I Woke Up as the Villain

Yu-Seong clenched his fist and shouted toward the ceiling. He could not see the ceiling’s end, but he knew that the voice had come from above. He yelled, “What did you do to them, you bastards?!”

It was a sharp cry, but the figure beyond the speaker continued to speak calmly.

[At least they’re still alive. And it’s about time for them to wake up.]

Yu-Seong bit his lower lip and took a deep breath. It felt like he was losing his reason and his mind filled with only anger, but he knew that he needed to stay calm.

‘Calm down, Choi Yu-Seong. You need to think of a way to get out of this situation now.’ 

He could not find an answer if he was swayed by emotions.

[You react more rationally than I expected. I thought you’d be trying to break the wall right away.]

“I don’t even expect that the wall is thin enough to be wrecked by a fist. There may be a mana barrier. I know that it’s not a good idea to waste my power,” said Yu-Seong.

[Exactly. The mana barrier on the glass wall can’t be broken even by an S-rank player. So, it’s better for you to not have useless thoughts.]

“Now, answer my question. Who are you and where is this? Why did you kidnap us? Is this also one of Father's tests?”

Yu-Seong asked several questions, but he had already found answers to some of them. First, he already discovered the identity of the suspect who kidnapped him and his companions.

‘Choi Ji-Ho or Baek Cheol. Or even both.’ 

There were no other explanations, and it was almost impossible for others to intervene. Yu-Seong had been staying at Choi Ji-Ho’s mansion. No matter how many teeth were missing, a tiger was still a tiger. Even Baek Cheol—an S-rank player—had been staying in the mansion. It was extremely unlikely for a third party to swing by, get involved, and kidnap three people. This also made it easy to find the answer to the third question.

‘If Choi Ji-Ho and Baek Cheol are involved, this must be Father’s test.’ 

However, the situation was very different from before.

‘I don’t feel good about this.’ 

A voice responded from above.

[This is ‘The Room of Sacrifice.’]

“I don’t think you answered all of my questions.”

[In addition, as you said, this is a test. However, many things are going to be different from before. What have you come to get from this place?]

“I don’t know! He didn’t even tell me about it in the first place.”

Yu-Seong was somewhat deliberately angry and he nibbled his lower lip. This was to induce the opponent’s vacancy by showing his nervousness and anxiety.

‘Maybe they would let their guard down and show some clues without realizing.’ 

And in fact, Yu-Seong was feeling quite anxious and threatened. If this was the test of Choi Woo-Jae or someone else from the family, it wouldn't be a big threat to Choi Yu-Seong. At least, they would have no intention to kill or maim him. However, it was different for Jin Yu-Ri and Jin Do-Yoon.

Choi Yu-Seong cared about them a lot, but the Jin siblings were nothing more than just one of the many common soldiers from the Choi family’s perspective.

‘The name ‘The Room of Sacrifice’ and this whole situation… It certainly feels nasty.’ 

Yu-Seong found the situation especially annoying since it was happening on their last day; they had made the decision to return and go back.

While he was frowning, the voice continued.

[The value of the treasure you will obtain is significant. It is too precious to be obtained without any sacrifice or cost.]

“Do we need to talk about the cost? This is what Father was supposed to give me as a present in the first place,” said Yu-Seong.

[There’s no rule that I have to follow the Chairman's words. The value of the thing is determined by me, the owner.]

“And so, who are you?”

[…You seem to have roughly understood the situation, so let’s begin the test, Choi Yu-Seong. You can choose only one of the two people behind the glass walls in this room.]

The voice answered all other questions quite sincerely but still did not reveal who he was until the end. The speaker was clearly reluctant to reveal their identity. He even tried not to have unnecessary conversations with Yu-Seong.

Yu-Seong could feel that the opponent was trying to prevent any unexpected situations. In any case, he could only grind his teeth in anger.

[You have three chances to open the glass wall. Enough chances for you to open each of the doors once to speak with them once to make a final choice.]

As the voice continued speaking to Yu-Seong, Jin Do-Yoon slowly raised his head as if he had regained consciousness first. However, he was busy figuring out his situation and where he was at. It was as if Yu-Seong could not be seen through the glass wall.

[It is okay not to use all three chances. There is a key on the left wall inside the room. And the moment you pick it up, poison gas will be sprayed in the room where you did not choose. It is extremely strong that even an elephant will die in three seconds after taking a single breath.]

As if responding to the voice, Jin Do-Yoon raised his head and looked at the ceiling.

‘Even if he can’t see me from the other side, he can hear the voice,’ thought Yu-Seong.

He was stranded in place in deep agony.

[Choi Yu-Seong. Through the sacrifice of one follower, you will get a very valuable treasure. So, that means your gift from the Chairman would be delivered safely. That is all. Is there any rule you don’t understand?]

“I understand everything. In short, it’s simply to…” Yu-Seong looked at the ceiling in a rather crooked manner and shouted in a slightly agitated voice. “I am to determine the death of someone right this instant. The unchosen one will die.”

