I Woke Up as the Villain

As mentioned once, Meghan was a Western beauty with a cat-like appearance. To further describe her physical characteristics: her skin was exceptionally fair, her hair was a light shade of brown, and even though she was an S-rank hunter, she always wore her frameless glasses. She liked dark-toned sleek suits and wore them often with matching shoes.

Therefore, when Meghan dressed in a suit and sat silently in the backseat of Bernard Yoo's car, she seemed to exemplify the definition of professionalism through her appearance alone.

Contrary to her usual appearance, currently, Meghan’s hair was tied back comfortably and she was wearing round and slightly foolish-looking glasses as well as gray pants and a hoodie, the source of which was unknown, with the hood covering her face. As she entered Choi Yu-Seong’s house, she stopped in her tracks and looked back with her hood still covering her face.

"You’re back, Mr. Choi," Meghan said, tilting her head with a smile in greeting. She and Yu-Seong had arrived at the house at the same time.

Her outfit was completely gray that Meghan would blend in with the background as if she were a cement statue. She tossed aside the three-striped slippers that Choi Yu-Seong normally wore when he went out to the nearby market and held up a white plastic bag filled to the brim with the logo of a nearby mart.

"I went grocery shopping. Bernard wants to have a party.”

Yu-Seong had been quite satisfied to see her in real life, as she embodied the cold and resolute character of "Meghan" as depicted in the original novel. So he was speechless when he saw her like this, with a completely different appearance from her usual cold self.

Touching his forehead, Yu-Seong asked, “Where’s Bernard?”

“He is sitting quietly on the sofa and watching TV,” Meghan replied.

"At least…he seems to know his own situation well," Yu-Seong commented.

"Oh, I'm fine. There are fewer people who recognize me than Bernard, and most of all... If I walk around like this, even my acquaintances wouldn't recognize me."

"I understand," said Yu-Seong.

Meghan’s current appearance was a big enough change that even Choi Yu-Seong would have unknowingly passed by her on the street.

"If you don't mind, I would like to cook the party food myself," said Meghan.

"Isn't that a question you should ask before going grocery shopping?"

"...You’re right."

"Something is strange, but anyway..." Choi Yu-Seong let out a short sigh and walked past Meghan toward the living room. Meghan and Jin Yu-Ri followed him.

He then continued, "So you are a good cook?"

"According to Bernard, my cooking is second best after his mother's," Meghan replied.

"Oh, that's great. I don't have any talent for cooking..." said Yu-Ri.

"It's actually easier than you think once you start… My cooking skills have improved as I have been taking care of Bernard..."

While listening to their comfortable conversation, Yu-Seong took a few steps and looked in the living room. He saw Bernard sitting with a stiff posture, like a soldier in his military days. He casually asked, "What are you doing?"

Bernard got up from his seat and smiled sheepishly. "Oh, for some reason, I felt embarrassed when the owner of the house wasn’t in. I can’t seem…to relax.”

"You feel that way all of a sudden? You even changed Meghan’s clothes…” said Yu-Seong.

"That’s a necessary step for a perfect disguise. In any case, did your mission go well? You know, your father is quite infamous for being scary," replied Bernard Yoo as he raised his right hand, making a gesture like a horn.

"He's not as scary as his reputation, and furthermore, isn’t it impolite to talk about someone else's father that way?"

"Yeah, I guess. Sorry, if the joke was too harsh, Yu-Seong," said Bernard Yoo.

In truth, even Choi Yu-Seong couldn't understand why he himself was reacting so sensitively to this matter. Since he had received a quick apology, Yu-Seong didn't dwell on it. Instead, he turned his attention back to Meghan and said, "Anyway, Ms…. Meghan? Sorry for not knowing your surname and addressing you that way.”

"It's okay. Just call me Meghan. Anyway, you’re also a friend of Bernard's," replied Meghan.

"Thank you for saying that. Oh, and I'll leave the food to you. Actually, I really like to eat good food," said Yu-Seong.

