I Don’t Want to be a Villainess

Ye Sara’s actions could only be described as ‘unexpected.’

In fact, if one thought back to everything that happened since she walked into high school, it was clear that Ye Sara’s behavior was somewhat strange.

Students from the same middle school, whether they were in the same class as Ye Sara or not, knew a bit about her character. A being that had given up everything and never approached others first. When she was in elementary school, she craved attention and acted out in various bizarre ways, but by the time she graduated, she seemed to accept her situation and acted as though she no longer desired relationships with others.

Honestly, for the classmates, this was convenient. If they couldn’t see any particular reaction from her, obviously it made it easier to ignore her.

However, her behavior began to change from the day she graduated middle school.

Lee Soo-ah spoke to Ye Sara.

In fact, Ye Sara responded to that remark.

The two took a photo together at graduation.

…This meant that they took a photo together that didn’t even appear in the graduation album, showcasing Ye Sara, who was practically a recluse.

This was enough to spark controversy. Lee Soo-ah had already made many friends at school and was quite popular. Yet that girl, who had committed an act that was practically forbidden, was doing this.

What to do about someone like Lee Soo-ah?

The conclusion reached by other students was simple: just ignore her too. Since Lee Soo-ah was now associated with Ye Sara, there was no way to talk to Lee Soo-ah without getting entangled with Ye Sara.

At first, some students tried to have a conversation with Lee Soo-ah while ignoring Ye Sara, but it quickly became apparent that there was no way to avoid Ye Sara’s story while talking to Lee Soo-ah. Lee Soo-ah carried the guilt of having ignored Ye Sara during their middle school days. Every time she spoke with the other kids, she intentionally brought up Ye Sara. The kids would shut up every time that happened. Before long, it was inevitable that Lee Soo-ah would end up isolated like Ye Sara.

After entering high school, Ye Sara made another friend.

This time, it wasn’t difficult to ignore her. After all, that kid was an external transfer student. So, they had no one to consider a friend at the school. External transfer students were easily overlooked and easy prey to be ignored along with Ye Sara.

…That’s what they thought.

But the two became close, far too close.

Yoo Ha-neul approached Ye Sara without any hesitation. Ye Sara welcomed Yoo Ha-neul just as easily. The two would always chat during breaks, and Yoo Ha-neul would play pranks on Ye Sara.

While the other kids ignored each other in the class, it was difficult to completely ignore Ye Sara’s beautiful face. Just sitting there quietly drew people’s attention. Though her demeanor hinted at a certain coldness, it only added to her allure. Despite making efforts to ignore her, the fact that she seemed like a ‘flower on a cliff’ was an undeniable truth.

However, Yoo Ha-neul shattered that atmosphere with ease.

Every time she poked Ye Sara in the side, Ye Sara let out a strange yet cute sound. That sound was in stark contrast to the previous atmosphere.

And this is what made it funny.

Laughter is a physiological phenomenon. Maybe it could be forced down with thorough training. But over the past three years, the kids hadn’t learned how to hold back their laughter. After all, they had simply been ignoring each other.

…Recently, the kids sitting near Ye Sara were painfully realizing that it was far more difficult to endure someone funny than someone annoying or shouting.

*

After that, Ye Sara stirred up a lot more events. She talked with two extremely popular boys in school. They were both hard to ignore. One was the heir to the Hohm Group, a major company second only to Yujin Group in the country. Good-looking and quite popular.

The other was a boy rumored to possibly become a rising star in Korean soccer. He didn’t seem to care about dedicating himself to soccer, but aside from that, he was very popular. After all, girls who hated good-looking, athletic, and kind boys were probably just lesbians.

Sexual instincts are tough to resist. There was no girl in this school who could casually ignore either of these two. So, they simply hoped these two wouldn’t bring up Ye Sara while talking to them.

That’s right. The silence surrounding Ye Sara, forcefully covering her, was much thinner and weaker than the guards of that prison realized.

…And it became clearer today.

Students attending school tend to unknowingly think of the school as the entirety of their world. Such thoughts typically aren’t corrected until they graduate and start working. To truly confront the numerous evils in the world and recognize that all the social skills they learned are merely awkward gestures of a novice in society, it’s best to step outside and gain work experience.

Unless, of course, an outsider forcibly lets them know.

Some crazy photographer took a picture of Ye Sara. Even a crazy media outlet purchased that photo and wrote an article about it.

It was even about a dating rumor.

It made a huge announcement on the portal site’s main page.

Of course, it didn’t create as big of an impact as dating rumors of famous celebrities.

However, it was enough to spread gossip within the closed society of ‘school.’

Moreover, both protagonists of the rumored relationship were in the same class.

…It was unavoidable that their attention would be drawn to the two.

That’s right. No matter how much they treated Ye Sara like a transparent person in school, people outside really couldn’t care less about that fact.

