Chapter 1
“Is that you, Yeon Yiseo?”
“…….”
Yeon Yiseo missed the timing to respond, caught off guard. It was understandable, as the situation of Seo Eunwoo being right in front of him didn’t make any sense.
Yeon Yiseo struggled to find an answer to why he was here before him. However, no plausible explanation came to mind.
The reason was simple: the two of them were strangers to each other.
Yeon Yiseo observed Seo Eunwoo’s demeanor. With his bright smile, he didn’t seem to harbor any ill feelings toward him. It was only natural, as they had never been entangled in any way—at least not until this moment.
“Don’t Look for the Sickly Villain.”
When words he never expected to hear from Seo Eunwoo slipped out, Yeon Yiseo involuntarily held his breath. He felt like applauding his own composure for not jumping in surprise.
Yeon Yiseo blinked rapidly, a cold sweat forming on his back.
“Excuse me? What does that mean?”
Yet, he couldn’t simply admit that he knew.
“Hmm. It seems I was right. You’re surprised, aren’t you?”
Seo Eunwoo took half a step closer to Yeon Yiseo, wearing a playful smile.
“You know, right? This world is a game called Don’t Look for the Sickly Villain.”
Even as he tried to deny reality, Seo Eunwoo delivered the final blow without mercy. It was a statement he couldn’t escape from. What kind of attitude should he adopt in this situation? Who could have imagined that such a moment would come?
As his mind tangled and he couldn’t think of any words, Seo Eunwoo continued speaking.
“It’s okay. I just came to befriend you.”
“…….”
“Don’t be too wary. I’m serious.”
Seeing Yeon Yiseo’s cautious reaction, as he hesitated to respond, Seo Eunwoo raised both hands. His gentle smile suddenly turned provocative.
“Because you’re also an engaged player, right?”
‘Engaged player.’
A person who realizes that this world is within a game and that they are one of its characters. Seo Eunwoo added that this was the term used to describe such individuals, causing Yeon Yiseo’s eyes to widen in shock.
More importantly, he just said, “you too.” That meant...
“Ding dong! That’s right. I’m also an engaged player.”
Hearing Seo Eunwoo’s cheerful voice, Yeon Yiseo was left speechless.
On his ninth birthday, Yeon Yiseo recalled the memories of his past life instead of unwrapping beautifully packaged gifts.
To be precise, the expression “recalled” was somewhat misleading. It would be more accurate to say that Yeon Yiseo “realized” that he had been a programmer on the development team that created a mobile game in that “past life,” and that this “current life” was within the game he had participated in creating.
In his past life, Yeon Yiseo’s name was ‘Ahn Heewoong.’
The term “past life” is appropriate because Ahn Heewoong was already dead. He had passed away at the young age of 29 due to a hit-and-run accident while crossing the street after working late, feeling proud of the success of the game he had directly contributed to.
It felt as if his life was being replayed at a speed about twenty times faster, causing nausea and a splitting headache. He felt like he might vomit.
However, he was not influenced by Ahn Heewoong’s values or way of thinking. It felt more like he was an observer reading the book of a person’s life. Of course, it was an incredibly thick book.
In any case, that was a relief. If the memories and values of Ahn Heewoong, who had already lived for 29 years, clashed with those of Yeon Yiseo, who had only lived for 9 years, Ahn Heewoong would have had the overwhelming advantage, and he might have been consumed by him. After his ninth birthday, he might have had to live as Ahn Heewoong instead of Yeon Yiseo, but fortunately, that did not happen.
What he mostly remembered was the game he was creating. It was a paid BL mobile game rated for ages 19 and up, titled Don’t Look for the Sickly Villain, commonly referred to as Sickly Villain.
The 19+ mobile game Sickly Villain, created in Korea, became immensely popular among female users despite its genre limitations as a BL game, featuring provocative expressions and intense content. Thanks to its popularity that spread beyond Korea into Asia, the game received updates with expansion stories that added new characters, achieving remarkable success with each patch and emerging as a highly promising IP.
