I Picked Up the Greatest Villain in the Story

38.

“You really…”

Jian’s lips, about to say “that’s too much,” were helplessly blocked by the kimbap Sehun brought to his mouth. After feeding Jian what he had been fed and giving another kimbap to Hyunsu, Sehun looked for a tissue to wipe the oil from his fingertips.

“Sehun must have been very hungry too. Sit down quickly. I’ll serve you some soybean paste soup as well.”

Only the easy-going Jian failed to notice the subtle tension flowing between Sehun and Hyunsu as he placed a plate of neatly sliced kimbap on the table.

Knowing one roll wouldn’t be enough, he had woken up early to diligently make five rolls of kimbap, which he now sliced and stacked on a newly brought out plate.

While he warmed up and served the pre-made soybean paste soup, Hyunsu sat at the table and glared at Sehun discreetly.

‘Take it easy, will you.’

Aware of Sehun’s abnormal obsession with Jian, he warned with his lips, but Sehun just snorted softly and followed Jian’s busy back with his eyes.

Hyunsu shook his head and picked up his chopsticks. Rather than arguing with Sehun, eating one more piece of kimbap was more helpful for his peace of mind.

“You’ll get indigestion if you eat so hastily. Have some soup too, Hyunsu.”

“Yes~”

His reply came out muffled with his cheeks puffed full. Only after Jian sat at the table did Sehun pick up a piece of kimbap with his chopsticks.

“Hyung.”

As the kimbap approached his lips, Jian opened his mouth habitually. It was delicious even though he had made it himself. His cooking skills had greatly improved since he first cooked for Sehun, as he had been cooking for him every day.

Jian nodded at Sehun while busily moving his jaw. While he could eat slowly after the kids left for school, Sehun and Hyunsu had to leave within 10 minutes.

Sehun reluctantly moved his chopsticks faster. His speed of eating one piece of kimbap at a time with elegant movements was faster than Hyunsu, who had been eating earnestly.

Feeling threatened, Hyunsu tried to stuff two pieces of kimbap into his mouth at once and choked.

“Cough, cough…”

“That’s why I told you to eat slowly.”

The sight of him coughing with both hands covering his mouth looked so pitiful that Jian got up and approached the water purifier.

While Jian was fetching water, Sehun stopped eating kimbap and glared at Hyunsu with disapproving eyes.

The intruder who had barged into the cozy morning time he had planned to spend with his hyung was now even stealing Jian’s attention by pretending to be weak. He felt like grabbing the guy by the neck and throwing him out the window.

“Hyunsu, drink some water. Here’s a tissue.”

“Cough, thank, cough, you…”

Hyunsu, who had paid dearly for his greed, wiped the debris on his palm with the tissue. After taking a sip of water, he felt like he would live.

After patting Hyunsu’s back a couple of times, Jian looked at Hyunsu and Sehun alternately with a pleased face.

“I’m so glad you two are in the same class. I was constantly worried because Sehun is so shy around strangers.”

As Jian gently stroked Sehun’s head, his long eyes curved into circles. Hyunsu inwardly clicked his tongue at his friend’s eye smile that could enchant multiple people.

Shy, my ass. This bastard just saw everyone except Jian as mere pebbles on the street.

When they were younger, he too had been deceived by Sehun’s angelic appearance and thought like Jian that Sehun was just awkward in relationships with people. But with each passing year, he was painfully realizing how creepy Sehun’s two faces were.

Look at him now. The eyes dripping with honey when looking at Jian turned colder than ice the moment they touched his face.

‘No wonder Jian hyung can’t date…’

Jian’s dating history so far was something that couldn’t be heard without tears.

He owned a small but solid building, had his own cafe, had a high hunter rank, and above all, Jian’s appearance was good enough to be liked by anyone.

Although not a stunning beauty like Sehun that would make jaws drop, his delicate and well-proportioned features exuded a kind atmosphere. Especially the dimples that formed when he smiled broadly made Jian look much younger than his actual age.

Even now, if he wore a high school uniform, no one would feel out of place.

Naturally, at least one person showing interest in Jian appeared every week, and every quarter there was someone passionate enough to visit the cafe daily to express their interest.

