I Woke Up as the Villain

Chapter 29

Yu-Seong needed a colleague.

‘Let’s not get conceited. I should not overestimate myself. There’s a limit to what I can do alone.’

He had been thinking about it, and it was not something he could put off anymore. However, he did not want to take on the Jin siblings’ suggestion of having mercenaries around. No matter how reliable they were, they were still mercenaries.

Mercenaries were controlled by money. No one ever knew when a traitor would arise among them. Yu-Seong needed someone much more faithful and reliable than that. For example, a person as reliable as the Jin siblings, but someone who could grow alongside him. However, it was impossible to bring the Jin siblings along, and it was not a simple matter of not being able to enter the dungeon because of their ranks.

‘Jin Yu-Ri and Jin Do-Yoon should, rather, be given more time to hunt by themselves.’

He had heard that Jin Do-Yoon also suffered considerable injuries in this incident.

Do-Yoon’s resilience was good as he was a physical-type player—a werewolf—but it would not do him any good to suffer such injuries every time.

‘I’m not the only one who needs to grow stronger. All of us need to grow stronger together.’?

Kim Do-Jin would grow stronger as Choi Yu-Seong did. No, rather, Do-Jin would certainly grow faster. Other enemies would also grow stronger, and there were even those who were already at their peak, waiting for them…

‘Do I know all about the future?’?

No.

Choi Yu-Seong had entered the world of this novel and had already changed many things. And as a result, he had altered the course from the original set of events. For example, Lee Jin-Wook had appeared quicker than he was supposed to, as well as the attack.

Of course, there would be more unexpected risks Yu-Seong would have to take in the future. It would be a mistake to think that Jin Do-Yoon and Jin Yu-Ri could continue to stay safe by his side because they would disappear after the first half of the novel. Yu-Seong had to look far beyond.

The Choi Yu-Seong he knew before was no longer here as well. The same was true for the others. Therefore, he organized a list of possible candidates to become his colleagues on his phone’s notes. The notes were organized based on the summary of the original novel he had written on his phone while he was hospitalized.

‘I just need one more person.’?

Having too many comrades would just be a burden. It might have been fine if he had already grown far stronger, but for now, having too many people could cause a problem since they all had to grow together. He could become neither too relaxed nor overestimate his own capabilities. If he failed to set clear standards for himself, he could easily be led astray too.

Moreover, he also needed to consider the Jin siblings, Chae Ye-Ryeong, and others. Of course, he would not take into account the humans who were fundamentally bad. After making such considerations, he was able to choose the most suitable person.

‘Honestly, though it may be a bit dangerous to reach that person now…’

No matter how many times he thought about it, there wasn’t anyone else who was better suited. Thinking so, he handed over the name and the characteristics of the person he had chosen to Yu-Ri.

He then said, “Please do a detailed investigation about him. Things like where he lives, what his occupation is, and what his current situation is like.”

“Of course.Yoo Jin-Hyuk… You won’t tell me about him even if I ask, would you?”

“I want him as my comrade.”

Jin Yu-Ri narrowed her eyes. “What’s your reason? Just intuition again?”

“To tell you the truth… There’s something like future foresight among my abilities. Sorry I didn’t tell you before.”

“No way, like the first young master…?” Her mouth dropped.

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“Not to that extent,” Yu-Seong said.

Choi Ji-Ho—the first child of the Choi family—truly possessed the skill of future foresight. Since Choi Ji-Ho was excellent as a hunter with talent in martial arts and possessed the ability of future foresight, most people thought he would succeed Choi Woo-Jae and inherit the Comet Group. This was at least before he was injured.

However, even Choi Ji-Ho could not predict the future exactly. As a result, he suffered serious injuries and had to retire as a hunter. Also, it was rumored that he was now living quietly alone in a secluded area. No one in the family knew his location except Choi Woo-Jae.

In fact, Choi Yu-Seong could say that he had a similar ability as Ji-Ho, but he could not say so recklessly. After all, he did not know what the future would bring, especially with the butterfly effect.

“If that had been the case, this wouldn’t have happened. Just think of it as something similar,” Yu-Seong said.

“How could it just be similar? Everyone knows that the foresight skill doesn’t allow you to see all the futures.” Jin Yu-Ri was surprised, but then she soon nodded as if she understood. “Anyway, it would be better to keep this kind of ability a secret. I agree. But can I borrow your power when I need it?”

“As long as it is reasonable.”

Jin Yu-Ri’s eyes sparkled like jewels. It was because countless possibilities came to her mind. She could do so much through Choi Yu-Seong’s undisclosed ability. Then, she nodded. “Ah, and I think I’ll have something to report in a few days.”

“Something to report?” Yu-Seong questioned.

