I Woke Up as the Villain

w the visitor’s face.
”Kim Do-Jin? ”

– Hey, Choi Yu-Seong, are you home?

It was the visit of a third unexpected guest.

***

The living room was now occupied by three men.
In the center of the sofa sat Yu-Seong, on the left was Bernard Yoo, and on the right was Kim Do-Jin.
An eerie silence filled the room as they sat there staring at one another.
Except Meghan who was cooking, even Jin Yu-Ri only watched from a distance.
The entire atmosphere was strangely tense.

Kim Do-Jin eventually broke the silence, asking, ”Bernard Yoo, why are you here?”

”Where I am is none of your business.
But why are you calling me informally like that? ”

”Choi Yu-Seong.
Explain this, ” said Do-Jin.

”I don ’t see why he should answer when I refuse to, ” said Bernard Yoo.

When Choi Yu-Seong looked uncomfortable and scratched the back of his head, Kim Do-Jin gave him a confused look.
He cried out, ”Choi Yu-Seong, don ’t you feel wronged? I heard that you became Mana-deficient because of your fight with this foolish guy.
How could you… ”

”Hey, wait a minute.
How do you even know about that? ” said Yu-Seong.

Yu-Seong’s “Mana-deficiency” was no longer a secret.
It was now a rumor that had spread throughout the neighborhood.
In the case of the Cheon-Ji Group, it seemed that Choi Woo-Jae had spread the rumor intentionally, but it raised the question of how Kim Do-Jin had also heard the rumor.

”The association chairman told me, ” Do-Jin replied.

”The association chairman? The chairman of the Player Association? ” asked Yu-Seong.

”Yes.
He heard it from the Cheon-Ji Group’s chairman.
He was saddened by the loss of such a great talent in South Korea.”

As expected, rumors spread quickly once someone started talking about it.

”That information will be updated soon, ” said Bernard Yoo.

”What do you mean? ”

”Choi Yu-Seong is not Mana-deficient. ”

”I didn’t ask you, did I? ” said Do-Jin.

”You ’ve got an attitude.
Were you like this before? On TV, you seemed to be quite witty and gentle, ” pointed out Bernard Yoo.

”Perhaps he would have won all the awards at the Cannes Film Festival, if he was an actor, ” replied Yu-Seong with a grin as he shook his shoulders.

For some reason, the atmosphere had become strange, but the feeling of the three men being together was not uncomfortable.
Kim Do-Jin seemed a bit more sharp-tongued than usual, but that was a minor thing.

’After all, the two of them did become colleagues in the original novel. ’ 

In fact, it wouldn ’t be bad for them to become acquainted with each other at this point.

”Wait, by the way, why did you come looking for me after you heard that I became Mana-deficient? ”

”The reason should be obvious.
I was worried, ” said Do-Jin.

”…Are you crazy? ”

”I need to use your ability someday.
If you lose your power in a negligible victory or defeat like this…
Well, if that were the case, I would have been disappointed. ” Kim Do-Jin wore a cold expression and stood up from his seat.
He said, ”Anyway, I ’m glad to know that you ’re fine.
I ’ll leave now.
It was a pointless errand.”

”See ya, brat, ” Bernard Yoo said, waving Do-Jin off as if he were chasing him away.

Kim Do-Jin looked at Choi Yu-Seong with an unreadable smile before leaving.

’What? What ’s going on? ’ 

Choi Yu-Seong wondered as he looked back at Do-Jin with a questioning look.

’Come to think of it, in the original novel, these two also had a similarly rough start.’

The rough start wouldn’t last long and the two of them, while clearing difficult dungeons and repelling demon invasions, would develop a deep camaraderie with each other.
Although the current sensitive atmosphere was strange, Yu-Seong decided not to worry about it too much.

‘After all, it ’s a future event that the two of them will become colleagues.’

Eventually, they would meet each other when the right time came.

While Yu-Seong had that thought in mind, Kim Do-Jin, who was leaving the house, suddenly halted his steps.
He looked towards the kitchen where Meghan was cooking.
He tilted his head and let out a sigh, “Hmm…”

Bernard Yoo paid no attention to Kim Do-Jin ’s behavior and spoke to Yu-Seong.
”Ah, isn’t this smell amazing? Meghan is making Budae Jjigae[ref]Budae Jjigae is a Korean stew dish that originated during the post-Korean War era, when food was scarce.
It is made by combining various meats and vegetables with a spicy broth, and is commonly known as ”Army Stew ”.
[ref].
It ’s one of my favorite dishes.
It pairs perfectly with alcohol.”

As Yu-Seong sniffed the air, he realized the smell that came from the kitchen was fascinating.

”The quality of this Budae Jjigae relies on the ham being used.
We don ’t skimp on the cost and use good quality ham.
But if it ’s too salty, it ruins the taste.
Meghan has a good handle on that, ” explained Bernard Yoo.

”I fully agree, ” said Kim Do-Jin, who, for some reason, had returned to the sofa.
He appeared to have changed his mind about leaving the house.

”You…? ” Bernard Yoo looked at Do-Jin with a baffled expression.

Kim Do-Jin did not look at Bernard Yoo.
He simply looked straight at Yu-Seong and asked, “Don ’t tell me you ’re not going to offer me a meal as a guest?”

When Choi Yu-Seong thought about it, Do-Jin was an extreme fan of Budae Jjigae.
Yu-Seong smiled wryly at the sudden realization.
He said, ”It ’s not a meal, it ’s a party… ”

”It doesn ’t matter.
I can just eat and go. ”

Yu-Seong wore a strange smile and looked at Kim Do-Jin, who gave a threatening glare.
It was as if Do-Jin would kill him if he refused.
Yu-Seong nodded.

‘I ’m growing increasingly fond of him….’

Yu-Seong was aware that Kim Do-Jin was a dangerous person, but he didn ’t think of refusing him as a guest at this point.

’Well, it ’s true that he has some kind of positive interest for me at the moment… ’ 

Rather than being scared, it was better to use the relationship properly.
Yu-Seong thought as he nodded.

Just then, someone opened the closed door and entered the living room in a hurry.
They shouted, ”Choi Yu-Seong! ”

“Noo-nim?”

It was Choi Mi-Na.
Without paying attention to the people around Yu-Seong, including Bernard Yoo and Kim Do-Jin, she grabbed Yu-Seong ’s shoulder with a trembling gaze.
She exclaimed, ”I heard that you became Mana-deficient.
Who the hell…? ”

”No, that’s not it! ” Choi Yu-Seong now let out a shout.
He sounded like he was being driven close to tears.