I Became a Villainous Character with a Limited Lifespan - Episode 130

Episode 130

“Why are you here?”

Jae-young asked without hiding his hostility. The visitor who arrived at Seung-hyun’s hospital room first was none other than Tae-sung.

“…I wanted to check.”

“I guess you wanted to check because you felt refreshed that the person you hate can’t even get up again.”

It was meant to mock Tae-sung, but somehow it felt like he hurt himself more. Jae-young said, trying hard to ignore his aching heart.

“If you’re done checking, please leave now. Isn’t it enough?”

Jae-young said as he strode towards Seung-hyun. He didn’t know well what Seung-hyun’s life was like before meeting him, but he knew what kind of person Tae-sung was to him.

‘He’s also the one who would benefit the most if Seung-hyun disappears, so I guess he feels refreshed.’

He didn’t like that such a person was looking at Seung-hyun as if observing him. Tae-sung stared blankly at Jae-young.

He knew that Seung-hyun was sick. He knew his condition was serious. Although he had thought this might happen based on the nuance of what Chairman Han said.

‘He seemed like a person who wouldn’t bleed a drop even if stabbed.’

Did Seung-hyun always look like this? Seeing him with his eyes closed felt strange, as if he was looking at a completely unfamiliar person.

“They said if left like this, his heart will stop within a few days. There is a treatment he can take a chance on, even if the possibility is uncertain, but it comes with risks so it requires the family’s consent.”

“Are you mocking someone right now?”

A treatment Jae-young knew about but had no way to handle. Jae-young frowned at Tae-sung’s words and glared at him.

“…I’m also Seung-hyun’s family anyway.”

“…”

“If you want, I’ll make sure he can receive that treatment.”

“…!”

Jae-young froze in surprise at the unexpected words. He had never thought of being able to get help from someone.

“…Why?”

Was there some ulterior motive? But if left like this, Seung-hyun would die anyway. Even if it was a trap, he couldn’t help but grab onto the offer.

“I thought I knew Seung-hyun very well. I thought he was rotten from the start, someone with no chance of rehabilitation… but now that it’s come to this, I can’t help but think that I’m also part of this family.”

The Hans were all out of their minds. He knew that, but he had been pretending not to know that he was also a part of that family.

If they had met somewhere else. If their first meeting hadn’t been such a mess, even if they couldn’t become close like other families, maybe things wouldn’t have gotten this twisted, he belatedly thought.

Since this was the only thing he could do now, he wanted to help, even if only slightly. It was just a rationalization for himself that wouldn’t reach Seung-hyun, but it would be better than doing nothing.

“I’m doing this for my own peace of mind, so you don’t need to thank me.”

He thought he should have said something when Seung-hyun’s eyes were open, when they could have a conversation, but it was meaningless. Tae-sung passed by Jae-young, who had blankly frozen.

“I’ll get going now.”

He had made time during his lunch break to visit. The fact that Seung-hyun was hospitalized had already been revealed, and Professor Kim, saying it couldn’t be hidden forever, had pestered him and told him the reality, which was more miserable than he had expected.

‘So this is the end.’

He should have listened to what happened before and after. Even if he thought it was a waste of time, he should have had at least one proper conversation.

‘Seung-hyun probably wouldn’t have told me honestly even if I did, but at least…’

He felt like he would never forget the last conversation they had for a very long time. Tae-sung, recalling Seung-hyun’s face looking at him with eyes that seemed to say there was no value or hope in having a conversation, shook his head slightly.

‘This won’t change anything, but I should at least do everything I can.’

The time to prepare for farewell is never enough no matter how long, but he wanted to let him see his face a little longer, to let him have a little less regret.

“I told Professor Kim. Please hear about the treatment schedule from him.”

With those last words, Tae-sung left the hospital room. He would never see Seung-hyun again. Tae-sung thought so as he returned to his place.

***

Seung-hyun was in a deep sleep. He couldn’t see anything or hear anything, but he didn’t feel suffocated.

