I Don’t Want to be a Villainess

Shin Sohee’s outfit was so painfully intense that Yoo Ha-neul and Lee Soo-ah also looked impressive in their own ways.

Yoo Ha-neul was wearing a black t-shirt, which must have originally fit her body perfectly because the chest area was stretched tightly. The part that was supposed to be black seemed a little lighter where it pressed against Yoo Ha-neul’s pale skin.

…If I took a close-up of that area, one might mistake it for stockings instead of a shirt.

By the way, she wasn’t wearing anything below.

Should I create a rule in my room for everyone to wear pants?

As for Lee Soo-ah… well, at least out of the three, her outfit was the most normal. She was at least wearing my pajama bottoms. Of course, they were mid-size, and compared to me, they didn’t fit at all, so there was no helping that her chest area also ballooned out. Honestly, it looked like the buttons were really strained, and I could probably fit a finger between them.

“……”

And the three of them were silent.

Well, of course, they just had an incredibly embarrassing experience.

While I was panicking over their outfits, I completely overlooked a simple fact: normally, even if people feel comfortable undressing at home, they wouldn’t do so when at a friend’s house.

The reason is simple. Regardless of whether they care about what their friend sees, there’s always the chance of being seen by the friend’s family.

No, it’s not just a chance. If you visit a friend’s house, it’s a given you’ll be seen.

Was it because they felt relieved seeing that my place was a mansion? Or did they forget we were in a ‘room’ because this space is larger than most homes?

In fact, the most serious issue was that they forgot how many household staff members actually exist in this mansion.

Right, there are a lot of people living here aside from me.

It’s just that everyone moves around silently.

And this room was also somewhere maids could casually enter without me calling.

If Yoo Ha-neul had seen Yang Hye-in’s face freeze in shock while holding fried chicken with half-seasoned and half-bone delivered to my door, it would have been impossible for her not to feel embarrassed.

Of course, Yang Hye-in is a professional maid.

She didn’t show her surprise on her face. That momentary freeze was just that—momentary.

…But the real problem was the fact that our eyes met.

“……Should we eat?”

Fortunately, the room was spacious enough to have a table. When I said this while placing the chicken in the middle of the table before the three sitting with their heads bowed, they all weakly nodded.

…Yeah, I get that you don’t have clothes, but if you’re going to wear that kind of outfit, at least do it right before sleeping.

“……”

For a while, we all ate chicken in silence.

What the heck should I say?

…If I try to comfort them, it might just make things more embarrassing, right?

“Ah, right!”

“Uhh!”

As we continued to eat chicken in the silence, suddenly, Haneul shouted as if she just thought of something, startling us.

“I noticed there’s a lock by the door!”

“Oh, right. Now that I think about it, that’s true.”

Shin Sohee quickly nodded in agreement.

What’s with this sudden topic?

“It’s definitely odd that the lock is not at the mansion entrance but by the room door.”

Seeing Lee Soo-ah jump into the topic too, it seemed they wanted to forget the embarrassing thing that had just happened. If they could dive into a different story, they wouldn’t have to linger on that memory.

“True…”

When I responded like that, all three of them froze.

“…Huh? What’s wrong?”

Reacting to that response, I froze mid-movement with my chopsticks headed for another piece.

“Uh, no. But you know, it is a door lock installed in front of your room, right? If you don’t know why it’s there…”

Haneul hesitated as she asked.

“…It’s probably been there since I was little?”

Of course, I wasn’t confident in that answer. I didn’t possess Ye Sara’s memories. I could only guess.

The expressions of the kids changed. They seemed a bit pale?

“Uh? Ah, no need to worry about that. It can be opened from the inside.”

At my response, the kids let out a small sigh. I could feel the atmosphere amongst them easing a bit.

“Well, that’s a relief.”

Lee Soo-ah muttered as if she felt somewhat reassured.

“So, it must be installed to keep people from entering recklessly from outside, right?”

Shin Sohee asked.

“Exactly. Only registered people can open that door.”

In reality, I’ve never opened the door. Yang Hye-in always opened it before me… Surely, it would open with my fingerprints, right?

At least Yang Hye-in, who comes in every day…

“I guess the maid or the chairwoman is registered…?”

As I muttered that while moving my chopsticks again, hmm, even though it’s been a little while, I still felt like I couldn’t eat more after having dinner.

