I Don’t Want to be a Villainess

“Ah, and…”

I added, speaking to Son Ah-reum, who was holding the invitation.

“I think a lot of my family will come… so if you need any clothes, just let me know. I can lend you some.”

“Clothes?”

Son Ah-reum seemed puzzled about what I was saying, so I let out a dramatic sigh.

“You’ll understand when you see it.”

As I pointed at the invitation in Son Ah-reum’s hand with my finger, her eyes followed it down.

“To be honest, I was just going to invite a few ordinary friends… but it seems like it got out of hand. My relative is hosting it directly, after all. And it’s an invitation sent by that very relative. Honestly, the invitation looks more like a wedding invitation than a birthday party one.”

At my words, Son Ah-reum swallowed hard. It seemed she was starting to grasp what I meant.

“Although it’s not confirmed yet… there’s a very high chance that this won’t be the birthday party we usually think of.”

It’s bound to turn into a lavish party like something out of a drama.

And, of all people, I’ll be the main character.

…Sara will definitely try to avoid coming out in this situation.

“So, there isn’t a set dress code. But if someone comes dressed sloppily, I’m sure someone will look down on them.”

“…Do we really have to go through all this trouble for a birthday party?”

Son Ah-reum said, slightly furrowing her brow.

True enough.

To be honest, I wasn’t thrilled about it either. It felt a lot like a party thrown by a nouveau riche showing off their wealth.

But what can I do? The fact that they sent out so many invitations means there are already people invited. At the very least, all the relatives connected to Yujin Group probably got invited. After all, the main purpose of this party was to ‘introduce’ me to everyone.

Of course, skipping out on this party would tarnish my relatives’ reputation.

In the long term, attending would be the right thing to do. Because acting out in a moment of shame could lead to being squeezed for the rest of my life.

“Well… you don’t have to come if you don’t want to. Honestly, I’m not really all that supportive of it either. I just felt like I had to give you one.”

“U-uh?!”

At my words, Son Ah-reum’s face turned bright red.

“So, if you want to come but think you don’t have anything to wear, just tell me—heeek!?”

And while trying to answer her, I made that ridiculous sound.

Someone poked me in the side. No, calling it ‘someone’ feels a bit off. They poked me right in the side.

As I turned my head to the right, Ha Neul was sitting there.

Without making it obvious that she was the one who poked me, Ha Neul was focused on her meal. She acted like she wasn’t interested in the conversation I was having with Son Ah-reum just moments ago.

…But I clearly felt that poke from the right?

“Huh? Why? Is something wrong?”

Ha Neul asked, a bit surprised, as she realized my gaze had turned toward her. A smile danced across her face.

…

But why do I feel scared?

No, she didn’t look particularly angry. True to Ha Neul’s usual variety of expressions, I had seen that smile a few times before.

But strangely enough, I felt something lurking behind that smile.

“Ah, uh… so…”

I cautiously said to Ha Neul, who seemed somehow angry.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“Huh? No?”

Ha Neul tilted her head innocently, seeming genuinely unaware.

Yet that strange feeling didn’t go away.

“R-right…?”

Thus, as a last resort, I chose to avert my gaze from Ha Neul.

*

“So just accept it, senpai.”

When I said this while handing over the invitation, Nam Da-un frowned and unfolded it.

“What’s this? A wedding invitation?”

“…It’s a birthday party invitation.”

“Huh.”

When I awkwardly explained, Nam Da-un made a noise that resembled disbelief or possibly pure admiration.

“How big are you planning on making this party? I didn’t know you were the type to enjoy this sort of thing?”

“Do I look like that kind of person?”

“No?”

“Then why ask?”

“Just to mess with you.”

“……”

I raised my right hand and rubbed the back of my neck.

I may be weak, but I don’t have high blood pressure, you know?

Recently, Sara had been complaining about gaining weight.

Hey!

