I Don’t Want to be a Villainess

“Uh… So you’re saying your dad is on his way here right now?”

“Um, well… That’s how it turned out.”

I ended up wrapping my head with both hands.

“No way! It’ll definitely be fine! Even if he seems that way, my dad is pretty open-minded!”

Even the most open-minded parents wouldn’t think too highly of a friend who wants to use their friend as a maid. No, being open-minded might actually make it worse. You know how progressive folks tend to be stricter when it comes to wealthy people? Especially if you were to take a friend, who should be treated as equal—after all, they shouldn’t be treated like a servant for money, right?

I mean, more importantly, when I said “permission,” I meant I’d rather get it at home and come back, not just call and say, “I’m working here now!” It’s not a matter of just getting parental consent over the phone.

“……”

I quietly organized my thoughts.

…Still, I don’t think it’s a total disaster. I didn’t have high hopes that Sohee’s dad would allow it, but if by some chance he did, letting Sohee take on the job wouldn’t be so bad.

Well… Of course, expecting her to handle things at Yang Hye-in’s level would be too much. But, we can just hire more people if needed. Anyway, the chairwoman’s side will send someone to replace Yang Hye-in, so Sohee can just remain my personal maid, no problem.

Even though she’s a teenager, Sohee was a heroine with phenomenal action capabilities in the original game. Plus, thanks to her heroine buff, she was the character who rescued Ha Neul, who had fallen into despair. Getting her help wouldn’t be a bad idea.

Just in case the real Ye Sara comes back later, it would definitely be a huge help.

While I was lost in thought, it suddenly occurred to me that I was still wearing my pajamas.

I rose from the bed and said, “…First, let’s change clothes. I can’t go out like this when meeting your dad.”

“Oh, sure! Leave it to me!”

Sohee rolled up her sleeves.

Uh, no—I was obviously going to change myself.

Moreover, she doesn’t even work here yet. She’s still in her training suit!

*

In the end, I only had one outfit that fit me.

The only set of outdoor clothes I had was the one I bought on a shopping trip with Ha Neul last time, while the rest were either dresses that made people uncomfortable just by looking at them or thin clothes meant for indoor wear.

The problem was that I couldn’t find that one set of casual outdoor wear. The jeans and jumper were still there, but the black t-shirt was missing. Thinking back, Ha Neul had worn it when she came over last time. So that “I’ll wash it and return it” wasn’t just about underwear, was it?

Speaking of which, didn’t she take one of my school uniforms, too?

“Huh? What’s wrong? Do you have something to say?”

When I looked up sneakily, Sohee tilted her head and asked back.

“No.”

I shook my head. Well, she did say she would wash it and bring it back, so she’d probably return it someday. I had a friend over during college who forgot they had borrowed my padded jacket because it was cold and took almost a week to return it. Sohee would probably do the same.

So, in the end, the only wearable clothes I had were my school uniform. Honestly, the design wasn’t that bad, but it was still a bit depressing that the only clothes I had for the weekend were just my uniform. While searching through the closet, Sohee remarked similarly, “Master, you should go shopping for clothes later when you have time,” jokingly, but to be honest, it was a bit cringe-worthy. I didn’t express that verbally, though.

When Yang Hye-in called me a young lady, I didn’t think much of it, but perceptions really do matter a lot in the usual context. Sure, Yang Hye-in had that professional vibe that made it not awkward at all, but…

Now that I think about it, if she’s going to work as a maid… who do I need to follow up with? Even if I employed Sohee, the chances of her getting along well with the other hired help were slim.

The servants were hired for my convenience, so they’d provide meals and heating without me needing to say anything… but whether they would extend those services to Sohee, who was hired additionally, was another matter.

…Should I look for Yang Hye-in to ask about it again?

Well, I’ll think about that later since Sohee hasn’t officially decided to work here yet.

As I mulled over these things, Sohee’s phone rang. It buzzed with a low vroom sound, likely set to vibrate.

“Ah, it’s Dad.”

Sohee quickly answered the phone.

“Hey, Dad. Yeah. You’re here?”

“……”

I stared intently at Sohee as she was on the phone.

Now that I think about it, Sohee’s house was portrayed as quite a happy family in the game. Well, I can’t be sure since I didn’t see every character’s route, but it seems that characters in ‘If You Wish’ tended to come from happier homes when they had less money. I’m not sure if it was the designer’s intent, a bias, or just a cliché they threw in.

Yoon Da-ho’s family wasn’t particularly happy either, and experiencing it directly, Ye Sara’s family didn’t seem happy at all. In contrast, Sohee’s and Ha Neul’s families almost followed the cliché of “not rich but happy” to the letter.