To understand the overall content of the game, one must first know about the in-game novel that serves as its original story, titled My Beloved Beta. The game’s protagonist begins by embodying the villain ‘Seo Eunwoo’ from My Beloved Beta.
Seo Eunwoo’s fiancé, ‘Ethan,’ is a lively and resilient protagonist of the novel who gradually develops feelings for his secretary, which Seo Eunwoo eventually discovers. For Seo Eunwoo, who had been weak and frequently hospitalized since childhood, Ethan was everything to him.
However, that very Ethan meets another person, the protagonist of the novel, falls in love, and ultimately demands a breakup, causing Seo Eunwoo to lose his sanity. After committing several misdeeds, he ends up paralyzed on one side of his body and unable to speak due to the aftereffects of forcibly breaking the bond, sitting like a doll in a corner of his home.
And that very protagonist of My Beloved Beta, whom Ethan fell in love with, was ‘Yeon Yiseo.’
The story of Sickly Vilain revolves around Seo Eunwoo, who, knowing all of this, begins to twist the original story to avoid the worst outcomes. One of his primary goals is to break the engagement that his family arranged with Ethan when they were young. However, strangely, as Ethan becomes increasingly obsessed with the sickly Seo Eunwoo, the original narrative begins to twist.
As a BL romance simulation game, Sickly Villain features not only the main character Ethan but also a variety of impressive background candidates. There are a famous Hollywood actor, a chairman of an Arab oil company with royal blood, a K-pop solo artist who topped the Billboard charts, and later added, a British nobleman. There are a total of five target characters, which is somewhat fewer than in other games of the same genre, but the story is quite solid, and as characters were gradually added in subsequent updates, this shortcoming was adequately covered.
“……Ugh.”
Yeon Yiseo groaned and held his head. The sheer volume of information pouring in felt like being hit with a hammer, causing his head to throb. Eventually, he entered his room without even being able to blow out his birthday candles, sitting with his knees drawn up.
“I’m the protagonist of the in-game novel of Sickly Villain…?”
Yeon Yiseo mumbled softly to himself, clutching his head.
“That’s impossible. …It’s impossible.”
The confusion did not settle. He kept muttering to himself as if trying to convince himself. It truly was an absurd situation. Or had he finally gone crazy? His vision spun, and he unconsciously squeezed his eyes shut.
“Yiseo, how are you feeling? Try some cake… Yiseo?!”
Rosa, the guardian from his foster home who was worried about Yeon Yiseo, entered with a cake and screamed. The plate in his hand fell to the floor with a sharp sound. Ultimately, Yeon Yiseo was found unconscious in his room, and when he regained consciousness, it was on his narrow bed.
After opening his eyes, the first thing Yeon Yiseo did was organize the contents of Sickly Villain as best as he could remember. If he truly was Yeon Yiseo from the game, how should he navigate this situation moving forward?
A series of events occurring within the game flooded his mind as if a massive lake had poured into it. It was too much for the young Yeon Yiseo to handle. Knowing in advance what would happen to him in the future blurred the lines between imagination and reality. Rosa, concerned for him, even suggested that he seek counseling.
Yeon Yiseo, feeling confused, wandered for several months but ultimately decided to accept the reality. He began writing down everything that came to mind while the memories were still vivid. During this process, some memories became a bit hazy, while others became clearer.
In the process, Yeon Yiseo wondered why is the protagonist a Korean, who belongs to a minority group from a global perspective, even though their residence is in the United States, but that question was surprisingly easy to resolve. It was simply because the game was made in Korea. It was a straightforward fact. That’s why he ended up living in the U.S.
As he delved into the cause-and-effect relationships, life felt somewhat empty, so he decided to stop those thoughts. After all, for Yeon Yiseo, this place was “reality.” He also resolved to think more positively about various facts. Knowing what would happen in the future made it easier to prepare.
If he worked hard, he could become the secretary of a CEO of a major corporation in the U.S. and secure an incredible network of connections. Given the limited choices in front of him, he wondered if he should really throw away the advantage of knowing his future. Living in a foster home in the U.S., Yeon Yiseo endured his growth period, using the future depicted in the original story as his support.
