I Became a Villainous Character with a Limited Lifespan - Episode 99

Episode 99

“You seem to have lost more weight.”

Seok-hyung said, staring intently at Seung-hyun’s face. At a glance, it sounded like he was very worried, so Seung-hyun chuckled, thinking it was a quite contradictory situation.

“For someone who wishes for me to live comfortably, your actions are quite extreme.”

“……”

Seok-hyung frowned without answering. What he was probably worried about wasn’t the Seung-hyun in front of him, but Seung-hyun’s shell. Seung-hyun chuckled thinking that.

The last remaining string of reason made him not say it out loud, but he had already realized that the current Seung-hyun was a different person from the one he knew.

If he were a bit more emotional or unrealistic, he might have confronted Seung-hyun, asking “Where did the real him go?”.

“I’m joking. Losing weight… it’s not something I can control with my will anyway.”

Seung-hyun spoke, shrugging his shoulders as if it were no big deal. Except for Seung-hyun himself and Professor Kim, Seok-hyung was the only person who knew about his physical condition, so there was nothing to hide.

“Still, please take good care of yourself. Without physical strength, nothing can be done.”

Seok-hyung, who said that, made a slightly subtle expression. Seok-hyung was always in a position to listen to Seung-hyun, not someone who demanded something. However, he remembered having this conversation a few times.

Seung-hyun originally didn’t really like moving his body. There were often situations where physical strength was needed due to a lot of work, but in the end, he never made an effort to increase his stamina.

‘I know you’re busy and tired… but still, nothing can be done without physical strength.’

‘You’re lecturing me now. That’s new.’

‘…!! That wasn’t my intention…’

‘I know what you mean, so there’s no need to make excuses. I’ll take care of it myself, so you don’t need to worry.’

In the eyes of others, it might seem like he was embarrassing someone who was concerned about him, but as someone who had observed Seung-hyun for a long time, Seok-hyung knew that he was treating him more leniently than others. He sometimes thought he was doing well, feeling like he had become a bit closer to Seung-hyun than others due to that attitude.

‘Is it meaningless now?’

The face that had relaxed for a moment, recalling that feeling, quickly hardened again. Seung-hyun had definitely changed. Even while thinking it couldn’t be, to the point where he had no choice but to think an absurd thing had happened.

“If you’re going to do as you please anyway, I’m curious why you even came to see me.”

Seung-hyun said, leaning back on the sofa. He was curious about what Seok-hyung had come here for.

For him, there was no way to stop Seok-hyung, which he could tell just from their brief conversation last time. He would be like a horse with loose reins. So he had just thought Seok-hyung would spend the remaining time peacefully on his own. He couldn’t let go of the happy time himself, so he had chosen him as the person to cut off this time.

At the same time, he had thought he wouldn’t meet Seok-hyung again. After all, it was certain that Seok-hyung would act as he and “Han Seung-hyun” wanted.

‘Did he want to confirm it?’

Even now, did he come here grasping at straws, wondering if he had returned to the original “Han Seung-hyun” that Seok-hyung knew?

For whatever reason, Seung-hyun wasn’t in a position to warmly welcome him and have a conversation, so he just looked at Seok-hyung with a slightly tired face. Seok-hyung couldn’t take his eyes off Seung-hyun and silently stared at him for a long time.

“……”

Seung-hyun was the first to look away. The gaze that he couldn’t tell what he was thinking, persistently looking at one spot as if trying to look into his soul, felt uncomfortable.

“…I’ve always reported to you.”

Seok-hyung opened his mouth with difficulty. Because reporting was familiar to him. Even though he noticed that it wasn’t the Han Seung-hyun he knew, but a completely different person acting as him, he treated him the same as before. It felt strange, even though it might be because it was a familiar action.

“Then you can go now.”

He had been nervous about what he had come for and what kind of conversation would take place, but it was a bit of a letdown. Seung-hyun gestured for him to leave quickly without getting up from the sofa.

But Seok-hyung didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving this place. Far from turning around, he approached Seung-hyun a little closer and examined his face.

“I heard roughly from Professor Kim… Even if you don’t have an appetite, you should eat well. Since taking medicine on an empty stomach can make you feel worse, please eat even a little.”

Seok-hyung, who finished speaking, carefully examined Seung-hyun’s face for a moment and headed to the kitchen. Come to think of it, Seung-hyun hadn’t eaten anything since Jae-young had left like that.

