Chapter 91: Where Are You (6)
TL/Editor: Raei
Schedule: 5/week, Mon-Fri
Illustrations: Here
Join the discord! Here
Song Soo-yeon, holding her phone, asked quietly,
"...So... Stella has disappeared...?"
Riem answered in a frantic voice.
-...Yes... Yes...! After escaping from Dice... we haven't seen Stella... Ah... Luna... What should we do...? We're marked by such a terrible monster...!"
"..."
-Stingshot has no gun, and his hand is damaged. Tryno has one eye burnt out... and Liquid's leg is...
"..."
-Ugh... Dice said he would chase us, I don't know what to do... Lu, Luna, you're in danger too...! You should join us first-
-Click.
Song Soo-yeon turned off the phone.
A villain named Dice was chasing the members of the Villain Alliance... but for some reason, she wasn't disturbed at all.
She wasn't afraid.
Rather, it was the news that Stella had disappeared that concerned her.
The fact that she couldn't meet Jung-gyeom even in her dreams pained her.
She laughed hollowly.
"...Is this also not allowed...?"
She asked whatever had cursed her.
"...You won't allow it, even in my dreams...?"
She wanted to see Jung-gyeom.
Desperately wanted to see him.
It had only been about a day since they had parted.
She couldn't bear it anymore.
It was unbelievable that this could go on for days, weeks, years, or even a lifetime.
She couldn't grasp what she had let go of with her own hands.
Song Soo-yeon slowly lay down on Jung-gyeom's broken bed.
The cold night air came through the broken window, but she didn't care.
On his bed, Song Soo-yeon fell asleep with tears streaming down her face.
---
---
Early in the morning, I wore my hat deep and went to the Hero Association.
It was for a visit to Min-Bom.
A visit and... to say goodbye.
For a while, until I finish things related to Luna, I must part with her.
I can't stay by her side.
It was a promise to myself, but I've broken the oath I made to her.
Because now I have become a villain.
I don't want to give Solace the same betrayal Luna gave me.
I can't secretly act as a villain and smile in front of her.
If it ever came out that I was a villain, wouldn't Solace be just as shocked?
She might rethink everything I had done to this point.
But knowing she would worry if I suddenly disappeared, I came to say goodbye like this.
"..."
But the moment I entered the building, I could tell it was going to be a difficult.
Countless reporters and people filled the first floor.
Some were even protesting with signs in hand.
Naturally, they were anxious about Solace's defeat.
The top-ranked hero had been beaten; it was inevitable.
All this was my fault.
Because Solace stopped resisting at the mention of my name... this crowd had gathered.
She prioritized me over all these people.
I felt both sorry and grateful.
For the first time in a while, I felt warmth.
I made my way through the crowd, heading towards the counter, deliberately pulling my hat down further to hide my face.
Eventually, amidst the chaos, I managed to have a conversation with the person at the information desk.
"I came for a visit."
"Excuse me?"
Our conversation was drowned out by the noise.
I raised my voice louder.
"I came for a visit...!"
"Who are you here to see?"
"Solace... please."
The receptionist frowned and closed her eyes briefly, then said formally,
"I'm sorry, but there are no scheduled visits for Solace."
"...I couldn't make an appointment because I lost my phone. If you mention my name to Solace, she'll know..."
"Are you Jung-gyeom?"
I was elated.
"Yes, that's me. Did Solace talk about me?"
But the receptionist's expression remained unchanged. She said,
"Since yesterday, over a hundred people have claimed to be Jung-gyeom."
".........Ah."
I quickly deduced the reason.
Since Solace had stopped resisting at the mention of the name 'Jung-gyeom'... it seems many had impersonated me.
"Do you have any ID?" the receptionist asked.
Of course, I didn't.
I had left in such a hurry, leaving Song Soo-yeon behind, there was no chance to grab my wallet.
The receptionist sighed quietly, clearly not believing me.
I probably wouldn't believe me either.
".........Please just go back."
"..."
A hollow laugh burst out of me again.
Nothing was going my way.
There were so many impersonators that I couldn't even get a visit.
Well.
It's not like the number 1 hero in the ranking is easy to meet anyway.
I slowly turned around.
There was nothing more I could do here.
All I could do was hope.
Hope that Solace wouldn't worry too much about my disappearance.
It was unlikely, but... that's all I could wish for in this situation.
Before her worries became serious, I had to solve all the problems.
---
---
Min-Bom was sitting on a hospital bed.
"The number you have dialed is not available, please leave a message after the beep-"
".....Sigh."
She frowned at the unanswered call, staring down at her phone.
Jung-gyeom hadn't been reachable since yesterday.
She wanted to wait patiently, but it wasn't as easy as it sounded.
Jung-gyeom had already become too important to her.
The only person she could open up to, her sanctuary.
He had seeped into her heart.
Whenever her mind wandered, it always returned to Jung-gyeom.
But now, his phone was out of reach.
Song Soo-yeon wasn't answering either, not that they were on good terms to begin with.
Why wasn't Jung-gyeom answering his phone?
Did his phone break? Did it fall into water?
Speculation upon speculation spiraled in her mind.
She shook her head.
There was no need to worry...
'Before I kill that person Jung-gyeom.'
Suddenly, the words of the villain Luna flashed in her mind.
