Chapter 95: If You See Me Like This (3)
TL/Editor: Raei
Schedule: 5/week, Mon-Fri
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"Where's Tryno?"
After handcuffing Liquid with ability user cuffs borrowed from a nearby police station, I asked.
Completely broken, he was in despair.
Without his left leg, he had to support himself against the wall.
"......"
But whether he was still not in his right mind, shocked, or being defiant, his answer was delayed.
The die was already cast.
I didn't hesitate to use my power.
The room's temperature began to plummet rapidly.
Frost started forming on the windows, and white breaths began emerging from both Liquid and the organization boss.
"Where's Tryno?"
Only after feeling the change with his skin did Liquid slowly answer.
"...At our hideout."
"Stingshot?"
"...The same. Barely alive after Tryno's attack."
"Riem?"
"Riem would be with Tryno as well."
Finally, I asked the last question.
In truth, the previous questions were just a preparation for this one.
"...........Luna?"
Liquid's lips quivered.
My heart, which had been calm, also skipped a beat.
I don't know why I can no longer see Luna as Luna.
Thinking of Luna... Song Soo-yeon's awkward and fresh smile came to mind.
The times and memories shared with her come flooding back.
My heart ached.
Liquid finally stammered out his reply.
"......I don't know."
Unintentionally, a sigh of relief escaped me.
Liquid added an excuse.
"....It's true. I haven't seen Luna since you attacked us."
The day I attacked.
That was the day Soo-yeon and I parted ways.
Was our separation painful for her as well?
Was it not an act?
After being deceived once, it was too hard to trust again.
"Any contact?"
"Contact...nothing. She's disappeared."
The more I ask the villains she associated with, the more strangely at ease my heart becomes.
It was the same with Han Yoo-jung, and now, with Liquid.
The fact that Soo-yeon was involved in villainous activities remained unchanged, but the intensity of the betrayal felt diluted.
And as it did, the image of me coldly leaving her, and Soo-yeon pitifully shedding tears, becomes even more vivid.
During the silence that fell while I was lost in thought, Liquid moved.
He fell to the ground and started crawling slowly towards me.
"..."
I just watched Liquid quietly, curious about what he intended to do.
"Your name...was Dice, right?"
"..."
"Dice...I don't know where you live or who you are...but I'll help you."
"..."
"See the money behind me? I'll give it all to you. Ah, and I'll keep paying you. You said you were chasing the Villain Alliance? I'll lure out Tryno and Riem for you...!
"I will find Luna for you someday...!"
Liquid bowed his head under my shoes.
Watching him...I couldn't help but reflect, as usual.
Even before regression, he was no better than scum.
That such a man could gain such infamy was surprising.
Was this also Han Yoo-jung's doing?
As a regressor, she must have steered her alliance in a favorable direction based on her memories.
"...So, spare me... please, let me live...!"
I pressed down on Liquid's head with my foot.
His body began to panic.
With this small action of mine, he realized everything was going wrong.
I recalled something.
"..........You."
"Ugh...! Just, just wait...!"
"Do you remember the day you and Tryno caused the bombing?"
"Ugh..! Let's, let's talk this out...!"
No matter how much he groaned, I did not lift my foot.
I was being very patient as it was.
"That day, a child died in front of Solace."
It was also the day Min-Bom first showed me tears.
We became much closer rapidly after that.
It was the first day I truly saw Solace's other side.
Liquid's body shuddered at my words.
I continued.
"And a few months later in Busan, a child was swept into the sea by the torrent you caused. Solace saw that, too."
"So...Solace...? You...you're on the hero's side...? Heroes, heroes shouldn't do this...! My, my leg...Aaaaah!"
At his slight resistance, I pressed down harder with my foot.
Even the floor tiles seemed to groan with him.
Every part of Liquid, except his head, began to thrash in pain.
Soon, he could not utter anything but screams.
"Aaaah!! Aaaaaaaaah!!"
