The Villainess's Guide to Winning the Male Lead

Chapter 58

We entered the clothing store.

Most of the clothes seemed like something you would dress a doll in, filled with lace, but among them, there were some that were relatively modest.

“How about this one?”

“I don’t like anything with frills.”

Having been Anais and wearing dresses was enough; I was quite fed up with them.

Eventually, I chose a simple knit dress. Accompanied by a silk ribbon hair tie recommended by the staff, I tied my hair in a half-up style and stepped out.

I was used to wearing hoodies or tracksuits, so this attire was new to me.

“Cute!”

Ian clapped his hands with positive feedback. In contrast, the manager just looked at me expressionlessly.

“Why? Doesn’t it suit your taste?”

“I told you to choose according to your taste, not mine...”

The manager sighed deeply.

“Let’s buy this. I’ll pay for it.”

Ian was the only one excited. It seemed I had hit the mark with Ian’s taste.

This seemed more in line with Ian’s preference than the manager’s. I wondered if this was really okay.

We bought various other clothes too.

I hadn’t even worn the clothes OnlyFinley bought for me once. My wardrobe was just piling up.

No matter what I wore, the manager’s reaction was consistently indifferent. Whether I did this or that, there was no change. It was the complete opposite of Ian, who was always lively in his reactions.

“Isn’t it a bit too much? You could at least say it looks pretty.”

“I can’t just say anything carelessly in this situation.”

The manager sounded wronged by Ian’s teasing.

Well, if the manager complimented me here, it was certain that both of us would make a fuss about it, so it seemed he was deliberately restraining himself.

“Be honest, we won’t tease you.”

“You think I’d believe that?”

“Really, I promise.”

After being prompted by me and Ian, the manager seemed to contemplate for a moment before speaking.

“...It’s cute.”

Ian and I grinned at his words.

The manager, knowing this would happen, blushed and got angry.

“You said you wouldn’t tease!”

“We didn’t say anything though.”

“Exactly. He’s being weird, Jiha. Right?”

“Ugh, really.”

The manager seemed to be sulking as he walked ahead briskly. Ian and I followed him, laughing.

* * *

At Ian’s offer to cook dinner, we came to his house.

We had stopped by the supermarket on the way to pick up ingredients.

“Ian, are you a good cook?”

“Better than Hans, at least?”

Ian joked.

Considering the manager didn’t retort angrily, it seemed he indeed wasn’t much of a cook.

I couldn’t say much either since I had mostly survived on instant food during my solo living days. Cooking was truly an uncharted territory for me.

“Sit on the couch. I’ll make it quickly.”

Ian said, tying up his hair. His black hair, which reached down to his neck, was neatly tied up.

The structure of the house was the same, but Ian’s house was decorated a bit more stylishly than the manager’s. It was fascinating how different the house looked just because of the interior design.

“Did you two get assigned to adjacent houses because you’re close?”

“Um― it’s more the opposite, actually.”

Ian answered while preparing the ingredients.

“We weren’t close initially, but we ended up in the same dorm because we were cohorts. Getting to know each other while commuting together made us closer.”

If they were cohorts, they would frequently run into each other at work, and living next door only facilitated that. They practically spent the whole day together.

‘It’s possible to become this close with a cohort, huh.’

In my case, I always saw my cohort as a rival.

Thinking about my previous life made me feel down again. My mood inevitably sank whenever I thought about my cohort.

That’s when the manager lightly pinched my cheek.

“Stop thinking about unpleasant things.”

“How did you know?”

Although it was a single bed, it felt quite spacious. Maybe because I was small.

The manager lay down without hesitation. It wasn’t the first time we shared a bed, and there was no awkwardness. He seemed unbothered.

“See, it’s cramped.”

“It’s fine. It’s just that your bed was unusually big.”

“Ugh.......”

The manager only sighed without saying much else.

Unlike me, who was looking around with my eyes open, the manager lay in a straight position with his eyes tightly closed.

I poked the manager gently.

“Manager, Manager.”

“What now.”

“I have something I want to ask.”

“I’ll listen tomorrow. Go to sleep.”

“I want to ask now.”

“.......”

The manager remained silent with his eyes closed. I took it as a cue and asked my question.

“Why can’t I call you by your name?”

“What do you mean.”

“Everyone else calls you by your name. Even Ian does.”

“That’s because he’s my cohort.”

“I’ve gotten quite close too, can’t I call you by your name?”

The manager’s brow furrowed, but he still stubbornly kept his eyes closed.

“Do as you wish.”

Finally, I got the permission. Persistently bothering him seemed to be the most effective tactic with the manager.

I grinned and called the manager by his name.

“Hans.”

“What.”

“Hans.”

“Say something.”

“Hans.”

“Ah, really.”

Eventually, the manager sat up and firmly pressed my head with his hand. Even with his hand on my head, I couldn’t help but feel happy.

“Why are you so cheerful? It’s time to sleep.”

“Just because. I always feel good when I come to the Celestial Realm.”

“Weirdo.”

The manager lay back down on the bed.

Now that I could call Hans by his name, it felt like a significant achievement.

* * *

When I woke up, Hans was not beside me. I yawned widely and shuffled into the living room.

“Awake?”

Hans was setting something on the dining table.

As I approached, I saw toast and milk. Beside the golden-brown toast was strawberry jam. It looked very appetizing.

“You said you couldn’t cook. You’re pretty good.”

“It’s just bread I put in the toaster.”

“Still.”

“Well...”

Hans seemed to appreciate the compliment.

We sat opposite each other and had breakfast.

Living together was something we had been doing in the other world too, but perhaps because it was a house and not a mansion, the feeling of cohabitation was more pronounced.

“What do you want to do today? Should we start heading back?”

We had only said we were going on a trip, so there was no time limit for staying in the Celestial Realm. My body would be well taken care of at the temple. It would be fine as long as we didn’t stay too long.

However, it’s not good to neglect the body for too long, so it would be better to return sooner.

But before that, there’s one thing I want to do.

“Before we go back, there’s something I want to do.”

At my words, Hans looked at me curiously.

“What is it?”

I just smiled slyly, not saying anything.