Even in villains, there is a hierarchy.
There are some people who have to be punished because they make the main character suffer until the very, very final moment, and there are also people who disappear after coming back to haunt the main character.
Among them, I was the dreg.
The one who came back to haunt the main character in a sloppy and annoying way, and was absolutely not a threat at all.
Just as a jewel shines more if there is trash next to it, I was that kind of villainess extra who had not even a tiny bit of influence, and was only there to make the main character stand out.
I realized at a very late time that the place where I was in was a world inside a novel.
A place that was full of sobbing.
“Isn’t that Baekri Euikang’s that daughter?”
“Ah, that trash?”
“That waste!”
The excruciatingly tiresome remarks followed me even to my father’s funeral.
From my blank eyes, which had no power to sob, only tears flowed down.
“After giving Baekri Euikang a rough time like that during his lifetime, even so, she’s still crying because he’s her father.”
“That’s what I’m saying. I heard they also don’t get along well either.”
Just like what they said in their whispers, in ordinary times, my relationship with Father was not well.
If it were to be calculated whether or not our relationship was closer to good or bad, it was closer to bad.
Since Father thought I was pathetic and I ignored such Father.
However, I cried throughout these two days.
I couldn’t tell the exact reason why I was crying.
Whether it was because of the sadness of losing Father, or the predicted miserable daily life that would follow me in the future.
At the unknown sadness which I did not even understand, I cried and cried until I collapsed after three days.
And then, I recalled–
My past life…
My life in the past could be organized and told very simply.
Mother who divorced my father during childhood, whose face I don’t even remember, and Father who swung his hands whenever he drank.
Getting beaten up from under him as usual, I hit my head at the corner of the table and that was my last memory.
I also remembered something else.
That this world was actually the very same oriental fantasy I read!
(t/n: 무협 [muhyeop] is commonly translated to ‘martial arts’, but can also be written as ‘oriental fantasy’.)
‘To think that this is inside a novel…. Does this even make sense?’
But the life in this place was truly mine.
I could entirely remember the villainess extra’s past that wasn’t covered in the novel.
The person who took care of me when I was very young died. And just like that, I became a vagrant who wandered on the street. Then, my biological father, who was dressed in a dazzling outfit, found me.
In the situation where I was wandering on the street and picking up trash to eat, there was no option not to follow him.
The place where I was led to was a huge manor that was enough to make my eyes widen.
When I crossed the gate, which was like a royal palace guarded by scary-looking soldiers wearing swords on their waists, I thought,
That my life finally got its sunshine now.
‘But, out of all things, to think that this was inside that martial arts novel!’
I lifted the teapot with my hands trembling.
However, the teapot was empty, and as I put down the teacup weakly, I missed my grip.
Clang.
The teacup crashed onto the stone floor and like that, it shattered into pieces.
There was a reason for me to tremble excessively.
Because this novel was a novel wherein for over the next 10 years, slaughter was rampant and the characters were dying!
The first sign… was my father.
The prestigious family faction, as well as one of the 10 generations of the powerful martial arts family, the powerful Baekri Family’s Fourth Young Lord, Baekri Euikang, the Holy Victim who awakened the arrogant main character, who only knew himself, into the guardian of justice by being the teacher of Namgung Ryucheong, the male lead of this novel!
It was an evaluation of my father.
And the only daughter of his was Baekri Yeon.
A stupid and greedy villainess extra who died by decapitation after coming back to haunt the main character and her father in every way.
That… was me.
‘Damn it.’
Throughout reading the novel, I cursed like so at the villainess extra. Saying that if it was me, I wouldn’t live like that.
‘But that didn’t mean that I wanted to be her!’
What was worse, Father has died, and to think that this moment was just before the worst war began! Even worse, this novel wasn’t even completed!
‘…What should I do?’
It was too dangerous for a villainess like me who couldn’t even use martial arts to be beside the male lead. Whether it was a good guy or a bad guy, if a person swings their hand once, I’ll die without even making a sound.
The male lead may still try to protect me because I am still the daughter of his teacher. However, that’s also why I can’t get out of the state of being a lump of nuisance.
‘Let’s run away.’
If I live as silent as a grave they won’t even know that there was a villainess extra like me.
That’s why I ran away.
However…
‘Why is he here!?’
A pale face to the point it makes the corner of one’s eyes move along following it. An attractive appearance that bewitches people even in this situation.
There was only one character that fitted this kind of description.
Haven’t I said that there are also classes in villains?
If I was merely a dreg extra, then this person was the lead.
The lead villain. The actual villain of this novel, Ya Yul!
As the Leader of the Cheonsal Group, who undertook alone the brutal murder of the Cheonma religious armed force, he was the one who would climb up to the seat of the Palma Forces in the future and severely torment the male lead.
