I’m Not That Villain - Chapter 60



59 – Spa Land (4)

Spa Land.

Above all, this Spa Land in Gangnam, Seoul, was something else.

Recently built, its scale and facilities were so luxurious it was laughable to compare them to other places.

And it had a private gambling den on the 3rd basement floor. Need I say more? It was a little funny, this gambling den where everyone was dressed in casual jjimjilbang wear, but…

Still, it looked like fun.

But, I couldn’t take a kid to a place like *that*.

So, I just wandered around the shops inside the facility.

“Ah, Mister… uh, spending too much money…”

“Right now, money’s all I got.”

*Kyah!*

Always wanted to say that line!

Plus, I’d pulled out a whole wad of cash. I was totally ready to enjoy my vacation.

Me and Seol Yewon, we went around all sorts of places. Even went into a little shop inside the spa and bought her a doll.

“W-why this…?”

“You kept looking at it. Why? You don’t like it? Want something else?”

“Ah, no! I like it!”

Seol Yewon’s awkwardness was still there, but maybe it was just because it was only the two of us.

It felt like she was slowly getting used to it. Even glancing at me and inching a little closer.

The two of us just casually strolled around the spa. We saved the sauna for last. Until then, we just wandered the facilities, doing our damnedest to have fun together.

Thanks to the artificial ability factor, my body was sharper than it’d ever been. That must be why I could now do things that’d normally be tough, no problem.

But on the flip side, there was also something I’d lost. That was tension. Since my physical abilities, including all kinds of sports, had improved…

This arcade game in front of me.

This fighting game, too, I had the body to just easily beat anyone.

Why?

Because my dynamic visual acuity had gone up.

Click-clack!

“Crazy?!”

“He, he reacted to that combo?!”

The people sitting across from me were stunned. Some even came over to check my face.

Ah. Easy. Too easy. This is what it means to stomp noobs. It’s a good thing…

But it lacks tension.

No thrill. Hmm.

Once I understood the mechanics, I could easily win at fighting games I’d never even touched before. After a game or two, I could easily take three rounds against anyone.

A no-hit clear wasn’t that hard either.

Yeah, that’s it.

Is it true that only a gifted person can truly compete against another gifted person?

Luckily, just at that moment, someone who could potentially be my match was right next to me.

“Yewon.”

“…Yes?”

“Wanna play a round?”

Come at me. Seol Yewon.

Try your hardest to take me down!

Seol Yewon sat across from me. She seemed a little unsure, messing with the buttons for a bit before…

Her character in the game started moving.

She was… well, she gave off a vibe of being a bit of a tech newbie. Not throwing any combos, just spamming strong and weak attacks.

But the important thing was that her fists were landing between my attacks.

Reaction speed. It was way better than mine. What the hell?

I need to get into the flow, but it keeps getting cut off. Every attack I threw was blocked, and my stamina, which was already being chipped away, finally reached its end.

Draw.

That’s how the game ended, with the timer completely full. And the fierce battle within it must have been an elaborate mind game that words couldn’t possibly describe…

“Th-that was fun…”

It was the first time I’d seen Seol Yewon smile since she entered this facility. I played a few more rounds with her after that. I also made sure to get up at the right time, because if I’d stayed longer, I felt like I would have become too serious.

Ugh. The more she gets used to it, the fiercer she gets. I need to be careful. How is her adaptation this fast?

There was a massage shop inside the spa land, but I couldn’t take her in there with her social anxiety. So, in the end, I settled for having her relax in a massage chair.

Mmm. This is just the right strength. Just perfect.

Scarlett whispered,

“I’ll adjust the massage chair’s intensity to suit Master’s body.”

“…Huh?”

The wire that extended from her wristwatch randomly touched the massage chair. At the same time, my whole body began to feel completely and utterly relaxed.

Scarlett. My assistant’s massage was incredibly wonderful. The meticulous touch, which felt like it had some ulterior motive… it was, well…

A little bit s*xy, too.

But, I suppose she wasn’t doing it on purpose. It must have just happened that the massage focused on my backside while she was adjusting the settings. I closed my eyes and let my body sink into the massage chair.

After spending about thirty minutes relaxing, I finally took Seol Yewon to the sauna I’d been so looking forward to.

The vast interior. Theme-based rooms.

I took a neatly folded towel and made it into a sheep’s head. Huh. They even have instructions now. How interesting.

I put it on my head, then folded another one and placed it on Sul Yewon’s head.

“…Ehehehe.”

She seemed completely relaxed now, Sul Yewon fidgeting with her towel.

“It’s a sheep. A sheep. Not a dog.”

“Hey, you like sheep…?”

“I like animals that follow well.”

“……!”

“I like cats.”

“…Don’t cats not follow?”

“There are cat-like dogs, too, right?”

We settled into a suitable dugout, chatting idly.

Ah. Good. Look at this scalding heat. Sweat’s pouring down like rain.

