IBSBV Ch 9

Chapter 9

As the old monitor flickered to life, the date and year displayed at the bottom of the screen caught his eye.

After doing the math, he realized—he was eighteen. At this time, he had already grown utterly tired of his brother’s violence, careful never to do anything that might provoke him.

He had lived every day holding his breath. Even when he ran away from home, he would always be dragged back before long.

And yet, why did this all feel so familiar?

“The readers must be waiting. I need to hurry and write this.”

Spreading open a cheap notebook and placing a pen on top of it, Jung Suhyun opened a Hangul document and began typing furiously.

‘What is this? What am I doing right now?’ 

Eddie hurriedly tried to follow the words flashing across his eyes like lightning.

He saw a familiar title and familiar names.

The Villain Wants to Be Happy.

Louis Delvern Enders, Sover Delvern Enders, Eddie Royson…

How could this be?

How was Jung Suhyun, at eighteen, writing the novel that he had only stumbled upon at twenty-four?

Before he could even begin to unravel this question, the world around him was suddenly swallowed by darkness.

And when his vision cleared again—he was being subjected to ruthless violence.

“You little shit! Didn’t I tell you not to use the computer?”

“What, you think you can act all high and mighty just because you bought it with your own money? Huh? You think you’re better than me because I don’t have any?”

“If I’d been born into a rich family, I would’ve been better off than anyone else!”

The flurry of punches raining down on his head blurred his consciousness. The relentless kicks that followed, merciless and unrestrained, were so brutal that even in this half-detached state, he could still feel the pain.

His brother, drunk and seething—perhaps because of something that had happened outside—beat him as if he truly intended to kill him. The harsher the violence became, the louder the television blared from the living room.

“Tsk. If he’s got time to mess around on the computer, he should be out making money.”

His father clicked his tongue in disapproval.

Beside him, his mother leisurely ate an apple, her face utterly indifferent.

The line dividing the narrow room from the cramped living room formed a perfect balance—peace and hell standing side by side, neither outweighing the other.

Jung Suhyun getting beaten was such a normal part of their daily lives that it didn’t even warrant a reaction.

For hours, the brutal beating continued until Jung Suhyun finally lost consciousness. As his vision darkened, Eddie’s world plunged into darkness as well.

When his awareness finally clawed its way back from the depths, dim light was seeping in through the curtains.

“……”

Realizing that the nightmare-like phenomenon had ended, Eddie slowly pushed himself upright, his face blank.

For some reason, his hands were trembling uncontrollably.

Like a broken toy.

He hadn’t felt any pain at the time, thanks to the detached state of his senses, but the memory of learned pain still lingered in his head and abdomen, seeping into him like a dull ache. Then, a sudden realization struck him—if he stayed like this, he might completely lose himself.

Eddie forced his stiff neck to turn, shaking his head violently several times. But even so, the unpleasant stench of the past still clung to his nose and mouth like a residue, tormenting him.

A wave of nausea surged.

He stumbled out of bed and yanked the curtains open. Then, he threw the window wide. Whoosh. A gust of cold northern wind swept over him.

His skin froze in an instant. The air that rushed into his nostrils was razor-sharp, stinging like a blade. And yet, paradoxically, this new pain helped to steady his erratic emotions.

Hoooo…

Exhaling deeply, Eddie turned to look at the bed. On top of the disheveled sheets sat something that could be either a diary or a notebook—he couldn’t tell.

He reached out and picked it up—

 

[You have regained part of your rights as the original author, along with your lost memories.]

 

A screen materialized in the air.

He had called out for the status window at least ten times on the first day he had possessed this body, yet it had never once appeared. But now, it finally responded to the original author.

Eddie opened the notebook in his hands. The pages, once blank, were now densely filled with Hangul¹

Every character and world-building note he had jotted down in a cheap notebook while writing his novel had been copied over exactly.

A dry scoff escaped through Eddie’s stiff lips.

They say people can only express the world they’ve experienced. And Eddie Royson’s life—It was far too similar to Jung Suhyun’s.

Like a shadow.

What about Louis? Throughout his childhood, all he had seen and experienced was narrow-minded indifference and abuse. At that time, there were clear limitations to the type of character he could create. 

In the end, it was himself, who had to endure the same hell, who had thrown Louis into the fires of hell.

And because of the title he had been so fond of, even obsessed with, Louis’s life had been utterly ruined.

As a reader, he had either skimmed through or never even finished the original story, leaving him only with vague assumptions about its ending. But now, as the author who had regained a fragment of that past time, recalling that ending sent a chill deep into his chest.

The villain wants to be happy.

Unlike the deeply rooted wish it contained, wanting to be happy ultimately meant not being able to become happy.

And besides, he was the villain. Villains could never be happy.

Because they’re villains. Because villains must meet an end befitting villain.

“Ha… haha…”

Gripping the window sill with both hands, Eddie hung his head low and let out a hollow laugh.

Then, it happened.

