BJ Villainess

I turned off the annoying alarm right away and staggered out of bed.

The small room I chose when I was 8 was still being used 10 years later at 18. The only things that had changed were the bed, desk, and chair, which had been adjusted to fit my grown height.

The good thing about this room was that it was tucked away in a corner on the first floor, allowing me to enjoy a tranquil morning when I opened the window.

As I inhaled, the scent of the early spring garden, still bearing traces of winter, filled my lungs.

It was the only peaceful moment in a house that was never quiet.

Without turning around, I fumbled on the bed for my phone.

The world has moved from feature phones to smartphones. One thing that hadn’t changed was the existence of the constellations.

[Sender: Please stop]

[Change your alarm sound. I really hate it

ㅠ

.]

Ding!

[Sender: As Long As It’s Not Me]

[At least you’ll wake up quickly from the stress.]

“If you set a pleasant song as your alarm, you’ll never be able to listen to it again. I don’t want that.”

Ding!

[Sender: Professional Instructor]

[You don’t even listen to music regularly. You’re just too lazy to set it up.]

“Whatever.”

I entered the bathroom while conversing with the now familiar unknown beings. Holding a toothbrush in my mouth, I stared at my reflection in the mirror.

My hair had grown long enough to reach my waist. In my past life, I always cut it to shoulder length because it was bothersome to wash and dry.

Does it make me feel more stable?

“Come to think of it, my appearance seems a bit different from my memory.”

I rarely went outside, so my fair skin had become even fairer. My eyes, which I remembered being an ordinary brown, had taken on a grayish hue as I aged and were now a distinct gray. Because of this, I often had to deal with misunderstandings about wearing colored contact lenses.

“Did I always look like this?” I remembered looking much plain, but now I had a strangely glamorous look.

I washed up, dried my wet hair, and changed into the dark gray school uniform hanging on the wall. After packing my bag, I quickly walked down the hallway to the kitchen, where the housekeeper glanced at me.

“I baked some bread. Eat before you go.”

Though not affectionate, she was the one who took the best care of me in this house.

Grateful, I picked up a piece of toast just as a commotion erupted from upstairs, where Umi was causing a ruckus.

“

, my hair’s ruined!”

The housekeeper and I sighed simultaneously.

“Here we go again.”

I smiled without responding and headed to the front door with the toast.

“

.”

I went back to grab another piece of toast and stepped outside. After popping one piece into my mouth, I wheeled my bike out the main gate, where Ozworld was quietly observing the magnolias blooming beyond the wall.

“Hey.”

Ozworld turned his head at my call. Clad in a gray uniform and holding the bike handle, he looked unrealistically handsome.

Despite being together for 9 years, his excessively handsome appearance was still hard for me to get used to. No, he seemed to get better looking with each passing day.

“Here.”

I handed him the extra piece of toast. Instead of taking it with his hand, Ozworld opened his mouth and bit down on the corner.

“Hold it with your hands and eat it.”

“It’s delicious.”

“I told you to hold it!”

He smiled cheekily, took another bite, and straightened up. This guy must be thinking that I was his servant.

“I’ll shove it into your mouth.”

At my not-so-subtle threat, Ozworld finally took the toast. His large hand completely enveloped mine for a moment, making me frown unconsciously.

“Let’s go. We need to get through the school gate before they catch me wearing gym pants under my skirt.”

“Why don’t we just take the car to school?”

“No way. Your family’s car is too flashy.”

As we were chatting, the garage door opened, and a sleek black sedan appeared, stopping abruptly. Umi stuck her upper body out of the window, her hair overly curled.

“Oppa!” She waved enthusiastically at Ozworld, then scowled when she saw me.

Ozworld climbed onto his bike and put his foot on the pedal. “Let’s go.” He acted as if he hadn’t even noticed Umi.

“She’s greeting you.”

When I signaled him to acknowledge her, Ozworld frowned in annoyance.

“I don’t like her.”

I couldn’t force him to greet someone he disliked, but it would result in me being nagged.