Sul Yewon, too, seemed in good spirits, letting out a deep breath with her eyes closed. An older woman in the same dugout went, “Oh my, oh my”

“Such a handsome couple. Are you celebrities?”

“Pardon?”

“I mean you’re both radiant. You look good together. I talked to you because you’re so handsome. It’s nice to see.”

The meddling of older women, seriously…

My mood’s really great, though.

“Thank you.”

I smiled brightly. The older women, faces flushed, nudged each other’s shoulders.

What the hell. Am I…

some kind of look that works on the older crowd?

Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve been to a place like this since I was a kid, holding my family’s hands. All this time I’ve been scrambling to survive, juggling part-time jobs and studies…

I didn’t have time.

Having an experience I couldn’t before, it felt…freshly emotional. Sort of moving, you could say. Seen this way, maybe becoming a criminal wasn’t so bad, right?

…No, that’s going too far. Okay. Yeah, that’s definitely too far. Let’s just stick with feeling good.

“…Haaah…”

Seol Yewon bumped her head against me. Then, as if she did it without thinking, she jumped back, startled.

“S-sorry…”

“Huh? It’s okay. Doesn’t matter.”

“…T-then…just for a bit…”

Maybe it’s because she’s relaxed here.

Usually she’d seem like she’d reject something like this, but now she’s subtly moving closer, bumping her head on me.

Cute.

Feels like seeing a grown-up little sister.

“Yewon-ah.”

“…Yes?”

Since it’s just the two of us, I should say what I’ve wanted to say.

“Thanks for looking out for me.”

“……?”

“So…um…”

Opening up my heart was harder than I thought.

But still, now that I’d started, I wanted to finish.

“…Just, you know. That’s all. Ahem.”

“……..”

“I was busy with work, so there were a lot of times I couldn’t reply properly, right? And I’d see them late. Honestly, I just thought of you as like, a first customer, but now, I guess not.”

I scratched my cheek awkwardly.

Kinda embarrassing. This stuff.

“…I mean, thanks for caring. As a friend…? No. As a younger sibling.”

Seol Yewon blinked. She hesitated a little, then lightly grabbed my sleeve.

“…I…I…so…”

Her voice trembled.

Tears welled up in her eyes a little too.

“…D-Did I…was I…h-helpful…?”

What. Why is she crying?

Was it that moving? No, I didn’t really say much, did I?

“Huh? Yeah? Of course. Don’t cry. What’s wrong?”

“Ah, no…it’s just…like…please don’t…look…here, okay…”

Seol Yewon sniffled and desperately avoided my gaze.

From noble mtl dot com

Her muffled voice finished her sentence.

“U-Um, I… I’m also thankful… Mister… I’ll… I’ll keep trying my best…”

“……?”

I wanted to ask what she meant by “trying her best,” but I held back.

Somehow, if I pushed, I felt like she’d burst into tears again.

. . .

After wiping her tears, I continued enjoying the facility with Seol Yewon. She seemed to have completely shaken off even the last bit of her nervousness, clinging to me and not letting go.

“Mister.”

“Yeah?”

“I-I want to try that one too… B-But of course, I’ll pay for it…”

“Uh-uh. Today, I’m the wallet.”

Now she’s even making requests on her own. Seeing her enjoy herself, my own heart felt at ease. I did well bringing her out. It’s good to see her having so much fun.

But still…

It seems like there are more people than there were this morning.

Amidst the strangely increased crowd, I noticed an odd current. There weren’t many people actually enjoying the facility; there were more eyes watching, almost as if they were surveilling it.

What is this. This feels like something’s about to blow.

“U-Um, Mister… I’m gonna go to the bathroom for a bit…”

“Ah. Go ahead.”

It figures, the day I come here…

Surely not, right?

I quietly waited for Seol Yewon. But my worry soon became reality, landing right before my eyes.

KWA-aaaNG!!!

A sudden explosion. People screaming.

The once-lively interior, now chaos, filled with cries because of the commotion far away.

“B, bomb!!”

“Kyaaak!!”

A bomb? There’s no smell of gunpowder, though?

People rushed past. Some, caught in the crowd, were gasping as if about to be crushed to death.

The entrance was narrow, and with the rush, the inside became a scene of utter pandemonium. Instead of diving into the crowd, I chose to move the opposite way.

The women’s restroom is that way.

Seol Yewon is definitely in there…

“Excuse me! You there!”

A lithe shadow dropped in front of me in an instant. A woman, with towels draped over her, as if she’d genuinely been enjoying a sauna, shouted with all her might.

“Don’t go forward! Move back towards the entrance!”

“Huh?”

The woman in the spa uniform blinked. She seemed to roll her eyes for a moment…

Then, in a clumsy voice, she stammered.

“I, I’m a Spa Land security guard! Uh, anyway, please follow my instructions!”

A security guard in a spa uniform is a bit… odd, isn’t it? No, wait, why would there even be a professional security guard in a place like this?

Something’s off. I raised my head. In the dust rising in the distance…

It looked like someone was there.

Not just one, but many.