I Don’t Want to be a Villainess

My brain froze momentarily upon hearing that.

“Eh?”

“What did you say?”

“Running away? Lee Soo-ah?”

“Why?”

“Well, um… I mean, yeah. I can somewhat understand why Shin So-hee came all the way here. In the original work, Shin So-hee had a tendency to act on her whims to the point where you’d wonder, ‘What the heck is she doing?’ She’d barge into school and pull Yoo Ha-neul along by the wrist or skip school to escape with her, that sort of thing.

No matter what anyone said, she had this response of, ‘I did it because I wanted to, so what?’ As Yoo Ha-neul, feeling isolated at Hwayoung High School, was drawn to such a character, it’s only natural that in the end, she’d end up getting intertwined with Shin So-hee.

So, I could somewhat understand the current behavior of So-hee, who was neatly dressed in a maid outfit. If she thought her friend was in danger and ran over here, it fits her character reasonably well, even if it’s a bit over the top.

But Lee Soo-ah…

At least the Lee Soo-ah I know wasn’t that kind of character…?

It’s not that I’ve seen the Lee Soo-ah route. But even so, this character was almost always involved with Yoo Ha-neul across all routes.

She was that friend character, the one that helps the protagonist gather information through her wide circle of friends, making it easier to capture other characters.

In both the Yoon Da-ho route and Shin So-hee route, her role was consistent, albeit with varying degrees of importance.

Bright, good-natured, can’t leave someone alone, and always laughing—

…Uh.

So yeah, she was a slightly different character from the Lee Soo-ah I knew.

…

Ugh.

This is—

“I just ran out of the house without thinking and just kept running. I could hear someone calling from behind me, but…”

No way.

“If I hadn’t taken a little detour, I would have been caught on the way here.”

Seeing Lee Soo-ah staring at me with glistening eyes, I was horrified. True, if it were the Lee Soo-ah route, it might have been different, but the bright Lee Soo-ah in the original didn’t have scenes where she made faces like this.

She was a character who was literally pure and cheerful, to the point where the thought of running away was completely beyond her.

But now, the Lee Soo-ah sitting in front of me looked, for some reason, remarkably different.

Could it be because of me?

Did my presence change Lee Soo-ah’s personality like this?

Yeah, thinking back, in the original, Lee Soo-ah and Ye Sara didn’t have much of a connection. If it’s assumed that Lee Soo-ah tried to talk to Ye Sara before the story began, then she might have been rejected or cut off by a security guard.

Thus, Lee Soo-ah probably gave up trying to approach Ye Sara, resulting in no reason to get close, and of course, there would be no reason for her to lose her bright personality.

But here… I accepted that request.

As a result, she ended up becoming a character suffering all kinds of disadvantages at school. Not to mention, she’s being dragged into this whole “love triangle” and “harem” nonsense.

Regardless of how bright her personality was, the development had to turn dark.

Lee Soo-ah looked up at me with those blue eyes. With disheveled clothes and band-aids stuck here and there, she gazed up at me like a little stray cat staring at its owner.

Why was that? The being looking up at me wasn’t a stray cat, but a human; still, I strangely felt chosen as a housekeeper.

“Um, is it a really selfish request…?”

Lee Soo-ah spoke in a small, trembling voice.

“Can I stay here for a while? I’ll definitely repay the favor…!”

…

A moment of silence.

I glanced subtly at Yang Hye-in, but Yang Hye-in merely remained silent. Well, she was also brought here by me. Same goes for Shin So-hee.

So, whether or not I would accept Lee Soo-ah’s words was entirely up to me.

Besides, Lee Soo-ah had no one else to rely on right now. The friends she had before pulled away as soon as Lee Soo-ah and I got closer.

She might have relatives, but odds are, going to their house would only send her back home to an unresolved conflict.

Staying at a lodging would be a bit tricky for a minor, and kids at this age spend their parent’s money anyway. The place would probably be found out quickly.

“…Alright, fine.”

I answered quietly. Lee Soo-ah’s expression brightened. It was as if she hadn’t been gloomy at all. No, honestly, it felt like she had never been gloomy at all.

However, I decided to attach a condition.

“But you can’t stay here forever. You’re running away, after all. I don’t know what the situation is, but your parents are definitely going to worry.”

Ye Sara was a completely unreasonable stepmother, but Lee Soo-ah wouldn’t be like that. Considering Lee Soo-ah’s bright personality, she probably grew up in a much more harmonious family than Ye Sara. Or at least, she must have received love from her parents throughout her childhood.

I didn’t want my decisions to ruin Lee Soo-ah’s family relationships.

…Moreover, my choices were thoroughly for my benefit. Lee Soo-ah, or rather, not just her but Ha Neul and Sohee were the same. I chose to befriend those I felt could avoid destruction based on the light they radiated on their faces.

Because of my selection, Lee Soo-ah ended up running away from school, and now there’s conflict within her family.

