I Became the Villain's Little Brother

It was an agonizingly painful feeling...

That was his last impression before the darkness took him, and he opened his eyes from that memory dream.

"Hah..." Yoru rubbed his face as he sat up, calming his erratic heartbeat.

That memory continues to haunt me...

What he dreamed of was the final memory from his first life. A tragic and suffocating end, leading to regrets that had no way of being redeemed.

He could not return to that first life, for he now lived in a world where the people he loved were gone. His family, friends, and also... the real Elaine.

He lived this second reincarnated life hoping to meet them again, thinking he was still in the same world. The same modern world with the same setting. However, Yoru had to admit they did not exist in this world.

After calming down from the haunting effects of the cursed memory dream, Yoru rose from his bed towards the bathroom, looking at his reflection in the mirror.

His appearance was clearly different from his first life. He had gray eyes and slightly curly long black hair, with his bangs partially covering his eyes. His facial features could be considered handsome, and he was an idol to most of the female police officers in the district where he worked. He was 28 years old and lived as a consultant detective, assisting the police force due to his intelligence.

Staring into his gray eyes, Yoru tried to recall his original appearance in his first life, he must not forget it for his regrets and vengeance remained unsettled.

Then, he turned on the faucet and splashed water on his face while preparing the investigation he had planned in his mind.

After freshening up and changing into a white shirt and black pants, looking formal and official, Yoru walked towards the special room he used to store the case files he handled there.

In his apartment room, there was no music or melodies that others would usually play to liven up a home. Yoru had a trauma with certain music that had yet to heal. Sometimes, he had to see his private psychologist to remain sane.

He checked the case map he had pinned to the wall and took one of the photos attached to the map. It was a case that kept puzzling him because it could be said there was almost no evidence.

Also, what was strange was that the perpetrator seemed to have never existed because both their identity and trail could not be traced. The photo in his hand was of the victim's crime scene. A massive fire had occurred, and the only survivor was the victim who was still being treated in the hospital.

Yoru did not consider it a coincidence that the victim's situation was similar to his own as a child in this second life. He too was the sole survivor of a massive fire incident at the orphanage. He had been raised since infancy at that orphanage, unaware of where his family was.

After that, he was adopted by a detective's family who investigated that incident. Not long after, the detective and his family passed away, and Yoru was considered a cursed child. Eventually, only one person was willing to adopt and care for him until now.

However, that person was very difficult to meet, and only once a year could Yoru see him. Yoru regarded him as his older brother because for some reason, that person reminded him of his second older brother from his first life.

This was the last case... he thought, deciding to stop investigating it at his brother's request.

He told Yoru that it was too dangerous to continue, and Yoru must stop or he would not meet him this year. That threat was indeed very effective for Yoru, who only had him as the one person he valued in this world.

Thanks to the regrets of his first life, Yoru learned to prioritize his family above all else for him. That person he regarded as family was his home in this unfamiliar world.

Deep down, Yoru still hoped to return to his first life and redeem his mistake. However, that was certainly an impossible thing. He could only dream and continue to be tormented by guilt until death came again.

At that moment, his phone rang, and he immediately answered it.

"Yoru, we've managed to arrest someone connected to that fire case. As I promised before, I'll let you know and allow you to interrogate them privately," said the voice of the old police chief who employed him.

The successful arrest was thanks to his guidance, so the old chief agreed to his request to interrogate the suspect.

"Okay, I'll be there," Yoru replied, shifting his gaze from the map to the stack of case files on his desk.

This time is truly the last... He did not intend to break his promise to his brother; it was just the interrogation he should do. He had also informed that person, and his response did not forbid him.

...

Upon arriving at the interrogation room, Yoru faced the suspect, a beautiful but seemingly insane woman.

The suspect, who had initially refused to answer any questions, now took the initiative to reveal everything as if she wanted to seduce Yoru.

"What do you want to know?" the woman asked with an obsessive gaze as if she had seen a treasure trove.

Yoru had experienced these strange occurrences many times, so he was no longer surprised. In fact, that was what allowed him to interrogate the suspect because they would volunteer to tell him.

He still did not know the reason, but that did not stop him from taking advantage of it.

"Who are you?" Yoru wanted to know if the woman in front of him would reveal a different answer from the strange people before.

The woman chuckled while looking into his eyes. She answered with words that were difficult to understand and sounded irrational, "I'm not from this world, whatever my identity is here, it doesn't matter."

Yoru fell silent. It was the same answer as the strange people before, which he was still investigating. What did she mean by not being from this world? Then, where did this group of criminals originate from?!

Of course, the question was almost answered; Yoru just needed one more thing to complete it.

"What do you mean by the extreme sensation from the world?" Suppressing his emotions, Yoru voiced the question he had long kept.

The woman was stunned for a moment before unconsciously responding, "Did you meet with—"

Then, she covered her mouth as if she had said something she should not have. Her expression turned horrified.

The corner of Yoru's mouth twitched. He tapped the interrogation table with his fingertips, continuing, "So, you know her? Are you a group of devils working together?"

The woman now refused to answer any of his following questions. Remained silent with sweat pouring and her eyes clouded as if she had suddenly been cursed by a strange witch.

It didn't matter; Yoru had gotten the information he wanted. Apparently, the woman's subconscious reaction confirmed his guess. Compared to the strange people before who did not slip up and did not reveal the most important thing, this woman was a little careless.

He rose from his seat and left the interrogation room. Regarding the results of that interrogation, he no longer cared whether the police could understand it or not. In short, those criminals did not originate from this world.

...

After completing his duty and having submitted his resignation letter, the slightly relaxed Yoru walked towards the park, the place where that person would meet him. That person always asked him to come to that park to wait.

