The Thug Hides the Villainess

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012 – Only the Extroverts Enjoy the Party #1

“Point! I also have shop points now!”

「400,000 P」

Baek-Yeoul felt extremely good looking at the number projected by her smartwatch.

With these points, she could buy a delicious lunch, and perhaps even get her shattered smartphone screen fixed.

And she might even be able to buy those socks she had been eyeing at the convenience store, and… and….

Heheh—.

Humming a tune, she was on her way home.

Thud—.

“Ugh!”

Something caught her leg, and Baek-Yeoul fell flat on her face.

Of all things, her foot got snagged on a broken sidewalk tile—what terrible luck!

“Ouch, my knee is scraped…”

Baek-Yeoul often tripped or bumped into things and got hurt.

It was surely due to her own concept of “bad luck”.

Baek-Yeoul disliked her own abilities.

Everyone celebrated her when she awakened, calling her special, but she thought this kind of specialness was worse than having none at all.

People around her kept experiencing misfortunes, which only pushed them further away from her.

Today, it was obvious she would be humiliated again in the group project…

“400,000!”

Baek-Yeoul took a band-aid from her bag and shouted with joy as she stuck it on her knee. Just then, a bird flying in the sky was startled and pooped on her shoulder, but she didn’t mind at all.

“I earned 400,000 points!”

400,000 points were the minimum amount needed to take special classes.

In those special classes, one could learn to control and enhance their abilities while awakening new powers, or so they said.

For Baek-Yeoul, who was struggling due to her inability to control her “bad luck” concept, it was the most necessary lecture of all. The only worry was…

“There’s definitely going to be Seoga-eul in the special class…”

Sigh.

Baek-Yeoul reached into her bag and pulled out a photo.

It was a picture of her smiling brightly with a girl student, whom she had her arm around.

The girl’s face had been marked with a black permanent marker, yet Baek-Yeoul could vividly remember this girl’s face.

They had been classmates together from kindergarten to middle school.

“What does Hanam-jin even see in a girl like this? She’s pretty, rich, and smells nice, but that’s about it.”

Baek-Yeoul felt inexplicably angry and blamed the absent Hanam-jin.

That boy, who had been intertwining with her from their first meeting—was terribly fond of Seoga-eul.

“Such a fool. It’s all in vain anyway.”

Kind, pretty, good at studying, and said to have excellent abilities, Seoga-eul.

Baek-Yeoul knew Seoga-eul’s true nature better than anyone else.

She couldn’t forgive Seoga-eul.

Even if that resulted in her endless unhappiness.

“Seoga-eul is the worst kind of bimbo.”

# # #

“Seoga-eul is my light. My love. My life’s beacon! Butterflies, Yadoran, home of the birds—”

Singing while washing myself made me feel much better.

After all, I had earned 400,000 points in the group project yesterday and received everyone’s attention, right? Even emotionally dead psychopaths would surely dance with joy at this level.

“400,000 points!”

With these 400,000 points, I could apply for special classes and approach Seoga-eul, handing her a ‘handkerchief that I washed clean and upgraded’—.

“From today, you’re my girlfriend! Got it?”

If I made such a bold and energetic confession, how could Seoga-eul possibly resist? I might even lose my legs from the thrill!

“Isn’t that right, Ying-ing?”

……….

…….

There was no response.

My joyful home was only quiet and desolate.

“I felt so happy to be home, but it’s kinda too quiet.”

Suddenly, I found myself missing my friend Ying-ing.

In the end, the emergency rations I had been saving had become utterly tasteless.

If only Seoga-eul had sent Ying-ing back to the past with me, that would have been great.

“I’m sure we can meet again.”

I believed in fate ever since that day when Seoga-eul came to me.

Just as Seoga-eul was my fate, I believed without doubt that Ying-ing was also a part of my destiny.

“We’ll definitely meet again.”

Anyway, what mattered was Seoga-eul.

“Who is this handsome guy in the mirror? It’s me!”

