Chapter 253: I’ll Change the Protagonist (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 253: I’ll Change the Protagonist (2)
Seo Hye-ri, a black bag pulled over her head, trembled in terror.
She couldn't see a thing. Every time she drew a breath, the bag clung to her face, making it increasingly difficult to breathe.
What on earth was happening?
Seo Hye-ri couldn't wrap her head around it.
She had gone to school that morning and was preparing for class when a strange man suddenly appeared before her.
His crisp suit was stylish, but it was an awkward choice of attire for a school.
The last thing she remembered was the man pointing at her with a beaming smile.
When she opened her eyes again, her arms were bound behind her back, and her vision was obscured by a suffocating black bag.
"Are you awake? You slept longer than I expected."
The man’s bright, almost playful voice reached her ears, and the stifling black bag was pulled off.
As her vision returned, the first thing Seo Hye-ri saw were several figures staring down at her.
The man was the only one smiling; the others wore stony expressions.
Terrified, Seo Hye-ri shrank back, her body shaking uncontrollably.
The large van was moving steadily toward an unknown destination. Feeling the reality of her kidnapping with every fiber of her being, she opened her trembling mouth, looking as if she were about to burst into tears.
"P-please, save me…"
"Oh?"
Hearing her plea, the man tilted his head as if something were wrong.
"What’s the matter, Ms. Seo Da-ye? Or should I say, Ms. Smile? Weren't you originally the type to be… well, a bit more arrogant?"
"D-Da-ye is my older sister. I’m Seo Hye-ri."
At her words, the man let out a deep sigh.
"This is why dealing with crazy people is so exhausting."
The man rummaged through the back seat and dragged forward a girl wearing the same school uniform as Hye-ri.
"Eek! P-please save me! Save me!"
The girl, who also had a black bag over her head, shrieked and trembled in terror.
The moment Seo Hye-ri heard that familiar voice, her fear-stricken eyes turned cold.
Snap—!
The cable ties binding her hands were torn apart by sheer force, and Seo Hye-ri lunged straight at the man.
"Ah, there she is. Welcome, Ms. Seo Da-ye."
Thwack—!!
With a heavy thud, Seo Hye-ri was knocked back into her original seat. The man pinned her down, pressing his foot firmly against her stomach.
"Are you Seo Da-ye now? I guess you can't switch consciousnesses whenever you want, huh?"
"You son of a bitch!! Fuck! Let her go!!"
Seo Hye-ri spat out foul curses and struggled wildly, kicking at the man’s leg, but he didn't budge an inch.
"Heh~ that’s strange. Isn't this girl the person you hate most in the world? The bitch who drove you to the brink of death, the one you’d want to tear apart limb from limb?"
"Fuck! I’m the one who gets to kill her! Who the hell are you?! Finally, the Scena—"
"The Scenario has begun?"
The man’s words caused Seo Hye-ri’s violent movements to freeze. He had spoken a truth she had never revealed to anyone.
Looking down at her stunned expression, the man smiled brightly.
"Awakened have many skills. For instance, the ability to read others' minds. Ah, this is a bit late, but sorry for peeking into your head without permission. Sorry, sorry."
The man chuckled, offering a playful apology.
As Seo Hye-ri glared at him with murderous intent, the man leaned in close to examine her face as if she were something cute.
His eyes were closed, so she couldn't tell if he was actually looking at her, but as he held his face inches from hers, goosebumps erupted across her skin like insects crawling over her body.
"My name is Baek Seo-woo. Ms. Seo Da-ye… or is it Seo Hye-ri? I don't know. I’ll just call you Smile. Smile, come on, smile. That’s why you chose that name, isn't it?"
Baek Seo-woo patted Seo Hye-ri’s cheek and gave a cheerful grin.
"I’m quite a fan of movies myself, but your scenario is pathetic. If this were made into a film, it would be a hundred percent flop. It’s the kind of toxic waste that would ruin the entire film industry just by existing."
"… …"
As Seo Hye-ri scowled and glared, Baek Seo-woo returned to his seat and put his arm around the girl with the bag over her head.
