I Don’t Want to be a Villainess

Something feels off.

Son Ah-reum always thought she knew herself perfectly.

She believed she was always moving in the right direction, and thus felt compelled to correct those who were wrong.

However, after coming to this school, she learned that merely being ‘right’ has no real meaning. Even if you’re right, if you lack power, people won’t listen. No, the very premise of being ‘right’ doesn’t hold in a society where the powerful pull the strings. No matter how loud someone from the outside yells their assertions, they won’t reach those at the top.

But still, she tried. Son Ah-reum always believed she was right. Even if not perfectly right, she thought she was moving toward the right direction.

Then, she met Ye Sara.

A weird girl.

No matter how you slice it, she was a nuisance to others, engaging in lewd acts on campus without a shred of shame, tormenting teachers to the point they couldn’t teach properly.

The reason students didn’t speak out against Sara was that they believed she was pulling strings behind the scenes. So teachers remained silent even after Sara infringed on their authority, and the kids just turned a blind eye to her misdeeds.

To be honest, saying that about Sara was just self-satisfaction for Son Ah-reum.

Communication with other kids, who were as closed off as walls, was impossible, but Sara was different.

Whenever Son Ah-reum said something, Sara responded. It wasn’t like she unilaterally ignored her; despite looking annoyed, she answered everything.

Even when Son Ah-reum sat across from her in the cafeteria, there was nothing different.

That’s when she should have noticed.

Looking back now, how embarrassing it was.

When she realized that Sara was the one being bullied and that what she had done was essentially treat her like a victim, Son Ah-reum felt like she had been hit on the head.

After realizing that, everything Sara did looked different.

Sara was fighting.

She was always fighting alone against the majority who oppressed her.

Instead of turning her frustration toward those ignoring her plight and focusing on the one who would at least listen, she threw her punches and kicks against the wall, using her whole body.

And Sara ultimately succeeded.

She smashed that wall to bits. Ignoring how others viewed her, she simply walked her own path, positively influencing those around her.

Of course, that didn’t mean the situation at school was normal. The school still revolved around money, and scholarship students in other grades were still disregarded.

…Well, Sara would change that wall eventually too.

Son Ah-reum believed that.

*

“Ugh…”

That sound was from Sara.

She didn’t really want to be in the Student Council Room. Naturally, because if she was there, she had to work.

The new committee members were especially enthusiastic. They unraveled and redistributed the budget that had been completely standardized and operated unilaterally, cleanly ignoring any objections raised in the process.

With power in hand, they could torment others, and since they felt justified in doing so, they had become quite the tyrants.

And usually, the aftermath of their actions fell upon Sara sitting diagonally from the chairwoman.

“Why do I have to deal with students here…?”

As per Sara’s wishes, she hardly had to touch any paperwork herself.

Yet, angry students eventually came to confront her. They wanted to negotiate and revert the budget to its original state.

Naturally, what Sara did was ignore those students’ opinions, but—

“Ugh, I really don’t want this…”

She had already muttered that several times.

Yes, despite her tough exterior, Sara was surprisingly timid and not a fan of dealing with people. Though she unintentionally surrounded herself with others, she was fundamentally introverted. Thus, meeting so many new people and facing their aggression was a nightmare.

And the reason Sara was left in this situation was a hundred percent Son Ah-reum’s fault.

“Um…”

When Son Ah-reum tried to apologize,

“It’s okay, it’s okay.”

Shin So-hee, sitting next to Sara, immediately hugged her. While cradling Sara’s head against her ample chest, she gently stroked her hair.

For someone like Son Ah-reum, who clearly had no resistance to such gestures, it felt suffocating.

…Or maybe it wasn’t just because of her lack of resistance?

“…”

Initially, Sara had resisted Shin So-hee’s actions a little, but nowadays, she simply buried her face in her chest and didn’t say a word.

In some ways, it seemed like she had given up resisting, and in others, she looked thoroughly drained.

Reflecting back to the beginning of the semester, if she saw such a scene, she would have lectured them relentlessly, but now, no words came out comfortably.

“Yeah, just a little longer until break, right? Just gotta get through finals first.”

“Ugh, finals…”

As Yoo Ha-neul fiddled with Sara’s hair, Shin So-hee was still holding Sara close, stroking the back of her head, streamlining the hair that flowed down Sara’s back.

The way Yoo Ha-neul’s hands tangled through Sara’s hair looked strangely sticky. They certainly didn’t look dirty or unkempt, but watching those fingers twirl through her hair time and time again felt… odd.

But… what can you say about someone touching hair? If say something about it, might they realize Son Ah-reum was having strange thoughts?

“When I don’t want to study…”

The air conditioning in the Student Council Room was certainly working fine, yet Sara, mumbling in Shin So-hee’s embrace, looked like she might just melt away at any moment.

“We’ll help. We can study together at home, right?”

Before she noticed, Lee Soo-ah had come close and grasped one of Sara’s hands.

Was she trying to give a hand massage to the exhausted Sara? Lee Soo-ah’s fingers wandered across Sara’s palm and between her fingers. While it really did look like a massage, the strangely excited expression on Lee Soo-ah’s face made the atmosphere feel… weird.

“Ugh, uheh, uhuh…”

Sara’s sounds coming from Shin So-hee’s embrace only made the scene seem even weirder.

Above all, the most bizarre thing was that the three of them, while doing such acts, appeared to be subtly aware of Son Ah-reum’s presence.

“…”

What could she even say to these three?

Only a little while ago, Son Ah-reum would have certainly told them. Such inappropriate associations in school are banned.

But now, those words seemed strangely stuck in her throat.

gulp

She just swallowed dryly, like it was the only option left.

gulp

Then there was that sound again.

No, this time, it wasn’t Son Ah-reum.

“…”

When she looked toward the source of the sound, there sat the chairwoman.

He slightly opened his mouth, staring at the three closely knit together, before realizing Son Ah-reum was looking at him and hastily cleared his throat, turning his gaze away.

*

Summer break.

Yes. Summer break was just around the corner.

Son Ah-reum liked summer break. She didn’t worry too much about the upcoming finals. Son Ah-reum was usually quite dedicated to studying and was thorough in her preparations and reviews. While she didn’t attend expensive academies or take private classes, she honestly thought she was quite capable of studying on her own.

And the summer break that would follow was, without a doubt, something she looked forward to.

She planned to meet her middle school friends and really enjoy herself, relieving stress by chatting, forgetting about how horribly things were turning at school.

But curiously, as time passed, Son Ah-reum began to feel a strange reluctance about summer break.

That was really strange. For a high school student, having a resentment toward summer break would typically be unthinkable unless they had some ominous fate awaiting them during the vacation.

“…Ah, I see.”

If summer break comes, she won’t be able to meet Sara.

Though the three would live with Sara, Son Ah-reum wouldn’t. Even though they often met at school, shared meals, and worked in the student council together, once school ended, they became complete strangers. Without a special reason to meet up, Son Ah-reum had no excuse to see Sara.

Yet, she lacked the courage to cling to Sara like the other three did.

…Well, maybe.

Maybe the reason Son Ah-reum had pulled Sara into the student council was due to that very feeling.

Aiming to spend just a bit more time with Sara, did she think to keep her in the student council room?

“…Sigh.”

With time, Son Ah-reum’s heart became more and more complicated.

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