I Don’t Want to be a Villainess

I feel eyes on me wherever I go.

It feels like someone is watching me.

Of course, I’m not talking about a stalker. I just can’t help but notice that the people around me can’t take their eyes off me.

If it were just a rumor, some might ignore it. They could simply think it’s not true or brush it off with, “So, what does that have to do with me?”

However, the problem is that the current situation is not just ‘a rumor.’

There’s actually an article, complete with a photo, published in an online newspaper. I boldly engage in acts of affection during class. Plus, those ‘boyfriends’ of mine are following me around everywhere.

The kids in the first-year class, from Class 1 to 6, were mostly blushing and staring at the three of us. I couldn’t catch all the emotions coming from their gazes, but I could roughly guess what they were thinking. They were probably imagining us getting intimate.

Even if this is all just a misunderstanding, the thoughts of those who have only heard the stories and rumors from outside would be different.

So, it’s natural for the kids watching us to blush a little. They can’t help but think naughty thoughts.

On the other hand, there were some who looked away with uncomfortable expressions. Those were probably the ones with a negative perception of homosexuality.

I could also see a hint of jealousy in their expressions. Walking down the hallway, all three of us glued together, it’s not something you could publicly express, but after all, we were three incredible beauties. In fact, if someone thought we were dating, just having one of us would make the world seem so much more beautiful.

The reactions from the girls can be roughly categorized into three types: some with fantasies, some with feelings of rejection, and others feeling envy. It had the atmosphere of extras from a romance comic.

Now, what about the boys’ reactions, I wonder?

To be honest, I hardly ever wandered around among the boys in this school. Yes, it’s co-ed, but the classes are separated by gender, and if I wanted to walk through a place where the boys were gathered, I would deliberately have to walk right through the middle of the boys’ corridor.

And I wasn’t especially keen on doing that—yet here I was, doing just that.

“……”

Ha Neul and Lee Soo-ah were clinging to my left arm, their faces flushed red as they bowed their heads to the floor.

It seems that walking around like this with my arms crossed felt much more embarrassing compared to just being on the street among my same gender.

…And frankly, thinking about the boys’ reactions makes it even worse.

The boys were staring at us intently.

Of course, some of them suddenly snapped back to reality and looked away, their faces turning as red as tomatoes.

Mostly, they were trying to hide their lower halves from our view as much as possible.

“……”

Right. Coming from my teenage years, I can somewhat understand their perspective.

Three girls, and rumors about us dating are swirling around. We had a wild night with students from another school last night, and this morning, we even shared our underwear… that’s the kind of rumors swirling about us.

All three of us could easily be described as pretty, and when they hear we’re in ‘that kind of relationship’… yeah, they can’t help but have those thoughts.

They might even imagine themselves getting involved with us and not just the three of us neatly walking together.

…I used to fantasize like that when I was younger, but now that I’m in the situation, it doesn’t feel nice at all.

If this had not been the fastest route to the Student Council President’s office, I probably wouldn’t have come this way.

Plus, in the boys’ class…

“Hmph.”

Yeah, I knew I would run into this guy.

Yoon Da-ho, who was leaning against the window and staring at me from afar, let out a snort the moment he saw us three.

He was surrounded by a few other boys. These were probably his friends or underlings. While he might not have a lot compared to my personal assets, he was actually the second wealthiest student in this school.

Moreover, I was technically engaged to him. Even if it’s not widely known, it’s a pretty famous story in the business community. At this point, I don’t think there are any students here who don’t know about it.

I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should respond to that, but then I decided to just ignore him. Why should I engage with someone if it’s going to lead to annoyance?

Besides, this engagement is too disadvantageous for me. To be honest, if I just cut it off, he wouldn’t have much to say about it. An engagement has no legal binding, after all. Plus, we’re both minors, so it’s even less meaningful.

“So, in the end, you were ‘that side’ after all.”

But I just couldn’t let that funny comment slide past me.

I had taken about a step past Yoon Da-ho when I halted my stride. Turning slowly around, I found Ha Neul and Lee Soo-ah also adjusting their turns in sync, which I found amusing for some reason.

The two looked a bit flustered. They must have thought I would just ignore him and walk by.

“What did you say?”

I asked slowly as I turned to Yoon Da-ho, who shrugged his shoulders and spoke nonchalantly.

“I’m saying you’re not interested in guys because you’re ‘that side.’”

Hmmm.

I looked up at Yoon Da-ho with a sideways glance. While he personally seemed unaffected, the boys around him took a small step back. It seems like my unique gaze might have looked a bit threatening.

Saying my eyes could be sharp is an understatement, but it’s hard to understand why it would be that scary coming from a pretty girl looking up at someone.

Is it really me they’re scared of, or is it the enormous wealth behind me that intimidates them?

“So, you want to say that me being a lesbian means I’m not interested in you?”

“I just wanted to say it could be a possibility.”

Yoon Da-ho spoke while observing me quietly.

“So, you really don’t have any interest in boys?”

Of course, I have no interest. Just the thought of having to live my life married to a guy is frightening. To begin with, I may be housed in a female body, but I’m an ordinary male in my twenties internally.

However, if I wanted to poke around in his insides, I can’t very well admit to that.

“It’s not that I’m not interested in boys, it’s that I’m not interested in you, ugly.”

“……What?”

Yoon Da-ho’s brows furrowed at my response.