"If you try to negotiate with me one more time...I'll kill you in a way that's far more painful than this. Got it?"
I had no intention of killing him.
But sometimes, there are things scarier than death.
I slowly engraved the pain into him, waiting for Liquid's response.
He choked back his screams, forcibly biting down on his teeth.
And in that state, he managed to nod his head a few times.
Only then did I lift my foot.
My footprint was imprinted on his face like a brand.
---
---
After locking Liquid up in a solitary cell at the base, I moved on.
I did not keep Han Yoo-jung and him close together.
I didn't know what plans they would concoct together.
My next target was their hideout.
When I asked both Han Yoo-jung and Liquid about the location of the hideout, they both revealed the same place.
I expected it from Liquid... But I hadn't expected Han Yoo-jung to spill the information so readily.
Sometimes, she seemed uninterested in the alliance she had created.
As if she had already achieved her goal.
---
---
I bypassed the security systems and doors to enter the hideout.
The intruder alarm was already blaring, and as a result, Riem and Tryno had hidden themselves away.
I also found Stingshot, seriously burnt and torn up, but alive.
I handcuffed him and used my ability to cool his body for a moment.
It wasn't for his sake.
It was because I judged that being alive would be more painful for him.
Rotting in prison would be harder.
After waiting a bit more, the alarm turned off.
The hideout fell silent.
"...."
I started to methodically look around.
It felt strange thinking this place was their hideout.
Especially since Song Soo-yeon would come here behind my back.
Was this the place she came to when she said she was going for a photoshoot?
Was the busy work she mentioned all for coming here?
The center of the hideout branched off into various paths, each leading to a room.
Tryno's room.
Liquid's room.
Stingshot's room.
Riem's room.
Han Yoo-jung's room.
After checking each one, only one remained.
Luna's room.
I entered her room with a bit of fear about what I might find.
"......"
It was a barren room, unlike the others, with no sign of personalization.
An empty bookshelf, a wooden table, a chair, a wardrobe, and a bed were all there was.
I doubted for a moment if it was really Luna's room, but Luna's costume inside the wardrobe confirmed everything.
"........?"
There was a calendar hanging inside the wardrobe.
And the moment I saw it, my heart tightened.
A red circle was drawn on it.
April 20th.
My birthday was marked.
Beneath it, in small letters, it was also simply written, 'Mister's Birthday'.
Why do these feelings surge again? Why do I feel like crying again?
It's almost been a week since we parted ways.
It seems I haven't moved on from those emotions at all.
Leaning against the wardrobe, I just sat down right there.
---
---
Solace was checking the time.
11:50 PM.
In 10 minutes, the restrictions would be lifted.
She could leave the association.
In other words, it was time to go see Jung-gyeom.
She had given up on trying to contact him through the phone.
Neither Song Soo-yeon nor Jung-gyeom were responding.
Her head felt like it was about to explode from stress.
When she saw Jung-gyeom, wouldn't it be okay to be a bit angry?
She had never done it before, but this was too much.
The more she liked him, the more anger bloomed.
Solace started to put on her hero suit.
Buses and subways were about to stop running, and taxis or personal cars were too slow.
She planned to fly.
It was the fastest way.
In the dark room, Solace lit her last cigarette.
Lately, this cigarette was the only thing managing her stress.
If only she could hear Jung-gyeom's voice, she wouldn't have smoked this much.
After tossing the cigarette butt into the toilet, Solace pocketed the pack.
Checking the time, the date had just changed.
Solace opened the window and activated her power.
Her eyes and hair began to shine.
She soared high into the sky, a long flash of light, trailing behind her.
---
---
I'm finding it hard to understand my own actions.
After leaving Song Soo-yeon so coldly... why am I acting like this now?
Wearing my hat pulled down low, I loitered near her apartment.
Before I knew it, I was here.
Of course, I had to find Song Soo-yeon at some point.
Since it was because of me that she became a villain with both legs intact... it's also up to me to resolve this.
