I Became a Villainous Character with a Limited Lifespan - Episode 117

Episode 117

Considering it seemed to be quite an old item, it was more likely something Seung-hyun received from Jae-young rather than purchased himself. The thought crossed his mind that it was too shabby of an item to give as a gift.

‘Why would he give something like this as a gift?’

Seok-hyung glared at the slightly crumpled doll in his hand and tossed it to the floor with a thud. As expected, it was an item that didn’t suit “Han Seung-hyun”. Perhaps that weakened man, but not him.

“…What am I thinking?”

Seok-hyung soon shook his head. As long as that body was still alive, “Han Seung-hyun” was “Han Seung-hyun”. Even knowing the person inside was different, nothing changed.

‘The director is just the director. At least to me, he has to be.’

Seok-hyung looked at the cat doll that had fallen to the floor for a moment and picked it up again. Yes, it was just a doll, nothing more. It would be stranger to pay attention to it.

Just tell him, Seok-hyung thought as he stuffed the doll into his pocket. He had gotten everything he was asked for, but his feet wouldn’t easily leave, perhaps because he didn’t want to go back to the house.

I have to go back. There was no room for such childish whining. Seok-hyung recalled Seung-hyun and left the unfamiliar house. It was a strange day when he had the contradictory thought of missing the face he saw every day.

***

The rumor that Seung-hyun’s health condition seemed serious spread quickly. Some didn’t believe it, but since there were people who directly witnessed the incident in the hospital lobby, the rumor that gained eyewitnesses had no choice but to spread faster and more credibly.

Professor Kim and A Hospital didn’t easily leak patient information, but they couldn’t keep their mouths shut under the direct pressure of Chairman Han, the hospital’s biggest sponsor.

‘…It’s not a light illness. It must have had an impact on him leaving the company as well. And… it will be difficult for him to return to the company.’

It was an indirect expression, but not words that were difficult to understand. At the dining table where no one cared about the empty seat, Chairman Han lightly spoke.

“There must be people who looked into that guy’s news.”

“……”

“……”

“Did you find out anything?”

Chairman Han tentatively probed his family members. Taehyeop put down his utensils and said,

“I heard the rumors but don’t know the details. And I plan to continue not knowing in the future.”

It meant he didn’t want to hear news about Seung-hyun. He didn’t care what happened to the son who had already escaped his control. He had heard rumors of him coughing up blood somewhere, but it didn’t concern him.

His mother was the same. She hadn’t even heard the rumors about Seung-hyun, and just hearing his name made her slightly frown as if she felt unpleasant.

“Well, I did hear he’s not in good health. But… that child isn’t ordinarily tenacious. Perhaps it’s a deliberately spread rumor.”

At his father’s light words, Tae-sung put down his utensils and gauged the atmosphere at the table. It seemed no one was taking it seriously.

It wasn’t that they thought Seung-hyun’s condition would be light. They had faces as if it didn’t matter what happened to Seung-hyun, as if listening to someone else’s story.

If Seon-hu had been at this table, at least one person would have had a different expression. Then, even in this barren family…

‘Useless thought.’

Tae-sung picked up his utensils again. It’s not like he didn’t contribute to this atmosphere either, is it?

It’s ridiculous to have such thoughts now. Thinking that, Tae-sung continued his meal. After roughly observing the table’s atmosphere and clicking his tongue, Chairman Han said,

“Innate temperament is also an ability. It’s admirable that he tried hard, but in the end, this is his limit.”

“……”

“Just leave him alone. I’ve decided to treat him as a nonexistent person now too.”

After saying that, Chairman Han continued his meal as if nothing had happened. To him, they were words of favor in a way.

Don’t bother him and quietly leave him alone, it was his way of consideration, but to Tae-sung, those words felt abnormal.

In any case, it was family he had seen all his life. Even with people you only exchange greetings with in passing, isn’t it normal to worry and check on their condition if you hear they are sick?

“Tsk tsk. This is why recessives are no good. I heard from Dr. Han that recessives have a higher probability of causing pheromone issues. It means they don’t have a properly functioning body.”