Then, Yoru would usually tell him what he had been through, like a child telling their problems to their parents. On the other hand, that person would listen patiently and give him gifts as a form of his care.

Yoru looked at the bright cloudy sky and the not overly polluted air. His mood improved slightly from the turmoil of emotions he felt in the interrogation room. He had to tell his older brother about his discovery regarding their origins.

He headed to the center of the park, where the familiar bench was located. The park was open to the public, and people came and gathered everywhere. Fortunately, the spot he always used was not occupied by anyone. That too was one of the oddities he often questioned.

This year seemed different from previous years. Was it because Yoru died at the age of 28 in his first life? He had a premonition that something would happen to him today.

Tomorrow was his birthday, April 21st.

As he approached the park bench, Yoru noticed a book left there.

"A novel?" He picked it up and looked at the red cover and the clearly fictional title.

"Unrequited Love"

"Who left it here?" This was clearly the first time this had happened.

In his teenage years, he enjoyed reading novels and comics before switching to focus on studying and deepening his knowledge. It had been a long time since he had seen a printed novel as most had now transitioned to digital novels.

Feeling curious, Yoru wanted to read the story summary since the title was quite unique.

"What kind of unrequited love does this novel portray?" he muttered as he sat down and opened it.

When he flipped through the pages randomly and read certain chapters, his eyes froze.

That was because he saw his own name and someone's name written in there.

"Elaine" and also "Yoru"

Both were characters appearing in that chapter. The problem was, after he read part of it, the story was something he experienced in his first life.

What is this?! Yoru unconsciously dropped the book due to his shock.

His face turned pale as he felt like he was hallucinating. He thought he was still having a strange dream and imagining something irrational.

That's right, who was the author?! He realized the more important matter. He had to know who wrote his story.

He picked up the novel again and searched for the author's name, but unfortunately, there was no author's name or indication of where this novel was made. The contents were only about his story, as if this novel was deliberately made for him.

This... Yoru closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath to calm himself.

After calming down, he glanced at his watch and counted down the remaining time until his meeting with his older brother. He would finish reading this novel while waiting.

The novel wasn't too thick, and the story was like a summary of scenes. The writer didn't care whether the reader understood it or not and only wrote down the key points like a drama script.

The character "Elaine" was the female protagonist in the novel, while "Yoru" was a side character acting as the villain who made things difficult for the female protagonist.

The meaning of the title "Unrequited Love" was actually related to his second older brother who was the villain.

The more Yoru read, the worse his expression became.

The story itself was not well written, plus the plot was beyond reason and made him feel like it was a joke.

In short, the female protagonist had unrequited love for the villain, even though their ages were vastly different. Then, "Yoru's" role there was as an obstacle between the female protagonist and the villain. "Yoru" was obsessed with his older brother and wouldn't let "Elaine" get close to his older brother.

The reason why his older brother played the villain role was that he hated "Elaine" and neglected the female protagonist's feelings. In the middle, the male protagonist finally appeared.

Yoru closed the novel, the corner of his mouth twitching several times. He couldn't stand continuing it, but he had to know its contents because some things did match what he had experienced.

The male protagonist was "Allen", Yoru's first older brother.

So, the melodramatic novel story ended with the death of the minor villain, "Yoru", by taking his own life. Meanwhile, the villain and the male protagonist eventually became part of "Elaine's" harem.

Yoru's hands trembled as he restrained himself from tearing up the novel and stomping on it. His controlled emotions became turbulent because he could not accept such a story.

"What nonsense is this?" Yoru didn't understand why such a story was written.

Aside from a few parts, the main story was completely inaccurate. He was sure it was he who was controlled by "Elaine" and not the other way around. Also, regarding his manner of death in the novel, it was almost the same as his choice in his first life. As if he was being pushed to fulfill that plot.

He was immersed in his frustration to the point of not realizing that the person he was waiting for had arrived. Only when that person sat next to him did Yoru start.

"What's that?" That person took the novel from him and flipped through its contents.

Yoru observed and waited for his reaction, but that person's stoic expression remained the same from start to finish.

It was only when he returned the novel to Yoru and looked at him while he smiled.

"At a glance, it seems like an interesting story," was his brief comment as he handed Yoru the bag containing gifts as usual.

"Is that so?" Yoru stiffly responded and accepted his gift.

"Well, you've grown up. This brother can't protect you any longer in this place," said the man who looked like an actor.

His profession was an actor who often filmed abroad and only occasionally returned just to meet Yoru once a year. The same profession as his second older brother in his first life.

"..." Yoru did not respond and just kept staring at the novel.

"Nothing you want to tell me?" That person looked at him with curiosity.

Yoru opened and closed his mouth before finally recounting what he had planned. After summarizing everything and also not hiding the strangeness of the novel, he ended it with a question, "Are those strange people really not from this world? Is our world like the story in this written novel?"

That person fell silent for a long time, letting the silence pass for a few moments, then gave his unexpected answer, "If our world is a novel, do you want to revise it and start over from the beginning?"

Yoru was dumbfounded. Vaguely he felt something strange. Was his surroundings suddenly getting dark or was he gradually losing consciousness?

"You..." Yoru looked at him and saw the face of his second older brother on that person.

"Unfortunately, your time here is up, you must return, Yoru. See you again."

That person raised his hand towards Yoru's face to cover his eyes.

Instantly, Yoru felt like he was dropped from an endless height before jolting out of his daze.

"Hah...Hah..." Cold sweat dripped amidst the pouring rain sounds.

Rain?!

Yoru was stunned when he saw his surroundings, then realized his low vantage point. He stared at his shrunken hands and the gravestone in front of him.

His pupils trembled violently. He...He had returned to his first life right at the funeral of his parents at the age of eight.

***