Even A Tired Villain Has Circumstances

Chapter 9

"Fortunately, the injuries weren't too severe."

Kang Gwonhoo swiftly wrapped the bandage around my neck, as if checking a wound that had healed in an instant. Now, there was no pain, just a slight itchiness. The doctor, a D-rank healer, assured me that with the treatment received, by tomorrow, there would be no trace of it.

"Well then, I'll take my leave for today."

Kang Gwonhoo's phone had been ringing frequently, and it seemed like something urgent had come up. It was fortunate for me.

"If you have time, I'll come by again. Two days, remaining."

He emphasized 'two days' by pressing the words as he pronounced them.

"You don't have to say it like that; I understand."

"I really want to join your guild. It seems like it would bring vitality to my dull life."

Watching his retreating figure, my stomach felt uneasy. I was glad to be rid of him for now, but it wouldn't be strange if he came back tomorrow.

"Hey, is he a guild leader, by any chance?"

Kim Jun, who had been sitting quietly like a statue while Kang Gwonhoo was around, grabbed my arm and asked with sparkling eyes.

"He's not a guild leader right now, but he's thinking about creating one."

Kim Jun's mouth curled up even higher. With his small and slender fingers, he hesitated to open and close his mouth repeatedly. It seemed like he wanted to say something, but judging by the redness of his ears, he was embarrassed. I decided to wait patiently until he made up his mind.

"If you create a guild, please let me join too! I can work hard."

I stood up, putting on my outerwear without hastily refusing his suggestion. I didn't want to show that I was outright rejecting him as if it was a thoughtless proposal. I intentionally waited for a complete turn of the hour hand before speaking.

"Why? Even if you manifest, you don't have to immediately become a guild-affiliated hunter. It's okay to take time to find a guild that suits you."

Kim Jun seemed eager to express his gratitude at that moment. I had saved him, but it wasn't an action driven purely by justice or goodwill. Feeling embarrassed, I thought that if he knew I wanted to escape from that place at the time, he wouldn't be so grateful.

"Am I too weak? I'll practice and train hard to become strong too."

However, I didn't feel like rejecting the clinging child. Moreover, as someone in a hurry like me, it wasn't a bad suggestion. Especially considering that Kang Gwonhoo might disturb me again tomorrow while looking for guild members.

"Then, I'll give you my phone number. If you don't change your mind by tomorrow, contact me."

Using the notepad and pen I had in storage, I wrote down my phone number and handed it to him. Kim Jun examined the paper carefully before neatly folding it and putting it in his pocket. His adorable act of checking if it was securely inside his pocket in less than a minute made me smile.

* * *

A heavy sigh settled on the ground. The chest, not mine, tingled uncomfortably. Was it due to fear, or was it the small conscience of Baek Woojin, the owner of this body, pricking at me? It felt like an unanswerable question, like a maze with no way out. Although I had clearly felt thirsty just a moment ago, even the desire to drink water had disappeared now.

"Let's go to the room."

I tried speaking to myself in an attempt to lift my spirits even a bit while crawling on the floor. Of course, it had no effect. Even entering the empty room, the only thing welcoming me was the bed. If there had been nothing particular happening, I might have quietly rested lying down, but now I wanted to do something. To shake off the sticky emotions trying to pull me down to the floor.

"There are many books on the shelf."

I wondered if the owner of this body had read them, but the bookshelf was packed. Among them, there were many titles I didn't know, but there were also familiar ones.

'Oh, there's 'Demian.''

Initially, a reasonable question crossed my mind: why hadn't he read this book and awakened himself? Then, I felt a sense of familiarity. I had read it several times as required reading during my student days. The sensation of the tiny dust particles on the thin book was ticklish.

Shuffle.

As I quickly flipped through the pages, small dust particles scattered into the air. The scent of an old book instantly filled the room. Before flipping to the last page, something caught my attention.

'What's this?'

The paper that was originally white had slightly yellowed in the sunlight, turning beige.

"Ah..."

On the reverse side was a family photo. The parents standing shoulder to shoulder, the two boys awkwardly sitting with their knees touching, looked ordinary and happy.

'Why did he put this here?'

There was no one to explain why Baek Woojin had tucked a family photo into a book like a treasure he didn't want others to see.

Baek Woojin, who disliked being identified more than anyone else as Baek Soohyuk's family, occasionally took out this photo from the book and wondered what he was thinking. Just finding a single photo had transformed the character, who had been thought of in a flat way, into a completely unknown stranger.

'Let's keep this.'

As I tried to put the photo back into the book and place it on the shelf, another piece of paper slipped out and fell to the floor. It seemed thinner than the book cover, so I hadn't noticed it while flipping through the pages. Bending down, I picked up the rustling thin paper.

"A newspaper clipping?"

It was an article from the time when Baek Soohyuk first received public attention. Along with a few sentences praising him, there were small pictures that acquaintances could barely recognize.

'Until this time, did I not hate Baek Soohyuk?'

My mouth tasted bitter. I knew that the initial setting wasn't bad, but the Baek Woojin I had encountered seemed to have liked Baek Soohyuk more than I had thought. He even felt like a sensitive and tender character. I suddenly became curious about when Baek Woojin had started feeling emotions close to hatred for Baek Soohyuk.

'Even if he tells the bad guy's story, does that mean anything? Has entering Baek Woojin's body influenced me this much?'

I erected a breakwater against the waves of emotions surging into my mind. I intentionally pretended not to know the thoughts that seeped through the gaps between the rocks. Like someone urgently chasing me, I hurriedly organized the books as if someone might be following me.