I Don’t Want to be a Villainess

남다운 is regretting being here right now.

First of all, he wasn’t happy with what he was wearing. Well, Sara told him to come, and so he wore what Sara suggested, but… this suit-like outfit, and in a dark wine color, no less.

Why on earth did she make him wear something this colorful?

Sure, he gets the intention. It’s to make it easy to identify allies. Most of the kids here were strangers to each other. But coming to a party in school uniforms? That couldn’t be possible.

But still, wasn’t this outfit a bit too much?

Was it perhaps to match his eye color? If that’s the case, the symbolism was excellent, but… making all the other guys wear red outfits was rather excessive.

“……”

Moreover, 남다운 didn’t have anyone to talk to here.

If he had to count, there was Sara. But Sara was the star of the party. Even though it wasn’t true now, 남다운 had lived in a fairly wealthy family long ago, so he knew that the star of the party is incredibly busy.

If he butts in uninvited, it would only lead to misunderstandings.

Not that he felt like making new friends here, 남다운 was simply sipping on his drink in a corner.

Still, it wasn’t entirely true that “nobody” talked to him.

남다운 was a popular guy, after all.

“Senior, hello!”

He received that greeting a few times. Of course, never did a deep conversation ever follow.

Just the usual introductions and a few words wishing to get along. Before long, their topics ran dry, and they moved on to somewhere else.

After repeating that a few times, he found there wasn’t really anyone to talk to—

“Senior, hello.”

—until the familiar voices cut through.

Right, those girls were here.

The ones who talked to 남다운 were Yoo Ha-neul and Lee Soo-ah. Both were in red dresses. They looked lovely together, but…

He couldn’t shake off the feeling that they were somewhat similar to Sara.

There was something fundamentally attractive about them, yet they didn’t feel quite like typical girls. In truth, it was just 남다운’s gut feeling.

To be fair, he didn’t really feel the urge to date anybody. If he had, he would’ve gotten a girlfriend ages ago. It wasn’t like he’d never received a confession.

“Oh, looks like you finally have some time to spare.”

If Ye Sara heard that, she would’ve grabbed the back of his neck without hesitation. 남다운 replied to the two.

“Ah, um… I’m sorry.”

Seeing Yoo Ha-neul quickly respond, 남다운 shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, there’s no need to apologize.”

He had kind of anticipated it to some extent. But he thought they could manage a little conversation… however, from afar, Ye Sara looked much busier than he expected.

She had started off mingling with people who clearly looked wealthy, then she vanished for a long time as if taking a break. After reappearing with a red face, she was running around so much it looked a bit ridiculous.

Afterward, she vanished again with Shin So-hee, perhaps due to fatigue.

Of course, he also saw Yoo Ha-neul and Lee Soo-ah disappear once. Both came back looking cheerful.

“……”

Somehow, it all seemed related to Ye Sara.

But he decided not to think about it too deeply. It felt like digging any deeper would indeed become quite bothersome.

“Well, although it’s not all bad to be in a place like this.”

Just a moment ago, he was thinking he shouldn’t have come, but he said that out of courtesy.

“Well… and it seems like there’s really someone here who looks like they don’t want to be here at all.”

남다운 nodded toward a certain place, and Yoo Ha-neul and Lee Soo-ah turned their gazes. Both furrowed their brows simultaneously, as if they had caught a whiff of something foul.

Just as he thought, they wore that expression.

The person they were staring at was none other than Yoon Da-ho.

That’s right. Although they had a pretty rocky relationship and basically didn’t interact, surprisingly, they were still engaged.

Since they hadn’t formally declared their breakup, it was only natural. They couldn’t just finish things off like a marriage, nor could they let it fizzle out endlessly. After all, it was a promise that didn’t even exist in institutional terms.

So, unless they mutually agreed otherwise, they remained engaged.

Though he wondered if such a distinction held any meaning…

“That person over there…?”

Yoon Da-ho wasn’t alone. Of course, he wouldn’t have wanted to be here in the first place.

