BJ Villainess Chapter 289

Shocked screams erupted from all directions.

 

“W-What is this?!”

 

People flailed helplessly in the air. Among them, I stood, my whole body tingling, breathing heavily. I was the one who had created this phenomenon. But this surreal situation didn’t surprise me as much as it should have. It was as if I had somehow known, since childhood, that I possessed this power.

 

The bicycle thief, Chae Bohyeon, and now this. I let everything that was floating in the air fall back down. More shocked screams erupted in clusters.

 

“What are you?! What did you do?! What’s your identity?!” My stepfather shouted, looking around for something to attack me with.

 

I put my index finger to my lips. “Shh.”

 

The noisy surroundings fell silent. Everyone, overwhelmed by the unknown power, was trembling, on the brink of suffocation. The people who had shaken my life and made it miserable were, in fact, so weak and insignificant. Realizing that left me more empty than exhilarated.

 

“Don’t ever touch me again, and don’t look for me.”

 

With those words, I walked toward the front door. But in front of the door, Umi stood frozen, holding her phone.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“Huh…?”

 

I snatched the phone from Umi’s hand and saw that it was recording a video. “Are you going to upload this to your social media?”

 

Umi couldn’t answer.

 

I crushed the phone into dust and spoke in a cold voice. “Umi, this is my last warning: stop doing bad things.”

 

“…”

 

“You never change.”

 

With no further interruptions, I was able to leave the house. It was then that my head, which had been elated as if I had become a different person, cooled down. My whole body trembled slightly.

 

What did I just do? What was the power I used as naturally as breathing? Terrified, I sought out Ozworld.

 

“Oz!”

 

I had an irrational belief that Ozworld could explain this strange phenomenon. But more than that, I simply needed him now. In this world that had become so bizarre, I needed him—the only one on my side.

 

His house was completely empty.

 

“Ozworld?”

 

Just moments ago, I had been here. But in that short time, the house was as empty as if someone had moved out. I rushed upstairs, throwing open every door.

 

“Gasp… gasp…”

 

No one was there. Nothing was there. It was as if everything had vanished, like a system deletion. This couldn’t be happening. It made no sense.

 

With trembling hands, I hastily called Ozworld.

 

-The number you have dialed is not in service…

 

Even though Ozworld’s name was clearly displayed on the screen, the cold, mechanical voice told me it was an unavailable number.

 

“You said you’d follow me even if I went abroad…”

 

Ozworld had vanished without a trace.

 

36. Weakness

Ozworld was ejected from Theresa’s ‘Abyss,’ which had been nearing completion in a satisfactory form. Something had interfered with the system and kicked only him out.

 

That rat was still inside the company. He tracked down the ones who had tampered with the system and destroyed them the moment he caught them. There was no need for interrogation. As soon as he had the physical body in his grasp, he extracted all the data. However, it seemed the enemy knew his abilities in advance; most of the information was unnaturally censored. One thing, however, was imprinted vividly in his mind.

 

“The Ozworld Company Victim’s Union. Hardy.”

 

He realized that the group attacking the system and the channel manager was different from the antis, who rampaged wearing red hoods. But he hadn’t expected the leader of the victim’s union to be Hardy.

 

“So you’re still alive.”

 

He had thought he had destroyed the entire Signio planet, killing everyone.

 

Ozworld opened the screen to check on Jiwoo, whom he had left in the world from which he had disappeared. The scene of Jiwoo finally severing ties with her family was being broadcast.

 

The Abyss of Theresa that he had created wasn’t an ordinary dungeon. It wasn’t a virtual world featured in <God’s Play>, but a real existing world he had implemented. Due to its intricacy, he couldn’t use his power at will. Frequent use of external powers incompatible with the world would cause errors in the intricately organized system. Yet, Jiwoo, who only used magic, lifted objects into the air without any restrictions.

 

Ozworld, who wasn’t usually impressed by most things, often found himself amazed by Theresa’s exceptional affinity. Her affinity permeated deeply into the world, so she wasn’t greatly restricted even when using powers, unlike Ozworld, whose abilities were destructive and disruptive.

 

Ozworld took out his pocket watch. A large crack ran across the glass face of the ornate pocket watch.

 

[“You said you’d follow me even if I went abroad…”]

 

Ozworld felt a headache as he watched Jiwoo, who was sitting on the floor and crying. It was troublesome. It felt a bit infuriating. No, was he actually heartbroken? He wasn’t used to naming such emotions, so he was confused. What was certain was that he was filled with the thought that he had to return immediately.

 

“Mr. CEO! Are you alright?!”