Who wouldn’t be captivated by my smile showing white teeth like rice noodles? But then again, Seoga-eul’s taste in boys might be peculiar.

She might prefer scoundrels rolling in the trash over refined and handsome men.

To prepare for that, I had taken out insurance.

That was my plump Baek-Yeoul self.

I heard that Baek-Yeoul had spent so much time with Seoga-eul from kindergarten through middle school.

Then she would surely know what kind of boys Seoga-eul liked, what kinds of scumbags she dated.

Thinking about rushing to school to ask Baek-Yeoul about all this made my tail twitch.

“Well then, I’m off to school.”

I bid farewell to the empty house and headed to school.

The wind blowing was warm.

Indeed, it was spring.

A spring of my life that had already passed but I had never experienced.

# # #

After the boring morning classes, when lunchtime arrived, we decided to use the second-place prize we had gotten from the group project.

It was five “Noble Vouchers”.

The team “No Leftover Day” decided to go to the fancy student cafeteria and enjoy a delicious meal together.

I was especially excited about this because I had brought something for today.

It was a lunchbox!

“Hey! Tae-seong! Keep an eye out for me!”

“Hanam-jin, again?”

“Yeah!”

I was going to fill my lunchbox with as much buffet food as possible! And eat it for dinner and breakfast tomorrow!

Ah, this is truly the archetype of a well-prepared, resourceful man, isn’t it?

Maybe that’s why, with my appearance so impressive, Baek-Yeoul, who was loitering around me, turned red and shouted in a small voice.

“Hey! If you get caught while packing food, you’ll be banned from Nobles for good!”

“Are you stupid? As long as you don’t get caught, it’s fine.”

「Name: Baek-Yeoul

Status: 《Injustice》 – I want to refute your perfect logic, but cannot think of a suitable comeback, so I feel wronged!」

Wadadadadot-.

The lunchbox was filled to the brim with meat dishes.

I didn’t need to eat rice to feel full—that’s what I felt right now.

In the moment, I was the ultimate winner of life.

“Um, my friend…”

Then, the candy maker Choi Chang-sik came over to talk to me.

What was he going to say?

“…Could you give me just one of those lunchboxes?”

He wanted to enjoy my precious lunchbox that I had risked everything for? It would be fine to go off on him, but I just nodded amiably.

“Okay. Take it. But you’ll have to wash the lunchbox and return it later.”

Choi Chang-sik is someone capable of making candy indefinitely.

In a world that’s bound to collapse, no one is as important as Chang-sik, so it’s crucial to score brownie points in advance.

“Th-thank you!”

Chang-sik looked truly pleased as he tucked away the lunchbox.

I had plenty I wanted to ask, but I kept my mouth shut, knowing everyone has their own story.

And so began our meal.

While we were discussing thoughts like, “What about creating a group chat?” or “Let’s study for the test together,” I noticed Baek-Yeoul, who had seemed emotionally unstable all day, letting out sighs repeatedly.

“What’s wrong? Baek-Yeoul, gotta pee?”

“…No!”

“Then what’s up with you? You’ve been like this since earlier.”

“Um…”

The children who had been chatting redirected their gazes to Baek-Yeoul, who turned crimson and fidgeted in distress until finally, finding her courage, she blurted out.

“My mom and dad wanted to invite you all. They said it’s the first time I’ve earned such a big store through a group project…”

It was very much like an introverted, unpopular elementary student inviting friends to their birthday party. As everyone exchanged awkward glances, the first to nod was Geum Tae-seong.

“If it doesn’t conflict with my part-time job hours, I’m okay with it.”

“I’m okay too! Isn’t Baek-Yeoul’s home the main branch of that famous food company? I bet we can taste some amazing desserts!”

“…….”

Only the typically shy O Deok-soon seemed hesitant to respond.

To that slowly responding Deok-soon, Geum Tae-seong said.

“Deok-soon, you should come along too. To be honest, you were the one who contributed the most with Hanam-jin this time, right? It would be fun to go and hang out.”

