I Became a Villainous Character with a Limited Lifespan - Episode 97

Episode 97

Even after that, the relationship between the two was a mess. Although they didn’t express their emotions and get angry like the first day, Seung-hyun didn’t even make the minimum effort to hide his hostility towards Tae-sung.

At least in front of Chairman Han, he maintained etiquette, but even that was only formality. In the first place, Chairman Han had brought Tae-sung under the plausible pretense of competition to make the two fight.

Chairman Han knew full well that Seung-hyun was cunningly tormenting Tae-sung behind the scenes, but far from stopping him, he only encouraged it. It was nothing but suffering for the two of them, but for him, the situation might have felt amusing.

In the beginning, he had thought a few times that Seung-hyun was pitiful. Although there was only a year difference, that one year could feel quite significant during middle and high school, and Tae-sung was notably tall among his peers as a recessive alpha.

When they were going through their growth period, there was quite a difference in height. So sometimes Seung-hyun seemed younger than his actual age. He was smart, but there were aspects of his behavior that were childish.

When he first saw Seung-hyun being treated worse than others by his parents, even though he was boiling with anger, he reluctantly came to the dinner with Chairman Han and ended up collapsing in front of him, receiving an evaluation that he was a pathetic guy who couldn’t even manage himself.

He had thought a few times that Seung-hyun was pitiful, but as they say, humans are adaptable creatures. Without realizing it, Tae-sung had become accustomed to the abnormal order of that household, and before long, he was able to pass by that sight without thinking much of it.

Moreover, Tae-sung wasn’t kind enough to understand someone who tormented him to the point of annoyance, nor did he live a life with such leisure. In that way, the two naturally became accustomed to disliking each other as they became adults.

Since they were in a structure where they had to bring each other down in order to rise themselves after being put into practical work, their relationship worsened even further.

It had been a long time since he had come to think of it as natural, but recalling that period after a long time made Tae-sung feel a bit strange.

At that time, Tae-sung was also young, and Seung-hyun had picked a fight first, so he didn’t think he had done anything particularly wrong. But now that he had become an adult and recalled that situation, his sentiments had changed a bit from back then.

‘No, it’s not simply because I’ve gotten older, but because I’ve left that abnormal house and met a warm person like Seon-hu.’

And it was the same for Seung-hyun, who had completely escaped from that detestable house. One day, he suddenly submitted his resignation as if he had gone crazy and went on a trip, and seeing that, Tae-sung definitely thought he had some ulterior motive.

‘The incident has already happened, and resolving it comes first. But… I should at least ask why he did it.’

However, while he had become willing to listen to Seung-hyun’s position, he still didn’t think that what Seung-hyun did wasn’t his doing. Seon-hu was too kind of a person. To the point of considering Seung-hyun’s circumstances, whom he had only met a few times. But Tae-sung couldn’t do that.

No, perhaps he was just as ignorant about Seung-hyun. If Seung-hyun were the same as the one in Tae-sung’s memory, he would have been able to easily predict his next course of action, but at some point, Seung-hyun had become a person whose intentions were completely unreadable.

Anyway, it wasn’t like he could immediately figure out Seung-hyun’s true intentions, and for now, resolving the incident that had occurred came first. Tae-sung let out a long sigh and sat down in front of his study desk.

***

“As expected, he’s not the type to back down so easily.”

Jae-young, who was told it would be better to come and talk in person, went straight to his family home. But after hearing his family’s story, he only became more confused. Jae-young stood blankly for a while, unable to even muster the courage to sort out his dizzy mind. Jae-sung, Jae-young’s older brother, clicked his tongue seeing Jae-young like that.

“It seems you didn’t know anything. Well, everyone knows how meticulous Director Han is.”

“This is like a declaration of war. Since he’s completely on Chairman Han’s bad side, it will be difficult for him to make a comeback within HJ… Is he thinking of growing his own business?”

“That could be the case. Although he left, he knows a lot about HJ and this industry, and he’s a capable person.”

“Still, Director Han isn’t someone who keeps people by his side for long, but he’s maintained a friendship with you for quite a while… Didn’t you hear anything from him?”

Jae-young couldn’t properly understand what his family was saying. He already knew that the Seung-hyun he knew and the Seung-hyun they knew were very different.

