I Don’t Want to be a Villainess

Sara’s bad mood didn’t fade away as easily as I thought.

Sure, I got dragged out physically against my will, but along the way, I ended up having unwanted physical contact with Ha Neul. Even if they say they’re just friends, some people can feel uncomfortable with that kind of touch.

Take me, for instance. In my previous life, I wouldn’t have even considered skinship with my close friends.

The thing is, I couldn’t figure out how to resolve these feelings.

“I-I’m sorry…”

I asked Ha Neul for understanding and apologized, but Sara was still sulking.

……

She hadn’t said a word since earlier.

Even without words, I could tell she was there because of the feelings radiating from her.

How do I mend this heart?

For now, I thought I should move my body, so I came up with some ideas.

“Suddenly craving something sweet. How about ice cream?”

I headed towards the ice cream shop, and

It’s still too cold.

…And failed immediately.

That’s right. It’s still April, and the weather was just awkwardly warm for ice cream enjoyment.

Was Sara sensitive to the cold?

“How about we ride the merry-go-round?”

I chose the best amusement ride I could,

…Are we children?

…There were indeed a lot of kids around.

“Parade! It’s parade time!”

We watched the parade that this amusement park proudly boasted about.

……

Ah, at least here, I felt a bit satisfied. I had worried that if too many people gathered, Sara would get annoyed or something.

However, that strange discomfort hadn’t completely disappeared.

But there wasn’t much to see anymore. With no rides left to take, we had no reason to stand in long lines. I could have eaten something else, but after eating ice cream, well… if I ate more, my stomach would definitely protest.

They said there would be fireworks in the evening, but… that was still a long way off. I couldn’t keep wandering around outside until then.

I was trying to dispel the discomfort, and I definitely didn’t want to make it worse.

“Ah, right. The safari.”

As I was eagerly studying the amusement park map, I mumbled.

“Shall we go there too?”

When I pointed with my finger, all the kids nodded with smiles.

…I must have looked like I was super excited. I mean, after getting out of the Ferris wheel, I had been steadily wandering around. I also exaggerated my enthusiasm to cheer Sara up.

Well, as long as it brightened the mood, that wasn’t a bad thing…

Ha Neul still had a slightly guilty expression.

…Let’s think about having a proper talk with Sara tonight.

*

Do those kids feel happy?

… And only after entering the safari did I suddenly start to regret that decision.

That’s right. Sara had been a child locked up in a mansion until now. What was I thinking, showing her another trapped existence?

… I hope they can be happy.

Not able to let that mumbling go, I said to Sara.

Will they be happy?

…

That wasn’t a question easily answered. I wasn’t one of those animals, after all.

Their nutritional state might be better than starving in the wild. At least here, they wouldn’t go hungry. Living in the zoo, their safety, along with their young ones, would be assured. I also knew that animals growing up in such places would have close bonds with their keepers.

But if those animals living here knew about the outside world, would they be happy here?

This sort of question didn’t just apply to zoo animals but to all pets raised by humans. Some animals live much longer than the average lifespan due to human care, while some may even have shorter lives.

Animals raised for food and clothing, and horses raised for riding…

Whenever the topic of whether “animals are truly happiest in their natural state” comes up, it always sparks intense debate.

Ultimately, it was humans who would judge whether animals felt happy or not.

However, I doubted that what Sara wanted to convey was about those animal rights.

She was a child raised in an abnormal situation by her stepmother, confined and unaware of the world outside.

As a result, her only emotional connection had become that of her stepmother, creating a bizarre situation. While my presence slightly blurred that memory, I could imagine how difficult it would have been for her to communicate properly with others.

Would Sara really be happy coming out of the mansion?

Perhaps abandoning Sara was a bit too irresponsible of me?

What pointless thoughts am I having?

Lost in my thoughts while gazing out the car window, I was met with Sara’s irritation.

If I were unhappy, I would have said so already.

…

Hah.

Well, that’s true.

Sara had returned much stronger than I had imagined.

She didn’t have a huge will to live yet, but she wasn’t at the level of giving up on our relationship. She had given up on life once, but she wasn’t the kind of child who would deny my presence beside her.

