THE VILLAIN'S POV-Chapter 299: Welcome Back, Frey Starlight

– Frey Starlight’s Pov –

Home...

I was sitting at a table with the people I had longed to see more than anything else.

Each of them welcomed me with a warm smile ..

a smile I had nearly forgotten after all this time.

"I’m home."

My mind went completely blank, consumed by the moment I had wished for so desperately.

"It’s been hard, hasn’t it?"

my mother said, placing a hand gently on my back as she sat beside me, trying to comfort me.

I opened my mouth to respond ..

but no words came out.

I didn’t even know what to say.

I simply nodded, lowering my head.

I’d held back those buried emotions until the very end ..

the ones clawing their way to the surface, threatening to explode at any second.

"It was hard... so incredibly hard..."

I looked down at myself, afraid of how much I had changed.

But there was no need for that fear ..

my family accepted me instantly, just as they always had.

That warmth I had missed for so long...

"I suffered so much...

I fought, and fought, and lost...

then stood up again... and again..."

With a shuddered breath, I couldn’t hold the tears back any longer.

I clenched my teeth hard, digging my fingers into my palm so deeply they drew blood.

But no matter what I did ..

I couldn’t stop the tears.

As if on instinct, they all gathered around to comfort me.

My father placed a hand on my shoulder.

My younger brother hugged me tightly.

Even my middle brother—whom I’d never been especially close with—stood beside our father.

"It’s okay, son."

"You’re safe now."

Those words...

They were like a drug.

They made me feel drunk with relief.

When I finally calmed down,

I found my little brother still clinging to me—just like he used to in the past.

"Tell me about your adventures, big brother!"

I blinked in surprise.

He wanted me to talk about everything I’d been through?

"Stop! Do you want him to relive all those horrible things?"

As expected, my mother stepped in immediately ... still thinking of my comfort before anything else, scolding the youngest as he shrank back in guilt.

That’s when I decided to step in.

With a gentle smile, I reassured her:

"It’s okay...

I’ve always wanted someone I could tell my story to."

And in that moment ..

who better than my family?

Sitting beside my little brother and surrounded by the ones I loved most,

I began to tell them my story.

"It all started when I opened my eyes in a wide room that looked like it belonged to the Middle Ages..."

From the beginning.

I told them everything.

A long tale that spanned hours—

but I didn’t leave out a single detail.

How I woke up in the body of Frey Starlight.

The Starlight family.

The journey into the Eastern Nightmare Lands...

My suffering inside the Shadow Sect...

How Frey Starlight was rebuilt from zero.

Every event brought a different reaction from my family.

They listened to every word.

My entry into the temple.

My battle against the Moonlight family.

All the way to the fated Victoriad...

The fight with the princess...

Then the journey to another planet, as the final act.

A story of bitter struggle ..

of blood spilled,

a body that withstood countless horrors just to make it here.

It took me several hours to tell it all.

By the end, I had lost my voice.

But they listened until the very last word—

and I was deeply grateful for that.

"That was amazing!!" my younger brother exclaimed, wide-eyed with excitement.

He was completely captivated by the tale I had told.

Both of my parents nodded at the same time, clearly in agreement.

"Your brother’s right," my father said.

"Even we, as adults who don’t understand much about these kinds of novels...

We still found it fascinating."

Stories like that could grab the attention of a massive audience.

"Why not publish it? I’m sure it would be a huge success."

Even my middle brother chimed in, encouraging me to turn my life into a novel.

Saying it could bring me fame—and maybe even fortune.

I agreed with every word they said.

But something... stirred my curiosity.

"A novel?"

I asked, confused .. staring at their smiling faces.

At the same time...

a strange buzzing sound had been ringing in my ears for a while now...

"Yeah, your novel really is amazing."

They all said it at once.

I stayed silent for a moment, listening to the buzzing sound that had gradually grown louder in my ear.

A novel?

The story of Frey Starlight.

The story of my struggle.

Or rather—his struggle.

I tried to gather my thoughts, but they slowly slipped away.

All logic I had relied on until now was unraveling, as if it had never existed in the first place.

So I simply nodded with a faint smile.

"Yes... it really is a great story."

Maybe I should publish it on Webnovel or something?

Who knows—maybe I could even earn a little money from it!

The idea excited me.

"But how did you come up with something so wild, son?"

My mother’s question gave me pause.

Since she asked...

How did I come up with all of this?

With an awkward smile, I answered:

"You know me... I’ve always had a vivid imagination.

It all just... came together in my mind."

From nothing, I had built an entire world—

a vast and intricate story from scratch.

"Well, it’s great to follow your passion,"

she said,

"but don’t neglect your work. Writing is fine as a hobby—just remember that."

"Of course. You don’t need to worry,"

I reassured her, standing from the dinner table and heading back to my room.

That night,

I slept better than I had in years.

Truly, deeply rested.

But for some reason...

the buzzing in my ear never stopped.

I tried smacking the side of my head a few times,

but it was no use.

"Maybe I should see a doctor?"

I made a mental note to check on it later, then headed downstairs.

It was already 7:00 a.m.—

time to get to work.

The company I’d been with for over a year wasn’t far from home,

but my father still drove me every morning.

It had become a tradition—one he always followed for his children.

I was the last to get dropped off, after my brothers had been taken to school.

"See you later," my dad said with a smile.

I waved back.

"Yeah, see you!"

I started walking toward the office building,

but paused when I heard him call out to me:

"Frey!"

I turned, startled.

Did... did my father just call me by the name of my novel’s protagonist?

"Did you call me?"

I shouted back, confused.

But he just shook his head and waved again before driving off.

I scratched my head, wondering if something was wrong with my hearing,

then entered the building where I worked.

Most of my day was spent inside my office ..

not too big, not too small.

Comfortable enough.

The job wasn’t hard,

but for some reason,

I found myself completely unable to focus.

No matter how hard I tried,

I couldn’t stop thinking about the story.

The events ran through my mind in vivid, overwhelming detail—

not like a fantasy,

but like a reality I had lived.

I truly began to wonder ..

How did I even come up with something like this?

Lost in thought,

I opened my laptop and found my fingers flying across the keyboard.

I began writing the story that had filled my mind from beginning to end.

I wasn’t exactly a master of language or grammar,

but I managed to express every Chapter clearly ..

each one delivered with growing satisfaction.

Little by little ..

Days passed.

Happy days.

Days spent wrapped in the warmth of my family ..

a feeling I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed.

At the same time,

my novel began gaining traction online, building a name for itself around the world.

"A fantasy so vivid, it makes you feel like you’re the main character."

That was one of the most common comments I received ..

and one I couldn’t agree with more.

Because, to me,

I’ve always felt like I truly was Frey Starlight.