"That's good to hear. I won't disappoint you," Meghan said with a nod. She then headed to the kitchen. Even though the housekeepers also offered to help her, it seemed like she wanted to be alone to focus on cooking.

"Don't worry too much. Meghan really is a good cook," said Bernard Yoo.

"It seems like you prefer western food," commented Yu-Seong.

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"No, Meghan is actually an expert in Korean cuisine. Since the beginning, she learned to cook because of me," said Bernard Yoo.

"Oh... I'm definitely starting to look forward to it."

Bernard Yoo nodded in response to Yu-Seong's words, conveying that it would be worth Yu-Seong's anticipation.

“Now that the homeowner has arrived, I can relax a bit. May I also request some clothing to change into?" Bernard Yoo asked.

Yu-Seong turned to Yu-Ri and said, "Just any comfortable workout clothes will do. As for the size... I think just something large will suffice.”

"I'll go grab some," Yu-Ri said. With a quick glance at Bernard Yoo’s muscular physique, she headed towards the room where the clothes were kept.

With just the two of them left, Bernard Yoo scratched his head and spoke with a somewhat awkward expression.

"To be honest, my grandfather is quite scary. He pretends he’s not, but there are moments when he's quite tough. I just thought that maybe you might be in a similar situation.”

"Don't worry about what was said earlier. You’ve already apologized for it," said Yu-Seong.

"But it’s still on my mind. In any case, from my perspective, this is a situation where I'm in debt to you... "

Just then, the doorbell of Yu-Seong’s house suddenly rang. The maid, who had moved hastily, looked at the visitor's face through the intercom and was surprised. " ...Young master?"

At the maid's cautious words, Yu-Seong looked at the intercom screen and saw the visitor’s face. "Kim Do-Jin?"

- Hey, Choi Yu-Seong, are you home?

It was the visit of a third unexpected guest.

***

The living room was now occupied by three men. In the center of the sofa sat Yu-Seong, on the left was Bernard Yoo, and on the right was Kim Do-Jin. An eerie silence filled the room as they sat there staring at one another. Except Meghan who was cooking, even Jin Yu-Ri only watched from a distance. The entire atmosphere was strangely tense.

Kim Do-Jin eventually broke the silence, asking, "Bernard Yoo, why are you here?”

"Where I am is none of your business. But why are you calling me informally like that?"

"Choi Yu-Seong. Explain this," said Do-Jin.

"I don't see why he should answer when I refuse to," said Bernard Yoo.

When Choi Yu-Seong looked uncomfortable and scratched the back of his head, Kim Do-Jin gave him a confused look. He cried out, "Choi Yu-Seong, don't you feel wronged? I heard that you became Mana-deficient because of your fight with this foolish guy. How could you..."

"Hey, wait a minute. How do you even know about that?" said Yu-Seong.

Yu-Seong’s “Mana-deficiency” was no longer a secret. It was now a rumor that had spread throughout the neighborhood. In the case of the Cheon-Ji Group, it seemed that Choi Woo-Jae had spread the rumor intentionally, but it raised the question of how Kim Do-Jin had also heard the rumor.

"The association chairman told me," Do-Jin replied.

"The association chairman? The chairman of the Player Association?" asked Yu-Seong.

"Yes. He heard it from the Cheon-Ji Group’s chairman. He was saddened by the loss of such a great talent in South Korea.”

As expected, rumors spread quickly once someone started talking about it.

"That information will be updated soon," said Bernard Yoo.

"What do you mean?"

"Choi Yu-Seong is not Mana-deficient."

"I didn’t ask you, did I?" said Do-Jin.

"You've got an attitude. Were you like this before? On TV, you seemed to be quite witty and gentle," pointed out Bernard Yoo.

"Perhaps he would have won all the awards at the Cannes Film Festival, if he was an actor," replied Yu-Seong with a grin as he shook his shoulders.

For some reason, the atmosphere had become strange, but the feeling of the three men being together was not uncomfortable. Kim Do-Jin seemed a bit more sharp-tongued than usual, but that was a minor thing.

