I Became a Villainous Character with a Limited Lifespan - Episode 83

Episode 83

After walking around the street for a while, the two moved to a restaurant to have dinner. The restaurant Jae-young found was located on a high floor, overlooking the street at a glance. 

Jae-young, who had perfectly figured out Seung-hyun’s taste, ordered familiarly. While waiting for a bit, Jae-young said to Seung-hyun,

“Seung-hyun, you seem to really like pretty things.”

“…All of a sudden?”

Seung-hyun tilted his head at the sudden remark. Jae-young smiled slightly and continued,

“Like the cafe decorations earlier, and here too.”

“Well… it’s not strange, is it? It was made to look good in the first place.”

“That’s true, but I just thought you really like it. I thought you wouldn’t care how the streets or store interiors look.”

“How do you imagine me?”

In fact, it was an unfamiliar fact even to himself since it was a taste he had only recently become aware of, but Seung-hyun scolded Jae-young for no reason.

“Hmm…”

Jae-young thought for a moment. What kind of image was Seung-hyun to him? That wasn’t a difficult question.

At first glance, a cat that seems uninterested in everything in the world, but pushes you away sharply when you get close. A cat that has a sharp appearance, but if there’s something it likes, it seems like it would stare at it for hours, absorbed in it.

He wanted to take him to his own space and fill his surroundings with things he liked. And then, if he could watch those sparkling eyes by his side for hours, no, even days…

When he sees him being blunt, afraid to give his side, but once he allows it, he comes closer pretending not to, and sometimes acts lovely, without realizing it…

‘But if I say everything, won’t he get scared and run away?’

“You’re someone who can’t be figured out. Back and forth.”

“…”

Seung-hyun glared at Jae-young lightly at the playful answer. Seung-hyun, with a sullen face, refuted,

“You’re more like that than me. Spontaneous and back and forth.”

“When did I go back and forth? I’m always a consistent person.”

“…”

Seung-hyun, who was given back the same words and refuted, tried to go over what had happened so far to deny those words. But the more he recalled, he really was a consistent person.

Even when Seung-hyun deliberately said hurtful words and pushed him away, and even when he held onto him with puzzling words pretending to know nothing.

He always came back with his usual appearance and stayed by Seung-hyun’s side. As a result, Seung-hyun ended up saying childish and incorrect things.

“…You’re consistently annoying.”

“Even though you like it.”

Jae-young grinned without being hurt at all. Meanwhile, it had become completely dark outside, and the food they ordered came out.

“Ah.”

While the food was being placed on the table, Seung-hyun, who suddenly looked out the window, discovered something and let out a small exclamation.

“It’s pretty, isn’t it? I thought you’d like this kind of thing.”

The lights of the large illuminations filling the street were sparkling through the windows of the high-rise building. Jae-young looked at Seung-hyun as if expecting praise.

While looking through the pamphlet, he found a phrase saying it was a city with a pretty night view and thought Seung-hyun might like it. He also wanted to see Seung-hyun’s face looking at the canal again yesterday.

That’s why he came here. Riding the subway that he had no reason to ride in his life and had no intention of riding. Hurriedly finding a restaurant with the best view of this street.

He got teased a bit on the way, but when he saw Seung-hyun’s slightly open mouth the moment the illuminations lit up, he thought it didn’t matter.

Actually, Seung-hyun wasn’t surprised because of the illuminations that started to appear as the lights turned on. Although that influence couldn’t be denied, there was a bigger reason.

‘He did this to show me this.’

Just by looking at one description saying it was a city with a pretty night view, he rode the subway he had never ridden in his life and brought me here.

Wanting to surprise me, wanting to see me happy, he did something he had never done before for that reason and was inwardly expecting my reaction the moment those lights turned on… It was surprising and that much lovable.

“It’s pretty. Really.”

Seung-hyun spoke while trying hard to keep his gaze fixed on the illuminations, trying to turn back to Jae-young. He felt like he wouldn’t be able to hide how he felt right now if their eyes met.

It was a feeling that was already all revealed, but he didn’t really hate being teased either.