When was the last time someone dared to say something like that to him? I mean, I can guarantee that it never would have happened until he met me, at least not among his peers with more money than him. Of course, he is beautiful—no one would dare undermine that fact.

But that beauty means nothing when it’s in front of me.

“You’re ugly, your personality’s terrible. Have you ever even talked to a girl? What kind of crazy idiot calls their fiancée a pig? You don’t seem to grasp why I dislike you. It’s not because you’re a guy; it’s because you’re ugly, have a bad personality, and don’t even have money.”

“…….”

Yoon Da-ho glares at me.

“What’s going to happen if you glare at me? Are you hoping that glaring will magically make your family’s fortune shoot up to 200 trillion? No? Let’s face it; you’re the crazy one here, talking down on your wealthy fiancée when you’ve no leg to stand on. Honestly, you’re ugly, stupid, and have a terrible personality.”

“Then why did you get engaged to me?”

Yoon Da-ho asked, looking a bit caught off guard. Surprisingly, he seemed to be controlling his feelings unlike when we first met. I thought he would slap me, but it seems that’s not the case.

Or is he trying to change his approach in dealing with me?

Well, it doesn’t seem like he’s going with a friendly tactic though.

“I never said I wanted this. The Chairman told us to do this.”

“……”

Seeing his silence, it looks like he feels the same. After all, there’s no reason for someone who eagerly wants to be engaged to say such harsh words.

I have no idea why I even disliked being engaged to Ye Sara, but whatever.

“No, more importantly, let me ask you something. Why did you feel the need to speak up? We’ve never actually had a proper conversation before, so why suddenly now? Every time we talk, it just ends up in frustration.”

“…I was going to suggest something.”

Yoon Da-ho sighed deeply, almost like he was trying to calm a fire.

“I wanted to propose something.”

“A proposal?”

I responded, caught off guard by such a productive word coming from his blockhead mind.

“Yeah. If you are not interested in me… No, if you’re not interested in ‘guys,’ then…”

Yoon Da-ho clenched his teeth before continuing.

“I was going to say let’s just go our separate ways.”

“Are you saying you want a breakup?”

I narrowed my eyes and asked, to which he shook his head.

“No. Instead, we get married but live separately. The truth is, neither of us is particularly fond of the other, so we could just live apart and… ”

Yoon Da-ho’s gaze drifted over to Ha Neul and Lee Soo-ah momentarily.

“If we happen to find someone we do like, we can call each other and live as we please without concerning ourselves with the other.”

Huh.

That’s quite a leap forward.

Or maybe it’s just a natural progression. Yoon Da-ho probably didn’t wish to be engaged to Ye Sara either. He surely couldn’t just get out of the engagement on a whim. So, I assume his proposal is the best way he can possibly suggest stepping back.

We would still get legally married, but we would live separately, allowing for the possibility of taking lovers whenever we wanted without interference from the other.

What is this, a medieval-style marriage? Get married and have a mistress on the side?

“I don’t like that.”

“So, you want to say you want to live with me?”

At those words, I frowned deeply.

“No, not that. I’m saying I don’t want to marry you. The very idea of marriage is disadvantageous, so there’s no reason to force it.”

“I was told this engagement was proposed by Yujin Group.”

“Then it’s clear the Chairman is more interested in your money than me. I have no intention of involving myself in that.”

I truly can’t understand why I was forced into this engagement in the first place. At first, I really thought they were trying to swallow the whole Hohm Group up, but the more I think about it, there doesn’t seem to be a valid reason. Even if they wanted to, I doubt they could just swallow it whole. It’s not just about jumping into a monopoly without serious government backlash, so that would be risky for any company, no matter how powerful it might be.

Even if they weren’t ripped apart, they would still suffer heavy damage to their image.

I turned to Ha Neul and Lee Soo-ah and quietly whispered, “Hold up for a second.” They willingly removed their hands from my arm.

I grabbed their waists with my freed hands and pulled them towards me.

“Ah!”

“S-Sara…”

Ugh, honestly, this is a bit embarrassing. If I stayed like this for just a little longer, my face would probably turn beet red, so I quickly spoke up.

“Even if I’m not interested in you, I’m still concerned about the people around me. If we’re going to get married, I’d prefer it to be with someone I adore. So let’s drop this conversation.”

I could feel the warmth of the two beside me vividly.

“I’ll kindly refuse a marriage proposal that has no appeal.”

“………Is the Chairman in agreement?”

“……I intend to make him agree. I’m meeting with him this week.”

“……Is that so…”

Yoon Da-ho stared at me and then chuckled softly.

…What’s with that?

Why does he look so pleased? It’s making me uneasy.

“What’s so funny?”

“Oh, nothing at all. Just keep trying.”

What the heck? It’s so annoying.

As I frowned, Yoon Da-ho merely shrugged and then turned to his friends, saying,

“Hey, don’t you guys have homes to go to? Let’s get going.”

He said this to the boys beside him.

“Huh? W-What?”

One of the boys who had been looking at me with a bit of envy stammered.

“Hey! Tell me what you mean as you leave! Why are you doing this?”

“I told you. I just said to give it your best try.”

After saying that, Yoon Da-ho turned and left.

What the heck!

Of course, I knew that reaching out to him as he walked away would make me look utterly pathetic, so I couldn’t bring myself to stop him and ask.

Seriously, this is so frustrating. Damn it.

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