He was tired. It would be nice if he could rest like this for a long time. Seung-hyun thought so as he was trapped in the void.

How long had it been like that? There were memories flowing in like waves. Rather than his own memories, it felt like watching a movie or drama from a few steps away.

‘There’s no way I’m recessive. There’s no way…’

The man muttering while looking down at the torn genetic test paper had a face Seung-hyun knew very well. This was “Han Seung-hyun’s” memory.

‘How did I give birth to you? Even after hearing that I won’t be able to have a child again, I thought it was fine since you’re an Alpha, but to think you’re a half-baked excuse for an Alpha that’s embarrassing to even call one.’

‘…Anyway, you’re Chairman Han’s only Alpha grandson. Don’t do anything that can be used against you and just focus on studying. That old man won’t give up his position to a Beta or Omega.’

It wasn’t difficult to recognize whose voices they were, the vicious one and the displeased one.

‘A bastard is better than a recessive.’

‘It’s all because of you. I gave birth to you without aborting because you were called an Alpha. If I had known this would happen…’

‘Disgusting. Not only that I’m recessive, but also that bastard who crawled into this house because I’m recessive.’

They were all memories that had a big impact on Seung-hyun’s life. Although they were only fragmentary scenes, the emotions “Han Seung-hyun” felt at those moments were vividly conveyed.

At first, a heartbreaking sadness was felt, followed by a sense of self-reproach. And as Tae-sung from his memories appeared, the self-reproach and sadness gradually turned into anger.

It wasn’t that Seung-hyun didn’t understand why Seung-hyun disliked Tae-sung. The two had a twisted relationship from the start and were in a position where they couldn’t become close even if they wanted to.

However, the emotions of Seung-hyun seen through the memories were not that simple. Seung-hyun found out why “Han Seung-hyun” hated Tae-sung so much.

Tired of hating himself, hurting and hating himself became too painful, so he turned the direction of hatred. It can’t be said that the method was right, but it was his way of survival.

Would it have been different if he had grown up among a normal family, if he hadn’t aimed to be Chairman Han’s successor from the beginning?

‘I did my best to the point where I couldn’t try harder. I devoted myself only to studying, reducing my time to eat and sleep.’

“Han Seung-hyun” had to be perfect. Perfect enough to overcome the recessive trait. Perfect enough to prove that he, who had lived his whole life for that position, was more suitable as a successor than Tae-sung, who was just lucky to be born with the right trait.

However, the more he tried, the more he realized how difficult it was to overcome the difference in traits. Even if he studied all day except for sleeping, he couldn’t beat Tae-sung, who enjoyed playing ball with his friends during lunch and always fell asleep earlier than him at night.

‘…I wish he would die.’

The more he felt that difference, the more Seung-hyun came to hate Tae-sung. As his self-hatred grew and he realized his own limitations, he couldn’t help it.

‘I want to kill him.’

That feeling didn’t disappear even after such a long time passed that he forgot where his feelings started. Seung-hyun became exhausted without realizing it.

Seung-hyun devoted himself to work without even realizing that at some point, his life goal had become catching up to Tae-sung and hindering him. He sometimes lost his way because his goal was wrong, but he didn’t care anymore.

‘CEO Han will become the next representative, won’t he? Director Han is outstanding too, but… considering what the Chairman usually says.’

‘Traits are difficult to overcome. Well, there’s a precedent, so… don’t lean too much to one side.’

However, there were moments when he got tired. He tried not to show it to anyone and overcome it himself, but the burning sensation was not easy to ignore.

‘Would it have been better if I was born in a world without Alphas, Omegas, or Betas? Even if I was born dirt poor, it would have been better than now.’

One day, “Han Seung-hyun” impulsively drank a lot alone and muttered. Although he habitually thought that getting tired meant losing and that not doing what he could was foolish, that day was different.

That was the last piece. Seung-hyun was submerged again in a space with nothing, floating. It was a sweet rest that he didn’t want to wake up from.