As the article spread to other media outlets and communities, people began commenting on Ye Sara’s and Yoo Ha-neul’s faces, bodies, and outfits, and there was no way for the high school students isolated within their bubble to stop that.

Moreover, the kids in that school were still teens filled with sexual curiosity.

When they hear someone is dating, they naturally get curious. And if those two people happen to be the same sex, they become even more interested.

And the worries about themselves.

What if there are two homosexuals in the class? How do they change clothes during gym class? Even if the classmates ignore them, the gazes of those two would still be on their classmates.

Being treated like an invisible person is just a matter of ‘treatment.’ Those two are not truly invisible.

And then an incident burst forth that cemented their worries.

“Hey, come sit here.”

Ye Sara said brightly while looking at Yoo Ha-neul and smiled. Many had stolen glances at Ye Sara’s eye-smile, but this was the first time they saw her smile so brightly.

That pure and innocent expression was so beautiful that it was difficult to control their gaze.

Moreover, this was a kind of declaration.

Rumors, whatever—they were dating in reality, so what?

That meaning was embedded in her words.

At least, the kids in that class all thought so.

No matter what Ye Sara truly meant.

*

After being dazed for a while, Yoo Ha-neul suddenly slapped her cheeks with both hands.

Smack!

“Gah!”

Then, invigorated, she straightened up and strode over to my side.

She plopped down onto the adjacent seat I had set up.

Yeah, that’s how you should come out.

The article might have been misleading, but we were just friends.

However, there was no need to prove that in front of people. After all, I didn’t care less about others’ gazes.

Since Ye Sara was treated like a nonexistent person all this time.

I hoped for the best going forward.

Yoo Ha-neul rummaged through her bag, making a rustling sound.

And, as usual, she pulled out a bag of chocolates. It’s a product with small chocolates wrapped individually like candies.

She ripped open the big bag, grabbed a piece of chocolate from within, and handed it to me without a word.

I glanced at the chocolate for a moment before taking it with my mouth. My lips seemed to briefly brush against her fingers, but Yoo Ha-neul didn’t seem to care much.

“Is it good?”

Yoo Ha-neul asked as she always did.

I nodded.

I wasn’t sure how the kids around me were feeling, but from a distance, I sensed someone stretching their neck to peek at us.

We were supposed to be getting ready for class, yet they were sitting close together.

If there were even slightly nosy kids, seeing this scene would be unbearable. However, the kids nearby seemed to be forcibly holding back their curiosity about me.

Let’s wait and see what happens during class.

*

When the teacher entered the classroom and saw me and Yoo Ha-neul sitting together, she gaped.

After a few attempts to say something, she eventually closed her mouth.

Yeah, what could she say?

At the very least, she couldn’t mention me. Doing so would contradict the principle of ignoring me.

On the other hand, it wouldn’t be easy for her to call out Yoo Ha-neul. If she did, she would have to ask why she was sitting there, and if she explained, I’d get dragged into it.

Though I was treated like a transparent person, she couldn’t completely ignore me. After all, she had to give me grades, and my name was on the attendance list. Yujin Group was paying enough to award me perfect attendance, so if Yoo Ha-neul started talking about me, it would be impossible for them to deny I existed.

If that wasn’t the case—

“Yoo Ha-neul, if you don’t move your desk right now, I’m going to deduct points for your attitude.”

Right, that kind of abrupt threat might come out.

Thanks to her high grades, Yoo Ha-neul would suffer greatly from losing even a single attitude point.

However, Yoo Ha-neul steadfastly stayed seated despite the teacher’s words.

“I— Ah.”

Then I poked Yoo Ha-neul in the side with my finger to stop her rebellion.

Shaking my head at her.

“……”

Yoo Ha-neul bit her lip.

“……Sorry.”

It seemed she realized what she was thinking while watching me combine my desk. But it must have been frustrating that she couldn’t assist any further.

I stood up alongside Yoo Ha-neul and helped her move the heavy desk back into position.

And then, after pulling her chair over—

I plopped down in that very chair.

“……”

The classroom was enveloped in silence.

“……Sit down.”

The teacher said with a face red as a tomato. It was directed at Yoo Ha-neul. She probably imagined that if she said it like that, Yoo Ha-neul would oust me and sit in her own chair.

“……”

Yoo Ha-neul contemplated for a moment before attempting to sit in my spot.

However, she barely took a step before stopping.

I was holding onto her sleeve as she turned around.

Looking at Yoo Ha-neul with wide eyes, I shook my head.

Then I patted my thigh with my hand.

“……Uh……?”

Yoo Ha-neul’s mouth fell open.

And the mouths of all her classmates followed suit.

I smiled up at Yoo Ha-neul.

Sure, I was considered nonexistent in this classroom. That had always been the case for the past few years.

So, if that’s the case, isn’t the chair I’m sitting in empty?

I slowly turned my head to look directly at the teacher, who had begun to sweat profusely.

Now, let’s see you try to ignore me.

Watching my confidently smiling face, the teacher’s expression turned pale.

---