Chapter 47: Go away, you're a nuisance (2)
TL/Editor: Raei
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Like Solace, I froze, listening to the anger Song Soo-yeon was venting.
Villains coming after me.
Honestly, I had never really thought about it.
Or if I had, I didn't give it much attention.
Because the likelihood was so slim.
Solace had already firmly declared she didnt know me.
From a villain's perspective, there was nothing to gain by attacking someone like me.
It would only provoke the heroes unnecessarily.
However, the possibility was slim, not non-existent.
Among the villains, there were many who were incomprehensible, and they might just harm me for fun.
I understood why Song Soo-yeon was so heated about this.
Having felt the absurdity of powers throughout her school years, she knew how dangerous villains could be.
Even if the possibility was slim, from her perspective, it was still a cause for anxiety.
To Song Soo-yeon, I might even seem insensitive.
Solace cautiously echoed my sentiment.
"Soo-yeon, villains dont attack people over something like this..."
"Are you a villain?"
"Huh?"
"How can you be so sure?"
".........."
"It seems you keep forgetting. You're strong, so you don't understand the feelings of ordinary people. Why do you drag this man into your world? I don't understand why you would want to be close with him."
Through my hand on Solace's shoulder, I felt her flinch.
The hurt slowly surfaced on Solace's rigid expression.
Yet, Song Soo-yeon didn't stop.
She poured out her heart without hesitation, as if she had long wanted to say these words.
"Can you protect him without fail? Every time? That's not the case, is it?"
"........."
"No matter how good your intentions were when you kissed him, the fact that he's now exposed to the villains because of it is true. Isn't that a new risk that didn't exist before? Am I wrong?"
Solace's head slowly bowed.
She had no response to Song Soo-yeon's words.
Seeing Solace so disheartened made my heart sink.
Something inside me stirred at the sight of her being broken like this.
It was affection for her, but... seeing Solace crumble like this felt so foreign to me.
Once my archenemy, I had longed to see her like this, but now it only left a bitter taste.
She was indeed fragile at this moment.
Still immature and awkward.
Like a tiger cub before it becomes a majestic adult.
I couldn't just stand by and watch.
Eventually, I spoke up.
"...Soo-yeon-"
But immediately, Song Soo-yeon's sharp gaze attacked me.
"Mister, take your hand off her shoulder first."
"What?"
"Are you an idiot? It's because of her that you're in danger. Why are you still defending her?"
I let out a long sigh through my nose.
I didn't remove my hand from Solace's shoulder.
If I removed my hand, I couldn't calculate how much it would hurt the immature Solace.
Instead, I spoke.
"...Bom is right, you're overreacting. Villains wouldn't attack me just for something like this."
It was a lie.
They could attack.
Who knows what kind of psychopath might be out there.
Song Soo-yeon seemed to sense the lie immediately.
"Don't lie to me. You know villains could come after you."
I quickly agreed and corrected myself.
"....It's just that the possibility is slim."
"I dont like even that slight possibility."
"You dont stop driving cars for fear of accidents. How can you live without accepting such minor risks?"
"Ha, really..."
Song Soo-yeon let out a hollow laugh.
She brushed back her short hair with one hand and then looked at Solace with an expression of disdain.
"....I'm upset because I have to take risks I shouldn't have to, all because of her."
"...."
Solace remained silent, her head bowed.
It seemed like it was time to put an end to this conversation.
Continuing like this would only hurt Solace more.
I spoke firmly.
"Still, I'll take the risk."
"What?"
"Whoever caused it, I'll take the risk. I don't care if articles come out about me being close to Bom. I don't want to push Bom away just because I'm scared of something like this."
"Mister-"
"-If I hadn't been willing to take risks, Soo-yeon."
I looked directly at Song Soo-yeon.
She needed to hear this.
"....then I wouldn't have opened this shop. Maybe we wouldnt have even met."
"............."
At my words, Song Soo-yeon froze.
Her fierceness diminished.
Her furrowed brows gradually relaxed.
The chill in her eyes warmed.
She blinked a few times and opened her mouth, but no words came out.
I continued.
"So, stop it. I'm fine. And apologize to Bom. I think its wrong to treat her like this when shes trying to help you, unlike others."
Song Soo-yeon stopped in her tracks, her energy completely drained, and mumbled to Solace.
"....If you really get attacked by villains..."
"Soo-yeon. I told you I'm fine."
She moved her feet weakly, slowly approaching me and Solace.
"....What if you get seriously hurt... or something worse happens..."
"Don't worry too much-"
"-Then, what about me, the one who will be left behind?"
".........."
I froze at her question.
I thought she was speaking to Solace, but she had been addressing me all along.
Song Soo-yeon's eyes met mine.
I could even sense a hint of hurt in them.
A pang of sympathy for her welled up inside me.
It felt like I had broken through her sharp thorns and reached the real her.
Song Soo-yeon carefully took my hand and removed it from Solace's shoulder.
And then, as if she had lost the strength to fight, Song Soo-yeon left the store without a word.
-Ding...Ding...Ding...
The bell rang emptily.
I mulled over Song Soo-yeon's words for a while.
Her question lingered in my mind for a long time.
---
---
All the way home, Song Soo-yeon replayed the last scene in her mind.
Originally, she had only intended to scold Solace.
She planned to criticize her, whittle her down, and spit out harsh words the moment she admitted her fault.
