I’m Not That Villain - Chapter 57



56 – Spa Land (1)

The weekend dawned. I dressed up in the clothes I’d bought, looking sharp.

Of course, yeah. Once inside Spa Land, I’d naturally have to take these off. But I wanted to look stylish on the way there.

I spun around in front of the mirror, showing off my outfit. I’d never understood the fun of dressing up before, but now I do. Plus, I’ve been working out consistently, on top of it all!

It’s not just my perspective that’s changed. The body wearing the clothes has changed too. Clothes that would never have suited me before, I can now pull off perfectly.

Exercise changes a person. Yeah, absolutely. And on top of that, pumping artificial power factors into my body has altered my very constitution.

The efficiency of exercise has completely skyrocketed. Totally different compared to when I was a normal person. Just a little effort now and bam, the body I had to grind to create is just done…

Look! These clearly defined abs!

Damn! That’s the taste of exercise!

“Scarlett. How is it?”

“Maaasterrrrr…”

Scarlett’s voice was like circuits melting, all warped and fuzzy.

“Did it glitch?” I naturally looked back at Renata, who’d joined us early this morning.

“Well?”

“…uuuhhhmm…”

Her eyes narrowed. She cocked her head, then asked back in a tone of disbelief,

“Is Seo Jun-ssi… this kind of person…?”

“No. I’m asking if it suits me. Speak clearly.”

“uuuhhhmm… Please don’t come too close… it’s kind of unfamiliar… it makes me feel strange watching…”

Is there no one who can just say it straight?

I looked at Lily one last time. She, who was packing up her things, glanced at me.

“Not bad.”

For the usually stingy with praise her to say even that much, it must mean it suits me.

The best reaction was definitely from Seol Yewon. She was already at the meeting spot, and the moment she saw me, her eyes flickered away.

All I had on today was a mask at best. I wasn’t even wearing my usual hat. Didn’t want to mess up the hair I’d taken the trouble to style.

But even so, I’m still me. I’ve never shown them my bare face, but I’ve met their eyes many times.

So for them not to recognize me like this means the dressed up me is completely something special!

“Seol Yewon.”

“……?”

She looked away, then turned back. She blinked, then slowly backed away.

“Wh-who…”

“……”

From noble mtl dot com

She still can’t recognize me.

I raised my hand to my mask. I was planning on showing it to her once anyway…

And I had no intention of walking around the spa land with my mask on.

*sssk.*

I pulled the mask down. After clearing my throat once, I spoke again.

“It’s me. Black Mirror.”

“……?!!!!”

Seol Yewon’s eyes widened.

. . .

Seol Yewon arrived at the meeting place about 3 hours before the agreed-upon time.

Of course, she’d been busy before that. From early morning she’d been diligently applying makeup, and had put on and taken off the clothes she’d prepared countless times.

…Honestly.

I’m not really confident in my fashion sense.

These clothes I’m wearing now, too. I just completely copied a coordinated outfit someone else had put together. Not a single bit of my own opinion is involved.

The makeup is the same. I’ve just been diligently following the tutorials in videos. The cosmetics are also exactly the same ones used in the videos.

Yesterday, my makeup practice was like painting on a canvas, I don’t know how many times I erased and reapplied.

…But.

All that time was fun.

Yeah. It was fun. Really fun. I feel good. Even this time, waiting right now.

She sits primly, feet together. The appointment is at 9. It’s six in the morning, so there’s plenty of time.

Seol Yewon closes her eyes, feeling the gentle breeze. It’ll get hotter as time passes, but…

Even that will be enjoyable, she knows. It’s still in the future, but she can already tell. It’s certain.

“……”

Seol Yewon presses her temples absently. From the moment she began to perfectly control her power, she could freely choose her appearance.

She’s currently in her human state, with her power suppressed. Naturally, her ears aren’t showing. But lately, she’s been maintaining her beast-form for power control, so this moment without ears feels unfamiliar.

…Would the mister…

Like her with ears, or without?

Thinking about it, there’s so much she doesn’t know about him.

She doesn’t even know his face. She’s only ever seen his eyes. But she knows he’s kind. She knows he treats her sincerely.

Still, she hates not knowing. She wants to know more about the mister. But…but…

Then he might pull away. If she tries to get closer, he might not like it.

She’s not particularly special, or strikingly beautiful. So…

.She’ll wait. Until the mister speaks first.

But there’s been progress, right? Yeah. Even though it’s a group trip, he even suggested it first.

So…so…

Maybe she can have a little hope. That she can get closer to the mister.

…She hopes he likes it. This outfit. This attire.

From this skirt to all the clothes that cling to her…

She chose them because she heard they were clothes men like…

I wish you would too, mister. Really.

“……”

People pass by. Seol Yewon stares blankly at them.

Operating machines is difficult. Even cellphones are still difficult. But yeah. Actually, I don’t even want to look at them right now.

The moment of waiting itself is enjoyable. I like suppressing my heart that feels like it’s going to start pounding fast. Waiting itself is so enjoyable that I feel like I’m getting stranger every moment.

“Excuse me?”

