How to Survive as a Villain in a Novel

5 – Yoon Hyunjin

Misunderstanding or false accusations are really difficult to undo.

Once they start to pile up,

Any objections become pitiful excuses only.

Here’s a change of thought.

‘Then there’s no need to undo it, right?’

This is the class top villain, my leisure.

No.

Thinking about it, being falsely accused is rather beneficial.

Why?

[The Destiny of the Villain]

Thanks to this cursed destiny.

I was already stressed because of the ‘fill your malice’ bar that I had to fill every time I met someone.

But after being suspected as the mastermind behind the ‘Orbis Dungeon Break’ incident, even sitting still was enough to fill my ‘malice.’

The ‘malice’ bar also filled up when the other party held ‘bad feelings’ towards me.

All of this is thanks to those jerks falsely accusing me.

But, apart from those benefits.

‘I feel they are misbehaving too much recently.’

Those villains who have settled in this academy.

It feels as if their actions are slowly crossing the line.

‘No. These ignorant guys.’

It’s a big problem if I get mentally disturbed. Really.

I can’t go around talking about this possessed body everywhere. I’m talking about Yoon Hyunjin. He’ll be in real trouble if he breaks down mentally from now on. Watching him barely holding his position, it’s already precarious. Ah, what to do with him. Really.

Anyway.

It’s okay to leave trash in my spot. But it’s not okay to pick on those who want to live quietly.

Beating them up is not just a villainous act, but a very petty and low-class one at that.

Obviously, when I see such things, from my heart.

From the heart of this top-class villain.

Something burns hot.

‘I still need to collect some more malice.’

First, need to figure out which guys are third-class villains.

Shall we try a bit of identification?

* * *

“Hey, Bang Dae-hoo.”

I spoke straight forward.

As if I was certain that Bang Dae-hoo was standing right there.

This is the essence of blindness.

However, Bang Dae-hoo’s voice came from a completely different direction.

“… I’m over here.”

Hmm. How embarrassing.

I had to turn my body about 45 degrees toward where the voice came from.

No matter.

Being confident is what’s important.

“You might want to brace yourself.”

At my words, the sound of suppressed laughter could be heard here and there.

I guess it doesn’t matter.

“I know your true identity.”

“?”

Bang Dae-hoo looked dumbfounded.

This Bang Dae-hoo guy is kind of like a ‘messenger’.

Not like a lion or a death messenger, more like the type from historical dramas carrying a letter around.

He’s probably a one-time-use expendable card set up by this academy’s ‘dark forces’.

So the problem here is,

how should I grill this guy to extract information?

And the answer is…drum roll, please…

I have to beat it out of him until he wants to talk.

You think that’s too violent?

Violence is more than justified with a single statement.

‘I am a Villain.’

* * *

“…Thank you.”

The brown-haired girl bowed her head to the healer.

Passing the waving healer, the girl returned to the spectator seats in the competition area.

Despite looking a bit beaten-down, no one paid attention to her.

– “If only that girl didn’t act so unlucky…”

– “Hey. Shush. She’s back.”

– “Is she back already? Did she not get hit enough?”

The whispers behind her back continued unabated.

The girl, Yoon Hyun-jin, flinched for a moment but continued on as if she hadn’t heard.

– Clack. Clack.

At the sound of footsteps, Yoon Hyun-jin turned his head.

And gritted his teeth.

A noble-like, dignified appearance.

Every step overflowed with grace.

If the students’ ranks were presented as a pyramid, she would be at the very top.

‘… Student council president.’

Why is this woman here?

A murmur rippled around them.

A reaction that spoke volumes about the president’s popularity.

But Yoon Hyun-jin furrowed his brows. He hated the student council president with a vengeance. He knew all too well that her confident, noble-like attitude was a facade. He felt disgusted with himself for being too weak to expose her.

Wonder if she enjoyed watching me get hurt?

…It’s difficult to read that woman’s thoughts from her expression.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes.”

He replied dryly,

But the student council president, pretending to worry about Yoon Hyun-jin’s health,

Whispered while leaning towards him.

“You should really take better care of yourself.”

Damn.

Such an unpleasant woman.

“I’m sorry.”

“Hmph. You’re still no fun. No wonder you always end up being bullied.”

“… What did you say?”

“You’re hard of hearing too. Well then, I’ll leave you to it.”

– Clack. Clack.

The student council president, who had moved a few steps away, turned back.

“Take good care of your health. We’re always concerned about you in the student council! Discipline committee chair!”

Anger surged up within him.

– “Why the furrowed brow when the president is concerning about you?”

– “Wow, that’s harsh.”

But they don’t know.

The ins and outs of the student council president.

And he couldn’t tell them either.

Because everyone despised him.

Really.

It’s too painful.

Even though he knew the reason.

‘Because people hate those… who only say the right things.’

Yet, he couldn’t change his actions.

Because it’s the right thing to do, because that’s what I learned from my parents, because someone has to do it.

Yes.

‘Justice and fairness.’

The belief she would never abandon.

Her parents always said it.

“The most important thing is ensuring that nobody is unjustly wronged.”

Punishing a hundred criminals is essential, but saving one unjustly wronged person is pivotal.

But… parents…

“Life isn’t just or fair to me.”

What she felt now was… exhaustion.

“….”

It was hard.

It pained her.

‘I know.’

I used struggle as an excuse. I knew that I was being hit.

I knew I was being pushed away.

‘I know…’

I’m not strong enough to voice my intentions.

Even as a student president, experiencing such people growing up, I realized that I have hardly grown myself.

I’ve become weaker, like an insect.

‘… I know.’

Hyunjin hugged her knees on the narrow seating. If she didn’t, she felt like something deep in her heart might shatter.

