The Villainess’s Guide to Winning the Male Lead

The door wasn’t locked, as MadelineTastesGood opened it easily.

The inside was even more quaint. It really seemed like a dormitory, as it was furnished with all the necessary living furniture.

It was more than sufficient for a brief stay.

“The bedroom is on the second floor. It’s more like an attic, though.”

“…….”

“It’s much smaller compared to the room you had as Anais, right? But it’s clean.”

“It’s really nice.”

I preferred this house over the luxurious room of Anais. My cheerful reflection was visible in the mirror by the entrance.

Seeing how much I liked it, MadelineTastesGood looked pleased and held my hand firmly.

“Broadcasting is fine, but how about moving here after the original story ends? I’ll take you to lots of fun places!”

Right, these people didn’t know I was broadcasting with the goal of reincarnation.

I smiled, struggling to keep my composure. I couldn’t respond to that suggestion. It felt like I was deceiving them.

“You’ve had an accident today and must be tired, right? I’ll come back in the evening, so why don’t you rest until then?”

“Okay, I will.”

“Alright. I’ll come back after work too! Have a good rest, Nuna.”

MadelineTastesGood closed the door and left.

I was alone in the small house, with sunlight streaming through the window.

I walked up to the second floor.

The attic, as she had said, wasn’t very spacious. It was just big enough for a bed and a wardrobe.

But it felt all the more cozy. A smile naturally formed on my face.

‘I’ve always wanted a house like this.’

Having never owned a home, I always had a longing for a place of refuge. That’s why I had been saving diligently.

I flopped down on the bed. After all the events, I fell asleep almost instantly.

The rest felt incredibly comfortable.

* * *

When I woke up, it was already getting dark outside. Looking at the clock, it was past seven in the evening.

‘I slept so soundly.’

I had a deep sleep.

After a quick wash in the bathroom, I sat on the living room sofa.

“Ah, this is nice.”

I loved the quietness. It truly felt like my own space.

As I was enjoying this moment with my eyes closed, the doorbell rang.

Perhaps MadelineTastesGood had come. With that thought, I got up and opened the door.

However, it was OnlyFinley standing outside.

“Good evening!”

OnlyFinley had her hands full of various items.

Surprised, I stepped aside, and OnlyFinley came in and placed what she brought on the table.

“What’s all this…?”

“Cake and food! We have to have a party since it’s the first day we met Jiha.”

A party? I had never experienced a party in my life.

“Poppopo also said she’s bringing more food.”

“This is already a lot?”

“Better to have more than less!”

OnlyFinley was simply cheerful.

Soon after, Poppopo and MadelineTastesGood arrived as well. They, too, brought loads of food, similar to OnlyFinley.

“What, I brought cake too!”

“It’s fine, if there’s extra, we can take it home.”

Despite only the four of us gathering, the room felt lively, perhaps due to its small size.

We spread out the food and sat in a circle.

“Today I asked the regulars on the broadcast, and some said it’s a busy period for them so it’s tough.”

“Wow, to miss a fan meeting, they must be really busy.”

“Their team is no joke. They probably don’t even have time to sleep these days.”

It seems I arrived during their busy season. I quietly listened while sipping my drink.

“So, who’s confirmed to come?”

“For now, us three, Isaac, Gold2, NyamNyamoo, and FlowerFlute.”

“That’s really few.”

“But it’s seven people.”

Seven was plenty. Judging by the familiar nicknames, it seemed like most of the regulars were coming.

“The ones who don’t usually chat were really regretful. They said they’ll definitely attend if we organize a bigger one next time.”

Hearing that, I felt curious.

“Are there fans who don’t chat?”

“A lot! Most of us watch while working, so we don’t have the time to chat.”

That makes sense. Only those proficient enough at their jobs to accumulate points were chatting.

“The venue rental is all set. Is tomorrow okay?”

“Isn’t that too rushed?”

“We had no choice― they’re making a fuss about wanting to see you soon.”

“Well, if that’s the case. Jiha, are you okay with that?”

“Oh, I’m fine.”

I had nothing else planned anyway. If the attendees were decided, there was no need to delay.

“Great! We’ll go early tomorrow to prepare!”

“I even took a day off for this!”

“Me too.”

These working people seemed thrilled to have something else to focus on.

OnlyFinley raised her drink.

“To Jiha’s broadcast!”

Everyone, including me, lifted their glasses with a smile.

“To that!”

It was a joyful time.

* * *

We started preparing for the fan meeting in the morning. Actually, the preparation was just being at the cafe beforehand.

“Nuna, come at the right time! We’ll take care of the preparations.”

MadelineTastesGood left after saying that early in the morning.

My fans were preparing for my fan meeting. It felt a bit unsettling. I wasn’t sure if fan meetings were supposed to be like this. I had never experienced one, but I was quite sure it wasn’t usually like this.

