I Don’t Want to be a Villainess

Every morning, we had relaxed kisses, pressing our lips to each other’s bodies, hugging tight to feel each other’s warmth whenever we wanted, but ever since the confession, things had changed for the worse.

Now, there was no longer a time when we took showers together.

Sara, who had pushed the boundaries with three people and couldn’t stand the loneliness, ended up setting the dark line closer to herself, but no matter what, she didn’t allow us to see each other naked.

Even when changing clothes, I hurried to change in the corner of the room as fast as possible.

If we crossed that line, something really big would happen, so the three of us couldn’t bring ourselves to enter the shower room together.

Naturally, whenever Sara entered the shower room, only Yoo Ha-neul, Shin So-hee, and Lee Soo-ah stayed in the room.

Luckily, the three of us were in a temporary ceasefire while competing for each other, so our friendship hadn’t completely shattered yet. However, how much longer it could last and how solid it could remain was another matter entirely.

If it were before, there would have been a strange silence among the three, but since we had one common concern now, there was no way we would sit silently without talking until Sara finished her shower.

And that concern, of course, was whether another girl would appear around Sara.

“Hey, about earlier.”

After Sara entered the shower, Yoo Ha-neul waited for the sound of the shower, then asked Shin So-hee.

“What was the reason you interrupted Sara while talking to her senior? Normally, you don’t say a word until Sara’s done.”

Since becoming Sara’s maid, So-hee had rarely interrupted when Sara spoke. In fact, if someone else interrupted, she would give them a bit of warning.

At Yoo Ha-neul’s words, Shin So-hee rolled her eyes and replied in a hushed voice.

“Um, well, for some reason, I felt like that person might become a competitor.”

“A competitor? Ryu Ba-da?”

Yoo Ha-neul slightly furrowed her brows, recalling the earlier conversation.

At least Ryu Ba-da didn’t openly show that she liked Sara. No, to put it simply, there was nothing to ‘like’ about. Even though she attended Sara’s birthday party, according to her own words, she hadn’t received a direct invitation, and while she had taken food for her younger sisters, it wasn’t anything particularly special for her.

This was only the second time they had exchanged words.

…But Yoo Ha-neul didn’t think that way.

She decided not to let her guard down any longer.

After all, other girls had confessed on the same day, pushing back the timing for her to date Sara. She couldn’t allow herself to get pushed back any further.

Yes. In that sense, this was clearly a warning sign.

It was common for girls who met Sara to fall for her.

Right now, in their little contest, Son Ah-reum and Yang Hye-in were categorized as “liking Sara but not yet confessing,” and it wouldn’t be surprising if Ryu Ba-da fell for Sara soon enough.

At least Son Ah-reum seemed oblivious to her own feelings, while Yang Hye-in appeared to be suppressing hers with a sense of duty… but there was no sign of that with Ryu Ba-da.

Above all, that ‘my own way’ vibe was dangerous.

At first glance, she might seem shy, but she says what she wants. Being the library committee president didn’t seem like a burden she was forced into, but rather a job she willingly tolerated because she liked being there. If she ended up liking Sara, she would probably be extremely embarrassed, yet casually confess her feelings.

…And Yoo Ha-neul already knew one girl like that.

Her gaze moved toward Lee Soo-ah. At the same time, Shin So-hee’s gaze also turned toward Soo-ah. Caught off guard by their stares, Soo-ah looked a bit flustered.

“W-why are you looking at me like that…?”

““…Nah.””

Such a reaction was undeniably cute. It was like watching a little animal. Besides, Soo-ah was just slightly shorter than Sara, so it wasn’t strange for her to react that way.

Wasn’t the vibe completely different when it came to their morning kissing hugs?

I don’t even want to hug her…!

Of course, she knew that with her current image, that would be impossible for a while. She had a history of frequently jumping on Sara. Every time those moments came around, she was the one leading the charge, so Sara probably couldn’t even imagine her hugging her first.