Among them, there were quite a few people who seemed decent even to him. Each time, Hyunsu confirmed that Sehun was utterly insane in his obsession with Jian.

He drove them away from Jian in various ways, but Jian simply thought Sehun was causing trouble out of mischief.

Perhaps only he and Hyunwoo hyung had noticed Sehun’s true nature. Sehun was born with looks that could deceive people’s eyes, and in front of Jian, he acted like the most pitiful being in the world.

‘Who should I blame? It’s something hyung brought upon himself.’

But he couldn’t blame only Sehun because Jian was also head over heels for Sehun. It was an old story now, but after Sehun was kidnapped and returned, Jian carried him in his arms so much that Sehun’s feet barely touched the ground.

Envious of that, he once clung to Jian’s embrace and ended up having his hair grabbed by Sehun.

Although his own brother cared for him too, it was no match for Jian’s devotion – not by one, but by several levels.

Unlike him, Sehun even did homeschooling for middle school, so how could it be otherwise? If it weren’t for Hyunwoo’s advice that socializing with peers was also important, Jian might have continued homeschooling for high school as well.

“Sehun, listen well to the teacher. Get along well with the other kids too. If anything upsets you, tell hyung right away. Understood?”

“Yeah.”

Hyunsu shook his head as Jian stroked Sehun’s hair while giving instructions, still seeing him as a little kid despite being a head taller than himself.

“Hey, we should go now. Hyung, it was really delicious. Can you make it for us again next time?”

Hyunsu gestured for Sehun to get up while eating the last kimbap left on the plate. He didn’t forget to thank Jian as well. Thanks to the meal, his stomach was satisfyingly full.

“Come over for dinner tonight too. I’ve invited Hyunwoo hyung and the guild members.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. We haven’t been able to gather much lately because everyone’s been busy.”

Sehun’s lips tightened into a straight line as Jian smiled brightly at Hyunsu. He liked it best when it was just him and hyung. Unlike him, Jian got along well with other people too.

He liked this Jian too, but sometimes he imagined how nice it would be if Jian became a hikikomori. Then he could bathe him, feed him, and be his conversation partner every day.

Seeing Jian’s face excited at the thought of meeting other people after a long time made him feel bitter.

On the way out, seeing them off by Jian, Hyunsu zipped up his padded jacket to his neck and walked with quick steps, arms folded.

“Aren’t you cold? Why are you wearing a coat in this weather?”

“Watch where you’re going.”

Ignoring Hyunsu who had been pestering him, Sehun walked with both hands in his coat pockets.

Hyunsu looked Sehun up and down. Maybe it was because both his uniform and coat were navy blue. He looked more like someone going to work at a company than a high school student.

His hair, which had grown a lot in the meantime, brushed his eyebrows. With his eyes downcast, he looked like he had dozens of stories to tell. His outward appearance was quite nice, unlike his sinister inner self.

“How about going to the PC room with the other kids after school? It’s the beginning of the semester, we should see who we might get along with.”

“Don’t want to.”

“Oh, come on. Jian hyung was worried earlier too. About whether you’d do well in school life.”

“…”

The lips that had flatly refused without a moment’s hesitation now fell silent. Not missing the opportunity, Hyunsu stuck close to Sehun and nudged his side with his elbow.

Sehun backed away in disgust, but Hyunsu had also grown into quite the smooth operator, not unlike Hyunwoo.

“Don’t you need some school life stories to tell hyung? Are you going to say you just played with me every day?”

The most prickly guy in the world became a fairly docile lamb when Jian was mentioned.

“Classes end early today too. Let’s play for just an hour before going home. Jian hyung would really like that, you know?”

Finally, a small sigh escaped through Sehun’s lips. It was as good as a tacit permission.

Excited, Hyunsu went a step further and tried to put his arm around Sehun’s shoulder by standing on his tiptoes, but was nearly thrown to the ground by the violent force that pushed him away.

From a distance, the two bickering looked like the best of friends.

Jian’s gaze, standing by the window with a cup of coffee in hand, lingered on the two for a long time. A gentle smile was hidden behind the mug.

It was an ordinary spring day when Sehun turned seventeen.