 

—Ding! Ding! Ding!

 

Like a scolding urging him to get a grip, an alarm rang noisily in his head.

Forcing himself to swallow back the self-mockery that had been echoing in his mind, he raised his gaze. The system screen had changed.

 

[As the original author, you may modify or add to the title and keywords.

※ You can only change the title once. Please decide carefully.

※ The current established character values cannot be altered.

※ Extreme keyword additions that disrupt the flow of the original work are not permitted.]

 

Eddie read the words on the system screen one by one, imprinting them in his eyes and mind.

He focused especially on the second and last lines. The fact that the characters’ personalities and backgrounds, which had been built upon the existing keywords, could no longer be changed.

In other words, no matter how much he wanted to add keywords like ‘#instantly happy ‘#immediately regains sight’ for Louis, it was impossible due to the way the story had already progressed.

However, for keywords related to events yet to unfold in the future, he could modify or add them before those parts were revealed.

Eddie’s gaze grew calm, and his thoughts quickly fell into order.

 

[Modifications and additions should be recorded in the setting book for review before implementation.

※ Accuracy of implementation is not guaranteed at 100%.]

 

‘So they’ll reflect it, but not necessarily exactly as I intend.’

Nodding to himself, Eddie watched as the system screen vanished, as if it had finished its job.

Closing the window, he placed the setting book into his magic pouch.

There’s a saying that the more urgent something is, the more you need to take your time.

Though this was a world he created, Eddie was ultimately just another character within it. This was because the worldview had been altered through his possession.

If he changed the keywords, the characters would simply devise new ways to overcome the crises they faced.

And they had the means to do so—people to command, an abundance of power and wealth, and information at their disposal.

Thus, keyword changes and additions had to be done within a range he could predict.

Muttering to himself about what was necessary, Eddie left his room and entered Louis’s chambers. Louis had just woken up.

Louis wouldn’t be able to see him anyway, but Eddie quickly schooled his expression and adjusted his tone.

“Good morning.”

“…Mm.”

Good morning.

Still groggy with sleep, Louis mumbled in reply. His complexion looked like that of someone who had slept soundly.

His hair was a mess, sticking out in all directions, and Eddie took hold of his arm.

“Since you’re up, let’s go wash. It’s too much to do daily, but at least every other day, we should bathe properly.”

He wanted to wash himself as well. To let the nightmares of the past flow away in clean water, even if only for a moment.

As soon as they reached the bathroom, he immediately started filling the tub. A butler hurried in, belatedly catching up, and brought warming stones, shampoo, soap, and towels.

Once the butler had left, Eddie wasted no time stripping Louis of his clothes. Then, he quickly took off his own.

Listening to the rustling of fabric, Louis asked,

“What… are you doing?”

“Undressing.”

“…All of it?”

“Yes.”

“Why? Why are you taking off everything?”

His voice trembled slightly, as if uneasy.

“I’m going to wash as well. The water is heated now, so let’s get in together.”

At Eddie’s words, Louis’s ears turned red in an instant. He fumbled for his discarded clothes, hastily covering his lower body as he backed away.

“You go first. I’ll wash myself later.”

“That would take twice as long. Let’s just wash together.”

Eddie strode forward and grasped Louis’s arm. He then stretched out his leg to move aside the clothes behind him, but as his bare thigh brushed against Louis’s, the man startled violently and yanked his arm free.

Eddie immediately reached out again.

“It’s dangerous, Your Highness.”

If he stepped back any further, he would trip.

“There are clothes behind you. If you step on them, you might fall.”

At those words, Louis instinctively lowered his gaze.

Though he couldn’t see, he tried to confirm the truth. Feeling around with his heel, he eventually located the fabric, then carefully moved it aside before once again pulling his arm away with more force.

“Bathing together is more efficient. Attending to Your Highness always leaves my clothes soaked anyway. Rather than making things unnecessarily complicated, isn’t it better to just finish washing quickly and have breakfast?”

At the mention of breakfast, Louis hesitated.

Seizing the moment, Eddie lifted him up without warning. His bare chest pressed against Louis’s exposed back.

It was the first time Louis had felt another person’s body against his own. He shuddered violently, trembling as though his heart might burst from the overwhelming heat.

“L-Let go!”

Louis struggled fiercely. In the chaos, their legs tangled.

Unfortunately, water had already spilled over the edge of the tub, leaving the floor slippery. As Eddie lost his balance, the two tumbled into the bathtub with a loud splash.

“Ugh!”

The bathtub was more like a small pool—perhaps not quite the size of a full bathhouse, but still exceptionally large and deep. Water surged upward in waves, splashing out before crashing back down.

Gulping in an accidental mouthful of water, Louis thrashed wildly, desperate to escape. In his frantic movements, his elbow struck Eddie’s chin and chest, while his hands and hips brushed against places they definitely shouldn’t have.

Before their bodies could become even more entangled in an even stranger position, Eddie quickly released his grip.