Thinking it’s a waste, I brought a piece of chicken to my mouth when I suddenly realized that all the kids were staring at me.

“Chairwoman…?”

Shin Sohee muttered.

“Uh, yeah. Chairwoman of Yujin Group.”

When I answered like that, the kids’ faces grew even stiffer.

“So, you’re saying that this ‘chairwoman’ person has you here while she can enter whenever she likes?”

Haneul asked calmly.

“Uh, right…?”

I thought I had already shared a bit about my situation last time, so they should have known, right?

“Uh, but you mean Chairwoman Choi Na-kyung, right?”

Lee Soo-ah asked with a somewhat serious expression.

“Right…?”

“Your stepmother, isn’t she?”

Well, that’s true.

Of course, when I heard her voice on the phone, she seemed to prefer being called Chairwoman over mother. I still don’t know the reason for that. Would I understand if I met her in person?

…Hmm, actually, I’m not very keen on meeting her directly.

“Stepmother?”

Shin Sohee’s eyes widened a bit.

“Uh, yeah. She’s my father’s wife, so, stepmother.”

As soon as I said that and took a piece of chicken, I felt Shin Sohee’s shoulders relax a bit. What is she even relieved about this time?

“Stepmother…”

Haneul was muttering to herself with a serious expression again.

What the heck is how many times they keep cycling through this today?

*

“…Hey, guys? Shouldn’t we bring the blanket? Can we really sleep like this?”

“No need to worry about that.”

To my right, Shin Sohee said that.

Unlike me, who was lying on my back and looking at the ceiling, Shin Sohee was facing me while lying. Even though she wasn’t openly crossing her arms like before, I could feel her gaze directed right at me.

“If we lie sideways, it’ll be enough…”

A voice came from my left.

The one lying on my left was Lee Soo-ah. Like Shin Sohee, she also lay facing me, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Because of that, I couldn’t turn right or left.

“Why is it only me…?”

Why only you?

You picked that spot.

From the very farthest back, Haneul’s voice was heard. Despite her pitiful tone sounding sad, there was nothing I could do.

For some reason, the kids who were fighting over who got to sit next to me had ended up drawing lots with chopsticks, leading to this arrangement.

They didn’t even settle it on who could lie next to me but rather on the order of lying down, so I couldn’t complain about that.

“…”

Uh… so does this mean I can just fall asleep like this?

I could share the bed with them in one way or another. Thanks to the other three lying next to me, there was more than enough space to lay down than I had expected. Of course, if even one of them lies straight, it becomes cramped immediately.

The blanket was already loose enough on the side of the bed to cover all four of us at once.

“…”

Uh, should I at least say goodnight?

Thinking that, I decided to just say nothing. Since the other kids were also silent.

Only the sound of four breathing bodies lying on the bed could be heard.

“…Are you not sleeping?”

Shin Sohee whispered softly. I could feel her breath on my cheek. Is she still awake and looking at me?

“Uh, yeah, I need to sleep…”

Even though it was later than usual, I couldn’t fall asleep because there were girls next to me, on both sides.

Since this was something I had never experienced until my mid-twenties, I was too tense to fall asleep.

“…”

“Sarah.”

Lee Soo-ah whispered as she called my name.

“Uh, yeah?”

“You have school tomorrow…”

Yeah, I know that.

I know I have to go. I also know that I need to be sleeping right now.

But what should I do when I can’t sleep like this?!

“…”

At least Haneul, who wasn’t lying next to me, hadn’t said a thing.

“…”

Sigh, okay. Sleep, sleep. I need to sleep.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

Even though I could still hear breathing from the side, closing my eyes made me somewhat less conscious of it. Alright, so now I’m… alone.

Lying on the bed by myself, meaning, with no one beside me.

…

Swish, swish! I could hear regular breathing before I even fell asleep.

Looks like Lee Soo-ah has fallen asleep.

“…”

Okay, so what is this?

Isn’t it meaningless for me to keep being aware of my own thoughts?

If she’s able to fall asleep before me, it means she hasn’t been tense while lying next to me.

Yeah, I’ve been too conscious of the kids from the start.

They’re friends after all, friends.

Thinking like that eased my heart a bit.

I felt like I could finally drop off to sleep.

*

In the darkened room.

Not exactly in sync, but the three girls lying on the bed faced toward Sara, holding their breaths as they waited.