A sudden voice makes me turn my head. A man is standing in front of me.

As I stare blankly, he smiles awkwardly. He subtly holds out his phone.

“I’ve been watching you for a while, and you’re really my type… If it’s not rude, could I get your SNS ID?”

“……”

Lately. Sometimes.

No. Actually, often.

People like this have been flocking. Ever since I started putting effort into my appearance.

Appearance is important. I think so too.

Pretty is better than ugly. Straight is better than misshapen.

But more important than that is…

‘Who’ it is.

If it’s not you, mister, I don’t want it.

Seol Yewon avoids his gaze.

“…I…don’t want to.”

“Huh?”

“I… said I don’t want to…”

Talking to strangers was still awkward. Even speaking was incredibly difficult.

But I make it clear. I don’t want to. I really don’t want to.

Don’t ruin my time right now.

“I said I don’t want to.”

I cut him off decisively. But even then, the other person doesn’t leave. Instead, they smile and hold out their phone again.

“Don’t be like that, just a bit…”

CRUNCH.

Becoming a power user wasn’t all bad.

Like right now. When I really don’t want something, I can show just how much I don’t want it.

Even without activating my power, my strong physique pulverized the simple rock just by holding it. I showed it right in front of the man, and he was so startled he fled without a word.

The silence returned. Time passed.

That kind of thing happened a few more times. At first, Seol Yewon tolerated it to some extent, but eventually, she gradually started to lower her voice.

“Get lost.”

And then,

Someone called her name.

“Seol Yewon.”

“…….?”

Seol Yewon turned her head. In that instant, her eyes met those of a tall man, and she unconsciously shifted her position slightly.

He was a man I’d never seen before. His meticulously groomed appearance, as if supporting his soft voice, gleamed under the sunlight.

The kind of looks that made the women around him constantly glance his way. He wore a mask, but it was obvious, even unseen, that his concealed lower face would be handsome.

Tall, and his proportions were great too. Not just good proportions, but his physique was solid, too, very imposing.

And his clothing perfectly complemented that whole balance. From the shirt he wore, down to his pants, there wasn’t a single thing you could fault.

A completely different style from what I was used to with the ‘ahjussi’ types. A model… or something?

Completely unable to understand, Seol Yewon blinked. He was not someone who would suit me, looks-wise. Of course, his looks did grab my attention for a moment…

But this, it wasn’t just about rejecting him outright, it was more like…

Our levels of attractiveness didn’t match, that’s what it felt like.

He just shined so much more. Even behind that mask. If I stood in front of him, even my own efforts would feel like they’d needlessly pale in comparison, I just wanted to widen the distance between us.

I almost just wanted him to pass by.

…But.

But why did he know my name? Was he just one of the people I’d brushed past?

“W-who…”

He blinked, and I had the feeling he was smiling beneath the mask. Then, his hand rose to pull the mask halfway down.

Revealing his lower face. And it was so much more handsome than I’d imagined. A perfect fit that made his already great proportions seem even more well-balanced.

He was not just your average celebrity. He was even beyond the level of someone you’d call a ‘model.’ His proportions were perfect, and his face was remarkably handsome too.

And on top of it all, he was so impeccably styled…

It was like giving an already tall beast wings.

Then, he smiled.

“It’s me. Heukgyeong.”

“……?”

Black mirror.

Black mirror.

So, a black mirror…because it’s a black mirror…so…

Mister?

“…….?!!!!”

No. Wait. Wait.

Something’s weird. Mister, well, uh…

You barely even show your face. And the little eyes you do show, you barely show those either.

You’re always walking with your head down, your clothes are all worn out, heh, you don’t stand up straight either…

Uh.

Hmm.

So.

Uh, wait… my, my head isn’t working… uh… uhh…?

What, something’s weird. Mister? So, mister… mister?

“Mister…?”

“Yes. It’s me.”

“Ah… um…”

Huff… huff…!?

Ah, so that’s what Mister’s face looks like. But, it’s strange. Really strange. Something’s so strange that…

Like, if you looked like *this*, why’d you hide it…? Is it, is it dangerous?

Ha, well, I guess it’s not totally unbelievable. Uh, you look like a total stalker magnet. But, but it’s such a waste, a huge waste.

Why? Why the hell?

Ah, no, wait a sec. Waitwaitwaitwaitwait…

“U-um, mister… c-could you move back a little…”

“Huh?”

“Y-you’re too cl-close… s-so… ugh…”

Suddenly, fox ears popped out of Seol Yewon’s head. Her eyes spun in her flushed face.

“Wha-what?! What’s wrong?!”

“J-just… wait… a sec…”

Ah.

This isn’t good. Yeah. This is definitely not good. Mister, it really feels like this is not going to end well.

“Just… move back a little… I-I… I’m gonna… die…”

“What?! Are you sick?”

“H-hng… h-hnggg…”

Seol Yewon desperately covered her face. She squeezed her eyes shut and weakly pushed away the man sticking to her.

And why does his cologne smell so good? No, wait, it’s like… his natural scent. His natural scent and cologne are kind of mixing, so…

… I’m…

…going to…

…go into heat…