Well, if there were no such setups, there wouldn’t be any crisis in the game.

“Uh… But you can’t get in at the entrance?”

“……”

I let out a small sigh and got up.

Seeing my motion, Sohee seemed to pick up on it immediately, saying, “Ah, I’ll be right out!”

Saying that, she hastily hung up.

After hanging up, Sohee’s eyes were darting around as if she had no idea where to land.

“…What’s wrong?”

“Ah, um, it seems like Dad is a bit angry.”

When I looked up, curious, she slightly avoided my gaze while answering.

Well, that makes sense. It’s one thing for his daughter to say she’s becoming a maid in another house, but the expressions on the security guards’ faces at the main gate were extremely tense to outsiders. It’s like they had a condescending attitude towards people; working for rich people doesn’t mean they become rich. Still, people working under affluent folks tend to act like they have a chip on their shoulder.

Wait, no, on second thought, wasn’t Yang Hye-in earning five billion won? Other professions might be similar too.

If they were being snooty about a salary in the billions, then that’s somewhat plausible.

But still, it’s annoying, no doubt about it.

I looked at Sohee once again.

Now that I think about it, isn’t it that the reason she could get in was because those guards weren’t doing their job properly? They only stand at the front and don’t seem to patrol.

…Could it be that the ladder is still carelessly leaning against the wall outside?

Wow, Ye Sara hasn’t been around, and even the people working here have gotten lazy.

That means Sohee was able to enter safely… but…

Since a chance like this has come up, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get a look at what’s happening.

*

Thank goodness, Sohee’s dad wasn’t out there shouting and fighting with the security guards.

Although his face was beet red with anger, and if we had been just a little late, he would have been shouting and ready to fight.

“Dad!”

When Sohee yelled out to her father, everyone at the gate quickly turned to us. It was the two guards standing in front of Sohee’s dad who looked the most surprised. They didn’t remember letting someone through, and now here I was, coming out with Sohee.

I looked over their faces. Both of them subtly avoided my gaze. It was clearly evident that they were bewildered.

“Looks like you’re getting quite comfortable with your job lately. Even when guests arrive, you don’t even bother to inform me. Was it too much of a hassle to report?”

Now that I think about it, that’s true. If it wasn’t for Yang Hye-in, when Ha Neul came, I wouldn’t have known that she was waiting at the entrance either.

At my words, the guards’ eyes started to tremble.

“W-we…”

“I don’t recall saying, ‘No one is allowed inside,’ do I? As far as I remember, I don’t think I have.”

Of course not. Ye Sara hardly even communicated with the household staff. Even when she would interact, it was only with Yang Hye-in.

“The fact that you all are still here is because I’ve allowed it.”

I cut the other guard off who seemed like he was going to use Choi Na-kyung as an excuse.

“It’s you all being allowed to be here as long as I haven’t signaled otherwise. If I ask you to leave, you would be dismissed right then. I wonder if it’s okay to ignore my words like that?”

Indeed, while hiring may have been arranged by Choi Na-kyung, this mansion is owned by Ye Sara. The mere fact that the staff here are here only because she has tacitly permitted it means that if I say, “I don’t want it,” they would have to leave immediately. In other words, they would be trespassing.

It’s true that Choi Na-kyung doesn’t stop the others from coming to meet me since I have my own business to attend to, but the other staff? Not my concern at all. We aren’t close enough for that.

“And by the way, can you go check the back wall of the mansion right now? There should be a ladder leaning against it. If it was someone with bad intentions who got in, what would you do?”

It’s so easy to get to my door, after all.

Thinking about this is creepy. If it really had been a burglar, it would mean I opened the door for them.

While Choi Na-kyung wanted me to be disrespected, she never asked for my safety to be compromised. After all, anyone who harms someone she thinks is important would risk going off the deep end in a bad way.

It may seem like Choi Na-kyung thought she had a perfect plan by keeping Ye Sara restrained, but that plan has way too many loopholes. Offering a ton of money to keep quiet made sense. Similarly, having a decent number of staff in positions was understandable too.

But creating a closed environment where people who receive tons of money just sit idle, expecting them to work properly is unrealistic.

Of course, it’s true that it would be hard for a robbery to happen here… but in the end, it turned out this way.

“Shouldn’t the chairwoman be informed of everything that happened today?”

When I smiled and said that, the faces of the two security guards went pale.

Yeah, now that I think about it, this might actually be a good plan.

Instead of just bribing them with cash, I’m catching them on their flaws one by one. If I can create a situation where they can’t quit and can’t defy me…

It’s clear that my future will become much easier.

While I organized my thoughts, I thoroughly enjoyed watching the two guards turning pale in front of a girl much smaller than me.

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