“About the guys who attacked us recently.” Jin Yu-Ri’s eyes narrowed as she recalled the battle.

“It looks like you’ve been doing some investigation?”

“I think I’ve managed to climb up to the body, but not quite to the head. I’ll let you know when I’m certain.”

“I’ll leave it to you. How much time do you need to find out about Yoo Jin-Hyuk…?”

“Two days will be more than enough.”

“Please.”

It may not be as easy as Yu-Ri thought, but he swallowed those words and nodded.

“No problem.”

Quite recently, it seemed Jin Yu-Ri belonged to a certain private organization that was undisclosed to Yu-Seong. She would probably tell him if he asked directly, but he didn’t do so. She was implicitly hinting to him that she would tell him when the time came.

“Then I’ll go out for a while and make a call,” said Yu-Ri.

“Sure.” Yu-Seong nodded and looked out the window of the hospital room.

Since it was a VVIP room located on a fairly high floor, the panoramic view of Seoul was quite good. Perhaps because of this, while he stayed here, he made a habit of looking far beyond the window when he organized his thoughts.

‘What I can do. What I can’t do. What I have to do.’?

Yu-Ri kept her eyes on Yu-Seong's back for a moment, as if drawn by the image. Then she stood up and tried to head out of the hospital room. However, she suddenly stopped. It was because someone had opened the door to the hospital room before her.

‘Kim Pil-Doo?’?

Kim Pil-Doo was the right arm of the chairman, Choi Woo-Jae. Kim Pil-Doo glanced at Jin Yu-Ri and then stepped aside without saying a word before she could even think deeply about his unexpected appearance.

At the same time, Jin Yu-Ri’s eyes became incredibly wide. From behind Pil-Doo appeared Woo-Jae, who was dressed in a modernized hanbok. Woo-Jae fixed his gaze on Yu-Seong’s back and put his index finger on his lips, and pointed out the door with a wink before Yu-Ri uttered anything in surprise.

Both of them were smart enough to know what that meant. Yu-Ri silently exited the room. Kim Pil-Doo closed the door of the hospital room without making any sound.

***

Choi Woo-Jae was left alone with Cho Yu-Seong in the hospital room. He hid his presence, put his hands on the back, and looked at Yu-Seong’s back somewhat absentmindedly.

‘Reminds me of his mother, just bigger.’?

A sadness flashed across Woo-Jae’s eyes as he was reminded of Yu-Seong’s mother who sadly passed away.

‘If only there were more time…’?

Perhaps a lot would be changed? Choi Woo-Jae’s heart was filled with sorrow but he shook his head as he bottled up his emotions. It had been too long to turn the wheel of time back now. Perhaps because of that, he was somewhat more generous in many ways to Yu-Seong than his other children.

The preferential treatment caused Yu-Seong to become a little crooked, but now Woo-Jae wanted him to get up on his own rather than being helped.

Choi Woo-Jae believed that if it was Yu-Seong he remembered, he would be able to do it. Also recently, Yu-Seong had recently achieved a bit of his expectations. Among many of his children, an exceptionally good child inevitably would be easier on the eye. Choi Woo-Jae looked satisfied for a moment.

“Ahem, ahem!”

“…chairman?” Choi Yu-Seong turned his head toward the deliberate cough and found Woo-Jae. He then opened his eyes wide.

Why did Woo-Jae come here now? Yu-Seong stiffened up at the sudden visit.

“Draw a line between our public and private lives. If I were just a chairman to you, a lot of the things you enjoy now would be things you would not have ....” Woo-Jae spoke sharply and walked with his hands behind his back. He then sat on the attendee’s chair.

Yu-Seong was quite quick-witted. Thus, he could easily understand the true meaning of Woo-Jae’s words.

‘It’s a reminder, telling me to be discerning about the time and place.’?

His words made sense. Choi Woo-Jae’s visit to the hospital was certainly not a visit as the company’s chairman. If Yu-Seong treated Woo-Jae as his superior all the time, the distance between them would only grow wider. Of course, that was not what Yu-Seong wanted.

“Yes, Father.”

Choi Woo-Jae’s expression remained unchanged. He nodded and pointed to the bed with his chin. “What are you looking at? Come sit here,” said Woo-Jae.

At that moment, Choi Yu-Seong felt that Choi Woo-Jae’s vibe was a little different from usual.

‘Why so?’?

It was hard to understand.

It was a rather rough tone, but it was certainly less somber than usual. The vibe was somewhat awkward for Yu-Seong.

‘Although I’m sure he had a similar look some time ago…’?

As Yu-Seong’s confusion increased while searching through his memory, Woo-Jae fell into a sense of nostalgia as he watched Yu-Seong.

‘The more I look at him, the more he resembles his mother.’