Waiting calmly at home, I eventually went about 20 minutes before the start time. I thought it would ease my mind if I went early to help.

As I approached, I saw someone standing in front of the cafe.

He was a man with light brown hair and quite tall.

In fact, his beauty was beyond just being tall and handsome. The man was staring intently at the cafe sign while holding a paper bag in his hand.

I cautiously approached him.

“The cafe isn’t open today.”

It was rented out for the event, so regular customers couldn’t enter. That’s why I approached him to let him know.

The man who noticed me turned his head in my direction. As our gazes met, I became even more aware of his radiant beauty.

“Heo Jiha?”

The man wore a surprised expression. His voice was calm and gentle.

“……?”

Could he be a viewer? I didn’t remember having a viewer with such an image.

As I stood there bewildered, unable to say anything, the man gave a sunny smile.

“It is Heo Jiha, isn’t it? I came a bit early and was wondering if it was okay to enter.”

“…I see.”

“Shall we go in together?”

“Yes.”

Despite feeling shy, I went in with him.

“Hey! What’s this!”

Inside, there was PleaseShakeACarrot holding a big banner.

OnlyFinley and Poppopo were also busily preparing. It was hard to believe this was the same cafe from yesterday, adorned with balloons and decorations.

“Why all this effort…….”

“We’re not done setting up yet! What do we do if you come too early!”

OnlyFinley exclaimed sulkily.

As I felt awkward, the man beside me said with a smile,

“They’re just thorough in their preparations. Don’t be too hard on Heo Jiha.”

“Just keep your mouth shut.”

Poppopo spoke harshly. The man just smiled, used to it.

“Heo Jiha will be surprised. Don’t use harsh words.”

“Shut up.”

“Hyung, if you came early, just sit down.”

The way they treated the man was nothing but harsh.

Who on earth was this man to be treated this way? My puzzlement didn’t last long.

“Did you finish all your work, Isaac?”

Isaac. He was the person who was the butt of the jokes in the broadcast.

The tone I had seen in the chat room and his real-life appearance didn’t overlap at all.

“…….”

“What’s wrong?”

When I just quietly looked at him, Isaac responded with a kind smile. I just quietly shook my head.

Soon, people began to gather one after another.

After everyone had gathered, PleaseShakeACarrot, taking on the role of the host, energetically announced the start.

“Alright, let’s start the 1st Heo Jiha fan meeting!”

In reality, with the small number of people, it felt more like a friendly gathering than a fan meeting.

Yet, the people clapped kindly and cheered. I just awkwardly scratched my cheek.

“First, let’s introduce ourselves. Everyone say your nickname! I’m PleaseShakeACarrot. You probably know that already!”

It seemed they were intentionally having an introduction time for my sake.

Next was OnlyFinley.

“I’m OnlyFinley! A special note would be that I love Finley?”

“Your nickname gives it away.”

“And these days I’m smitten with Eric! But my heart is OnlyFinley!”

“Yes, next introduction.”

PleaseShakeACarrot nicely cut in and moved on.

Poppopo and Isaac greeted uneventfully, and next was a woman with short hair.

“Hehe, so… I’m FlowerFlute.”

I was well aware of FlowerFlute. She was the one who always used beautiful words in the chat. Her real-life manner of speaking was exactly the same as in the chat.

“I’m a huge fan of Heo Jiha, I’m so happy to meet you like this.”

“Is it my turn next? I’m NyamNyamoo.”

The woman next to FlowerFlute spoke.

“I feel the same as FlowerFlute! I really wanted to meet you, Heo Jiha!”

Then, the only man left must be Gold2.

Gold2 awkwardly tousled his hair, seeming embarrassed.

“Do I really have to do this? It’s embarrassing to say my nickname out loud.”

“You chose that nickname yourself. Just endure it with grit.”

“…I’m Gold2.”

He was more shy than I expected.

Although it was called a fan meeting, it was hastily organized, so it was mostly just chit-chat. Everyone was asking questions about the broadcast or about me.

“Have you become much closer to Bates?”

Bates was also brought up.

It was a hot topic at the moment. After all, there were twelve hundred points at stake.

“I put a ton of points on that!”

“Me too. I’m curious about what will happen―”

The faces of the people saying this were slightly flushed.

I asked curiously,

“Do you prefer Anais to end up with Bates rather than being paired with other characters?”

“Not particularly?”

“It’s just fun.”

“I just went with the flow and put them in.”

“Me too!”

“I actually think it would be nice if she got involved with Kabir more.”

“I’m for Eric!”

“What, why did you guys put in your points?”

Poppopo asked, seemingly baffled.

“It’s just that we want to see a stern man like Bates melt and open up to Anais.”

Isaac’s comment made most of the Celestial Realm angels nod. They were indeed angels who were crazy about romance.