I Don’t Want to be a Villainess

“…….”

“…….”

“……Did you wait for me?”

After waiting for a while without a word, I asked, and Shin Sohee shrugged her shoulders.

“Not really?”

No, it seems like she was waiting. The school she attended was completely on the opposite side. It was a weird direction to stop by on the way home. Unless it was a random encounter while walking without thought, the only conclusion I could reach was that she had been waiting here on purpose.

“Uh, no, it’s just…”

More than anything, given that she responded with “not really,” her expression looked extremely annoyed. With one eyebrow slightly raised, she glanced down at me in a way that suggested she had something to say. No, to be precise, it looked more like she had something to hear rather than something to say.

“If you had contacted me first, I wouldn’t have made you wait unnecessarily.”

As I nervously touched my fingertips together and said that, only then did Shin Sohee let out a small laugh. It was a pretty natural smile, unlike the poker face from just a moment ago, so I felt a bit relieved, but—

“Ah~ Contact?”

Then she shrugged her shoulders once more.

“I must’ve forgotten that. I clearly remember saying yesterday, ‘Next time it’s my treat,’ and you replied with a smile, ‘I’ll be looking forward to it,’ but strangely I have no memory of actually getting your contact info.”

Yikes.

“I checked my phone just in case I had it saved, but it doesn’t seem to be there.”

Shin Sohee waved her cell phone in front of me.

…True. Now that I think about it, I had never given her my number.

I had never even considered it. Of course, I didn’t ignore or dislike Shin Sohee; I simply never thought about it because I rarely carried my smartphone around. Most of the time it was in Yang Hye-in’s maid uniform pocket, and even when I came to school, it just stayed in Yang Hye-in’s pocket.

The chairwoman was obsessively focused on isolating Ye Sara from the world. Naturally, she probably wouldn’t want me carrying a means of contacting someone while going out.

I didn’t expect she would sneak out beyond the wall.

Well, Ye Sara had been trained that way since an early age, so it wouldn’t be unusual for her to be lax like that.

If Yang Hye-in reported my antics to the chairwoman yesterday, I might’ve had someone keeping an eye on me… but for now, there’s nothing in sight, so I couldn’t make any plans.

“Ah, uh, that’s…”

As I hesitated to explain myself to the obviously annoyed Shin Sohee, Yoo Ha-neul elegantly landed beside me. With a pose that looked like she was ready to leap during gym class, Yoo Ha-neul seemed to sense the strangely chilly atmosphere between me and Shin Sohee, alternating her gaze between us.

“Is something going on?”

Yoo Ha-neul asked us with an expression that seemed to indicate she was certain we were going to meet Shin Sohee.

“……Nah.”

Shin Sohee sighed deeply and scratched her head.

“Nothing to worry about.”

“Really…?”

Yoo Ha-neul didn’t look particularly convinced, but she also didn’t pry any further.

Thud.

Finally, Lee Soo-ah jumped down. With a neat pose just as good as Yoo Ha-neul’s, she looked even graceful.

“Hey there?”

Lee Soo-ah calmly greeted Shin Sohee without any sign of surprise at her presence.

“Uh, right…”

…It seemed like Shin Sohee, the most ordinary person in the group, accepted the greeting with a look of indifference.

*

Anyway, we eventually ended up following Shin Sohee from behind.

Since I came to find her in person without any contact info, I didn’t really have a reason to refuse. After all, all I could do was wander around outside. I didn’t have my wallet with me at the moment. No matter where they went, it meant I wouldn’t be able to pay.

…It really is a depressing story for a young lady from the number one household in South Korea’s business world, but it’s true that Ye Sara’s situation wasn’t normal at all.

Fortunately, thanks to Shin Sohee saying she would pay me back for what I ate yesterday, I didn’t have to worry about spending money.

I did feel a bit guilty for getting a free meal though. I didn’t feel like I was spending my money on the food I treated them to yesterday. Even if that mansion really belongs to me and I’m paying the money to manage it, as someone who was originally from a humble background, it was hard to feel a sense of money being spent if it wasn’t my own payment.

Considering my estimated assets, spending that amount wouldn’t really register as ‘real’ for me.

But if I were to turn down such a statement from Shin Sohee, it would probably hurt her feelings a lot.

In fact, it wasn’t right for Shin Sohee to say she lived in a poor house; at the very least, she was above the middle class. I mean, just the fact that Hwayoung High School exists in such a pricey neighborhood says it all. The CG visuals of her house didn’t look cramped either. But Ye Sara’s background setting considered most of the kids in Hwayoung High School as ‘commoners.’

…So, for now, let’s just keep our mouths shut and let things go as they will.

Shin Sohee led us to a nearby bustling area. There was a large train station that allowed for subway transfers, and naturally, the area was densely packed with stations along the subway line. If you looked closely, there were still some of those overpriced fancy restaurants around.

Was she planning to treat us to something expensive, even if it stretched her budget a bit?

As I thought this while following behind, Shin Sohee halted abruptly.

“Here we are.”

Turning my head to follow her hand, we arrived at—

A perfectly ordinary hamburger franchise.

