CHAPTER 45

[Aren’t you glad your successors are growing up to be great villains? Be careful with you back and don’t overdo it.]

“I said I wouldn’t do it!”

Even though Belze protested vehemently until her face turned red, the person on the other end of the phone didn’t stop teasing. Belze realized that it seemed to touch her pride, preventing her from contacting Seo, after she hung up the phone.

Belze sighed and placed her mobile phone carefully on the bedside table. Seo, sprawled out on the bed, reached for her waist.

This Seo was really touchy.

“Come here.”

“You… Are you still a rabbit?!”

She felt like her heart dropped.

How could he say such a thing again after what we did during the day?

Her face turned pale not with embarrassment, but with fear. The daytime lovemaking had been that intense. Her legs were still weak, and her lower part was still sore. She couldn’t do it anymore today. Really, not again!

Seeing her reaction, Seo laughed cheerfully.

“You really have a lot of dirty thoughts.”

“Who…!”

“Let’s wait until tomorrow to see if your lower half is still sore. For now, let’s just sleep. I’m tired from all that too.”

With a touch as if warning her not to misunderstand, Seo lightly tapped her nose with his finger, and Belze’s pale face flushed.

Seo approached leisurely and with so much flirt, but it bothered Belze that she was the only one being swayed. She shot him a glance.

“You’re a hero.”

“Yeah.”

“And I’m a villain.”

“I know.”

“Don’t you have any pride? Do you want to keep trying with the villain-hero thing? What else are you planning to try?”

“Your lips?”

The words that came out of him so suddenly left her speechless, sending shivers down her spine.

It wasn’t embarrassment that overwhelmed her, but a feeling closer to disgust, and the thought that maybe he has gone mad and lost sanity.

Belze pushed his hand away, her shoulder slumping in resignation. It felt like punching a sandbag filled with frustration.

“I see no problem with it. You can quit being a villain. Then we can just be a hero and a citizen.”

“Why should I be the one to quit? Why is that the premise here?”

If Seo insisted, saying, ‘What does it matter if we’re a hero or a villain? Those chains don’t matter to us!’ Belze had planned to counter with, ‘Even if you quit being a hero right now, we’’ll still need to start from square one, working our way up from A!’ But her plan crumbled.

With an unwavering smile on his face, Seo ran his fingers along the nape of Belze’s neck, where a hickey remained.

“Belze, why did you become a villain?”

Because of his touch, Belze had to make an effort to keep her legs from giving way beneath her. Even in a sitting position, her thighs felt like they were going to give out and she’d fall over.

“What’s wrong with quitting being a villain? If you’re a villain because you have a grudge against someone, just tell me their name. I’ll take care of it for you. If you want something, I’ll get it for you. It’s not like you have any dangerous powers like the other guys, you can just stop.”

What nonsense is he saying?

None of what he said made no sense at all. Saying such absurd things made her lose the excitement that had built up from the beginning to the end.

Belze clenched her fist and shot him a defiant look.

“Seriously, did your personality change that much? You’re saying all sorts of things. Are you trying to sweet-talk me into submission because you find dealing with me bothersome? I’m not falling for it. You sound like a big company trying to scout out a high-powered executive from another company and lock him into a job.”

Even if his personality had changed supposedly, but he’s still Seo at heart. It made no sense for a tough hero like Seo, seemingly born to wield violence, to avoid a fight.

Seo had also mentioned before that he found facing off against Belze more enjoyable, and that was not a lie.

But now, trying to sweet-talk her into quitting being a villain was clearly a maneuver to push Belze away.

This despicable guy. Who does he think he’s fooling?

“No, I… “

“I never fall for heroes’ cunning schemes.”

“Am I… seriously being mocked right now?”

“I’m always serious.”

But Seo, seemingly finding even that hard to believe, sighed and looked away before rearranging his position. He shifted to make room for Belze to lie down and pulled the covers over them.

“Okay, I’m tired. Let’s go to sleep.”

“I’ll sleep on the bed. You go to the couch or the other room.”

Belze crawled up to the side of the bed, snatching the blanket away from him. Seo grabbed the end of the blanket that was about to be taken away from him but kept his affectionate smile intact.

