Adjusting the Gangster Male Lead’s Intensity [Novel] Chapter 39

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 39

Chapter Title: Confessions Over the Phone

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The mysterious female student who had claimed the seat next to Do-gyeom Seo, which had originally been empty. And the person that Do-gyeom Seo—who showed no interest in anyone and kept walls up against others—was getting friendly with.

On top of that, the woman Do-gyeom Seo was showing affection toward.

'Somehow, it feels like I've turned into the villainess.'

It was only natural for Eun-seol Yeo to feel perplexed from his position. Yi-hae Baek wasn't entirely free of bewilderment herself.

"Calm down first. I didn't possess Yi-hae Baek's body because I wanted to."

-What do you mean by that?

"It means I'm in a special situation just like you. Our goals seem to align, so how about we cooperate? In return, I'll tell you everything you're curious about."

-......Why should I trust you?

Yi-hae Baek tilted her head.

"Don't believe me if you don't want to. I've already learned your goal and identity, so I've got nothing to lose. You'll be the only one left frustrated."

She was just about to say that she'd end the call if he had no interest in negotiating.

Eun-seol Yeo's voice urgently called out Yi-hae Baek's name. Her bluff had worked perfectly.

Yi-hae Baek's lips twitched. She nearly let a laugh slip, which would have given away her scheme. She let out a quiet sigh of relief inwardly.

-I'll cooperate! I will, so...... don't hang up. I absolutely can't repeat the mistakes from my past life.

Unlike Yi-hae Baek's lighthearted tone, Eun-seol Yeo's voice was deadly serious and desperate.

Eun-seol Yeo, who remembered the bad ending. Eun-seol Yeo, who had been killed by Do-gyeom Seo.

"Sorry, I took the joke too far."

It must be a future he never wanted to relive.

Yi-hae Baek readily admitted her prank had gone overboard and apologized. The other end of the line fell silent.

He was probably caught off guard by her apology. Yi-hae Baek sighed and continued.

"As a token of my apology, I'll go first...... I saw the scenario where you, as the Female Lead, end up with Do-gyeom Seo as if it were a game."

She briefly worried if the Player would block her from revealing information, but there was no interference.

"You know dating sim games? The kind where you're the protagonist and you conquer male characters, including Do-gyeom Seo."

-A game? Is that why you asked about that before?

Eun-seol Yeo muttered softly. Contrary to her fears that he'd interrupt and call it nonsense, he stayed quiet.

With her eager audience, Yi-hae Baek naturally grew excited in her explanation.

To be precise, it was the thrill of sharing a situation she couldn't tell anyone else.

'As long as we reach the happy ending, that's all that matters? No real interference so far.'

The Player blocked answers that could alter the plot but didn't stop Yi-hae Baek from sharing info with the lead character, Eun-seol Yeo.

She stared at the empty space in front of her where no status window appeared and spoke.

"Even in the game I saw, there was no such person as Yi-hae Baek. I was suddenly pulled into the game world and possessed her body. I don't know why, but I'm continuously getting tangled up with Do-gyeom Seo and his family."

-That's weird. In my past life, even though I got involved with Do-gyeom Seo, I never crossed paths with his family.

He added that he only knew his father had been murdered and his younger brother had gone astray and lived separately.

At the same time, Eun-seol Yeo sounded genuinely confused by her claim that I-heum Seo was still alive.

From his perspective, so many things had changed that it made sense.

"Oh, but Uncle's survival is probably thanks to me. I knew he'd be betrayed, so I warned him in advance, and it worked out."

-Is that allowed?

"Probably?"

Thanks to that, she'd been targeted by I-ryeong Cha and Yeong Baek and kidnapped, but she kept that quiet.

It was all in the past now anyway, and explaining the details was a hassle.

-So what are you planning to do from now on?

"My goal is to return to the original world. To do that, I need to pair up the Female Lead and Male Lead."

-By Male Lead, you mean Do-gyeom Seo. And the Female Lead is...... surely not?

Eun-seol Yeo trailed off.

His voice was filled with the firm resolve not to utter those words, even as a joke. But what could she do? Yi-hae Baek answered calmly.

"Probably you? My aim is to see the proper happy ending......"

-Are you insane?! I'm a guy!

Her eardrums were ringing.