'After all, the two of them did become colleagues in the original novel.' 

In fact, it wouldn't be bad for them to become acquainted with each other at this point.

"Wait, by the way, why did you come looking for me after you heard that I became Mana-deficient?"

"The reason should be obvious. I was worried," said Do-Jin.

"...Are you crazy?"

"I need to use your ability someday. If you lose your power in a negligible victory or defeat like this... Well, if that were the case, I would have been disappointed." Kim Do-Jin wore a cold expression and stood up from his seat. He said, "Anyway, I'm glad to know that you're fine. I'll leave now. It was a pointless errand.”

"See ya, brat," Bernard Yoo said, waving Do-Jin off as if he were chasing him away.

Kim Do-Jin looked at Choi Yu-Seong with an unreadable smile before leaving.

'What? What's going on?' 

Choi Yu-Seong wondered as he looked back at Do-Jin with a questioning look.

'Come to think of it, in the original novel, these two also had a similarly rough start.’

The rough start wouldn’t last long and the two of them, while clearing difficult dungeons and repelling demon invasions, would develop a deep camaraderie with each other. Although the current sensitive atmosphere was strange, Yu-Seong decided not to worry about it too much.

‘After all, it's a future event that the two of them will become colleagues.’

Eventually, they would meet each other when the right time came.

While Yu-Seong had that thought in mind, Kim Do-Jin, who was leaving the house, suddenly halted his steps. He looked towards the kitchen where Meghan was cooking. He tilted his head and let out a sigh, “Hmm…”

Bernard Yoo paid no attention to Kim Do-Jin's behavior and spoke to Yu-Seong. "Ah, isn’t this smell amazing? Meghan is making Budae Jjigae[ref]Budae Jjigae is a Korean stew dish that originated during the post-Korean War era, when food was scarce. It is made by combining various meats and vegetables with a spicy broth, and is commonly known as "Army Stew". [\ref]. It's one of my favorite dishes. It pairs perfectly with alcohol.”

As Yu-Seong sniffed the air, he realized the smell that came from the kitchen was fascinating.

"The quality of this Budae Jjigae relies on the ham being used. We don't skimp on the cost and use good quality ham. But if it's too salty, it ruins the taste. Meghan has a good handle on that," explained Bernard Yoo.

"I fully agree," said Kim Do-Jin, who, for some reason, had returned to the sofa. He appeared to have changed his mind about leaving the house.

"You...?" Bernard Yoo looked at Do-Jin with a baffled expression.

Kim Do-Jin did not look at Bernard Yoo. He simply looked straight at Yu-Seong and asked, “Don't tell me you're not going to offer me a meal as a guest?”

When Choi Yu-Seong thought about it, Do-Jin was an extreme fan of Budae Jjigae. Yu-Seong smiled wryly at the sudden realization. He said, "It's not a meal, it's a party..."

"It doesn't matter. I can just eat and go."

Yu-Seong wore a strange smile and looked at Kim Do-Jin, who gave a threatening glare. It was as if Do-Jin would kill him if he refused. Yu-Seong nodded.

‘I'm growing increasingly fond of him….’

Yu-Seong was aware that Kim Do-Jin was a dangerous person, but he didn't think of refusing him as a guest at this point.

'Well, it's true that he has some kind of positive interest for me at the moment...' 

Rather than being scared, it was better to use the relationship properly. Yu-Seong thought as he nodded.

Just then, someone opened the closed door and entered the living room in a hurry. They shouted, "Choi Yu-Seong!"

“Noo-nim?”

It was Choi Mi-Na. Without paying attention to the people around Yu-Seong, including Bernard Yoo and Kim Do-Jin, she grabbed Yu-Seong's shoulder with a trembling gaze. She exclaimed, "I heard that you became Mana-deficient. Who the hell...?"

"No, that’s not it!" Choi Yu-Seong now let out a shout. He sounded like he was being driven close to tears.