“Uh… okay then…”

The quiet and well-mannered O Deok-soon would swoon at the handsome boy’s proposal, I knew that well.

If Seoga-eul had said to me, “My parents are out tonight. Want to come over?” I would’ve nodded without even thinking!

In that sense, where could my love Seoga-eul possibly be?

“W-will everyone actually come to my house today? Hanam-jin, what about you?”

As I fiddled with the handkerchief I received from Seoga-eul, I noticed Seoga-eul coming in with her tray.

Amidst numerous kids, she looked as if she was shining like a spotlight, making me feel as if I had become entranced, I got up from my seat and approached Seoga-eul.

“Gaeul.”

“Hmm? You?”

“What is it?”

“Gaeul, do you know her?”

“This is a face I’m seeing for the first time. The uniform is different.”

There were plenty of pretty girls around Seoga-eul, but they blended in with her like the underling to Chunhyang, and I hardly noticed them.

In this moment, it felt like it was just me and Seoga-eul existing.

“What’s wrong?”

Seoga-eul’s gentle yet slightly flirtatious question made my heart race. My forehead felt hot, like boiling butter, and, ultimately, I quietly handed over the handkerchief I had been holding.

“Thank you for letting me borrow this.”

“Ah, the handkerchief. It’s you! The tiger underwear boy.”

“Pfft, that guy?”

“It was totally hilarious.”

Did Seoga-eul remember me? Isn’t this a definite green light!?

That day, wearing tiger underwear was the best decision ever.

I had hesitated about whether that would be worth ten thousand won, and evidently, it was more than worth it!

“But this handkerchief looks a bit different than when I gave it to you?”

“Oh, I embroidered it into a little heart shape.”

“Seoga-eul, can you feel my heart for you?”

In fact, Seoga-eul was glowing with joy, showing off her handkerchief to everyone, as if showing off a trophy.

“Look. Isn’t the embroidery amazing? Have you ever received something like this?”

“Your hand skills are great.”

“Gaeul, you’re really popular!”

Giggles and squeals filled the air.

It was quite a lively atmosphere.

Soon, with a soft chuckle, Seoga-eul spoke.

“I was already fond of the handkerchief, so thank you for returning it. And it’s beautifully decorated. From now on, every time I see this handkerchief, I’ll think of you.”

“Really? Then Gaeul, I want to do something in reply to the handkerchief. How about we grab a meal together?”

I mean, she’d think of me every time she sees it.

That’s an undeniable sign of love, right?

With our hearts already aligned, there was no need to hesitate any longer.

“What, are you asking me out on a date?”

“Did Gaeul just receive another confession from a guy?”

“Didn’t Wang Ja-hyeon confess last week….”

A buzz of commotion surrounded us, but whatever others outside of our bubble said didn’t matter to me.

What mattered was only Seoga-eul’s answer.

Empowered by the 《Emotion》 she had given me, I gazed at Seoga-eul.

From what I had inferred, the concept of 《Emotion》 specialized in detectively identifying gaps in creatures.

Surely, with so many people around, there would be a vulnerable spot in Seoga-eul’s heart from suddenly being asked out for a date.

That gap was my target.

In other words, this flirting was like catching her off-guard.

However, for some reason, 《Emotion》 didn’t give me any information about Seoga-eul.

Is she going to remain unfazed by such an open confession of wanting to eat together?

“Sorry, it’s my first time receiving a meal invitation in front of so many people, so I’m a bit surprised. Honestly, it’s a bit overwhelming, so I can’t decide right away.”

Overwhelmed?

She claims her heart hasn’t shifted at all, though she makes excuses.

Seoga-eul pretended to cover her mouth in a shyness yet laughed.

“There’s a party at our office building tomorrow. I’ll give you an invitation, and you can give me a serious answer there, okay? So your name is….”

“Hanam-jin. It means ‘man of depth’ and ‘truth’. You should at least remember the name of the guy you’re considering.”