I Don’t Want to be a Villainess

Is it hiding right now, pretending?
If it’s taking that pose to attract attention, I have no choice but to commend it—it’s way more effective than anything I did to get people’s attention last week.
Come to think of it, that method works too. If I start stalking a teacher in broad daylight, wouldn’t they be scared enough to call the police?
…Never mind. No matter how you slice it, I can’t turn Ye Sara into a criminal. I mean, if watering a bald teacher’s head counts as a crime, it’s a crime, but comparing it to bullying in school is a much graver matter.
Anyway, I quietly watched the fluttering blue hair outside the tree before turning around.
Well, for me, after all, it was my goal to get people’s attention. With a stalker like that trailing behind, the others won’t be able to ignore it. I see that as a welcome turn of events. Plus, being a lead committee member gives me a bit of an official status in school. If they keep throwing me points or sending me to the disciplinary committee, I’d genuinely appreciate that.
By the way, even after being told off by the student council president, chasing after me so confidently, I must concede that kind of guts.
*
…Yeah, I really have to give them credit.
“Hey, Sara. Doesn’t it feel like someone’s been following us since a while ago?”
After finishing lunch and wandering around campus, Haneul, who had been beside me, asked that. Technically, saying it feels like someone is following us is incorrect; there was already someone clearly tailing us.
That’s right. I’m talking about the lead committee member, Son Ah-reum, who’s been following me since I came to school this morning.
Thinking about it, it really is amazing. There’s no way she would know my school starting time, so it means she came to school really early to wait for me. Besides, I came in earlier than usual today.
When I saw Haneul come to class with a sulky expression just before the attendance check, I thought I should have contacted her sooner… but unfortunately, I usually don’t carry a smartphone around. After living like that for nearly two months, the very idea of carrying one has vanished, and because I knew Yang Hye-in wasn’t following me, I didn’t think of preparing for it.
Thankfully, when she saw my face, her expression immediately brightened up.
Anyway, the lead committee member continued to follow me after that. She tried hiding around corners in the hallway, next to doors, behind shoe lockers, in the bushes by the sidewalk, and even behind trees, but her hair was visible in all those spots. Seeing the odd looks from other students around us and her being oblivious to it all raises questions about how she got into this school through the external admissions process.
If only she tied her long hair up, it would have drawn less attention.
Could it be that her spatial awareness is remarkably low? I was seriously wondering if it’s one of those situations where people can score full marks on tests yet can’t assemble a model kit.
“She’s been doing that since this morning. I don’t think it’ll be a problem if we just leave her be.”
I also don’t know what kind of words the lead committee member received from the student council president. Maybe she heard the truth, or perhaps she was just warned that she shouldn’t do that.
Regardless of what she heard, seeing her not give up on me like this must mean she either doesn’t believe it or is moving according to her own sense of justice.
Whichever the case, it’s quite commendable.
It’s surprising that someone with such a strong character isn’t a heroine. I mean, her face isn’t radiating with light either.
“…So, is she a stalker then…?”
Soo-ah, who was next to Haneul, asked that.
Now that I think of it, they’ve been keeping their distance today. Sure, they still have their arms linked with mine, so to others, it looks like they’re close enough, but it’s somewhat different than last week when they almost hugged me. They’re just casually linking arms now.
…Could it be they really saw the will?
The most likely suspect of bringing the will is Yang Hye-in, and second is these two. They’ve been to my room several times.
Thinking about Sohee suddenly jumping over the wall yesterday, it’s possible Yang Hye-in showed the will to these kids, but—
Why?
Yeah, why?
Yang Hye-in was merely Ye Sara’s employee. Even if I formed some attachment over the last three years, she’d never project that image onto Ye Sara. The most she did after I came in and started rampaging was initiate conversations or condone my actions.
So the question is, what reason would she have to go out of her way to show the will to these three?
…Even now, if I were to ask Haneul or Soo-ah, I likely wouldn’t get a proper answer.
I guess I’ll have to put this aside for now. After all, Yang Hye-in is coming back tonight. I can just ask her directly then.
“It’s a bit odd to say she’s a stalker since she’s only following me around at school. Hmm…”
I found myself briefly lost in thought mid-sentence.
We still had a little time left for lunch.
“Hey, you guys.”
I called out to the two beside me.
“Why don’t we take a little walk?”
Well, technically we were already walking, but it wouldn’t hurt to check out a spot without CCTV.