While there were advantages to being the first to seize, there were equally significant downsides.

…Of course, it didn’t seem like Soo-ah was calculating this at all.

Or maybe? Given that she had hired a reporter to take pictures daily at the door and sent them to the directors of Yujin Group without anyone knowing, perhaps her personality… at least partially, wasn’t an act?

“…It is risky,”

Yoo Ha-neul agreed with Shin So-hee’s opinion.

“Right? No doubt about it.”

“But, is it really like that?”

Soo-ah expressed some doubt.

Her opinion wasn’t strange. Ryu Ba-da had really never shown any feelings for Sara.

…In fact, the three of us sitting here were genuinely smitten with Sara at first sight. If the other party had fallen, we would surely notice.

“At least right now, there’s no sign of that,”

Soo-ah’s words were true.

“…But, how long can we go without falling? Son Ah-reum did, and that senior too.”

Since So-hee spoke, she must have been referring to Yang Hye-in.

“And you, who are scheming behind our backs, haven’t thought others might do the same?”

“I-I was just worried about Sara…”

“Okay, we get your reason.”

Shin So-hee tossed her hair and spoke.

“So, what I’m saying is that others might also do it with the same intention. Look.”

As Shin So-hee leaned slightly forward while sitting on the bed, both Yoo Ha-neul and Soo-ah unconsciously leaned forward too. Even without trying, the room was quiet enough for them to hear each other’s whispers easily.

Knowing well that Sara wouldn’t hear them in the shower, Shin So-hee lowered her voice.

“No matter how much we see each other as competitors, we shouldn’t let more competitors enter here.”

In response to Shin So-hee’s words, Yoo Ha-neul bobbed her head in agreement, but Soo-ah hesitated.

“But feelings of liking someone can’t just be controlled…”

At that, both Shin So-hee and Yoo Ha-neul slapped their foreheads simultaneously.

“Soo-ah! What So-hee is saying is not to stop feeling those emotions but to lessen the number of people who like Sara from the beginning.”

“Right. We just need to ensure that people don’t start liking Sara from the start.”

Listening quietly to the two, Soo-ah nodded slightly and spoke.

“But how can we make sure people don’t fall for Sara?”

“…”

“…”

However, no answer came back.

That’s right.

The three of them sitting here had all fallen for Sara at first glance.

There was no way they knew how not to fall for her in the first place.

Whether it was because of her attitude, looks, or heart, the fact that these girls had fallen for Sara was truly in an instant.

But how they could delay that very moment, they had no idea.

“…We’ll have to look into it from now on.”

In response to Shin So-hee’s muttering, the other two felt a wave of tremendous despair.

*

Just in case something unexpected might happen, I washed up and stepped out of the shower room wearing a pajama top.

While drying my hair, my clothes got a bit damp from my long hair, but it still felt awkward to change clothes in front of my roommates.

They were trying hard not to shift their gaze away from me, but that didn’t mean I didn’t feel their stares at all. They probably failed regardless of their efforts.

“Well then, next person….”

I was about to say “go wash up,” but shut my mouth after seeing the strange, dejected atmosphere from the three.

This atmosphere is not normal.

If that scene were in a comic, there would definitely be a dark cloud hovering over their heads.

Seeing them sitting across from each other, it looked like they’d had some conversation that led to this state.

“Um, excuse me?”

I cautiously tried to speak up.

All three heads snapped up at once to look at me, and I was a bit startled.

…They all looked at me with incredibly resentful eyes.

…Scary.

Yeah. It is scary.

Suddenly, why are they acting this way?

“Um… is there a problem? Something to do with me?”

I asked again carefully, remembering how Haneul had lost it the last time.

However, the three of them stared at me silently, then let out a deep sigh.

“Haa~~~”

Like they were exhaling deeply into the ground.

No, like I said, could you please tell me why you’re acting this way?

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