Why do people touch the back of their neck when they’re angry? I’m not really sure why, but it happens naturally. It’s just something you do; it’s not like there’s a valid reason for it.

Hmm, I don’t even know what I’m saying anymore.

Anyway, while rubbing the back of my neck to calm down, I said,

“So, are you coming or not?”

“You invited me, didn’t you?”

“I offered it out of courtesy.”

When I spoke in a deliberately stiff voice, Nam Da-un again let out a “Huh…”

“Well, I’ll go. Is there any dress code or something?”

Though it seemed like a joke, considering the atmosphere, I didn’t think the situation could be brushed off with humor, so I spoke with a somewhat serious expression.

“Nothing specific, but it’d be better to come dressed nicely.”

“…Is this a joke?”

For the first time after receiving the invitation, Nam Da-un looked genuinely flustered.

Of course, he was one of those who was from this side since childhood… but still, childhood is just childhood. Even if he had some memories of attending parties, it wouldn’t be anything detailed. Back then, parents probably picked out his clothes.

“My family will likely be coming in large numbers…”

As I hesitated, Nam Da-un let out a third “Huh…”

“Oh, and if it makes you uncomfortable, you don’t have to come.”

Nam Da-un had a negative history with Choi Na-kyung. Naturally, since Choi Na-kyung wasn’t going to show up, they wouldn’t meet face to face, but considering that this affair was perpetrated by the Yujin Group, which Choi Na-kyung was a part of, it wouldn’t be strange for him to have hard feelings about it.

“Well, it’s better to keep it a secret from our parents.”

Nam Da-un stared at the invitation for a moment before speaking.

“I’ll think it over. Though it’s only a few days away. Thanks?”

He shook the invitation while saying this.

Feeling it was awkward to respond to that, I simply nodded.

*

After that, the atmosphere at school changed.

To be honest, ever since I came to this world, I had been wondering if perhaps everything revolved around Sara. But it seems that thought wasn’t entirely wrong at the moment.

I and Sara had already been receiving some attention before, but now we were being stared at outright.

Now that my birthday is just around the corner, it’s likely because of that.

Considering that I started receiving attention after I brought up the birthday and publicly handed the invitation to Son Ah-reum… it’s probably related to this ‘birthday party.’

No way am I that oblivious.

Most of the kids looking at me with eager eyes are the ones who want to receive an invitation.

Of course, I knew well that their reasons for wanting that invitation weren’t solely to enjoy a lavish party at a well-decorated venue.

Firstly, those who receive this invite from me are considered ‘completely forgiven.’ From then on, there would be no reason for me to retaliate against them, and perhaps they could even remain close friends.

Son Ah-reum was a perfect example of this.

She had started out openly hostile towards me but later recognized her mistakes, apologized, and ended up becoming a friend — quite the transformation!

She was the first person to receive an invitation, aside from my closest circle of Ha Neul, Sohee, and Sua.

And Nam Da-un belonged in this category too. While he was naturally popular due to his looks and athleticism, he was also one of the few who treated me fairly from the beginning. Therefore, it wasn’t odd for him to receive an invitation from me.

Even though I didn’t intend for that to be the case, it turned out that way. This invitation had become a symbol of my trust.

Secondly, there was a high chance that prominent members of the Yujin Group would attend this party.

After all, the venue was a famous building under Yujin Group. Although it doesn’t specifically mention the organizing entity, it is highly likely to be Yujin Group.

With CEO Choi Na-kyung stepping down, a grand party is suddenly being thrown. The main character is likely going to be Ye Sara.

You could easily imagine the situation coming together.

While I may not reach the level of my closest aides, I could still manage to catch the eye of prominent members of the Yujin Group at this party. With some luck, I might even have the chance to introduce them.

That’s probably what they’re thinking.

Though, it’s a completely misguided thought.

To be honest, I only know one prominent member of the Yujin Group. That’s the uncle who made these invitations for me.

…Who knows, perhaps giving me all these invitations was to test my selectiveness?

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