He couldn’t have lost weight in that short time, so the reason Seung-hyun looked thin to Seok-hyung was probably because he was overly worried about him, or because of the shadow cast on Seung-hyun’s face.

Seung-hyun didn’t like that concern. Since it was a relationship he couldn’t sever himself and had used him to cut it off, he had no right to blame him in the first place, but he just didn’t want to see his face.

“You must have a housekeeper, so when do they come? Or I can make something simple…”

“If you’re done talking, I’d like you to leave now.”

Even though he knew it wasn’t concern directed at him, the way Seok-hyung treated him and his gaze all seemed cautious to Seung-hyun. He disliked the attitude that shook his resolve, having barely accepted the reality that he would truly be alone now.

“What’s important to you is just informing me of what happened and confirming that I’m not dead yet, isn’t it? You’ve confirmed it, so there’s no need for you to stay in this house any longer.”

Even though he said words that clearly separated the original Han Seung-hyun and the current Seung-hyun, Seok-hyung didn’t show much reaction. They both knew what each other had noticed to what extent without directly mentioning it, only avoiding it.

“…It’s not like I want to die tomorrow either. I’ll take care of my own health. So stop pretending to care and just go back.”

Seung-hyun said, turning his gaze away from Seok-hyung. If there was no significant conversation to be had, there was no reason to continue this uncomfortable exchange. He was probably just habitually taking care of “Han Seung-hyun” without any significant reason.

“No.”

But Seok-hyung didn’t back down and took out ingredients from the refrigerator. Was he really going to cook? His appearance examining the kitchen looked quite serious.

“Ha.”

Do as you please. Even though his health had deteriorated and there were many restrictions on what he could do, he wasn’t to the point of not being able to walk yet.

“If you won’t leave, I’ll leave.”

“Where are you going?”

“Well. I’m thinking of having a daytime drink.”

It was half out of spite. He knew he shouldn’t drink. But today, he really wanted to escape reality somehow. He didn’t care if one drink reduced his remaining time by a week or a month.

‘There were so many things I wanted to do, definitely…’

He had thought that even if the given time was as short as a trial period, it would be a hundred times better than dying without a single happy memory, even if it was the dream of the masses to be a rich unemployed person. How did it end up like this?

‘I shouldn’t have been greedy for nothing. Then I would still be spending leisurely time in my room or wandering around places I could go without any thoughts.’

Everything had been a mess since he had started wanting and cherishing something. These days, he lacked the courage to end something himself, and he just wanted to run away.

“No.”

Seok-hyung grabbed Seung-hyun firmly with a stiff face. His large hand was holding Seung-hyun’s thin wrist carefully yet firmly.

“I’m going to live as I please, what does it have to do with you?”

“It’s not something to say in that way, especially by someone who knows better than anyone.”

“…You should say that to someone else, not me.”

Seok-hyung’s gaze was burning calmly. Why did he think lightly of it?

He was the person who stayed by “Han Seung-hyun’s” side until the end. There was a bond between the two that couldn’t be summed up simply with the title of a loyal dog to Director Han.

It wasn’t mentioned, but he definitely loved Han Seung-hyun. Whether it was in the sense of respect or sexual love was unknown. But there was tremendous loyalty and love directed towards Han Seung-hyun that he himself couldn’t even imagine.

“I’m saying this because it’s you, Director Han, not someone else.”

“…Even though you don’t think of me as Director Han.”

“Why not?”

Seok-hyung pulled Seung-hyun’s wrist. Seung-hyun instinctively tried to back away from the distance that had become close enough to not avoid his gaze. However, he couldn’t do so because his wrist was gripped so strongly that it hurt in an instant.

“The eyes looking at me now, the lips speaking words unlike Director Han, the heart, and even every breath, all belong to Director Han. At least that much will never change no matter what happens.”

“……”

“The person who taught me not to give up on what I can do until the end was you, Director Han. Even if your head doesn’t remember… your heart, no. At least some part of that body will remember. Because that’s the kind of person you are.”

Listening to his words pouring out without hesitation, Seung-hyun felt that he had judged the relationship between the two too lightly. Suddenly, he felt a pain in his chest for no reason.

It was a slightly different feeling from his usual poor physical condition. It was a strange pain that resonated through his body, as if his heart ached, something the current Seung-hyun couldn’t possibly feel.