*
Unfortunately, we weren’t the only ones in the park.
The reason this park has no CCTV is that rich kids use it among themselves to trade items or valuables, and apparently, that’s likely true. Already, groups of two or three were gathered, quietly chatting—passing notes or books.
I briefly imagined what could be wedged between those books.
Anyway, because of that, the park wasn’t exactly a quiet place. It wasn’t extremely noisy, but low murmurs of conversation were constantly flowing.
Well, that was until the three of us showed up.
As we arrived at the park, or more precisely, as I showed up, kids sitting nearby started glancing at us. Some had already stopped talking.
Am I really that scary?
Well, I guess so. If desired, I could easily crush a company. I could shake up a small to medium-sized stock company with just my personal assets. Not to mention, if they heard any stories that happened here, they could use them as leverage against me.
What could be the reason they’re so afraid of me? Because of the shadow of Chairwoman Choi Na-kyung behind me, or because I’ve been acting like a lunatic lately?
Or do they realize what they’ve done to Ye Sara until now?
Either way, I guess it’s something to be worried about.
As I deliberately swept past the chairs where the kids were sitting, their faces turned pale, and they hurriedly got up from their seats. After circling around the park, the kids sitting on the opposite side quickly got up and left too.
Wow, they really are timid. I couldn’t hear a single word they said, yet thinking about how they’d be trembling in bed tonight, I couldn’t help but feel satisfied.
I didn’t see Head Han Garam. Maybe she doesn’t work during lunchtime? Honestly, thinking about her image, it seems like she’d be the type to strictly adhere to those things. Someone who works exactly for what she’s paid. It’s true that having someone like that around is nice for reliable work.
I firmly sat in the empty park’s central chair. I smiled at Haneul and Soo-ah, who were staring blankly at me, and gave a tap on each side of the chair with my hands.
“First, sit here.”
It seemed a bit awkward to deliberately come out to this park, which was different from usual, but nevertheless, they sat beside me as I said.
Alright, then which pose should I take to look the most ‘villainous noblewoman’?
Honestly, sitting cross-legged with a proud expression seems like it’ll be the best.
Once I crossed my legs, the two finally seemed to realize what I was thinking.
With a smile on my lips, I spoke.
“Is there something you want to talk about? There’s no one around, so why not step out?”
As I raised my voice a bit and said that, the lead committee member came out from behind a tree far away. It was the thickest tree in my vicinity, but it was still too thin for one person to hide perfectly behind. In fact, it was so obvious that even kids who were leaving their seats glanced at her. She seemed oblivious to that.
“Knowing I was hiding? You do have some keen observation skills!”
With no one around and realizing she was up against all three of us, the lead committee member’s voice was a bit shaky.
…Truth be told, that was just misdirected courage. She probably knew that Ye Sara is the wealthiest teenager in the world. Thus, believing she could bully others at school with that money, she likely thought she was acting for the sake of other students.
The problem is that the direction of her bullying is hidden in a way that couldn’t be perceived from an outside perspective.
So even when Ye Sara met her doom in the game’s ending, Yoo Ha-neul remained unaware of her situation until the end. Well, she wouldn’t have had the time to worry about that since Ye Sara made her the target.
By the way, honestly, even someone lacking in observational ability would have seen her hiding at that level… I decided to let it slide since saying it would only hurt her feelings.
“Can I ask why you’ve been following me?”
When I posed the question, the lead committee member shot me a piercing glare.
“…You know, don’t you?”
“The fact that I have classmates on both sides?”
As I asked casually with a relaxed expression, a deeper crease formed on her forehead.
“Is that all?”
“That’s about what I know. I’ve been behaving myself today.”
“…A well-behaved student doesn’t go to another classroom and draw the Milky Way on the blackboard.”
I may have drawn a few too many stars on the teacher’s board. Moreover, I had specifically gone to her class to do that, so it makes sense that I attracted attention.
I felt her gaze from both sides as they looked at me, but I deliberately ignored it and said.
“Why don’t you ask the kids in your class? Whether I actually did that.”
“…….”
Right.
The reason I came out here was to provoke the lead committee member.
Everything she did last time was a complete failure—giving me points, punishing me; it all got cut off by the student council president. So initially, I thought about just giving up.
But lo and behold, the lead committee member hadn’t given up yet. Good for her.
Since I had this remaining opportunity, shouldn’t I make good use of it?