 

The expressions of the employees who had found Ozworld, knowing something had happened, were grim.

 

Ozworld asked with a cold face. “How is the dungeon?”

 

“The data is severely damaged, and it will take time to restore it, so you can’t re-enter it right now.”

 

Time inside the dungeon flowed much faster than outside. If he hadn’t been careful, Jiwoo could have reached the age of 26 without Ozworld existing. Of course, he could enter the dungeon again and reverse time, but he couldn’t infinitely use the power to turn back all the timelines, including Pantheon.

 

Ozworld transmitted the data he had just acquired about the victim’s union to the employees. “From now on, attack the victim’s union with full force. Stop acting defensively and eliminate them the moment they are suspected.”

 

“But that will incur huge fines.”

 

“I don’t care.”

 

The employees interpreted his indifference as confidence that he could recover from any loss. But that wasn’t the case. Ozworld genuinely didn’t care if he suffered a loss or if the company went bankrupt. For him, Pantheon was a playground. Becoming a channel manager and the Chairman Alpha were all part of the game. Of course, there were slightly different reasons, too.

 

Putting a character in a desired setting, observing the results, and seeing what kind of ripple effect it had. It was a sort of value verification. Ozworld continued creating new worlds to see how his thoughts were received, and he realized that his essence had not changed. It was an unpleasant yet intriguing discovery.

 

Amidst it all, he never touched ‘romance.’ It was something he disliked the most and was inherently incomprehensible to him. That’s why this experiment was exceptionally important.

 

An individual he liked had finally appeared, and he was tired of Pantheon. He wanted to end this long, tiresome game that he had experienced to exhaustion. So, he invested an astronomical amount of coins to build a house. A house called ‘Earth’ where he would live with her.

 

Ozworld was very fond of that house and the role of [Ozworld Holton]. So, as always, he intended to completely seize what he desired.

 

Ozworld entered the server room, where only system engineers were allowed. In the center of the server room, the damaged Earth was rotating. All powers used in Pantheon required coins, and repairing the system ultimately required coins as well.

 

Isn’t it fortunate? Ozworld had overwhelming wealth accumulated over many years. It was perfect timing, as it felt like he had lived this unbearably long life for this moment.

 

He began repairing the system with omnipotent power swiftly. Unlike his usual self, he wanted to quickly regain his beautifully imperfect lover.

 

* * *

Five years had passed since Ozworld disappeared. The world without him proceeded remarkably similar to how it had before my regression. Ah, there was something different. Fortunately, I had professional-level development skills. So I could sell games to make money. Although I didn’t earn much, just enough to cover tuition, rent, and living expenses, it was indeed a better situation. But it didn’t dramatically change my life. Without what made this life special, I was just Shin Jiwoo, as before.

 

I habitually opened a browser and searched for the Holton Company on my phone. Although Ozworld had vanished, the Holton Company still existed.

 

The Ozworld’s house I occasionally visited remained empty. That’s why I was confused. Did he leave urgently because of family matters without telling me? Or did he really evaporate in an instant like the alien being I suspected him to be?

 

At one point, I even considered visiting the company to ask if they had a son named Ozworld Holton and where he was. But I didn’t. Since there had been no contact until now, our connection must have ended here. We never matched in the first place.

 

I shook my head, dismissing unnecessary thoughts.

 

“Jiwoo!”

 

Someone called my name cheerfully from behind, running up to me and hugging me. It was Lim Seonga, the youngest daughter of a wealthy family, known for attending school as a hobby.

 

I bowed my head slightly. “Hello.”

 

“Hi. So, did you think about my proposal?”

 

This senior had particularly liked me in my past life, even wanting me to join her first when she planned to start a gaming company.

 

“To join the company if you create one?”

 

“Yeah. I can’t do it now, but once I graduate, my dad said he’d provide the initial funding. What do you think?”

 

“I’ll think about it.”

 

“You always say you’ll think about it but never actually consider it!”

 

Senior Seonga was sharper than I thought.

 

“We can talk about the company later. For now, go on the blind date I mentioned last time. He’s a really great guy, and he’s been begging me to introduce you. If you go on the date, I’ll treat you to a meal.”

 

A meal ticket, huh? I mentally calculated then nodded. “The other person will pay for the meal, right?” Considering he’s older and a company employee, it’s natural he’d cover the meal on a date.

 

“Of course! I’ll pass your contact information on to him now and tell him to buy something delicious, so enjoy an expensive meal.”

 

“Sure.”

 

I felt a bit burdened since I had never been on a blind date before, but if Senior Seonga was recommending him, he couldn’t be bad.

 

I hope he’s a good person. So I could completely forget about my ex.