I had already seen the potential. She knew there were people caring for her.

She probably knew there was no reason for her to be unhappy anymore.

…

Ah, I see.

Maybe I was making a significant misunderstanding.

Just because someone emits a certain vibe about life doesn’t mean they are ready to give up on everything.

It’s possible that at the point Sara returned, I had no reason to worry.

……

Sara didn’t say a word.

But I could feel the discomfort in my heart had lessened a bit.

*

No matter how much we tried to have fun, it seemed like 4 PM was our limit.

No, let’s correct that.

It was more like the limit of what I could do with Sara’s body.

No matter how much we walked, there were limits to stamina. If you used stamina efficiently and took appropriate breaks, you could walk a bit longer, but without a solid base, fatigue would inevitably catch up before the day ended.

In the end, we decided to leave the fireworks for next time.

“We should probably come out a bit later next time instead of super early in the morning.”

I nodded at Sohee’s suggestion.

I really wanted to show Sara the fireworks, but… it just wasn’t possible. Switching personalities wouldn’t magically restore stamina.

Above all, since Sara didn’t particularly enjoy that process, I couldn’t recklessly attempt it.

If we pushed ourselves too hard today, it could affect our plans for tomorrow. Of course, I was aware of that before coming out on a Saturday, but I still wanted to avoid spending Sunday feeling miserable.

So, we decided to call it a day.

“Ah, how about getting a souvenir before we head back?”

I hadn’t thought about it.

In fact, I had never bought souvenirs at amusement parks. Souvenirs from amusement parks are usually items like headbands or dolls that I wouldn’t ordinarily use, and there was no reason for guys to buy such things while out together.

The other kids agreed with my suggestion. Yang Hye-in didn’t offer any opposing opinions, but… well, she always acts like that.

Even though I hadn’t thought of it until I suggested it, honestly, Sohee, Sua, and Ha Neul seemed way more excited about it than I was.

The three led the way, trying different things on my head and making various suggestions. Lacking an aesthetic sense, I just nodded along. What could it possibly cost?

Being able to joke or boast that I could buy ‘everything in this place’ during times like this felt incredibly reassuring.

In reality, I had enough money to clean out not just the shop’s goods but the warehouse inventory too.

……

Seeing me having fun with the other kids, I could feel Sara sulking again.

If she wanted to play along, it wouldn’t be so bad to come out and join in.

…Well, it seemed Sara was still awkward acting this way.

I picked up a random headband nearby. It was a cat-ear headband resembling the tuxedo-wearing mascot of this amusement park.

I put the headband on my head and asked. How does it look?

…Huh?

Sara responded to my sudden question.

I posed in front of a mirror, turning my head this way and that.

Does it suit me?

….

Sara still seemed unable to grasp what I was asking.

Do you think it looks good on you?

Sure, I was moving this body, but this body originally belonged to Sara. That face was Sara’s face.

Although I had chosen to wear the cat ear headband, the face I was scrutinizing for whether the headband looked good on me was Sara’s.

So, I meant to say I would choose one for her.

…Unfortunately, I didn’t bring money when I came to this world, so I’ll be buying it with Sara’s funds.

Uh…?

Or, how about? Should I choose something else?

I turned my head. If Sara was sharing my senses, she would be watching everything I see with me.

“Since we’re buying something, let’s pick the prettiest and the best one. How about it? I’ll help you choose.”

I said, deliberately lowering my voice.

Sara was in the same consciousness as me.

Even though she wasn’t physically joining me in wandering around, because of that, she was a child who was with me everywhere I went.

So there was no need for her to sulk.

Since we’re wandering around together, what’s the deal?

……

Sara was quiet for a moment,

Th-this way…

She said somewhat timidly.

While I couldn’t see it, I could guess where she was pointing with her mind’s eye.

What was over there seemed to be a wide-brimmed witch’s hat that looked like something witches would wear.

“Great.”

I muttered softly and walked over.

In the end, Sara tried on more than ten different headbands, hats, and hairpins on her head and ended up rejecting them all.

Still, I thought I was glad we could enjoy this moment together at the end.

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