I Don’t Want to be a Villainess

“Wait, wait, let go of this!”

Sara was throwing a tantrum, but Sohee, who was tightly hugging her, didn’t loosen her grip.

“I don’t know what you’re going through…! I’m just doing this because I want to.”

But it seemed those words didn’t reach Sohee.

Struggling hard, Sara soon felt something dripping onto her face and stopped squirming.

“….”

Sara lifted her head.

They were so close that her face was barely visible. However, Sara felt Sohee’s wet cheek pressing against her own.

Sohee was crying.

“…You’re crying?”

“….”

Sohee just sniffled silently.

Now that she thought about it, the hug felt a little different.

Up until now, Sohee had consistently hugged Sara, but usually, it was a short, strong hug. Like a mother squeezing her adorably cute daughter tightly for just a moment before letting go. Sometimes she held on a bit longer, but it wasn’t like she was clinging on this tightly.

But now, Sohee was holding Sara strongly yet gently.

As if she really wanted to do just that.

As if it were really necessary.

“….”

Ironically enough, receiving this hug made Sara remember something.

It was her mother.

Of course, it was different from her usual mother’s hugs.

It resembled the hugs from a long time ago, when her mom would gently smile and embrace her as if it were only natural to do so.

It was a hug she hadn’t properly experienced since she was nine.

“….Ah.”

Thinking that far, Sara suddenly regained her senses.

“Wait, wait! Not yet, not yet! I can’t go back yet! If I go back now, I might have to prepare for something even more shocking next time!”

Unknowingly trying to drift back into her past memories, Sara began to struggle.

Of course, she didn’t know if this memory would awaken the Sara lying within her. After all, it wasn’t that person’s memory.

However, if what Ha Neul had been doing until now felt like pulling her ‘self’ from deep within her subconscious, then this action felt like softly pushing her consciousness into the past memories.

That was why it was dangerous.

Sara instinctively made that judgment.

“Ugh, alright.”

As Sara genuinely struggled, Sohee, startled, relaxed her grip.

Sara quickly moved to the side, sitting at the edge of the bed.

“You’re banned from hugging for three days.”

“…Huh?”

Thud An invisible rock fell on top of Sohee’s head. With tears still flowing down her cheeks, she looked pitiful.

…Was three days too much?

“…How about just today?”

Sara said that.

“….”

Once again, silence filled the room.

It was a completely different atmosphere from when they were just discussing life and death moments ago.

“Was it possible to shift consciousness with that last action?”

Ha Neul asked.

“I… I don’t know.”

Sara stammered, feeling flustered.

“But that was dangerous. At least that hug from just now was risky. My instincts are telling me that.”

It was a messy explanation.

But among those sitting there, no one could refute that claim. Only Sara herself could feel it.

…In truth, she just felt embarrassed to say that the hug a moment ago was so similar to her mother’s from long ago.

Up until just earlier, she had been saying she could give up her life as if it didn’t matter, controlling the atmosphere in the room.

Thinking she had ‘given up on everything’ was sincere. Therefore, she had no idea how that hug could evoke memories from her past, especially such distant ones.

“…You mentioned shifting consciousness, but what does that action just now have to do with it? Is it related to being close to someone else?”

“…”

At Sua’s question, Sara’s expression blanked for a moment before she shouted, “Ah, no it wasn’t!”

Hearing that, Ha Neul’s face turned red.

The person they were referring to as having ‘been close’ was Ha Neul herself.

“I don’t know if there are any other methods, but at least the one we found now is to recall the ‘strongest memory of that personality.’ And it can’t just be a casual recall. You have to evoke that memory as intensely as possible with the person related to it and the situation. So ultimately, it’s a sort of shock therapy.”

“So how did your ‘strong memory’ turn into rubbing against Ha Neul?”

That was Sohee’s question.

Though her voice was still slightly wet, at least she had wiped the tears from her face. Her eyes were a bit bloodshot, but Sara pretended not to notice.

“…Because the strongest memory she had was when she was on top of Ha Neul.”

“…Ah.”

Sohee quickly seemed to understand and nodded.

That’s right. Sohee had seen when Sara climbed on top of Ha Neul back then. At that time, the reason given was ‘to help recall memories.’ Thanks to that, Sohee could easily bring back those memories.

“Then what about just now?”

“Th-that, I don’t know.”

To be precise, she had a guess, but she didn’t want to voice it right away.

If she did, she would rather discuss it with that person first.

So, Sara mumbled again.

“…But.”

Feeling slightly odd, Sara asked Sohee, “Why are you treating me like it’s no different? I’m not the ‘Sara’ you know, you know?”

“But you’re still ‘Sara.’”

“What…?”

Sohee flashed a smile at Sara.

“No matter who you are when I meet you, you’re ‘Sara’ to me. No matter what the past was like, and regardless of what you plan to do in the future, however you feel next to me, to me, you’re always ‘Sara.’ ‘Sara’ is someone I like, and so, regardless of which ‘Sara’ it is, you’re someone I like.”

Sohee moved closer and sat next to Sara. Sara shifted her body slightly away from the edge of the bed, but this time, Sohee didn’t hug her.

She just held Sara’s hand.

“I told you I know that I like you, right?”

“No, the person you like isn’t me!”

Flustered, Sara replied, but Sohee merely smiled.

“It doesn’t matter.”

Sohee shook her head slightly and said, “Because the person I like is you, I’ll just continue to like you.”

Saying that, she flashed a big smile.

With slightly tanned skin, as if she had been tanning. Her hair, black and appearing a bit messy as it slowly descended from her crown. The buttons of her shirt casually left undone unless it was work-related or absolutely necessary.

But that smile seemed to wash away all those usual images in an instant, making her look pure.

“…Uh, ah, heh,”

For a moment, Sara couldn’t speak.

Of course, just because Sohee said that didn’t mean the person Sara liked would change. This wouldn’t be heard by that person sleeping deep within her consciousness.

But why did hearing those words make her feel so warm?

Why was her heart racing and her face turning red?

…Oh, right, she got it.

Because Sohee said she liked her.

Even though she had never had anyone she liked until now, she was saying she liked her just as she was.

Saying that it didn’t matter what she looked like.

Sohee’s words likely meant she liked her ‘more than a friend,’ but liking ‘more than a friend’ also implied that she was just as precious as a friend.

Therefore, Sara felt it again.

I’m not alone.

“…I see.”

In the end, all Sara could do was respond that way.

“There’s no need to answer right now. No, it’s okay if you don’t answer. Just don’t put an end to my liking you.”

“….”

Sara nodded.

It was impossible to say anything bad to someone who spoke such words while smiling.

In her memories, she was loud and her actions were much simpler, after all.

Ah, or perhaps, it was just because she was that simple of a person that she could be so honest.

“Oh, no you don’t.”

Before Sohee’s sneaky hand could climb up to hug Sara, she slapped it away.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Sohee pouted and lowered her hand, but that action looked somewhat cute.

“….”

Wait, what were they talking about just a moment ago?

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