However, at least around the time Jae-young got to know Seung-hyun, he was really living a quiet life. Saying that he hated noisy and bothersome things and wanted to live a peaceful life, Jae-young, who vividly recalled his appearance, found it difficult to accept this story.

“Couldn’t it be the arbitrary action of his former secretary?”

“You may not know because you’re not interested in this field, but… It’s well-known how incredible their relationship is. There’s a reason he’s even called a loyal dog.”

“…I’ve never seen that.”

“Of course. It’s not like you’re with Director Han all day.”

Jae-sung spoke, shrugging his shoulders. Of course, they hadn’t spent every day together all day, but they had still spent quite a lot of time together.

‘He never mentioned other people…’

He had never heard about Seung-hyun meeting other people or preparing for something. Seeing Jae-young like that, Jae-sung said,

“I don’t know why Director Han was close to you… But he’s originally a born politician. Not showing what he wants and acting it out wouldn’t be difficult at all for him.”

“Didn’t he give any hints that he wanted something? You probably just didn’t notice. Definitely…”

“Is this what you called me here to talk about?”

Jae-young asked his mother. She nodded.

“Yes. If I do it over the phone, it’s obvious you’ll just gloss over it again.”

“If I knew anything, I would have told you. When have I ever lied to you, Mother?”

“Even if you didn’t lie, there were many times you slyly changed the subject and avoided it.”

“…Sigh. Really, there’s nothing. If that’s all you had to say, I’ll be going back now.”

“Try asking him to at least give you a hint about what he’s planning to do. You two seemed to be quite close, so didn’t Director Han approach you because he wants something from you too?”

Jae-sung’s words caught Jae-young, who was about to turn around. His tone was certain that Seung-hyun had approached Jae-young with calculations from the beginning.

It was Jae-young who had gone to meet Seung-hyun in the first place, and it was also Jae-young who had clung onto Seung-hyun, who was trying to pretend that night never happened, out of shock. But perhaps because he kept hearing these things, a few suspicions began to arise within Jae-young as well.

Seung-hyun was known for being thoroughly calculating. Could he really not have known that the bar Jae-young had gone to for a drink was run by Jae-young’s friend?

Contrary to appearances, the life of the upper class had a fairly limited range of activities. If one put their mind to it, figuring out a person’s relationships wasn’t that difficult.

‘Although we spent a lot of time together, I was busy at the end of the year, so we hardly met. He could have met other people during that time and could have easily planned other things.’

It was a well-known fact that Jae-young was active as the face of his mother’s Y Group, so predicting when he would be busiest wasn’t difficult either.

Even though he thought there was no way, strange thoughts kept coming to mind. Jae-young was about to head straight to Seung-hyun’s house, but thinking that he wouldn’t be able to have a proper conversation in his current state, he pulled over to the side of the road and stopped.

“…Just until these strange thoughts go away, just for a moment…”

He thought he would quickly calm down if he took a breather and sorted out his thoughts. But even after a long time had passed, he couldn’t move again. The last words he had heard kept bothering him.

‘…I guess this is the end too.’

Before Jae-young returned to his family home, Seung-hyun had said that. No matter how he heard it, it sounded meaningful. It seemed like he knew what his mother would say, and it also seemed like he was certain of what choice Jae-young would make after hearing those words.

He wanted to ask why, but Seung-hyun’s face looked somewhat bitter as he said those words, so he couldn’t say anything more.

But if he had known he would have these concerns, he should have just clung onto him and asked. Those words that he had passed by without being able to ask more kept bothering him.

Seung-hyun, who acted as if he knew everything, and Jae-young, who didn’t know anything. It became even more frightening to confirm because he clearly felt that their understanding was misaligned.

“…There’s plenty of time. Let’s not rush.”

Although he had thought about it for a long time, he didn’t have the confidence to face Seung-hyun again today. He was afraid that the words that would come out of Seung-hyun’s mouth would be something he didn’t want to hear. The answer wouldn’t change even if he heard it later. But for now, he needed time to prepare his heart.

No matter what answer he received, it didn’t seem like his feelings would change, but he couldn’t act as if nothing had happened either.

In the end, he turned the car around and headed to his own house. Although nothing particularly significant had happened, the simple but enjoyable daily life he had spent at Seung-hyun’s house felt as distant as if it were a very long time ago.