but he had been too focused on just saving her.
Vehen took a long breath, touched his forehead, and turned his head. Strands of hair flowed down over his fingers. The forced smile on his face was subtly warm and somewhat damp.
He had kept his emotions restrained and suppressed throughout numerous lives, not knowing how heavy they were. Now, Vehen was ready to pour out his feelings for Min-joo, as intense as he had ever felt.
“Do you know how much I’ve endured and held back… it’s not easy.”
“Well, you’re talking as if you’ve been starving for months. It’s not like you’re going to eat me… right?”
“I don’t know. I might.”
Vehen glanced at Min-joo with his intense, deep-set eyes. Min-joo felt a shiver down her spine and rubbed her arms with her palms.
“This, this isn’t like you! Why are you behaving like everyone else?”
“You don’t know much about me.”
“But still, you’ve seen me until now! You weren’t the type to confess so openly!”
One of Vehen’s eyebrows twitched. His sturdy face was familiar, but the changed atmosphere felt strange.
“No, let’s ask. If you said you weren’t so fond of me, why confess suddenly?”
“Well, that’s what I want to do the most. And you said it yourself, do what you want. I can’t hold back any longer.”
Vehen stared at Min-joo persistently. His jade-colored eyes sparkled sharply. Overflowing with dense and almost suffocating affection, Min-joo wondered if she had made a mistake for a moment.
No, no matter how many regressions Vehen had gone through, he was still Vehen. Since future knowledge was useless, Min-joo decided to empty her mind and accept the changed Vehen as he was.
Feeling the conversation had been roughly concluded, Min-joo brought up the next topic.
“So, what are we going to do now? We need to prevent Tedric from inheriting the throne, but I don’t particularly want to see bloodshed.”
“Why bother asking me when you know the future.”
“Look at you being sarcastic. With all your experience, you should know what the best outcome is.”
The sharp scent of paper, the faint ink fragrance, the sound of dripping candle wax, the tapping, thudding noise as leaves brushed against the window – all familiar noises felt momentarily unfamiliar to Vehen.
Throughout his life, he had only made an effort to find the best outcome during the early regressions. Goals such as practicing justice, creating a better world, and contributing to society by holding high positions in a country were now blurred memories that he couldn’t recall clearly.
Could he return to his original intentions?
Vehen murmured. The ambiguous feeling lingered; he wasn’t entirely convinced.
“If there’s been no good outcome, then let’s create one.”
A cheerful voice resonated in his ears. Vehen opened his mouth slightly and focused on Min-joo, as if entranced.
“I’ve thought about it. It may be inevitable for Ceteran to become the emperor. Still, there might be a way to minimize bloodshed. If we can’t persuade Tedric, we could expose his actions so far, send him to another country, or create incidents to garner support for Ceteran from those who support Tedric. What do you think?”
Is there a solution that harms no one? Vehen had never experienced such a thing throughout his many lives. If someone gains, someone else is bound to suffer—it is a natural fact.
Vehen pondered on how to adjust the balance of this weight evenly.
Taking from those who already had little would yield no good. It was logical to distribute what the affluent possessed. However, wealthy individuals were reluctant to let go easily; their greed tended to increase with their possessions.
Although Min-joo’s words seemed amusing and unrealistic to Vehen, there might be some truth to them. Despite the existence of cruel people like himself, there were undoubtedly good individuals like Ceteran and Neriant.
Leaning back on the backrest, Vehen spoke lazily. His low voice resonated clearly.
“That’s important too, but we must prevent the Crown Prince from assassinating the Empress. The Third Prince, who lost his mother, can become quite violent. He’s obsessed with revenge and plans to put the Crown Prince on the guillotine.”
“In the future I know, the Empress will die, and there seems to be no way to prevent it. What’s the best way you know, Vehen?”
“…I killed the Crown Prince.”
He had efficiently eliminated the root of all evil at an early stage. Min-joo responded with a bewildered face.
“Denied.”
“Accepted.”
“If you warn the Empress or Ceteran and tell them to be careful, Tedric will surely be harmed. But… why does Tedric want to poison the Empress?”
“Do I have to know that?”
“What am I saying, really?”
Vehen chuckled softly and reached out towards Min-joo’s disheveled hair. She flinched, and a black strand of hair hung down over her shoulder. His touch was delicate and familiar.
Min-joo glanced at his large hand and then at Vehen. A languid and gentle smile adorned his face, exuding a strange sense of satisfaction and reassurance.
Min-joo thought it was charming that Vehen could find joy in such a simple act as handing over a strand of hair.
“Actually, I don’t care what happens to the throne. As long as you’re safe, that’s enough for me.”
“Weird. Really. Still, I hope to end this life well since it’s my first. I want a happy ending without the Empress dying or anyone shedding blood. A happy ending, wouldn’t that be nice?”
“If you want it, then so be it. As I mentioned before, I…”
“If I wish for something, do you have the power to make it happen? I know. Vehen, I hope people can lead their lives busily, looking forward to tomorrow.”
Min-joo smiled gently.
When she first arrived here, living in poverty in the theater, the affluent nobles she saw on the streets with Permette, the busy lives of commoners, and the ominous aura around the hungry poor.
She knew how painful life could be when people lost their humanity due to their lack of status and money. Her living conditions weren’t much different. However, she still had a consciousness of protecting the weak.
In this place, could a world of equality, even in the illusionary realm, be achieved?
“Protecting the weak, learning without being bound by status, and doing what you want… I hope it becomes a world like that. It might sound absurd, but that’s how it was where I lived.”
“It sounds like a dream.”
“Dreams should come true. Don’t you know?”
“I don’t.”
“You know nothing.”
Vehen thought that Min-joo’s eyes were brighter than anything, even against the candlelight or the galaxy.
Her eyes were so bright that they could outshine the world. He thought Min-joo’s eyes were like the sun, illuminating the world.
Vehen extended his hand to Min-joo.
“Yeah, I’ll make it come true. If it doesn’t, I’ll make it come true in the next life. So, promise me that if you meet me in the next life, let’s change the world again.”
“Of course. There’s so much to change here.”
Min-joo shook Vehen’s hand. After shaking it twice in the air, she tried to let go, but Vehen didn’t release his grip.
“Wanna go on a date with me?”
She did ask him to ask, but wasn’t this a bit sudden?
They were just resolved to change the world a moment ago.