I Became a Villainous Character with a Limited Lifespan - Episode 121

Episode 121

Looking for Seung-hyun without any information or a proper channel to obtain information was only a difficult task. 

At least he tried asking his trustworthy friends, but without being able to properly explain the situation, it was only dragging on.

He felt like he was finally realizing how comfortably and carefree he had lived his life until now. He regretted living without knowing that ability and effort were needed to protect what was precious.

Still, as a result of struggling for several days, he fortunately found traces of Seung-hyun. More precisely, he discovered traces of Seok-hyung.

It was news that Seok-hyung’s car had been spotted in a city a bit outside of Seoul. Although he couldn’t track it to the destination, there was something he could infer from just that.

‘It’s out of the blue, but it’s a good place for recuperation. And… I heard the professor who is close with Professor Kim has been going there on business trips recently.’

The story he heard from Wonho, the information about that doctor he had found out after asking around. There was no evidence that the patient that doctor became in charge of was Seung-hyun, but the fact that the place Seok-hyung’s car was discovered and the doctor’s business trip destination overlapped was a circumstance that couldn’t be ignored.

Seung-hyun’s cell phone, which had been out of reach all along, finally turned off again, perhaps because the battery had died from the repeated calls, but it was good just that it had been turned on, that the signal had lasted until the end.

‘At least he didn’t block me.’

Just that fact alone made it seem like there was still a chance left, and although he thought he was being foolish, he didn’t care.

He wanted to meet Seung-hyun as soon as possible. He had to confirm the reality of those rumors about his health condition that he didn’t want to believe.

He wanted to see Seung-hyun even if the end of this relationship was different from what he hoped for. While following news about Seung-hyun like that, a call came from a contact he had saved recently but had never exchanged calls with.

“……”

It was Seok-hyung’s contact, which he had found out not long ago. It wasn’t a particularly secret number, so it was easy to find the contact information, but if he hastily contacted him, he would be blocked right away, so he had decided to postpone contacting him until the last moment.

‘How should I interpret this call?’

Jae-young was briefly lost in thought, but the thought didn’t last long. Whether he answered this call now or not, it was a situation he would have to face someday.

Let’s find out now. Jae-young calmed himself down and opened his mouth after answering the phone.

“…What is this about?”

―It seems you know who I am, so there’s no need for useless conversation.

Maybe he should have pretended not to know. He had a belated regret, but it was meaningless. Jae-young said, trying not to show his surprise,

“We’re in the same boat in not having given each other our contact information.”

―I know what you’ve been up to, Ju Jae-young. You’re quite unskilled at this kind of thing.

Unlike Jae-young, who was pretending to be calm, the indifferent voice without a hint of wavering made him feel embarrassed. Jae-young answered after catching his breath,

“…I’m not trying to hide it, so it doesn’t matter.”

―……

Jae-young tensed up a bit, waiting for a reply. He had retorted out of a desire not to lose, but if Seok-hyung moved Seung-hyun’s whereabouts like this, it would be troublesome for him.

The situation was already slow in finding information, so he was concerned about the rumors regarding Seung-hyun’s health condition to start over from the beginning.

‘It shouldn’t be like that, but.’

Although he wanted to deny it and was trying not to think about it until he confirmed it, if by any chance those rumors, the worst-case scenario he heard from Wonho, were reality, he had to meet him quickly before it was too late.

‘He’ll try to hide it. Like last time. But there must be a reason he contacted me, how should I respond…?’

―I will tell you where he is.

Jae-young, who had been agonizing and preparing for what kind of words would come back, froze, unable to answer at the unexpected words.

Did he hear wrong? No. Was there some ulterior motive? It was too strange of a situation to take at face value. Wasn’t he the person who had prevented him from meeting Seung-hyun until just a while ago?

Thinking there must be some hidden intention, Jae-young hesitated without hastily answering. Seok-hyung, who easily understood the reason for the silence, said,

―I understand your suspicion, but there’s nothing to lose anyway, right? With your method, who knows when you’ll be able to find the proper destination.