But Jung-gyeom protected her, and things went awry.
It turned into a fight between her and Jung-gyeom.
This shift made it impossible for her to focus on her plan, and things went off track.
In the end, she couldn't even maintain her composure.
His willingness to take risks.
His words that he wouldn't have met her if he hadn't taken those risks.
Those words shook her deeply.
He was right.
It was Jung-gyeom's nature to take risks for others.
It was that strength that had saved Song Soo-yeon.
He had always been like that.
Standing up to bullies.
Yelling at Shake.
Sacrificing money to open the store.
Offering his house for her...
She knew that was his nature.
...But she hadn't realized that his unyielding spirit extended even towards villains.
He didn't even seem afraid of villains.
And in that moment, her desire to condemn Solace vanished.
She was just filled with a newfound anxiety.
Jung-gyeom had said he was a loner.
She got a glimpse of that habit today.
He thinks his life only hangs on him.
...But now, his life was also incredibly important to Song Soo-yeon.
She eventually came to a stop.
Her mind was in turmoil.
For a long time, she fiddled with the phone in her hand.
---
---
Hiding my strength, I think I acted a little more boldly than I realized.
And the people who care about me felt anxious seeing that.
Should I act more like an ordinary person?
Should I show more care?
I still haven't fully shed my villain's skin.
"...Oppa."
Solace, sitting in front of me, interrupted my thoughts.
She doesn't even touch the tea I offered her, just looking at it.
Unable to meet my eyes, she asks.
"...Was I annoying?"
It seemed that Song Soo-yeon's words had a significant impact on her too.
She blinked weakly and posed the question to me.
I shake my head.
"No, not at all."
"....But I think Soo-yeon's right."
"...I can't deny that the chances of a villain appearing have increased. But I don't want to turn my back on you just because I'm scared of that."
"...."
To cheer her up as she continued to sit gloomily, I said.
"If there's a problem, I'll just call you."
"....Huh?"
"Then you can come running like a hero. I'll hold out with a frying pan until you get here."
I gave her a smile.
Solace also looked at me for a moment and then burst into a slight laugh.
Her mood brightened.
It seemed my words had comforted her a bit.
She took a deep breath.
She then said to me,
"....I think I understand why Soo-yeon showed such improvement at school."
"Oh?"
"....Being around Oppa makes worries seem silly. It makes me want to rely on you."
Feeling a bit embarrassed, I scratched my head, suppressing the joy that welled up inside.
"....Rely on me? You're doing well on your own. You even rose in the hero rankings recently."
"Sometimes I think you forget something."
"What's that?"
Solace smiled.
"....Soo-yeon and I are only a year apart. But you treat me much more like an adult, and Soo-yeon, much younger."
"...."
I lost words for a moment.
Thinking about it, I couldn't deny it.
I seemed to have treated Solace much more maturely.
Since she changed me, to some extent, it was inevitable.
Despite being 10 years younger than the Solace I knew, I kept thinking of her at my level.
"If I start calling you 'Ajusshi', will you see me as younger?"
Solace threw in a joking remark.
We quietly laughed together for a while.
Then there was a moment of silence.
We digested the silence for a bit before winding up the conversation.
"...Bom, you should head home now."
"Ah, yes."
She had nothing with her, so she just picked up her teacup and stood up.
I pressed her hand gently.
Warmth passed through our touch.
"I'll clean up."
"...."
She slowly put down the cup, her face becoming serious again.
She stopped and said,
"...Oppa, am I really not a burden?"
It was a careful and thoughtful question.
It felt like a prompt for me to confess if I was lying.
I was surprised that a hero as promising and brilliant as Solace was worried about such a trivial matter.
The Grim Reaper of villains was asking if it's okay for her to come to my store.
I spoke my honest feelings.
"You're not a burden."
"Not even without the sponsorship money?"
"The sponsorship money doesn't matter."
She slowly smiled a bright smile.
Whether it was a natural smile or one of gratitude, I couldn't tell.
Receiving the answer she wanted, she said,
"Okay. Then, I'll head home. Don't come out."
"Got it. Be careful on your way."
"..."
As she turned to leave, she suddenly stopped and laughed.
I asked,
"What?"
"....It's the first time I've heard someone tell me to be careful."
She looked back at me.
"....It feels nice."
I wondered why I said such a thing to a hero.
I felt a bit embarrassed again.
I was about to head to the kitchen with the teacups when,
"Oppa."
But Solace stopped me again.
Looking at her, she had already taken out her phone.
"Come to think of it, we haven't exchanged numbers. Can I have yours...?"
She asked shyly.
"Oh, right."
I replied.
The thought of exchanging numbers with Solace made my heart flutter a bit.
I quickly cleared the teacups away and wiped my hands on my thighs.
I took out my phone from my pocket.
"Hm?"
There was a message.
And unsurprisingly, it was from Song Soo-yeon.
-Mister, I'm sorry.
"....."
I stared at the text for a moment.
It felt like I could hear her voice.
I could sense the multitude of emotions compressed into it.
I couldn't remember the last time she had expressed her feelings so sincerely.
I wondered how much she had contemplated before sending it.
It made me feel sympathetic.
"...Oppa?"
That's when Solace called me.
"Ah, right, the number."
I momentarily put aside Song Soo-yeon's text.
I could respond to it after exchanging numbers.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