“……”

Upon hearing those words, Seung-hyun’s mother’s face turned a little pale, but it wasn’t because she was worried about her son. She was just embarrassed to have it confirmed that what she gave birth to was a failure, without a shred of parental love or concern.

‘I wish he would just die.’

Her hand was trembling weakly with a face that clearly showed what she was thinking. Soon returning to a barely calm face, she replied,

“That’s right.”

It must be the child she painfully gave birth to, but how can she hate him so much just because he was born with the recessive trait?

He knew from the beginning that this family was out of their minds, but he felt that way even more after thinking more about Seung-hyun.

‘Perhaps I had become too used to this house without realizing it. I didn’t even think it was strange until I became aware of it.’

Maybe he thought it was no big deal even though he knew. Thinking that, Tae-sung slightly frowned.

To the point of being embarrassed that he thought he knew Seung-hyun well, his face he encountered not long ago was only unfamiliar and awkward.

A face that made him think a lot, and the conversation. Perhaps it was because they had lived hating each other as a matter of course, but he had never once thought about the reason.

‘…It’s no wonder. How could anyone live sanely in a house like this?’

Parents who pathologically resent Seung-hyun’s trait. In an atmosphere that considers children as tools rather than people, when Tae-sung, born with the dominant trait, expressed resentment towards his own trait in front of him.

Back then, he had never been aware that the relationship was twisted beyond repair, so how arrogant and delusional was it to think he knew Seung-hyun through and through?

He had never thought about what kind of life Seung-hyun had lived since receiving the diagnosis that he had a high probability of presenting as a recessive, so there was no way he could know about Seung-hyun.

Even he himself, who had lived about half his life somewhere else, had lived in this house tainted without even knowing what the problem was.

‘If we meet again, I think I’ll be able to have a bit more proper conversation then. Perhaps I wasted the opportunity that might not be left much in this way.’

“Tae-sung, hasn’t it been quite a while since you had a health checkup? Take this opportunity to get a checkup too. Well, there shouldn’t be any problems, but it won’t hurt to check.”

At the words that sounded like concern, the atmosphere on the dining table changed strangely. Now, Tae-sung was the only remaining successor, and the recent incident had also completely subsided.

These days, there was a nuance that Tae-sung was seen as a stable successor, but it wasn’t pleasant. Tae-sung roughly nodded and continued his meal.

After finishing the meal without being able to properly remember how he spent the remaining time, his father, who had shown little interest in him, patted his shoulder and said something, but it was words that didn’t even need to be paid attention to, so he let it flow out the other ear.

It was utterly unwelcome attention. Is there anyone stupid enough to be swayed by such transparent words? Tae-sung roughly answered and spotted Taehyeop leaving Chairman Han’s house, so he hid himself.

There was no need to hide, but he found it bothersome to run into him and have to exchange a few unnecessary words.

“They say people change when they are about to die. Maybe that’s the case.”

“…But that tenacious one doesn’t seem like he would die easily. If he’s going to do that, he should at least not bring shame to his parents’ faces.”

They may not get along, but they are Seung-hyun’s parents after all, so they would talk about related matters. Thinking that, Tae-sung waited for the two to finish talking and get in the car.

“Forget it. You, me, and that kid all dislike seeing each other’s faces anyway, so it’s a good thing.”

“I guess the words motherly love and you can never coexist. I thought you would care at least a little.”

“Ha, are you in any position to say that? What do you want me to do? Just looking at him gives me goosebumps. If you’re so concerned, why don’t you try being a late father?”

Seung-hyun’s mother said that and got in the car first. Taehyeop frowned at the sight, but it was clear from the sigh that it wasn’t out of concern for Seung-hyun.

“Let’s go.”

It was just words to criticize his wife, without a shred of Seung-hyun’s concern or parental duty.

‘…It seems Han Seung-hyun wanted to be acknowledged by them in his own way.’

Until a little while ago, he thought there wouldn’t be any fool who would fall for a few transparent, obvious words, but come to think of it, there seemed to be such a person not too far away.

Feeling strange, Tae-sung stayed in that spot for a while even after the two’s car left. It was a night full of thoughts.

Memes From Aida