Ah, it’s not the one with the yellow M sign that has the most locations worldwide. Instead, it was that famous chicken burger place known for its cost performance from back in the day. These days it might have lost some of its luster, but it was still considered reasonably priced by some stores. Oddly, even in front of military bases where the M or L brands didn’t exist, you’d still find at least one store of that chicken burger brand.

“Uh…”

When I looked a bit dumbfounded, Shin Sohee showed a triumphant smile.

“How about it, you must have never tried it, right?”

Ah, now I get it.

It’s the typical cliché from romance comics, dramas, or movies where the wealthy character dismisses the food enjoyed by the commoner when the relationship begins, only to be dragged into trying it and becomes addicted to the food afterward.

This isn’t just a trope in media, it’s also a common prejudice held by some people.

However, that’s really just a ‘prejudice.’ According to some sociological research, wealthy individuals often enjoy both the amusements of commoners and the luxuries enjoyed by the truly wealthy. Just because someone is rich doesn’t mean they don’t eat ramen or order chicken. There could, of course, be differences in frequency.

But for Ye Sara, the story might be different. After all, she had been raised locked in her mansion, eating only what was given to her.

The problem was that I wasn’t Ye Sara.

Having lived in a semi-basement during my childhood, and even before coming here, having lived in a decades-old villa without an elevator, I was quite literally a ‘dirt spoon,’ so naturally, I had tried out various enjoyable foods that were budget-friendly. There was no way I hadn’t eaten at that brand.

Not just this brand—basically, I’d tried almost all the joys or foods that commoners typically experienced since I was a commoner myself!

If it were to be measured in terms of wealth, I’d probably have less than Shin Sohee, right?

I looked at the faces of the other two girls who had followed Shin Sohee.

Fortunately, Lee Soo-ah looked puzzled as if she had never been to a place like this. Yeah, even if the background is Korea, it’s a bit different from the Korea I used to live in. Surely the ‘rich girl cliché’ would exist. Plus, Lee Soo-ah was also a character aiming for Yoo Ha-neul, the scholarship student from a common background. Although I never played the game directly, I could totally see such a cliché event being included.

But the real problem was Yoo Ha-neul.

Smart and empathetic as Yoo Ha-neul is, she seemed to have figured out exactly why Shin Sohee wore such a confident expression. The problem was, she’s also from a common family. Just because she entered with a scholarship doesn’t mean she wouldn’t have experienced commoner culture like the other kids at Hwayoung High School.

Shin Sohee probably thought Yoo Ha-neul was just as much a refined young lady from a good household as her.

Yoo Ha-neul’s eyes were quivering. It was clear she had no idea how to act from this point on.

“……”

I hesitated for a moment. Should I just admit I’ve actually tried it? After all, I’ve been living in a wealthy household and might be able to slip in a comment about being curious and ordering it for delivery sometime.

…But saying that would definitely ruin Shin Sohee’s beaming face.

She had probably chosen this place based on her own criteria.

Moreover, Shin Sohee must have envisioned a scenario where a rich young lady marvels at commoner food.

If I admitted that I had tried it before, she would obviously be incredibly disappointed.

“……No.”

In the end, I told that noble lie.

And as I saw Shin Sohee smiling mischievously at me, I thought to myself, I really shouldn’t have lied.

*

“Ah, no, so….”

I avoided Shin Sohee’s piercing gaze and spoke.

“I mean, it’s delicious! It’s really good! Wow~ It’s a taste I’ve never had before~”

But the more I spoke, the more Shin Sohee’s expression sank.

It was definitely a mistake to lie!

Of course, it was tasty. How could it not be delicious? It had tender chicken thigh meat in a burger with sauce, lettuce, pickles, and onions!

But what could I say? I had eaten this flavor before! There was no way I could enjoy it as if it was my first time tasting it!

As I broke into a cold sweat while Shin Sohee stared at me, she sighed deeply.

“Ha….”

With the expression of someone whose appetite had just vanished, she said, “Well, maybe you’ve eaten chicken at some fancy restaurant. I guess it was a mistake to go with meat…?”

Then she analyzed the situation by herself.

Uh, no, that’s not it. Sure, chicken was on the menu, but I had never eaten it in burger form. Usually, I had been served from the menus of expensive Western-style restaurants.

Just as I was about to take another bite to somehow recover the situation, Shin Sohee abruptly stood up and snatched the chicken burger from my hand.

Wait, was she saying if I wasn’t going to enjoy it, I shouldn’t even eat it…?

I looked at her in shock, and Shin Sohee plopped the burger down and declared as if it was a proclamation.

“You can’t eat that much. If you finish this one, you won’t even be able to touch the next dish.”

Next dish…?

“Today, we’re going to keep going until we find food that satisfies you.”

No, I was satisfied! I was satisfied!

I just didn’t express my admiration!

But, of course, having already lied, there was no way for me to say that now.

I glanced at Lee Soo-ah and Yoo Ha-neul.

Lee Soo-ah, being the character she was, was happily taking bites out of the burger with sparkling eyes, while…

Upon hearing Shin Sohee’s proclamation, Yoo Ha-neul continued to stare at her half-eaten burger, eyes trembling.

……

It seems it’s going to be hard to head home early today……

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