I didn’t even think through this matter properly.

So, the words I added were, in fact, quite irresponsible.

“…Okay, understood.”

Maybe it seemed like I was scolding her, as Lee Soo-ah replied while looking down cast again.

“…If.”

Seeing her like that, I felt the urge to say at least a few words.

But what should I say?

I can’t just apologize at this point. Even if I did, she wouldn’t understand the reasoning behind it, and given Lee Soo-ah’s character, she might not even accept an apology.

No, it would be crazy to think an apology would cover up for dragging her into this mess.

If there’s anything broken because of me, at the very least, I should pretend to try to fix it. No, I must not only pretend but actually need to put it back to how it was. That’s basic courtesy when befriending someone.

Thus, I said.

Not as empty words, but truly with all my sincerity.

“If your parents can’t forgive you easily, I’ll go with you. I don’t know if it’ll help, though.”

And if it turns out to be of help, I’ll help as far as I can.

Until now, I’d only considered Choi Na-kyung’s attacks. But that much I can handle. Having money solves that issue. I have more than enough to live without working for a lifetime, spending billions as if they were pocket change.

But mending broken relationships, especially those that don’t involve me, can’t just be fixed with money. Even if I show my sincerity directly as the cause, it would still decide whether those wounds would heal.

Then it would be better for me to go directly and explain the reasons, and beg for forgiveness. Even if Lee Soo-ah’s parents might not forgive me, their daughter Lee Soo-ah would likely be able to get forgiveness.

Upon hearing my words, Lee Soo-ah perked up. The sparkle returned to her eyes.

Was it really such reassuring words? I mean, it’s certainly more comforting to go with others than going to get scolded alone. Even if it may not be the fundamental solution.

“Yeah!”

Lee Soo-ah answered with a bright smile.

The expression of a drenched cat was nowhere to be seen.

*

After finishing basic first aid, Lee Soo-ah went in to wash up. Band-aids could easily be replaced. To be honest, in terms of order, it would have been better to wash up, disinfect, and then apply band-aids first, but I wasn’t thinking straight at that time, and I hadn’t even imagined that Soo-ah would mention wanting to stay here overnight.

Honestly, before hearing the word “running away,” I was quite anxious, wondering if something terrible happened outside. Of course, it’s not like I could say I was glad she fell, but I was relieved that it was preferable to all those worst-case scenarios I had been imagining.

“…”

The sound of water splashing rang faintly in Soo-hee’s ears as she stared intently at the shower room.

“Is there something bothering you?”

“Uh? N-no.”

Soo-hee shrugged her shoulders.

“Nope. Nothing at all.”

That only made her more suspicious. Could it be that just because she became a maid, she was starting to think like a real maid saying things like, ‘A guest has arrived…’?

Soo-hee pulled a chair from the table in the middle of the room and sat down with a sigh. Then, showing a look of discomfort, she casually undid three buttons on her black shirt, one after another.

…And what emerged was a positively enchanting girl in a maid outfit.

Wait, considering my situation, calling her a ‘little girl’ doesn’t quite fit?

“Phew, now I can breathe.”

Come to think of it, where would you find someone like that in real life? No matter how much a girl might run about and play, no girl would walk around with her school uniform shirt unbuttoned like that. Even if there were girls who buttoned their shirts down while wearing a separate t-shirt underneath, it’s a different story.

“Huh.”

Maybe she sensed I was staring at her intently, Soo-hee gave a strange smile while moving her body. The shape of her slightly exposed front moved slightly.

…Honestly, saying this is awkward, I had imagined what that felt like in more ways than one. I even almost shoved my nose into there. It definitely wasn’t intentional.

Thinking back, it wasn’t just that.

“Why? Want to touch?”

“…”

…Is that something a girl should say to another girl?

Oh right. Soo-hee wasn’t an average girl. And I wasn’t exactly a girl either, if you get down to it. Not really a kid, but still.

Was she one to enjoy things like this?

I racked my memory… Yeah, I feel like that was the case. There might be a scene in the game where she’s teasing while going out to play with Yoo Ha-neul. The game might be rated for all ages, so there wasn’t exactly any outrageous scenes.

“Can maids really say that?”

When I awkwardly rephrased the question, she replied,

“Aren’t maids supposed to do this?”

Of course, her face was filled with mischief.

…That line, I’d rather want to put Yang Hye-in on a mission to come back after buying Soo-ah’s underwear because Yang Hye-in wasn’t around now.

This isn’t their usual maid game.

Even if it’s a visual novel.

Just as I was about to retort, the shower room door swung open.

And then, with the backdrop of white steam pouring out, Lee Soo-ah emerged.

Lee Soo-ah with wet, shiny hair was wrapped only in a towel.

!!!!!

I felt an invisible exclamation mark above Soo-hee’s head as she turned to look at that sight.

And I’m pretty sure I’d have the same exclamation mark floating above my head if I looked up at the ceiling.

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