"Hiiiieee…! P-please save me…"
"Don't be so scared. I’m not the one who decides the ending of this movie."
"S-Seo Da-ye? Da-ye, I-I was wrong! I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Really, r-really sorry! Please just let me live…! We… we used to be close…"
Thinking that Seo Hye-ri held her life in her hands, the girl sobbed and begged desperately.
Watching this, Baek Seo-woo couldn't contain his laughter. He let out a loud guffaw and patted the girl’s shoulder.
"She doesn't have any memories of being on good terms with you. All she heard from her sister was that you bullied her."
Baek Seo-woo leaned his head against the girl, who was shaking her head frantically in confusion, and looked at the fierce-faced Seo Hye-ri.
"What was it? Eri? Harry? It was a name like a movie protagonist."
"Dissociative Identity Disorder."
"Ah!! Right! Right! That was it. Doctors always use such strange terms. It’s so much easier to just say 'multiple personalities.'"
When his colleague beside him spoke in a calm voice, Baek Seo-woo slapped his thigh in delight.
"Stop talking bullshit. I am Seo Da-ye."
"Aha, is that so? Then, Ms. Seo Da-ye, what was the name of the fat boy in your class?"
"… …"
Seo Hye-ri tried to recall the memory, but her eyes darted around in silence.
Seeing her panicked face as her mind remained a total blank, Baek Seo-woo chuckled.
"Oh my, you don't remember? What a shame to have dementia at such a young age."
Glaring at the mocking man, Seo Hye-ri naturally began to stand up.
As she activated her Stealth skill and rose, everyone seemed to stare only at the spot where she had been sitting, as if she had become invisible.
Moving with confidence, Seo Hye-ri reached out toward the girl in the bag.
Thud—!!
"Guh…!"
Seo Hye-ri was kicked squarely in the ribs by Baek Seo-woo’s colleague. She slammed into the van door and collapsed onto the floor.
"Hey! Don't go wild in the car! You're making it shake!"
An annoyed voice drifted from the driver's seat. Seo Hye-ri gasped for air, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Baek Seo-woo crouched down in front of her, looking down with a sneer.
"This is why beginners are such a pain. A Stealth skill isn't something so grand that you can use it so blatantly. It’s actually a very high-difficulty skill in terms of technique. Did you think you could just use it right in front of people because they can't 'find' you? Oh boy… what am I going to do with this idiot…"
Baek Seo-woo clicked his tongue, grabbed the struggling Seo Hye-ri by the collar, and shoved her back into her seat.
"Anyway, it looks like you're finally ready to listen."
Seo Hye-ri wiped away the saliva she had trailed after being kicked and glared, but Baek Seo-woo ignored her, spreading his arms wide in an exaggerated gesture.
"Now, let’s continue the movie. Ms. Smile gets her revenge, the movie gets more interesting, and I’m the director who was brought in at the last minute to make this film a hit."
"Fuck… who do you think you are?! It’s my revenge! I! I’m the one who’s going to give that bitch the ultimate pain!"
"Aah… dealing with mental patients really is hard. That movie is just too boring."
Baek Seo-woo toyed with the chin of the bagged girl sitting next to him.
As the girl let out a sound close to a scream and shriveled in fear, Baek Seo-woo looked at her as if she were adorable before turning his gaze back to Seo Hye-ri.
"Isn't a revenge story only fun when there’s a satisfying payoff? But the scenario you wrote is way too long. Turning your parents into drug addicts over several years, making everyone around you addicts, and slowly tightening the noose… it’s a yawn-inducing script that would make the audience fall asleep."
"Fuck! Why are you doing this! I’m the one who’s going to do it! Aaaagh!"
As she let out a crazed, piercing scream, Baek Seo-woo covered his ears and frowned.
"Quiet."
Thwack! Thwack!
The colleague beside him began to beat Seo Hye-ri mercilessly.
She tried to block the blows, but the woman’s fists were fierce. Seo Hye-ri, who had been an Awakened for less than a year, could do nothing but take the beating without any resistance.
