Even villains have their ranks. Some are the ultimate final bosses, tormenting the protagonist to the bitter end before meeting their doom, while others merely snag at his ankles before fading away. And among them, I was the lowest of the low.
The pathetic sort who irritatingly hampers the hero without ever posing a real threat. Like trash scattered beside a gem, existing only to make the jewel shine brighter—a side villain with absolutely no influence of her own.
I realized far too late that I was living inside the world of a novel.
A place filled with stifled sobs.
"Isn't that Baek Ri-gang's daughter?"
"Ah, the trash one?"
"That defective good-for-nothing!"
The whispers that had dogged my every step followed me even to my father's funeral hall. Tears streamed endlessly from my dazed eyes, though I no longer had the strength to weep aloud.
"She gave Baek Ri-gang such headaches in life, but she's crying for her father after all."
"Yeah. I heard they weren't even close."
As their murmurs suggested, my relationship with Father had always been distant. If I had to call it good or bad, it leaned toward the worse. He saw me as a disappointment, and I dismissed him in turn.
Yet I wept for two full days straight. I couldn't pinpoint why—grief over losing him, or a premonition of the wretched days ahead? Lost in an inexplicable sorrow, I cried until I collapsed on the third day.
And then it hit me. Memories of my previous life.
My past life could be summed up simply: a mother who divorced when I was young, her face now a blur; a father who swung his fists whenever he drank; and my final memory of cowering beneath him until I smashed my head against the table corner.
Then I remembered something else. This world was identical to the wuxia novel I'd read!
A novel? This can't be real...
But this life was undeniably mine. I recalled every detail of the side villain's backstory that the novel had glossed over.
When I was very young, the person who cared for me died, leaving me a street urchin scavenging for scraps. Then my birth father found me—dressed in fine silks, no less. Starving in the gutters, I had no choice but to follow him.
He took me to a sprawling estate that left my eyes wide in awe. As we passed through grand palace-like gates guarded by stern swordsmen with blades at their waists, I thought my luck had finally turned.
Of all worlds, why this wuxia novel!
My hands trembled violently as I lifted the teapot. But it was empty. I set the cup down weakly—and dropped it.
Crash.
The cup shattered against the stone floor. There was a reason for my excessive shaking.
This novel was one where, over the next decade, slaughter reigned and characters dropped like flies!
And the first shot fired... was my father.
Baek Ri-gang, fourth young master of the prestigious Baek Clan—one of the Ten Great Clans of the righteous faction. Tutor to the novel's male lead, Namgung Ryu-cheong. A self-centered, arrogant protagonist transformed into a guardian of justice through his noble sacrifice. That was how the world appraised my father.
And his sole daughter, Baek Ri-yeon: the dim-witted, greedy fool who constantly tripped up both the hero and her father, only to meet her end with her head severed.
That was... me.
Damn it all.
While reading, I'd cursed this side villain endlessly. I'd never live like that.
Not that I wanted to!
But Father was already dead, and the worst war was about to erupt. The novel wasn't even finished yet!
What do I do?
Staying near the male lead was suicide for a powerless villain like me. Good guy or bad, one swing of their hand and I'd be gone without a sound.
He might protect me as his master's daughter, but that would just make me a burdensome tagalong.
I have to run.
If I lived like a mouse, no one would even notice a minor side character like me was gone.
So I fled.
But...
Why is she here?!
Pale face. A beauty mark trailing her eye. An alluring presence that captivated even in this moment. Only one character matched that description.
I'd said villains had ranks, right? If I was mere trash among side characters, this one was a star.
The villainous lead. The black curtain of the story—Yahul!
Leader of the Heaven-Slaughter Squad, infamous for brutal killings under the Heavenly Demon Cult. She'd rise to the Eight Demon Generals, tormenting the protagonist relentlessly.
Drip. Drip.
Moonlight poured through cracks in the broken shutters, illuminating the sound. It was the splatter of droplets from a headless corpse.
A fishy stench assaulted my nose. It felt like a scene from a horror flick.
Denying reality, I backed away unsteadily.
The black curtain smirked faintly.
"Disappointing. For Baek Ri-gang's daughter to end up like this."
"D-did you come to kill me? Why?"
"Curious?"
Of course! After Father's funeral, I'd cut all ties and vanished. I'd been far from the central bloodbath for ages!
It made no sense for the final boss to hunt down a nobody like me!
"Well..."
As I fixated on her slowly parting lips—
My vision spun wildly. The bloodstained floor rushed up in slow motion.
Thud.
A dull impact echoed not in my ears, but my skull. My whirling sight steadied on the long sword she held at an angle. I hadn't even seen her draw it.
Scarlet blood trickled down the blade as a satisfied smile curled her lips.
That was the end.
* * *
You bitch.
Beheaded in this life too. I'd tried so hard to avoid it!
Whatever. Head smashed on a table or sliced off—it's all a dog's death anyway.
Getting beheaded was actually one of the milder ends in this novel...
Something felt off.
It hurts too much...
I should be dead, yet my whole body burned with agony. Would rolling in fire hurt this bad?
As I writhed, my hand itched unbearably. Amid the cold, prickling warmth, I mustered my strength—and my eyes snapped open.
Vision returned slowly. A dim room. Exposed beams on the ceiling. Magnolia-shaped window frames. Azure silk canopy embroidered on the bedframe. Eerily familiar. Nostalgic, even.
This place...
A shadow danced with the flickering candlelight. Recognizing its owner, my eyes widened.
"Father?"
Something plopped from his eye onto my hand. Seeing the tear wetting my skin, I realized what had roused me.
Is this a life-flashing-before-my-eyes thing?
Father was strikingly handsome, admired by many women. Yet true to his role as the protagonist's mentor, his upright, righteous nature belied his looks.
In all our time together, I'd seen him cry only once.
"I'm sorry. I should have stayed by your side."
His words matched my memory perfectly, drawing an odd smile from me. Life-flashing, dream, hell—what did it matter?
"Father... no, Daddy. Don't cry."
His mouth fell open, eyes bulging. I'd never seen him so flustered.
Even after years together... A short laugh escaped, then emotion surged unexpectedly.
Our relationship had only worsened as I grew. I couldn't recall if he'd ever smiled at me—or even his final expression.
Screw the protagonist. What right did he have to sacrifice such a good man?
He'd been awkward, sure, but always sincere toward me—a mere side villain in this trash novel. Only after his death did I realize he was the sole person who'd truly cared.
"I'm sorry for everything."
Father still looked dazed. It felt incomplete. If I was doing this, might as well do it right. With lighthearted resolve to play the filial daughter at least once, I added,
"I love you."
His eyes widened in shock.
Heh.
Seeing his stunned face felt satisfying. Good. I'd done all I could at the end. Now I could close my eyes in peace...
Then he crushed me in a suffocating embrace. His crisp, familiar scent flooded my senses.
Whoa... it's so real. Wait a second.
A chill ran through me. Life-flashing? What kind of life-flashing was this?
Father's voice choked with surging emotion.
"I thought you resented me all this time, but you didn't at all."
"Huh?"
"I'm sorry. As your father, I never understood your heart. It was all my failing. I'm sorry. So sorry."
"Huh?"
What in the world...
was going on?
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Read 111 more chapters ahead on NovelDex!
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