[Exactly. You can say that I’m cold-hearted, but this much determination is essential to protect the treasure and also to stand beside the Chairman.]

“Is there no option to give up? For me, those two are more precious than the gift.”

[Chairman has already decided to give you a present. It’s one of those rules that can’t be broken.]

“...Shit.” Yu-Seong smirked and asked with both hands in his pockets, “By the way, why do you hate to identify yourself?”

[Let’s start the game.]

“I guess it’s true that things get overshadowed by the years,” Yu-Seong murmured as if talking to himself. Then, with slow steps, he first approached the room on the left where Jin Yu-Ri was in.

“As far as I know, Ji-Ho hyung-nim wouldn’t enjoy this kind of cruel game, right?” Yu-Seong bit his lips tightly and stared at the high ceiling sharply.

***

A bitter smile appeared on Choi Ji-Ho’s face while he leaned against the chair. He was pressing the microphone’s power button. It was not visible, but he could feel it. Beyond the monitor, his younger brother was looking at himself with great resentment.

“Are you okay, sir?” asked Baek Cheol in a worried voice while watching the situation from the back.

“It’s fine. This is something I have decided to take on and handle it myself.”

“Yu-Seong, young master… He is very different from what I had heard.”

“Originally, he’s been smart since young. He seemed to become warped as he got older, but it would not be a strange thing for him to change back. But still, I didn’t know… I never thought Yu-Seong would be the first child to come here.”

Baek Cheol looked away from Yu-Seong to gaze at Jin Yu-Ri and Jin Do-Yoon, who were both captured in different rooms. He commented, “The relationship between the three seemed quite strong.”

“That’s the reason that I prepared this test for him.”

“Young Master, Yu-Seong, will…”

“He will blame me a lot,” said Ji-Ho.

“He will understand that it was an inevitable choice for you.”

“I can’t be certain about that. However…I can’t stop here even for the sake of Yu-Seong.”

“…”

“The place called Comet Group, where I also belong, is in fact a really terrible place. It’s not just the siblings who would sell their souls to the devil if they could take over Father’s position, right? To survive in such a place, Yu-Seong has to throw away the clumsy mindset that he can choose everything,” said Ji-Ho.

His two eyes that could not even be opened recklessly and his limbs that would not work no matter how hard he physically tried were both evidence of this fact.

“Master…”

“It is fine if Yu-Seong doesn’t understand me. Now that it has come to this point, I hope that Yu-Seong will survive to the end inside this family.” Choi Ji-Ho’s face turned to the monitor again. “Captain Baek, Yu-Seong chose the woman's side first.”

“She is clever, sir. She rejected all the sparring requests that were demanded to find out her abilities in advance. Therefore, she was quite difficult to suppress. I assume that Yu-Seong, the young master, may think that she could play some tricks.”

“Well. Perhaps that will make it easier for her to understand and give up on the contrary.”

In the monitor where the two were looking, Choi Yu-Seong and Jin Yu-Ri were looking at each other and they began talking.

***

Yu-Seong entered through the thick glass wall that opened slowly. He then first explained the situation to Yu-Ri, who was surprised.

“…And that’s what happened. I’m sorry. I should have made the decision faster. I told you to stay alert but continued to stay here for too long.”

Looking at Yu-Seong lowering his head, Yu-Ri shook her head. “It’s not Yu-Seong oppa‘s fault. We were in a situation where we had to wait. Also, there wasn’t much of a threat here. We were just worried about any unexpected situation. Rather, I and Do-Yoon oppa were suppressed without being able to fight back… This is miserable. We’re disqualified as your guards.”

With a deep sigh, Yu-Ri raised her head from the hanging wall and looked around. “It’s impossible to break through the glass wall. The end of the ceiling…looks blurry even with my own eyes. Perhaps, it’s going to be over 30m? Even if Do-Yoon oppa jumps, he wouldn’t be able to jump over it at once. It’s not just a stone wall. It’s also covered with steel, so it’s impossible to go over there. Digging this ground would be the fastest way? Did you bring a spoon, perhaps?”

“You can still joke in this situation,” said Yu-Seong.

“What can we do? Crying doesn’t mean you’ll get a solution.” Jin Yu-Ri grinned and pulled the chain that tied her arms greatly. “It’s not an ordinary restraint, it’s a seal that blocks my ability. You said that your first hyung-nim is the culprit, and I see clearly that the whole family has a lot of money as expected. Comet Group, Haha.”

“Of course it is. Besides, there’s no way they use ordinary restraints to bind an A-rank hunter.”

“Yu-Seong oppa, no, young master.”

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“Why are you calling me like that suddenly?”

“Choose Do-Yoon oppa.”

“…”

“I’ve been thinking about it. I think there could be a way to escape somehow if I’m alone.”

“That’s a lie. The moment I release Jin Do-Yoon, a poisonous gas that can kill an elephant instantly will be released. How can you escape from it?”

“I also have a knack at holding my breath, you know.”

“Don’t think ridiculously and just wait. There’s got to be a way to save both of you somehow.”

“Probably not. I think I know why the first young master made a room like this.”