I Don’t Want to be a Villainess

Yoo Ha-neul, who exchanged a simple greeting with me, immediately took the seat next to me as if she was so smitten, and honestly, I had no objections. In the original story, Yoo Ha-neul is the character controlled by the players, and naturally, she is also the most important character in the original narrative. Depending on how she develops her abilities and what choices she makes, my fate could change dramatically.

Well, whatever choice she makes, I don’t really plan on getting in her way.

The reason why Sara meets her doom in the original is that she obstructs Yoo Ha-neul. It was a major route where she did all sorts of mischief to block Yoo Ha-neul, who is on the path of the three male protagonists, and ultimately faced judgment, so all I have to do is cheer her on from the side, clapping my hands, while maintaining our friendship.

…But thinking that way might make things too simple, right?

It’s clear that it won’t just end that easily. Of course, not blocking Yoo Ha-neul’s path and rather helping clear it for her would undoubtedly be beneficial for my future.

However, I still haven’t figured out why Sara despised Yoo Ha-neul so much. In Yoo Da-ho’s case, it’s understandable since Sara was originally his fiancée, but what about the other two male protagonists?

Moreover, I don’t even need to torment Yoo Ha-neul as Yoon Da-ho, the chairman of Yujin Group and Sara’s stepmother, Choi Na-kyung, is lurking around.

She has a history of neglecting her adopted daughter to the point of abuse and interfering in every little thing, so she might try to hinder my friendship with Yoo Ha-neul.

It was a bit mysterious how she seemed to be ignoring me while still having control within this mansion… but I can look into that more later.

“What are you thinking about so deeply?”

I heard that voice from next to me.

Turning my head, I saw her bright light again. No matter how much I try to think about what that light means, it doesn’t quite register in my mind right now. It’s a bit absurd that intuition reacts this way.

If it’s really a sense of recognizing those who could help me in life… and if Sara knew that, her life in the game wouldn’t have been so twisted.

“I wasn’t thinking of anything. Just wondering when it would end.”

I narrowed my eyes to see Yoo Ha-neul’s expression. From the faint expression I could catch, it didn’t seem like she was particularly upset.

“Really…?”

Yoo Ha-neul appeared to be in deep thought for a moment before smiling a bit shyly and speaking up.

“Then, how about we grab a bite after school? It’ll probably end early today, anyway…”

She really is friendly.

Did I hang out with friends from day one when I first came to high school? Hmm, I don’t quite recall. Friends usually aren’t remembered very well from the moment you first meet. Unless the first meeting is particularly striking, human relationships often start off vaguely.

In that sense, having a flashlight stuck to your face would indeed leave a pretty strong impression.

“Well…”

I wanted to agree, but I didn’t know if that would even be possible.

After all, these people even tried to stop taking pictures on graduation day. If this gets pushed out by the hierarchy again, who knows what might happen? But if it gets to the chairman’s ears, it could be disadvantageous for me.

But then again, outright refusing would be a bit too harsh. It’s our first time meeting, so there’s no reason to leave a bad impression already.

“Let me see, if it seems like it’ll work.”

“Okay!”

Yoo Ha-neul responded with a cheerfully bright voice.

*

Hwayoung High School is basically co-ed, but boys and girls don’t share the same classes. Perhaps it was to prevent inconvenience during classes like physical education, or maybe they just wanted to curb any galavanting relationships. In basic terms, girls are in the girls’ classes, and boys are in the boys’ classes.

However, this doesn’t mean that boys and girls can’t meet at all. According to the admission guide, places like the cafeteria or gym are shared without gender distinction when students are taking different classes or engaging in extracurricular activities. The same goes for clubs as long as they don’t have specific gender restrictions.

And the range of movement within the school is generally not restricted either. It’s not against the rules for a male student to pass through the hallway packed with female classrooms or vice versa. The changing rooms are right by the gym, so the chances of seeing the opposite sex getting changed are slim.

I must reiterate that most students at Hwayoung High School are extremely wealthy children.

And that implies that among them, there’s also Yoon Da-ho, who is technically Sara’s fiancé.

Naturally, it means that Yoon Da-ho could very well come looking for me right in front of the classroom.

Throughout the entrance ceremony, the homeroom teacher found it difficult to get the children’s attention, probably because of Yoon Da-ho, waiting outside the classroom in the hallway.

Honestly, while I might be a social newbie, from an adult perspective, he looks incredibly childish. It isn’t just Yoon Da-ho, but all the students seem that way, yet he appears particularly childish to me because I’ve seen him behave that way directly.

But I doubt that the other kids mind that.

Objectively speaking, he’s tall and handsome. While Sara is slender, she’s not overly short, yet Yoon Da-ho was tall enough that you’d have to look up to meet his eyes. In a few years, it seemed like they wouldn’t even need an actor for their company’s advertisements.

But if he’s out here waiting first, does that mean he skipped the entrance ceremony?

It seemed like the view of him leaning against the window, backlit by sunlight pouring in, was so striking that the kids inside the classroom couldn’t help but gather at the window, unable to step out.