Yi-hae Baek casually dropped the phone and pouted her lips.

"But originally, it was you that Do-gyeom Seo was obsessed with and liked."

-The past-life Eun-seol Yeo! The female Eun-seol Yeo! I'm a man now, and I have zero intention of getting together with Do-gyeom Seo! Even if I die!

"Don't worry. Unlike the previous bad ending, I'll help make sure you get the happy one this time."

-What kind of nonsense is that?!

Eun-seol Yeo huffed and puffed before catching his breath. It seemed all that cool, laid-back act he'd been putting on was just pretense.

His true nature was clearly someone who couldn't easily hold back anger and wore his emotions on his sleeve. After a long silence, Eun-seol Yeo replied.

-My past life must've been a bad ending in that game.

"......Probably. You were killed by Do-gyeom Seo, right?"

-Yeah, fucking right.

Wow.

Yi-hae Baek fiddled with her ear at the sweet curse ringing in it.

"No cursing. Actually, I get why you'd curse if it were me."

-You don't get it. The Do-gyeom Seo next to you right now is the one before he got obsessed with someone. Do you know how psycho that bastard becomes after growing up and obsessing under the guise of love?

She didn't. She didn't want to know, and it wouldn't happen anyway.

Yi-hae Baek simply speculated that she might be Do-gyeom Seo's first love position. It felt uncomfortable thinking he'd later like someone else, but she had no desire to be on the receiving end of his obsession.

She'd indirectly experienced just how intense it was in the game.

-That guy's a lunatic.

Yi-hae Baek flinched at the seriously uttered words. Then a sudden thought struck her.

Surely Eun-seol Yeo hadn't become a man just to get revenge on Do-gyeom Seo?

"If you have no intention of getting together with Do-gyeom Seo, then what's your goal? Just avoiding him? ......Not revenge, right?"

-I want revenge. But the current Do-gyeom Seo isn't the man who killed me. I can tell that much.

She let out a small sigh of relief at his irritated addition.

But if Eun-seol Yeo reacted this strongly against Do-gyeom Seo, achieving her goal would be tough.

She groaned in distress. Whether he sensed her worry or not, Eun-seol Yeo spoke up.

-You probably already know, but I'll say it anyway. Changes started from my death, so I'll compare it to a past life.

"Okay."

-In my past life, I had the same name, just female. Family and everything else was the same. I transferred schools just like before and met Do-gyeom Seo.

A faint tsk of the tongue came through.

-I was curious about him. He was so detached from everyone, sitting alone—it was intriguing and a bit pitiful. I learned later he wasn't worth it.

His assessment of Do-gyeom Seo was quite harsh. Yi-hae Baek felt a fresh thrill listening silently; no one around her had ever judged him so harshly.

-I don't know why he took a liking to me. Borrowing your words, maybe it was fate between game protagonists. But to me, it was reality.

In the process leading to the bad ending, Eun-seol Yeo seemed never to have felt love for Do-gyeom Seo.

There was no trace of longing or sorrow in his explanation.

-Whether he was rich or handsome didn't matter. I ended up murdered anyway, and even though I started over in a male body for some reason, the anxiety's the same.

"Worried that Do-gyeom Seo will like you like fate?"

-Don't say that out loud. It makes my stomach churn.

What a cold guy.

Yi-hae Baek started to speak again but decided to hold back this time.

-Anyway, my goal is to avoid getting involved with Do-gyeom Seo. And to prepare for any 'what ifs,' put another girl by his side.

"Wow, you're really ruthless. You got done dirty yourself, and now you're trying to shove some other girl in as a substitute?"

Yi-hae Baek muttered in disgust at the thought of the poor girl suffering the same fate, and the line went eerily quiet.

The unnatural silence made her clamp her mouth shut.

It suddenly reminded her of how Eun-seol Yeo had checked what her relationship with Do-gyeom Seo was.

"......You didn't seriously think of me as that substitute, did you?"

-Seeing how you're handling him, maybe you'd be okay......?

"Hey, you bastard!"

Yi-hae Baek grabbed the back of her neck at the shameless response. Now she realized that the 'substitute' remark she'd overheard before meant this.

'I thought I'd misheard it back then and let it slide! This Do-gyeom Seo wannabe!'

It was the kind of harsh thought that would make Eun-seol Yeo bristle if he heard it.