“It’s pretty.”

But if he met those eyes, he felt like he would want more. He felt like he would reveal that thought. In the end, Seung-hyun didn’t make eye contact with Jae-young.

Until the pounding of his heart became unnoticeable. Until he could smile with a nonchalant face and look at that face.

***

“So, how was it compared to yesterday?”

After returning to the hotel, Seung-hyun only then remembered the bet at Jae-young’s question. He was sure he was quite fired up when he said they should make a bet, but from the middle, he had completely forgotten about it.

Honestly, quite… no, very contrary to the expectation that the unplanned trip would be a mess, it was a very enjoyable day.

He thought there was no way he would lose the bet, but he had too much fun to say today was bad.

‘Yesterday was fun too, but more than yesterday…’

There was no way the quick-witted Jae-young wouldn’t have noticed his mood. Seung-hyun gave a somewhat passive answer.

“Both were good. So much that it’s hard to say which one was better.”

Actually, it seemed like today was a bit more fun, but he didn’t want to admit it directly. Seung-hyun asked Jae-young with difficulty after answering.

“How was it for you, Jae-young?”

Won’t he say today was more fun? Yesterday’s mood wasn’t bad either, but Jae-young just followed along where Seung-hyun wanted to go.

‘It was a feeling of neither good nor bad. It seemed like he was looking at me more than the scenery.’

Jae-young was lost in thought for a moment as if recalling yesterday. The long contemplation seemed to be about what wish to make, not about which day was more enjoyable.

‘He won’t make a strange wish, right? If he demands something absurd… I said I could refuse up to 3 times, but what if he says strange things all 3 times?’

Seung-hyun’s face also became serious as he fell into contemplation together. I hope he talks about something moderate. Since he was a very playful person, it was impossible to predict.

“As expected…”

Jae-young opened his mouth after finishing his contemplation. Seung-hyun swallowed dry saliva, nervous about the answer that would come.

“I think yesterday was more fun.”

“As expected… what? Yesterday?”

Seung-hyun asked back, thinking he had mistaken the date for a moment. Jae-young calmly said again,

“Yes. Yesterday. So Seung-hyun won the bet. Seung-hyun said they were similar, and I definitely liked yesterday more.”

Seung-hyun blinked without being able to answer the unexpected response. He only thought about what wish he would hear, not what wish he would have to say.

Actually, there wasn’t much he wanted either. Money was overflowing to the point it was hard to spend it all in the remaining time, and Jae-young was someone who was desperate to do something for Seung-hyun even without having to ask.

That’s why he just thought he couldn’t lose because it was a bet itself, but surprisingly, he had put the reward on the back burner.

“Hmm…”

Seung-hyun fell into a different kind of contemplation than a little while ago. Something he wanted. Something he wanted from Jae-young.

‘There’s really nothing…’

But no matter how much he thought about it, nothing came to mind. Something to desperately wish for in a limited time. Something that could only be obtained by asking. Even racking his brain, nothing suitable came to mind.

“…Can I postpone it?”

After thinking for a long time, Seung-hyun asked, thinking that an idea probably wouldn’t come right away. Jae-young shrugged.

“For how long?”

“Hmm… it won’t take long.”

“Aha. Hmm, then… shall we say until before going to sleep?”

He says it as if he’s doing a favor, but the preparations for bed were already finished. Jae-young said, sitting on a chair in front of the table,

“It’s not time to sleep yet, right?”

It was a good idea. Seung-hyun reluctantly sat facing Jae-young. A wish, a wish.

Since there was nothing he was curious about, nothing he wanted to have, and nothing he wanted to do, making a wish wasn’t an easy thing. If the one granting the wish was a transcendent being, not Jae-young, there was one desire he could say without a moment’s hesitation, but he was just a human being.

A trivial and personal wish like that. Seung-hyun thought for a long time and raised his head.

“Then…”

It was an excessively trivial question to use as a wish, but since there was only one thing that came to mind right away, Seung-hyun decided to use this wish to resolve that curiosity.