For a long time, Sara’s tense breath, which seemed to flutter while her eyes were closed, gradually steadied.

Of course, they still didn’t move. They weren’t sure if Sara was indeed fast asleep yet.

…

After a bit of time passed and Sara’s breathing became more relaxed, her breaths turned shallow and rhythmic.

Has she really slept?

None of them opened their eyes, but the three girls were surely thinking the same thing.

The first to move was Shin Sohee, who lay to Sara’s right.

She slowly reached out her hand and pulled Sara’s right arm towards her. They could feel warmth through the thin fabric of her pajama.

Embracing that delicate arm, Shin Sohee nestled closer to Sara.

Sara didn’t budge.

Seeing that Sara showed no reaction, Shin Sohee pressed her body against Sara. The right side of Sara’s body pressed against Shin Sohee’s chest, abdomen, and thigh.

She tilted her head down. Even though Sohee was taller than Sara, she thought she found a perfect position to maintain eye contact while lying down. Unfortunately, Sara didn’t turn to face her.

As Sohee lowered her head, her face pressed against the back of Sara’s neck.

Carefully, she inhaled deeply, making sure not to make too much noise.

Sara’s body still held a fragrant scent. It must have lingered after her shower.

…From that fragrant smell, a faint human scent emerged.

Sara was still fast asleep.

Next to move was Lee Soo-ah, who lay on Sara’s left.

Lee Soo-ah didn’t wish for much. She didn’t snuggle as closely as Shin Sohee, nor did she think of doing so yet.

But she didn’t close her eyes.

She merely stared at Sara’s face.

In the pitch-black room, her vision gradually started to adjust to the dark.

The side profile of sleeping Sara emerged slowly from the shadows.

Although she could barely see the silhouette, Lee Soo-ah was already pleased. She could vividly picture Sara’s beautiful face in her mind.

Lowering her right hand, she sought Sara’s hand under the covers. Finding the thin and delicate hand, she intertwined her fingers with Sara’s.

She could feel the warmth of Sara’s hand.

Lee Soo-ah gently hugged Sara’s left arm.

Sara still didn’t budge.

The last to move, of course, was Yoo Ha-neul, who distanced herself from Sara in frustration.

Yoo Ha-neul waited in silence for a while.

How much time had passed? The two girls rustling next to her had now completely stopped moving.

Thanks to her being the only one with her eyes still open in the dark, she could see the faint outline of Shin Sohee’s back.

That back moved up and down naturally.

She had fallen asleep.

Straining her ears, besides the rhythmic breathing of Shin Sohee and Sara, she could hear another faint breath. Lee Soo-ah must have drifted off too.

Slowly, very slowly, Yoo Ha-neul raised her body.

There were several people lying on the bed. If she shifted too quickly, the bed could shake and wake someone.

And if that happens, she wouldn’t be able to do what she’s been planning.

For several minutes, she carefully kept her gaze on Shin Sohee’s back.

And avoiding contact with Sohee and Lee Soo-ah, she cautiously maneuvered her body over them.

Fortunately, both Shin Sohee and Lee Soo-ah were just cuddling with one arm each.

Shin Sohee’s face was buried in the crook of Sara’s neck.

Avoiding touching the two of them, Yoo Ha-neul slowly descended her hand.

Between Sara’s arm and waist. Indeed, she took her time with this.

Then, she found Sara’s waist.

Sara was skinny, but surprisingly, her lower body was somewhat developed. Even though there wasn’t flesh clinging to her long legs, Yoo Ha-neul was confident that if she ate well and exercised regularly, she could have a slim waist and rounded hips.

And the basic physique meant—

It also meant it would be easy for her hand to sneak underneath Sara’s waist. The contrast between her hips and waist signified the line of her body.

Slowly, she slipped her hand through. When her arm was nestled under fully, Yoo Ha-neul’s body turned to wrap around Sara’s.

Carefully, she lowered her head.

Turning her head to the left as she lowered it, Yoo Ha-neul’s cheek brushed against Sara’s slightly protruding chest.

Thump, thump! The sound of Sara’s heartbeat reached her ears.

Sara was still fast asleep.

Only then did Yoo Ha-neul relax her body and close her eyes.

Thump, thump.

Using that heartbeat as a lullaby, Yoo Ha-neul slowly drifted off to sleep.

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