Is it like watching animals at the zoo? No, he must be aware that he’s being watched from outside, isn’t he? Doesn’t he feel embarrassed?

Or perhaps he’s already so far gone in the prince complex that there’s no helping him anymore.

“Wow…”

Even the human lantern next to me exclaimed in admiration, so it must truly be impressive to kids of this age. Or maybe, it might look entirely different from a girl’s perspective.

…

While I was loosely riding the atmosphere of the kids who were simply peeking without going outside, I figured out why he was out there.

He must be waiting for me.

Regardless of whether we get along or not, after all, we’re both engaged.

…Thinking that way sourly affected my mood.

“Hah.”

I let out a light sigh and squeezed myself through the girls obstructing my view. Initially, they made annoyed sounds, but once our eyes met, they all hesitated and made room for me. It seemed they weren’t too keen on becoming friends.

“Oh, ah! Sara!”

Yoo Ha-neul, who was entranced by the boy outside the window, quickly followed me when I suddenly started moving. I didn’t shake her off; after all, I had no intention of talking long to Yoon Da-ho.

As I opened the back door with a creak, Yoon Da-ho turned his gaze from the window towards me. He seemed to want to appear charismatic, but honestly, from my perspective, he looked like a little kid who had just graduated middle school, trying way too hard to look cool. Wearing a school uniform only looks intimidating when they’re clustered together; alone, it’s just too cute.

I confidently walked over to Yoon Da-ho.

I halted about two steps away, crossing my arms, just standing there. A moment of silence passed between us.

Am I meant to wait for him to speak first? Judging by his steady gaze on me, I could tell he was unsure how to start the conversation.

“…You look healthy.”

“…Is that a greeting?”

I asked back, but there wasn’t much of a response to that question.

“I’m sorry.”

Suddenly, he blurted out an apology.

“What?”

I was slightly taken aback and asked in surprise, as Yoon Da-ho bit his lip and then spoke.

“For what I said last time. I wanted to apologize.”

“…”

I looked up at Yoon Da-ho’s face again. He was staring at me without averting his eyes, showing embarrassment openly as if he was determined not to look away.

So, it seems he wanted to apologize for calling me a pig the last time we met.

Most likely because the adults told him to do so.

Well, considering our age gap, it would be better for me to accept his apology. It’s the less embarrassing option.

However, what to do? While ‘I’ am not a fan of him, ‘Sara’ is the same age as Yoon Da-ho.

“Oh, alright.”

Since I had no intention of having a good relationship with him anyway, I simply said that and turned away. I had no desire to lean into some boy. I have no intention of abandoning the sexual orientation I had in my original world. I have no clue why I’m in Sara’s body now, but I can’t throw away ‘myself’ just because my body changed.

So for now, I have to prevent the impending doom in front of me.

And one way to avoid that doom is to avoid causing a scenario that leads to my ruin.

“So, Ha-neul—”

I was about to turn back to Yoo Ha-neul to suggest heading back when my gaze suddenly spun around.

Before I knew it, I was staring at Yoon Da-ho again.

… My wrist hurt.

“If someone’s speaking…”

Yoon Da-ho yanked my left arm, pulling me toward him. Without my consent, I found my body twisting around toward him as my left hand was caught.

Man, this guy really has awful physical condition. I resolved that I would have to start exercising when I had the time.

“The person receiving an apology should be willing to accept it too, right?”

When I replied like that, Yoon Da-ho’s expression grew grim. Indeed, it seems he did not intend to apologize at all. If he weren’t pressured by someone else, he wouldn’t have felt the need to apologize even if he didn’t have a reason to be mad at me.

“Or do you want to control me?”

Honestly, it was strange for Yoon Da-ho to call his fiancée a pig. Even if their engagement was merely a formality between rich families, there must be some feelings involved in a marriage.

Even if they both cheat and have kids with someone else, they should still have something that allows them to view each other positively within the bounds of a minimal marriage.

At the very least, there should be a formality to mutually uphold a certain level of courtesy.

Yet, that day, Yoon Da-ho acted as if he thought he stood far above Sara.

As if he assumed I wouldn’t resist in any way.

Most likely, back when they first met, he acted similarly, and Sara didn’t protest much. That led Yoon Da-ho to keep behaving that way.

With that thought, I reached a conclusion.

I suspected that Yoon Da-ho was trying to gaslight Sara. Given that Sara’s attitude was timid from the start, didn’t he think he could manipulate her into a marriage that would work for them later on?

Well, it’s just speculation. For now, it still feels like my delusions, and I wouldn’t get full agreement from anyone if I shared it.

It’s hard to imagine the character of Sara as someone who could be gaslit.

Yoon Da-ho’s eyes narrowed.

And just as he opened his mouth, before he could say anything,

“Wait!”

Someone suddenly interjected.

“You shouldn’t treat girls like that!”

Shouting such outdated nonsense at Yoon Da-ho, who held my arm, was a girl radiating a fierce light.

Our heroine stepped right into the situation.

---