There are ranks even among villains.
Some exist solely to torment the protagonist until the very end, destined to be judged and destroyed. Others merely trip the protagonist up along the way before disappearing.
Among them, I was a nobody.
A pathetic, irritating extra who only ever got in the protagonist’s way, never posing any real threat.
Like how a gem shines brighter beside trash, I existed purely to highlight the protagonist—an insignificant villainous side character with no real influence.
I realized this world was inside a novel far too late.
A place filled with the sound of sobbing.
“That’s Baekri Uigang’s daughter?”
“Ah, the trash, right?”
“That piece of garbage!”
The voices that had always followed me clung even to my father’s funeral.
With dull, empty eyes that couldn’t even muster the strength to wail, tears simply streamed down my face.
“She caused Baekri Uigang so much trouble while he was alive, and now she cries like that?”
“Indeed. I heard they didn’t even get along.”
Just as they whispered, my relationship with my father had always been distant.
If anything, it leaned toward bad.
He thought me foolish, and I dismissed him in return.
And yet, I cried for two whole days.
I couldn’t even say exactly why I was crying.
Was it the sorrow of losing my father, or despair at the miserable future awaiting me?
Even I didn’t know. I simply cried and cried, until on the third day I collapsed.
And then I remembered.
My previous life.
It could be summed up simply.
A mother who divorced when I was young—so distant I couldn’t even recall her face.
A father who raised his hand whenever he drank.
And me, endlessly beaten beneath him, until the last thing I remembered was smashing my head against the edge of a table.
Then I remembered something else.
That this world was identical to a martial arts novel I had once read.
‘A novel…? How is that even possible?’
But the life here was undeniably mine.
I remembered everything—the past of this villainous extra that the novel had never even bothered to cover.
The person who took care of me when I was little died. I became a homeless beggar, wandering the streets. Then one day, my well-dressed biological father found me.
As someone who survived by scavenging scraps, refusing him had never been an option.
He took me to an enormous estate that made my eyes widen.
As I passed through gates guarded by men with swords at their waists, I thought:
My life is finally going to get better.
‘And yet… it had to be inside that novel!’
My hands trembled as I picked up the teapot.
But it was empty, and as I weakly set down the teacup, I dropped it.
Crash.
The cup shattered against the stone floor.
There was a reason I was trembling so violently.
Because this novel was one where slaughter would run rampant for the next decade, with characters dying left and right.
And the very first signal of that…
…was my father.
Baekri Uigang—fourth son of the prestigious Baekri family, one of the Ten Great Clans of the orthodox sect. The mentor of the male protagonist, Namgung Ryuchung. A noble sacrifice who awakens the arrogant protagonist into a protector of justice.
That was how my father was described.
And his only daughter, Baekri Yeon.
A foolish, greedy girl who constantly hindered both the protagonist and her father, only to be beheaded in the end.
That… was me.
‘Damn it.’
I had cursed that villainous side character countless times while reading. I told myself I would never live like that.
‘I never said I wanted to become her!’
My father was already dead, and the worst war was just about to begin. And to make matters worse, the novel wasn’t even finished!
‘…What do I do?’
Staying near the male protagonist was far too dangerous for someone like me, who couldn’t even use martial arts. Whether good or evil, a single strike from any of them would kill me instantly.
The protagonist would probably try to protect me, since I was his master’s daughter.
But that would only make me a burdensome liability.
‘I should run.’
If I lived quietly, no one would even notice a minor villain like me existed.
So I ran.
But then…
‘Why is he here?!’
A pale face. A beauty so enchanting it captivated even in a situation like this. A beauty mark tracing the line of his eye.
There was only one character who fit that description.
Didn’t I say earlier that villains have ranks?
If I was a mere extra, then he was a lead.
A leading villain.
The hidden mastermind of this novel—Ya Yul.
