BJ Villainess

“Why are you only talking to her, Dad!” Umi, who had been sulking, suddenly yelled. She must have felt anxious about losing her parents’ attention.

“Chae Umi, who told you to yell at the table?” My stepfather scolded her sternly.

Umi, looking sullen, ran to Ms. Jo, who was standing behind us. “I want to go to the playroom.”

My stepfather seemed to think it was better if Umi left and waved her off.

My mom glanced uncomfortably at Ms. Jo and Umi as they walked away. “Should I follow them?”

“No, we need to discuss Jiwoo’s school situation. I’ll be on a business trip starting tomorrow, so we won’t have time to talk about this later.”

I paused eating for a while.

“I’m thinking of enrolling Jiwoo in a private school nearby. I plan to send Umi and Bohyeon there as well.”

“Oh my, that sounds good.”

I already attended a school. Although I had no particular friends there, I didn’t want to transfer to the private school my stepfather mentioned.

The private school was known for having students from wealthy families. Umi and Bohyeon, being among the wealthiest, would have significant influence there. Someone like me could easily be bullied. I had to avoid attending the same school as those two at all costs.

“I want to continue at my current school.”

“Why? The private school has a swimming pool and offers horse riding lessons. It’s a much better school.”

I shook my head calmly. “I’ve heard that school has many events requiring parents’ attendance. With two younger siblings, it might be too much of a burden.”

My stepfather, who hadn’t considered this point, sighed, looking thoughtful.

“And adjusting to a new school would be difficult. I like my current teachers too.”

“

. It’s almost the end of the second semester, so adjusting to a new school would be hard. You’d have to make new friends too.”

Although my mom seemed disappointed that I wouldn’t attend the private school, she didn’t have the confidence to care for two more children along with me, so she reluctantly agreed. Thankfully, my opinion was accepted.

“Jiwoo is quite mature and smart for her age.”

Mom, pleased with the compliment, began to boast subtly. “Jiwoo may only be in first grade, but she’s never lost the top spot in her class. She’s already doing fourth-grade math.”

“Really? I’d love to have Jiwoo work at my company someday.”

“I plan to send her to medical school. Having a doctor in the family is very reassuring. Bohyeon is going to be a pianist, so he needs to take care of his hands, and it would be great if his sister could help.”

“You’ve already thought that far ahead? You never cease to amaze me.”

The two of them, oblivious to my own wishes, painted a bright future for me. Well, as long as the atmosphere was good, I found that fine. I had achieved what I wanted, so I continued my meal in peace. The food was delicious, as expected in a wealthy household.

* * *

After dinner, the task was to choose a room for me. Bohyeon, uninterested in such things, was busy playing the grand piano in the living room. His indifference was a relief.

I picked a room in a corner of the first floor. It was small and suitable for a multi-purpose room, but for an elementary school first-grader, it was more than enough.

“Isn’t this room too isolated?”

I quickly responded to my stepfather’s concern. “This room is quieter, and I can’t hear the piano as much. I need a room where I can concentrate on my studies.”

My practical and model answer seemed to please my stepfather.

“I wish Umi enjoys studying as much as Jiwoo does…”

Unfortunately, despite my stepfather’s hopes, I had a feeling Umi would always dislike studying.

Mom, noticing that I was expressing my opinions more concretely than usual, seemed curious but helped out. “Jiwoo has an independent personality and likes being alone.”

“

. Even so…” My stepfather seemed worried about appearing to discriminate against his stepdaughter.

“I really like this room. And it would be better for them to gradually get used to living with me.”

Mentioning the siblings made my stepfather recall Umi’s behavior at dinner, so he reluctantly agreed. “Alright. Use this room for now, and I’ll move you to a better one later.”

“Yes.”

But that wouldn’t happen.

* * *

Choosing a secluded room turned out to be a wise decision. My presence as a new family member was largely ignored, and everyone quickly adjusted to their daily lives. My mom seemed the most satisfied. Although not heartless enough to abandon her child, she was close. She didn’t want the guilt of abandoning her child but wasn’t willing to take responsibility for me, which always stressed her out. Her emotional struggle gradually grew into resentment towards me.

Rather than showing her negative feelings, she resolved to minimize my presence in the household, which caused me great anxiety. As a child, I tried desperately to gain her favor, but my efforts always backfired, making life suffocating for both of us.

I was quite satisfied with my current life. It was incredibly comfortable being out of the spotlight. Plus, there was another important reason to stay unnoticed.

“It seems I remember my past life.”

Ding!

[Sender: Born From Jiwoo’s Heart]

[Wouldn’t it be more accurate to say you returned?]

“Then it seems I have returned.”

Ding!

[Sender: Betting on Jiwoo’s Life]

[So cute…]

Strange people sent me messages without their numbers appearing. The weirder thing was that I couldn’t send them messages back but just had to speak into the air, and they’d respond.

, the senders were called ‘Constellations.’ I didn’t know what constellations were, though.

“Anyway, I distinctly remember living until I was 26. Then suddenly, I’m eight again… Why?”

The constellations never answered these types of questions. It felt like something was blocking them from doing so. I checked the dungeon quest message again.

“What does the ‘Proposal Event’ mean?”

A proposal means asking someone to marry you, right? Does it mean I have to propose to someone? Or someone has to propose to me? Who would that be?

The more I thought about it, the more confused I became. As I was pondering, I sensed someone approaching the door.

Sure enough, a servant called out, “Jiwoo, Mr. CEO is here.”

“I’ll be right out.”

On days when my stepfather came home early, we all had to gather for dinner. He seemed to want a picture-perfect, harmonious family, but I had no interest in such things.

The whole family gathered in the dining room. After a brief scuffle over Bohyeon’s food preferences, my stepfather spoke up. “It looks like someone is finally moving into the house next door.”

There was a larger house right next to ours that had been vacant. I heard that it belonged to someone who lived overseas and kept it empty.

Mom looked interested at the news of new wealthy neighbors. “Didn’t that house stay empty for a long time?”

“Yes. It turns out the owner is a foreigner. I heard they’re coming to Korea for a short while.”

“What do they do?”

“It seems they run an investment company. Judging by the security, they seem quite important. They have a child too, so try to get close and invite them over.”

Listening quietly, I tilted my head.

In my memory, the house next door was insignificant. We did have a barbecue party together once.

When did a foreign investor buy the house? I was curious.

I met the mysterious neighbors during winter break. They brought traditional Korean rice cakes as a housewarming gift.

“Hello.”

An Asian-looking man with mixed features appeared with his blonde wife and son. My stepfather warmly welcomed them inside. I wanted to slip away, but I got stuck and ended up sitting in the living room.

“

, you speak Korean so fluently. So you’re a Korean-American!”

“My wife is French. She only knows a little Korean.”

Umi, with her eyes sparkling, gazed at the blond boy and quickly approached him. She seemed smitten at first sight. In fact, it would be odd not to like him; he looked like a character straight out of a storybook.

“Hi. Nice to meet you. My name is