There was an elderly man following behind Yoon Da-ho. Despite being a senior citizen, he didn’t give off the vibe of someone fragile or about to collapse. His physique was fit enough, neither overly muscular nor weakly built, and his beard was neatly trimmed. Plus, his hair was styled with a clean 2:8 part.

If his hair wasn’t white, he could easily pass for a decade younger.

“He’s the former chairperson of Homyeong Group. That’s his grandfather,”

Lee Soo-ah whispered. That “person” was obviously referring to Yoon Da-ho.

Hearing that, 남다운 gazed at the duo with more interest.

They arrived way after the party had started. Since the old chairperson was forcibly dragging his grandson along, it was only fitting he would meet Sara first. But… Sara had vanished in the meantime, so now he was just a sack of rice set aside.

From that scene, several conclusions could be drawn.

First, this engagement was Choi Na-kyung’s unilateral decision. At least, the Eugene Group personnel didn’t seem to have a favorable view of them. They would respond if approached, but none ever initiated interactions.

Second, the Homyeong Group supported this marriage. At least, the former chairperson seemed to endorse it. If he showed up knowing how things would unfold, that speaks volumes.

Yoon Da-ho maintained a constant expression filled with discomfort and annoyance, but out of fear of his grandfather, he couldn’t openly complain.

“…They still haven’t broken off the engagement, huh?”

남다운 and Lee Soo-ah nodded.

In fact, it could safely be seen as a broken engagement already. Choi Na-kyung had disappeared, and others were likely to oppose this marriage. Given that a significant share from the Eugene Group was about to move to the Yoon family, it wasn’t surprising they’d react that way.

“Are they looking for Sara?”

“Probably,”

Lee Soo-ah answered back to Yoo Ha-neul’s question.

However, it seemed their predictions were off. The former chairperson of Homyeong Group noticed them while looking around and locked eyes with them.

Then, he lightly nudged Yoon Da-ho’s shoulder.

“…Huh?”

And Yoon Ha-neul, observing this, blurted out a puzzled exclamation.

From the outside, it looked like the former chairperson was taken aback by suddenly encountering someone important. But 남다운 thought differently.

It seemed like he saw exactly what Yoo Ha-neul saw.

When the former chairperson nudged Yoon Da-ho’s shoulder, Yoon Da-ho had a startled expression and then frowned as if enduring pain.

남다운 was well-acquainted with someone who would react that way.

When someone falls hard during soccer training or bumps into something only to press that area again with force. Or when after working out, someone considers that sore muscle and presses down on it with a finger. Usually, that’s the kind of reaction you’d see.

However, he hadn’t heard Yoon Da-ho liked to work out.

Ah, that’s why!

He recalled that last time when Yoon Da-ho visited during club activities, Yoo Ha-neul had a similar reaction.

Of course, he wouldn’t have shown such a “reaction” back then. He must have picked up on something just by observation.

While he was contemplating that, Yoon Da-ho and the former chairperson of Homyeong Group approached Yoo Ha-neul, Lee Soo-ah, and 남다운.

“Are you all doing well?”

The former chairperson greeted them as if making a playful comment, wearing a bright smile on his face.

남다운 thought that pulling off such a cheerful expression in this atmosphere was a remarkable talent.

“You’re my grandson’s fiancée’s friends, right? I’ve heard a lot about you.”

There’s no way Yoon Da-ho had talked about them. He must have investigated in some other way.

The former chairperson’s gaze shifted from Yoo Ha-neul and Lee Soo-ah to remain fixed on 남다운 for a while.

He felt quite uncomfortable because it seemed he could guess what the man was thinking.

After staring at him intently for a while, the former chairperson of Homyeong Group shifted his gaze back to Yoo Ha-neul and Lee Soo-ah.

“Looks like my grandson arrived late to the party. I suppose I should apologize to the host first; do you know where Sara is?”

He asked them without inquiring about their names or introducing himself in turn.

“……”

While Yoo Ha-neul and Lee Soo-ah might not know, at least 남다운 had no idea where Ye Sara was.

Well, even if he did, he probably wouldn’t want to tell them.

---