“We can sleep together.”

“I don’t want to.”

“There’s only one bed. Do you want me to sleep on the sofa then?”

“There’s another futon in the closet. You can sleep under it.”

Belze huffed in frustration and pulled the blanket closer to her.

“Can’t we sleep together even though we’re not going to do anything? Are you afraid I’m going to eat you, or are you afraid you’re going to eat me?”

“Stop it! Who sleeps under the same blanket with a hero? Don’t pretend we’re close just because we’ve slept a few times.”

“A few times, maybe, but a hundred times….”

At the mention of “a hundred times,” Belze, her face stinging with embarrassment, started hitting Seo in the face frantically.

“It’s not a hundred times! We agreed to count based on the number of times we undressed! Anyway, I don’t want to! I really don’t want! Just go away!”

Perhaps due to his changed personality, Seo, who had been enduring Belze’s temperamental tantrums and did notretaliate, finally stood up from his spot.

“Okay.”

“Uh… huh?”

It’s not really like Seo to say that.

When she dared to meet his gaze with that thought, she found herself facing an expression that didn’t seem bothered in the least. It occurred to her, barely, that he was a different kind of person from the Seo she had known.

“I’ll sleep on the sofa. Good night. If you need anything, just call me.”

He coolly placed the blanket down and tidied up the spot where he had been lying. He took a pillow with him but nothing more. There wasn’t a hint of regret or annoyance in his face.

“R-really? You won’t sneak in while I’m sleeping, will you?”

“Belze, such villainous deeds are your specialty.”

“You’ve got a twisted personality just like us, so you can take pride in that too.”

With that, Seo gave Belze a sidelong glance, shook his head slightly, and bid her a good night.

“Sleep well. See you tomorrow.”

Seo left the small room without a hint of worry on his face. His footsteps echoed away until they suddenly stopped, likely on the sofa.

Left alone on the bed, she lingered under the covers for a while, then, feeling uncomfortable, made her way to the door. However, outside the door, she didn’t sense anything suspicious. All she could hear was the faint sound of the TV.

This Seo didn’t argue about why he had to give up his bed for her, didn’t harbor any bitter feelings even though he was unilaterally driven away.

Meekly, he obeyed her and went outside, as if Belze’s insistence were a matter of course.

His behavior was so unfamiliar that Belze couldn’t sleep for a while and fidgeted under the lamp for a bit.

*

When she opened her eyes to the sunlight streaming in through the window, the bed was empty. That meant Seo wasn’t beside her.

Of course, it was natural and mundane, but it was a little unnerving for Belze, who was familiar with Kim Seo’s insistence.

If it were the old Seo, he would have grumbled about the ownership of the bed, saying something like, “You can sleep on the sofa, or you can sleep here with me.”

But he was a changed man, and not only did he give up his bed, but he was willing to accompany her on her morning shopping spree, to buy breakfast. He even trotted along behind her with a shopping cart like a subordinate.

“Are you strong enough to walk?”

“Yeah.”

“If it gets too hard, let me know, and I’ll carry you.”

One might think they’re newly in a relationship. Seo had become more accommodating and gentle. He still had his stubborn and goofy sides, but he had definitely become a much more patient person around Belze.

As Belze put yogurt in the basket, she glanced at Seo’s round face and then looked toward the pillar at the corner of the food section.

“What’s wrong?”

“I thought someone was watching me.”

“Maybe because you’re cute.”

“What are you talking about?”

Could it be that he’s just pretending to be a patient and cute subordinate while secretly waiting for an opportunity for revenge?

Belze wondered as he spoke nonsense.

If she had known this would happen, she would have included a notification to show what kind of personality he had turned into. But it was useless to regret now. Belze let go of her regrets and tried to figure out how she could use this personality to her advantage.

If he acts cheecky and seductive, but he’d listen to everything she said…….

“Seo.”

“Wow, just calling me like that gives me a bad feeling. Why?”

“When we get home, could you do me a favor?”

An excellent idea struck her. Belze grinned like a cunning devil as a sly plan formed in her mind.