The leader of the Cheonsaldan, who carried out the Heavenly Demon Cult’s brutal killings, and would later rise to become one of the Eight Demon Lords, relentlessly tormenting the protagonist.
Drip. Drip.
Moonlight poured through the broken window frame, illuminating the source of the sound.
The dripping came from a severed head.
The metallic stench of blood filled the air.
It looked like a scene straight out of a horror film.
Denying reality, I staggered backward.
The mastermind let out a faint, mocking smile.
“How disappointing. To think Baekri Uigang’s daughter is this pathetic.”
“A-Are you here to kill me? Why? Why?!”
“You’re curious?”
Of course I am!
After my father’s funeral, I cut off all ties and went into hiding.
I had long since distanced myself from the main storyline filled with slaughter!
And yet the final villain himself had come to kill a mere extra like me?!
“That’s because…”
As I focused on his slowly opening lips—
My vision suddenly spun, and the bloodstained floor rushed toward me in slow motion.
Thud.
A dull sound that seemed to echo not in my ears, but inside my head.
I hadn’t even seen him draw his sword.
Blood dripped down the blade as a satisfied smile spread across his lips.
That was the last thing I saw.
‘You bastard.’
A life where I get beheaded… I tried so hard to avoid it.
‘Well, whether I die smashing my head on a table or getting my neck cut off, a pathetic death is still a pathetic death.’
Still, in this novel, getting beheaded is actually one of the milder ways to die…
Something felt off.
‘It hurts… so much…’
I was sure I had died, yet my entire body burned in agony. Would it feel like this if I rolled through flames?
As I writhed in pain, the back of my hand itched unbearably.
Cold, itchy, warm—an odd sensation. Gathering all my strength—
My eyes snapped open.
It took a long time for my vision to focus.
A dim room. The ceiling beams. A window frame shaped like magnolia blossoms.
Even the blue silk canopy above the bed felt strangely familiar.
‘This place is…’
A shadow flickered with the candlelight.
When I saw its owner, my eyes widened.
“Father?”
Something fell from his eyes.
Feeling the tear that landed on my hand, I realized what had awakened me.
‘What… is this? A death flashback?’
My father had been a remarkably handsome man, admired by many women.
But as befitting a mentor who guides the protagonist’s moral growth, he was upright and righteous despite his appearance.
In all the years we lived together, I had only ever seen him cry once.
“I’m sorry. I should have stayed by your side.”
Hearing him say exactly what he had in my memory made me laugh faintly.
Whether this was a flashback, a dream, or hell itself—what did it matter?
“Father… no, Dad. Don’t cry.”
His eyes widened in shock.
I had never seen that expression on him before.
A brief smile passed my lips, followed by a sudden surge of emotion.
As I grew older, our relationship had only worsened.
I couldn’t even remember the last time I saw him smile.
Why did he sacrifice himself for that protagonist? He was such a good person.
Even if he was just a character in a novel, even if he was clumsy in expressing it, he had always been sincere with me.
I only realized that after he died.
That in this miserable life as a villainous extra, he was the only one who had ever truly cared for me.
“I’m sorry… for everything.”
My father still looked as if his soul had left his body.
Something felt lacking.
Right. If I’m going to do this, I might as well do it properly.
With the lighthearted thought of acting like a good daughter just this once, I said:
“I love you.”
His eyes went wide.
‘Heh.’
His shocked expression was strangely satisfying.
Alright. I think I’ve done everything I could.
Now I can close my eyes in peace—
Suddenly, he pulled me into a tight embrace.
The familiar, refreshing scent of my father.
‘Wow… this feels so real. Wait a second.’
A chill ran down my spine.
Is this really a flashback?
What kind of flashback feels like this?
My father spoke, his voice thick with emotion.
“All this time… I thought you resented me. But that wasn’t true at all.”
“…What?”
“I’m sorry. I… I didn’t understand your heart all this time. It’s all because I was lacking. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“…What?”
What… is going on?