Choi Woo-Jae felt emotions that stimulated his humanity after a long time, but there was no reason to reveal his feelings to Choi Yu-Seong. He asked, “You’re not going to listen to me?”

Yu-Seong was somewhat startled by the low voice and headed to his bed in surprise. Though obviously, he could not lie down comfortably. He just sat with his legs crossed on top of the bed.

“Lie down.”

“I am comfortable like this, father.”

“…You look better than I thought.”

“Yes, I am fine. Maybe because I became a player, the recovery is faster than I thought.”

“I heard you passed the hunter exam with top honors.”

“…That is all thanks to you, father.”

Yu-Seong brought up the word ‘father’, but it felt unfamiliar. He smiled awkwardly. In the meantime, he could not read any emotions on Woo-Jae’s face.

‘As expected, he’s hard to deal with.’?

Even in the lighter atmosphere, it was hard to deal with Choi Woo-Jae. Yu-Seong remained stiff even as he tried to relieve the tension.

“Enough with trying to butter me up. Not everyone can do as well as you even if they were handed the Awakening Stone.”

By ‘everyone’ Choi Woo-Jae would obviously be referring to some of Choi Yu-Seong’s other relatives.

“You’re the third one.”

What would that mean? Yu-Seong was quick to think and immediately understood the meaning.

“Ji-Ho hyung-nim and Mi-Na noonim passed the exam with top honors too,” Yu-Seong commented.

“Right. Ji-Ho from 16 years ago… And most recently, Mi-Na from 10 years ago.”

Although Woo-Jae was beating around the bush, he was currently praising Yu-Seong. Yu-Seong had accomplished something that had not been done for 10 years after the two.

Yu-Seong easily realized what Woo-Jae was saying, “I’ll work harder.”

“I’ll be watching over you. Ah, by the way, there were some very reprehensible guys. How dare they touch the Choi family?”

In a brief moment, Woo-Jae’s eyes changed. He did not smile or frown, but Yu-Seong felt goosebumps rising behind his back as he made short eye contact with him.

‘Perhaps neither I nor Jin Yu-Ri will have to step up…’?

Yu-Seong did not know what exactly Woo-Jae was thinking, but he could predict what terrible consequences the opponent would face.

“And… I heard that Kim Do-Jin helped you.” Choi Woo-Jae mentioned that unexpected name as he stroked his beard.

Yu-Seong stiffened up even more, looking tense.

“You should arrange dinner sometime soon with him. It’s good to have a man of talent. It was about 35 years ago, if I hadn’t met that guy Kim Pil-Doo, I would still have had a lot of work to do with my own hands. You should hold on to people while you can. Do you understand what I mean?”

Choi Woo-Jae was offering his help to have Kim Do-Jin become one of Yu-Seong’s people. If it were anyone else, Yu-Seong would cheer, but that wasn’t quite the case.

‘…that’s really dangerous.’?

Choi Yu-Seong would be stuck between Kim Do-Jin and Choi Woo-Jae. It was the absolute worst combination and the outcome was obvious. Choi Woo-Jae would die, Choi Yu-Seong would also die, and it would end up being a catastrophe.

“Why are you making that face? It seems like you didn’t like it when I said I’ll take care of it,” asked Woo-Jae. He was quick-witted and could read Yu-Seong’s feelings.

Choi Yu-Seong gulped.

‘What am I gonna do about this?’?

He couldn’t afford to reject the idea without a good reason, because Choi Woo-Jae’s stubbornness was tougher than iron. Thus, it was really hard to undo Woo-Jae’s decision once it was made.

“It’s no use even if you reject it. I’ll decide by myself after seeing him, so make an appointment with him within the next week.”

As his worries got bigger, Woo-Jae made a clear declaration.

‘This is a situation that Kim Do-Jin was wishing for.’?

No way. Although Kim Do-Jin was not strong enough to reach Choi Woo-Jae yet, Choi Yu-Seong didn’t want to give him an opportunity.

“Hmm, you brat. Why aren’t you saying anything?” Choi Woo-Jae asked again.

Yu-Seong got the feeling that this question was his last chance, and there would be no next time. If he took more time, he would anger Woo-Jae and get scolded. Considering Choi Woo-Jae’s personality, asking the same question thrice was already a great show of generosity.

The favorable vibe since the beginning was becoming heavier and more familiar. This was how relationships worked. The faster it was built, the easier it would collapse.

In this manner, it meant that the risk increased as Yu-Seong got the unexpected opportunity to get closer to Woo-Jae fast. A fast-established relationship was twice as difficult to reverse once it collapses. He couldn’t be dragging it any longer and had to speak well.

The expectations and trust accumulated by risking life could be instantly destroyed with a single answer given here.

“Father. Do I have to make Kim Do-Jin my person?” Yu-Seong finished thinking and said with a glare.