"Whoa, you’re going to kill the kid. We can't have her dying. That’s enough."
Baek Seo-woo playfully slapped the woman’s backside to stop her.
Seo Hye-ri’s face was a mess, and it was unclear if she was even conscious as she slumped limply in her seat.
"Why am I doing this? By whose authority?"
Baek Seo-woo leaned forward and smiled up at her.
"Because I feel like it. Heh heh heh—"
Watching him tremble with laughter, Seo Hye-ri felt a surge of rage, but she couldn't muster any strength in her body.
Meeting the eyes that burned with fire through her swollen lids, Baek Seo-woo shook his head.
"It’s because I’m stronger. It was fun mocking the adults, wasn't it? You felt like hot shit because you bullied people weaker than you and sold some drugs, right? Did you get a thrill thinking about beating down cruel criminal organizations and turning the people who bullied you into addicts?"
Having read Seo Hye-ri’s mind perfectly, Baek Seo-woo prattled on as if he knew everything just by looking into her eyes.
"It must have felt great. Power obtained without a shred of effort by someone who was nothing but trash. Wow. But trash is still trash, even after becoming an Awakened."
Baek Seo-woo pulled out a handkerchief, wiped the blood from her lips, and then mockingly dropped it in front of her eyes.
"I’m sorry to break it to you, but you aren't the protagonist. The protagonist is Jeong Yeon-woo. In movie terms, Smile is just an extra who appears for three seconds before going 'ack!' and dying. A piece of vermin so insignificant that people only realize you were in it when the end credits roll."
"I… I’ll get… my revenge… I’m the protagonist…"
"Still haven't figured it out? You’ve been acting up way too much for me to just find it cute. Jeong Yeon-woo needs to reach A-rank quickly to get things moving, but since he’s tied up with you, do you think the people upstairs are going to be angry or not? They’d be pissed, right? Wouldn't they?"
Baek Seo-woo sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulder.
"That’s why I’ve arrived on short notice. I’ll cut the scenes that need cutting and shorten the runtime to make this movie a hit, so don't you worry. I’m tired from rushing here all the way from Brazil, so let’s finish this quickly and go."
The moment his hand touched her shoulder, the will to resist vanished from Seo Hye-ri’s heart.
The hatred that hadn't disappeared even while being beaten by his colleague turned into pure terror the second Baek Seo-woo placed his hand on her.
A true powerhouse.
Her body wouldn't stop shaking in the face of an overwhelming strength that viewed her as nothing more than an ant.
If Alice had been here, she would have said that Hye-ri’s insides were filled with nothing but dread.
Seo Hye-ri had watched countless horror movies, but she had never seen anything as terrifying as this man putting his hand on her shoulder.
As her hatred and rage slowly dissipated, replaced by fear, tears of sorrow began to stream from her eyes.
"Ugh… I-I was wrong… please, just let me have my revenge… hic… please… uuuugh…"
"Don't cry. I told you I’d let you have your revenge, didn't I? It’ll just be a bit shorter, but I’ll make sure it’s definitive."
Baek Seo-woo stroked her shoulder with a kind, gentle smile.
"Now then, let the movie resume."
He threw Seo Hye-ri toward the van door, which had swung wide open.
When Seo Hye-ri, who had tumbled onto the ground, lifted her head, she saw a group of figures looking down at her coldly.
Seeing these people, who reeked so strongly of blood that it was clear how many they had killed, Seo Hye-ri froze, unable to do anything.
They were on an entirely different level from the criminals she had dealt with before.
"I’ll leave them to you, everyone. The payment has already been deposited. You can play around and then bail, or do whatever you… ah, I forgot this."
"Kyaaaak!"
Baek Seo-woo threw the bagged girl out of the van as well and waved at the dazed Seo Hye-ri.
As the van pulled away and his colleague closed the door, Baek Seo-woo pulled a smartphone from his pocket and dialed a number.
After a long ring, the person on the other end picked up, and he spoke with a bright smile.
"Hello, Mr. Jeong Yeon-woo. It’s been a while."