Whether at school or home, everyone bothered me because I was Ozworld’s best friend.

“You’re really annoying, you know?”

I sighed and got on my bike. It was best to escape quickly in this situation.

I was worried she might follow Ozworld to our school, but fortunately, she didn’t like our gray uniforms.

Ozworld quickly caught up and rode beside me. “You’ve gotten used to it, haven’t you?”

“At least you know you’re annoying.”

“You always nag me.”

I wasn’t nagging him, but I had spent 9 years tiptoeing around his highly sensitive and irritable nature.

If I argued with Ozworld, I’d have bad luck all day. It wasn’t just a saying. Genuinely unlucky things would happen. So, I got into the habit of avoiding fights with him whenever possible. Ozworld, however, didn’t seem to think so.

“You’re so difficult to please.”

What did I just hear? His absurd and ridiculous complaint left me genuinely speechless.

“Who are you to say that? You’re the picky one. I’m easygoing.”

“Doubt it.”

We continued our trivial bickering until we arrived at school. Parking out our bikes side by side, we walked to our classroom together. As always, we were the first to arrive.

“Come to think of it, we’ve been in the same class for 9 years. Isn’t that statistically impossible?”

“Is that strange too?” Ozworld responded with an odd remark, chuckling.

“See? You’re picky.”

“How does that even follow?”

Sometimes, Ozworld said things that were incomprehensible. Whenever he did, he had this oddly superior air, as if he knew everything while I knew nothing.

Our seats were always next to each other, just like we had been in the same class for 9 years. In elementary school, I thought they seated us together because he was a foreigner with no local ties, and I was his closest friend. But the fact that it continued through middle and high school was indeed strange.

My stepfather said that the Holton family was an incredibly huge conglomerate, which made him desperate to bond with them.

My stepfather would mutter like that, glancing at me. Then he’d laugh at his own absurd thoughts and shake his head, muttering, “No way.” It was just a suspicion, but it seemed he also suspected Ozworld was staying in Korea because of me. In fact, I had the same suspicion.

“Are you really going to attend university in Korea?”

Ozworld had never lost his rank as the top student and was always in the top 1%, even on mock exams. It was baffling why someone so smart would stay in Korea.

“I’ll go anywhere. University doesn’t really matter to me.”

Did he go through puberty late?

I asked seriously. “Are you thinking of becoming a celebrity?”

Ozworld laughed as if the idea was absurd. “Not at all.”

Despite my scrutinizing gaze, Ozworld leaned in, resting his chin on his hand. His face was so close that anyone would fall in love instantly upon meeting his eyes, so I held my breath.

“What about you? Where are you planning to go?”

I found it difficult to answer. If I could count on my family’s support, I could apply to top universities. But if everything went wrong and I had to leave that house, the best option would be a university that offered a full scholarship.

I took on multiple tutoring jobs each day. Occasionally, I did high-paying part-time jobs, which led to frequent nosebleeds. It even made me collapse a few times. Eating poorly and not resting inevitably took a toll on my body.

“I’ll decide after seeing this year’s mock exam results.”

I gave a vague answer, and then Park Hamin entered the classroom. She was my only female friend and had been in the same class during our first year.

“Hi. Early again? I’m going to the cafeteria. Do you want to come with me, Chae Jiwoo?”

I smiled and got up.

Hamin politely asked Ozworld as well. “Want to join too?”

Ozworld shook his head without a smile. Hamin, expecting that, grabbed my arm.

Ozworld waved at me. “See you, Jiwoo.” His tone was always annoyingly affectionate when I was with others.

Hamin and I headed to the cafeteria together. She squinted her eyes. “You two never get tired of each other. Are you sure you’re not dating?”

I was tired of hearing this every year.

“We’re childhood friends.”

“What kind of childhood friends are like that? Do you know how much worry Ozworld is when I talk to you?”

“Why?”

“Why do you think? He hates it when you talk to anyone but him.”

Ozworld had stopped interacting with others long ago. So I also had to spend time only with him. Because of that, my first friend other than Ozworld, Park Hamin, was precious to me.