"................"
Solace was deeply afraid.
She hadn't thought it possible to peek into her mind and discover the person precious to her.
This was the first time she had faced such a lethal threat.
'...Oppa must have seen that scene, right?'
Min-Bom wondered.
Maybe he blocked her because of that? Because he didn't want to be involved anymore...?
Because he didn't want to enter the world of villains and heroes?
"..."
Min-Bom felt a pang in her heart.
She tried to suppress this feeling with a smile, but it didn't work as she hoped.
Her anxiety continued to grow.
She turned on her phone again and sent a text message.
[Gyeom oppa, you can ignore what villain Luna said. Heroes have already been dispatched to your area.]
-Ding.
The message was sent.
"...."
After pondering, she wrote another message.
[I'll be discharged soon and will come to see you. Don't come to visit me. There are too many reporters and people here. It's safer to stay in your area.]
-Ding.
The message was sent.
"...."
And then another message.
[...If you're worried, do you want to live with me at my place for a while...?]
"..."
Min-Bom stared at the message for a long time before erasing it.
She couldn't move forward like this without even confessing.
Min-Bom's heart felt heavy.
She couldn't even celebrate his birthday, only adding to his worries.
After much deliberation, she even sent a message to Song Soo-yeon.
[Song Soo-yeon. I didn't want to send a text but oppa isn't answering. Tell him it's okay not to come for a visit. I'll come see him soon, so tell him to wait.]
-Knock. Knock.
After sending the message to Song Soo-yeon, someone knocked on the door.
"Come in."
The door opened, and Shake made his appearance.
The taciturn Shake walked in and asked dryly.
"How are you feeling?"
"All the uncomfortable parts have healed."
Shake didn't ask anything beyond that.
Conversations between the two had dwindled since the hero ranking changed.
Min-Bom thought it was inevitable.
It must be difficult to interact comfortably with a junior who has risen above.
Min-Bom had experienced this several times already.
Shake nodded, then handed over a small stack of documents he was carrying.
"...Thought you should know about this."
"What's this?"
Shake frowned, speaking in a somewhat somber tone.
"...The Villain Alliance has fallen apart."
"..................What?"
Min-Bom was stunned.
Shake was just as confused.
".........Are you joking...?"
Min-Bom asked, risking being seen as rude.
But Shake's expression remained serious.
"No, it's a confirmed fact."
"......."
"...It's not just one or two thugs who've seen Tryno, Stingshot, and Liquid become crippled."
"....Crippled...?"
Solace couldn't compose herself in the face of such shocking news.
She couldn't believe that they had become crippled.
These were members of the Villain Alliance that even she, Shake, and other heroes couldn't defeat.
Had she ever imagined them collapsing overnight like this?
"...And Luna?"
Shake shook his head.
"Luna hasn't been confirmed."
"..."
She examined the documents Shake handed her, looking at the remains of the warehouse where the Villain Alliance had fallen.
Could the Villain Alliance really be over just like this?
If so, does that mean Luna's threat is... effectively gone?
Could Jung-gyeom be safe now?
After digesting the shocking news, Min-Bom slowly nodded.
"....That's good news. Which organization did this? Must have been a large one, right?"
It was a relief that they were gone, regardless.
"...Just one person."
Solace turned her head.
Shake's expression was still not joking.
"...What?"
Shake confirmed the unbelievable truth.
"...Just one person brought down the alliance."
---
---
-Thud.
The door to the dark basement opened, and someone stepped down onto the bare concrete floor.
It was Dice.
With his strange mask off, he came down in normal clothing.
Han Yoo-jung reminisced upon seeing his face after such a long time, even managing a smile in this situation.
It was an involuntary reflex.
But, conversely, Dice's expression was ice cold.
Something was held in his hand as he came down to the basement.
"......Dice, did you sleep well...?"
Stella, attempting what even she considered a feeble attempt at charm, struggled to approach him.
It wasn't out of hope for mercy.
She simply wanted to get closer.
"...."
Dice didn't respond, standing in front of the cell.
Only then could it be seen what he had brought.
Bread.
Grabbed in haste from somewhere within this snatched hideout.
Dice took out a few pieces of bread from the wrapper and handed them to Han Yoo-jung .
"......"
While someone else might have been terrified in such a situation, Han Yoo-jung felt warmth.
He remained the same.
Just the act of extending his hand to prevent the food from falling onto the dirty concrete floor was proof of that.
In such a trivial matter, Han Yoo-jung could discern the kind of person Dice was.
Who else would treat a prisoner this way?
As Han Yoo-jung cautiously accepted the bread, Dice leaned against the basement wall and slid down.
"..."
Then, without a word, he rustled through the bag, taking out the bread and began to eat.
Han Yoo-jung had no appetite.
She wasn't hungry yet.
She was merely surprised by his kindness in bringing food so soon.
But still, she put the bread in her mouth, with the sole intention of building a bond with him.
After all, sharing a meal is said to be the fastest way to build camaraderie.
She didn't forget to give a small compliment either.
"...The bread tastes go-"
"-You."
However, her plan to get closer was interrupted before she could even finish her sentence.
He asked coldly,
"........What's your relationship with Luna."
Visit freewe𝑏no(v)el.𝘤𝑜𝓂 for the best novel reading experience