(t/n: based on my research, 천살 [cheonsal], I found 3 meanings for this. The first is: the hanja only :” 天殺 which if we break it down, 天 for sky, god, king, and 殺 for flesh to kill, kill, die. The second is: 擅殺 which means killing people carelessly without hesitation. The third is: 天煞 which means, the name of an ominous star. And for 팔마군 [palmagun], I can’t seem to find anything except for this, 八魔軍 which if we break it down, 八 for eight, 魔 for devil/demon, and 軍 for army, military, groups of soldiers, and (armed) forces. And 천마 [cheonma], it mainly appears as the founder or leader of 마교 魔敎 [magyo] (a religion that worships demons) or Cheonma religious armed force in oriental fantasy. Please do cmiiw.)
Tuk. Tuk.
Moonlight which was pouring through the cracks of the destroyed window lit up the place where the sound was coming out.
The sound of dripping water was from a head which had no body.
A fishy smell that reeked.
It was like a scene from a horror movie.
I slowly stepped back, denying reality.
The Villain lightly ridiculed.
“I’m disappointed, though. To think that the daughter of Baekri Euikang is in this kind of state.”
“A-are you here to kill me? Why?”
“Are you curious?”
Of course!
After Father’s funeral, I broke all ties and disappeared.
What I’m trying to say is that it has been a while since I have moved away from the central story where slaughter was rampant.
But it didn’t make sense for the final villain to come kill an extra like me!
“About that…”
It was when I was focusing on the Villain’s mouth that was opening slowly–
My view suddenly started spinning, and the floor with blood marks approached, like a slow movie.
Thud.
A dull sound resonated at my head, not ears.
My sight that was spinning stopped, and the long sword which the young man obliquely held was seen.
I didn’t even see when he pulled out the sword.
Red blood dripped, flowing down the long sword, and a satisfactory smile bloomed from the Villain’s corner of the mouth.
That was the last.
***
‘You son of bitch.’
To think that it was a life of dying from getting decapitated. I really wanted to avoid it, though!
‘Well, it’s either dying from bumping my head at a table, or dying from getting decapitated. Although it’s all the same deaths in vain.’
Even so, inside this novel, if I died from decapitation, it did belong to the pretty moderate side… but something was strange.
‘It hurts so much…’
I’m sure I died, but my whole body was hot and painful. Will it hurt as much if I roll over and over in fire?
While I was struggling with pain, the back of my hand was insanely itchy.
At the strange sensations of cold, itchy, and warm, the moment I did my best with all of my strength, my eyes opened.
It took a long time for my view to return.
A dim room. From the beams on the ceiling to the magnolia-shaped window frames.
I was strangely familiar with the embroidery patterns of the long pulled-down indigo silk hanging on the bed. It even felt nostalgic.
‘Here is…’
A human-shaped shadow moved, bending along with the wavering candlelight.
Confirming the shadow’s owner, my eyes opened wide.
“Father?”
At that moment, something fell out of Father’s eyes.
When I saw the tears that touched the back of my hand, I realized the identity of the sensation that woke me up.
‘What’s this? Is this a revolving lantern?’
Father received many women’s admiration with his very handsome appearance.
However, just like a teacher who was in charge of the main character’s mental growth in general, different from his appearance, he had an upright and righteous personality.
Since he has such a personality, I had seen Father’s tears only once when we were together.
“I’m sorry. I should’ve been by your side.”
At that sight of Father who said the same thing as my memory, somehow I laughed.
What does it matter whether it’s a revolving lantern, a dream, hell, or something else?
“Father… no, Dad. Don’t cry.”
Father opened his mouth slightly and opened his eyes wide. It was the first time I saw such a flustered expression.
Even though we’ve been together for years…
After the short laugh passed by, somehow emotions soared.
As I grew up, my relationship with Father only worsened.
Let alone seeing his surprised appearance, even his smiling appearance, no, I couldn’t even remember what kind of face he had at the end–
Whether the main character did something, sacrificed, and died. He was a really good person, though.
Although he was a character in a novel, he was very clumsy, but he was always a sincere person to me.
I realized that only after he passed away. Father was the only one who sincerely cared for the villainess extra in this scum-like novel.
“I’m sorry for all those times.”
Father still looked like he was in a daze.
It felt like something was lacking.
Yeah, if I want to do it, let’s do it properly.
I said with a light heart, with a mind of ‘let’s act as a devoted daughter even if it’s only at the end’.
“I love you.”
Father’s eyes opened wide.
‘Huhu.’
Seeing the surprised look, I was a little bit proud.
Good. It seems that I have done everything that I could in the end.
If I close my eyes comfortably like this…
At that moment, Father hugged me to the point of suffocation.
The refreshing scent of my father, which was the same as my memory.
‘Whoa… it’s really the same. No, wait.’
Suddenly, I felt a chill.
Is this really a revolving lantern? What kind of revolving lantern is this?
Father said in a voice that was filled with emotions.
“I thought you resented me, but turns out, you didn’t at all.”
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry. Turns out, during that time, during those times, Father didn’t know how you felt. It’s all because I’m not good enough. Sorry. I’m sorry.”
“Yes?”
What in the world…
What’s going on?