BJ Villainess

* * *

From that day on, I had my first boyfriend. Ozworld Holton. Incredibly handsome and someone everyone couldn’t help but love—he was my boyfriend. Ozworld, who was already headstrong, stopped me from riding my bike to school the moment we started dating.

“I can’t hold your hand if you do.”

So, I ended up going to school in Ozworld’s car. We sat side by side in the backseat.

I was pondering this question seriously to myself when suddenly Ozworld interlaced his fingers with mine without warning. I looked at him, questioning his actions with my eyes.

“Can’t I?”

His shameless gaze left no room for me to say no. At times like this, I found him both annoying and cute. Right now, though… he seemed somewhat endearing.

Our intertwined thumbs brushed against my skin like the gentle spring breeze. Without having to ask, I could tell from these small actions that Ozworld was in a very good mood.

Our relationship was similar yet slightly different from before. Despite the awkward few days, we stuck together like glue as if nothing had ever happened. And the change was…

“…! Hey.”

“What?”

“Let go of my hand. We’re at school.”

Ozworld constantly tried to hold my hand or hug me at every opportunity.

“Our relationship is a secret. It can’t get back to my parents.”

“Why?”

“They talked about sending me abroad a while ago. I think Umi is pushing for it because she likes you.”

It seemed that Umi, who considered me an eyesore, was still bringing up studying abroad to get rid of me. After a big argument with Chae Bohyeon as well, my stepfather would also mention studying abroad every now and then.

“Why can’t I just go wherever you go? What’s the problem?”

His determined gaze, indicating he had no intention of letting me go, was beautiful. It was a calming look for someone like me, who was nervously walking on unstable ground.

I had often wondered if there was something inherently wrong with me that made me unacceptable to others. Every time, Ozworld was the one who held onto me. Even if we weren’t dating, I knew Ozworld would have said the same thing, but coming from him as a boyfriend, his words felt more special.

Why did I push him away out of fear? Where did the certainty that we wouldn’t be a good match come from? Why couldn’t I see that our differences could fill each other’s empty spaces? Now, I couldn’t understand why I was so caught up in such thoughts.

For almost the first time, I hugged Ozworld tightly. “You have to follow me wherever I go. You’re rich, aren’t you?”

I was waiting for the obvious affirmation when there was no reaction from Ozworld. He couldn’t possibly refuse, could he?

As I curiously looked up, Ozworld covered my eyes with his large hand, making it impossible for me to see him. Then he laughed lightly, almost shaking like a madman. I frowned and tried to remove his hand from my sight.

“What’s this? What are you doing?”

“Just a moment, Jiwoo. Just stay like this for a bit.”

“What are you doing? Move your hand.”

Every time I tried to remove his hand, the other one quickly covered my eyes. In those brief glimpses, I saw happiness on Ozworld’s face. When I leaned back to try and catch a glimpse of his expression, he pulled me into an embrace instead. He was so happy, but it was a bit overwhelming.

“I’ll go anywhere.”

My gaze landed on Ozworld’s smooth neck. It was bright red. His skin was so pale that he couldn’t hide the flush. As soon as I noticed it, my cheeks also turned red, as if the embarrassment had spread.

A loud noise came from outside the self-study room, where only we were present. Startled, I pushed Ozworld away.

“Hey, be careful!”

The sound of people playing ball in the hallway drew nearer and then faded away in the opposite direction.

“…I was surprised,” I muttered a little late, making eye contact with Ozworld. We both burst into laughter.

Ozworld took my hand and said, almost whining, “I want to go home quickly.”

I didn’t need to add anything. We were both feeling the same.

* * *

[Sender: Born From Jiwoo’s Heart]

[I’m against Ozworld.]

[Sender: What’s Good Is Good]

[But isn’t Ozworld okay, considering he’s been a perfect boyfriend for nine years?]

[Sender: Professional Instructor]

[But why do I feel uneasy? It seems like Ozworld doesn’t fully suppress his temper, yet he somehow picks the right answers.]

[Sender: I Only Wander Around Top 10 Channels]

[Does Ozworld have foresight or something?

ㅋㅋ

. If that were true, we

’

d know.]

[Sender: Chaotic Evil]

[Maybe there’s a way to hide it from the constellations. After all, he’s Ozworld.]

[Sender: Channel Manager, Please Step Aside]

[Why is my message getting blind-filtered? The filtering criteria have gotten too strict.]

Lately, the constellations were having debates I couldn’t understand about whether Ozworld was suitable as my boyfriend. Sometimes, they spoke as if Ozworld wasn’t an ordinary human.

Although I didn’t show it outwardly, I had several hypotheses based on what the constellations were saying:

There were other small clues, but these were the main points. I wasn’t sure if gathering clues would change anything, but perhaps it would help me understand why I had returned to the past. Maybe I could learn more about Ozworld, too. Pretending not to care about what the constellations were saying, I put my phone in my pocket.

It was time to go to school. Since we started commuting by car instead of bike, Ozworld and I naturally started going to school a bit later. But we still arrived early enough to be the first to open the classroom door because I was eager to see him.

Before stepping out of the front door, I checked myself in the full-length mirror. Lately, I had started to care about my appearance, something I hadn’t given much thought to before. Should I tie my hair up? Maybe I should have put on some colored lip balm? Just then, I heard my mom’s voice from behind.

“You’re going to school a little late today?”

Was I dawdling too much? I let go of my hair, which I had been fiddling with and glanced at my mom with a blank expression. She was perfectly dressed for work, drinking a glass of water handed to her by the kitchen maid. With her hair in glamorous curls, her slender figure, and her still youthful appearance, she was the perfect image of a successful home shopping host.

When I think about it, time has flown by. The first time I moved into this house, she was an unpopular junior host who considered becoming a full-time housewife. Now, she is achieving many sold-out records.

My mom, who thought she succeeded both because she married into a rich family and because she became a sold-out host, saw me as her only flaw. More accurately, it was her relationship with her ex-husband, who dared to cheat on her without any assets, that was the flaw.

My mom approached me and took lipstick out of her high-end handbag to reapply it on her faded lips from drinking water. Our reflections in the mirror were similar yet different.

“I’m leaving.”

I turned to leave with a curt farewell when my mom casually asked,

“Are you dating?”

Though my mom seemed indifferent, she occasionally caught me off guard, as if she knew everything.

“What’s it to you?”

“It matters if it involves Holton.”

“Are you going to tell me to break up?”

When I sharply responded, wary, my mom chuckled.

“Do you ever listen to me? You’re not going to break up. Honestly, I don’t think it’s bad if you end up with Ozworld, as long as no one finds out.” She lightly applied her lipstick to my lips and smiled attractively. “This color suits you well. I should get you one on my way back.”

I looked at her in disbelief. Even though I was living my second life, the person in front of me was still beyond my comprehension.

“What do you want from me?”

“What do you have for me to want anything from you?” My mom nonchalantly tossed her lipstick back into her bag and put on her shoes.

“Well, even so.” Before leaving through the front door, she turned back to me and said, “I’d like it if you stayed pretty.”

The door closed. Feeling exasperated, I laughed and rubbed my lips with the back of my hand. I instinctively realized that my mom’s expectations of me had changed. The way she looked at me before leaving reminded me of the possibility she saw in achieving new records as a successful shopping host.