Just as I was capturing members of the Villain Alliance, it was only natural to bring in Luna myself.
But as painful as it was, I unconsciously prioritized her last.
Maybe I don't want to catch her, a contradictory thought on my part.
"..........."
No, in fact, I know.
Why I'm here.
From the moment I saw her calendar.
Or from when Liquid told me he hadn't been in contact with Luna.
No, from when I started to suspect Soo-yeon might not be a regressor.
Since then, I've been curious about how she's been living.
Maybe she's right.
I might just be a fool.
I can't let go of the happy memories.
Even as I suffered from her betrayal.
Perhaps it would be easier to see her completely drop the mask and mock me.
Maybe it would be better if it were all an act, a complete betrayal.
Then, it would be easier to bring her in.
I could let her go without any regrets.
I don't know.
The pain of being betrayed and the struggle of not being able to let go of her were wrestling each other.
If either side was going to be painful, it might be better for one side to win decisively.
I looked at Song Soo-yeon's apartment building from a distance.
Perhaps if I wait, I might catch a glimpse of her from afar.
But she might have already left this place for a better home.
Then, a bright flash fell from the dark sky like a meteor.
It was a sight too familiar not to recognize.
Solace.
She was heading in the direction of my apartment.
"........."
I looked around... not finding Song Soo-yeon, I stood up from my spot.
If she was heading to my apartment, I should head there too.
We haven't even said hello yet.
I didn't feel like saying goodbye to her.
But I had to.
I slowly moved towards my one-room apartment.
---
---
Song Soo-yeon was sitting in Jung-gyeom's one-room apartment again today.
She had lost track of time long ago.
She hadn't seen Jung-gyeom's face for what felt like an eternity.
Without proper hydration, she couldn't even cry anymore.
Her lips were parched, and her eyes could not have been more listless.
From those dry lips, the words she had called out thousands, tens of thousands of times, spilled out.
"....I'm sorry......I was wrong..."
She felt abandoned by the world.
Truly, there was no one.
She became more acutely aware of that fact with each passing day.
Though she had expected it, the pain increased by the day.
It felt like her heart was rotting away.
But Jung-gyeom showed no signs of appearing, leaving her unable to heal.
What was she supposed to do?
Solace was slowly taking Jung-gyeom away.
And it was clear Jung-gyeom was going along with it.
What was she supposed to do?
Working part-time at a logistics center wasn't going to outmatch Solace financially.
There was no time to change their current relationship.
She had no charm, nothing appealing to make a case for herself.
Should she have confessed?
With all the things she had said so far, wouldn't a confession have driven him further away?
Song Soo-yeon couldn't bear the thought of drifting further apart.
Jung-gyeom was all she had; she didn't want to be rejected by him.
".........."
But now she regretted it.
It was hindsight, but nothing would have changed.
No, rather, now feels even more like hell.
The thought that he might loathe her made her heart ache again.
How repulsed must he have been to not even return to his own home?
Was she so repulsive that he had to abandon his apartment and even throw away his phone?
Was she so repulsive that he would move to a completely different area to start a new life?
The thought of being hated to such an extent made it hard for Song Soo-yeon to breathe.
The idea that the man who used to show her his pure smile now had his expression twisted in hatred towards her tore her apart.
It seemed impossible that he could hate anyone.
But the fact that she was the object of such feelings was so painful.
The first person who understood her, her first protector, her first older brother figure, her first friend, her first love had left like this.
She had kicked away the luck that had come rolling to her feet.
There would never be such fortune again.
".....What's this?"
At that moment, startled by a sudden voice, Song Soo-yeon trembled.
Turning her stiff neck, she saw Solace entering through the broken window.
The bright light she emitted blurred her vision.
Her dry eyes couldn't see anything.
But the voice kept echoing.
A voice filled with confusion, perhaps anger.
Solace, looking around the messy room, asked again.
"....What happened here...?"
In the darkness, her eyes glinted coldly.
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