‘This isn’t enough.’

In her hand that was rummaging through her pocket was a small bookmark.

She held onto it dearly.

A gift from an unidentified person.

Her only solace.

‘But…’

But today, for some unknowable reason, even that wasn’t enough.

– “hahahahahaaha!”

– “What the hell is that guy doing!”

Even the initiation of the hustle,

didn’t reach the ears of Yoon Hyunjin.

She felt like she might collapse at any moment.

Someone, save me.

“…..”

She looked down at her wrist.

The wounds, now faded and healing.

She touched her hand.

He was still quite docile.

In one hand, the bookmark that had given her hope.

In another hand, the traces of her attempt to get rid of the loathsome self.

She alternated her view between the two.

‘Just. Like this…’

For sure, there was something in her bag…

At the very moment she was about to make up her mind.

– “Khahahahah!”

– “What the hell is he doing? Khehehehe!”

A boisterous laughter jolted her back to awareness.

Hyun-jin slowly lifted her head.

A one-on-one confrontation came to her sight.

On one side, a student named Bang Dae-hu.

On the other, Lee Han, a boy she had recently been paying attention to.

Every time Lee Han misplaced his wooden sword.

A scornful laughter erupted here and there.

– “He can’t hit anything! Khahahaha!”

– “Hey, not that side! It’s here, here! Kukukuk!”

The ‘Dungeon Break Incident’s suspect’, responsible for numerous casualties.

Everybody hated Lee Han.

Even she, who was the chairman of the Student Council, had also disliked him. She didn’t say it, but she didn’t like Lee Han.

‘But now…’

Yoon Hyun-jin deadpannedly stared at Lee Han.

His continuously misfiring wooden sword. The children laughing at that sight.

Lee Han, who was the subject of everyone’s mockery.

“……”

Having seen that, Yoon Hyun-jin bit her lips.

‘Why.’

Why.

Why does she see herself in Lee Han, who she has hated so much?

Why.

Does she feel that deep within her heart, she and Lee Han could be similar?

– Whoosh!

Lee Han’s misguided wooden sword dug into the ground.

Facing the pouring magic, Lee Han enduring.

‘Why…’

Why is that boy.

Why is he fighting so desperately like that?

Why does she find herself cheering for him?

Drip, drip.

Tears trickled down the corners of Yoon Hyun-jin’s eyes.

The eyes of the girl, who seemed dead, regained half their color.

For herself, trapped in the endless depths,

It felt as though a ray of light had descended.

‘Yi Han.’

As if not wanting to lose that light, Yoon Hyun-jin murmured.

‘Yi Han. Yi Han. Yi Han.’

A child just like me.

A child who suffers scorn and dismissal from everyone.

– “Ha ha ha!”

– “What can a blind person do with a sword? Look at him, too scared to even hold a real sword!”

– “It’s so embarrassing hahahaha!”

But a child who never gives up.

A child who pretends nothing happened and tries again.

A child who, as if nothing matters, continues to be kind.

… And perhaps,

‘A child who might have been wrongfully accused.’

Yoon Hyun-jin unknowingly raised her voice.

“Cheer up.”

She covered her mouth in surprise.

Perhaps it was fortunate it was drown out by the laughter, unnoticed by others.

“……”

Although she knew how cowardly she was.

She wanted to cheer him on.

She shouted again.

Louder. In her heart.

‘Cheer Up!’

At that moment.

– Woooosh!

Yi Han’s wooden sword goes astray once again.

But this time.

Even before the laughter could erupt.

– Bang!

His sword bent at a right angle.

And precisely struck the side of his opponent.

“Ugh!”

A dull impact sound.

– “!”

– “!!!”

Before everyone could even show their surprise.

The straight upward thrust of the wooden sword precisely strikes down on its target.

“Hrrrgh!”

– “!!!!!!”

Bang Dae-hu hastily raises a defensive magic barrier.

However, the wooden sword of Lee Han slips through a small gap that hadn’t quite closed.

– Woosh!

Magic boom.

With a thunderous sound, the incomplete magic shatters, and the mud that Bang Dae-hu had been crafting with his magic splatters everywhere.

“… What kind of speed is that?”

Yoon Hyun-jin didn’t bother to silence the comments that slipped out.

Their stunned faces and mumbled sounds were unimaginably dumbstruck.

‘No, more importantly.’

Shouldn’t he be blind at that level?

Don’t make assumptions without evidence.

That was Yoon Hyun-jin’s personality, which is why he thought more about this.

How can he not see?

That speed, and above all, precise.

How is he able to attack his opponent?

“Ah…”

But she had no choice but to believe it.

The palm of Lee Han, holding the wooden sword.

The sight of his rough hand, which left no traces of the well-established magician.

Burst blisters and.

Heavily embedded calluses.

Effort stained with blood.

‘……’

Even though he lost his sight.

Even though he must feel wronged.

He’s working so hard.

Then.

Lee Han’s head slowly turned.

Although brief, he clearly paused in her direction.

“…!”

Surprised, her body stiffened.

It felt as though she had locked eyes with Lee Han.

Clearly, that couldn’t have been possible.

‘What the hell…’

But Lee Han’s gaze had already moved on.

It seemed like he was still looking at her.

A strange occurrence.

His gaze felt warm. Unbelievably so, yet it was a familiar warmth.

She clutched the bookmark in her hand.

Then, she hurriedly tugged her school uniform sleeve down.

She wanted to hide her wrist where a wound lay.

‘Ugh…’

Her face flushed red.

It was embarrassing.

But she didn’t exactly hate this side of herself.

The reason was clear.

‘Ee Han…’

Yoon Hyunjin’s eyes regained their entirety in vitality.

Glowing in a brilliant brown,

They were beautiful.