It was a correct statement, although his pride was hurt. He had only just found out the area presumed to be where Seung-hyun was. Moreover, since Seok-hyung already knew what Jae-young was doing, there were countless ways to interfere with Jae-young even without preparing such a trap.

―…I no longer have the confidence to face him. Although I never wanted to entrust him to you even a bit… I have no choice but to acknowledge it now.

“Acknowledge what?”

―…I said something unnecessary. Don’t mind it. I will send you the address in a message. He’s not someone who should be left alone for long, so it would be best for you to depart as quickly as possible.

They were all incomprehensible words. However, since he wasn’t in a position to be picky, Jae-young hurriedly started preparing to leave.

“…Why did you suddenly change your mind?”

Somehow, he had a strange conviction that Seok-hyung wasn’t lying. But if his words were true, there were many more strange points. What was the reason for the sudden change of heart? To the question that couldn’t hide the suspicious tone, an answer without hesitation came back.

―…Because I can no longer deny that the person I have to protect is gone.

“…?”

Jae-young tried to ask again at the cryptic words, but Seok-hyung’s words were faster.

―I end up saying useless things. I don’t think I have any more obligation to explain, so I will hang up now. I hope there will be no reason to contact you again.

This time, the call was cut off before the question could even be asked. Jae-young first grabbed his car keys at the message that arrived soon after.

‘I have to confirm it first. There are many things I’m curious about, but there’s something more important than that.’

Seok-hyung’s whims or anguish didn’t matter. The address written in the message was neither close nor very far. If he left right away, he would be able to arrive within two hours at the latest.

Jae-young’s footsteps as he left the house without even being able to change clothes were unusually urgent.

“……”

And Seok-hyung on the other side of the disconnected call couldn’t put down his cell phone for a long time. He had already packed his luggage, and there was no way to take back the message he had already sent, so it was really over.

He thought he could always stay by Seung-hyun’s side. Even if Seung-hyun acted differently from the one he knew, even if he was uncomfortable with him.

No matter what happened, he thought he could endure it if those eyes and that voice were directed at him even for a moment. But it seemed he had overestimated himself too much.

It would have been nice if he had never known how painful it was to see those eyes that were always unshakable become a mess, to hear the tears and sobbing sounds that he thought he would never encounter in his life.

He was weaker than he had thought, and the familiar face and voice now only felt unfamiliar. So he decided to leave. Because the more he was with Seung-hyun, the more he missed that face he wanted to see, and he felt like he would crumble.

There was no need to even tell Jae-young about Seung-hyun’s whereabouts, but the reason for his whim was probably because he felt sorry for the current Seung-hyun.

That completely unfamiliar voice, the face he no longer had the courage to face again, was always sunk in melancholy. Because he was turning a blind eye to that appearance that was quite different from “Han Seung-hyun,” he couldn’t properly see it, but the face he faced for the last time after deciding to leave somehow looked younger and more fragile than he had thought.

So this was the first and last favor he was bestowing upon him. Perhaps it was also his way of apologizing for dragging him around on his own whims.

“…You were someone who didn’t know how to rest, so I wonder if you’ll find it unfamiliar now.”

Seok-hyung, who belatedly acknowledged that there was not a single trace left of the person he loved in that fragile and weak person, smiled bitterly. Only then did he realize that person was gone from this world.

‘There’s nothing I hate more than crying. Whether it’s me crying or someone else crying, it’s the same. So don’t show me such a pathetic appearance either.’

After hearing those words, he had never cried. Since he considered “Han Seung-hyun’s” values to be his own values, he thought his tear glands had completely dried up as if he had never cried from the beginning.

“……”

A single teardrop, which no one would hate to see anymore, fell to the floor with a plop. However, Seok-hyung, who soon lifted his head as if nothing had happened, started the engine of the stopped car again.