The part-timer.
Thanks to covering Min-hyuk oppa’s hospital bill, I was able to have all sorts of conversations with him.
Starting from his name.
His age, job, hobbies, and even the fact that he remembered the moment we had met in the past.
The fact that he remembered me….well, that was a secret I would never let slip, that I had screamed with joy on the inside.
Also…
“Do you have a girlfriend?”
“I’m not trying to make excuses, but it’s not that I didn’t date because I lacked charm. I just never had the time or chance to be in a relationship.”
“Hehe, that sounds desperate.”
“What about you?”
“I’m still young, you know.”
“…Right, twenty is the age when people just start dating…”
As expected.
The woman who had been with him at the time wasn’t his girlfriend.
So she was a villain.
The woman known to the public as a victim in the bus suicide bombing threat had actually been the villain who planned the attack.
I’ll just arrest her without mercy next time I see her.
If there was an empty seat next to him, I would wedge myself right into it…
Bzzzt—
When my phone suddenly buzzed, I checked the message…
Of all times… now?
It was a message from the Association president, sent specifically to call on me.
“I… I think I have to go now…”
I had no choice. The time to say goodbye had come.
I was going to spend the night here… That’s why I arranged for the VIP room…
“Really, thank you. I’ll contact you after I’m discharged. Make sure to send me the receipt.”
“Nope. That was the price for saving that little girl’s life back then.”
“How could I accept money from someone so young…”
“I’ll call you!”
After saying goodbye to Min-hyuk oppa, I stepped out of the hospital room.
Next time…
It seemed like it would be difficult to reveal that I was Mobia.
Right now, I had only gotten close to him as Lee Seo-yoon, a college student.
I’ll have to get close to him as Mobia too.
Next time, I wanted to grow closer to him in my hero form as Mobia.
He had said that Mobia was his favorite among all the heroes and that she was the only hero he would hold in his heart forever!
Surely, if we could just start a proper conversation, things would turn out well.
…
“…….”
“Because of this guy, our association has been in chaos lately…”
“……..”
“Do you think you can handle it?”
“…I’ll try my best.”
“Good. We’ll give you full support. Make it your top priority. Catch that masked guy.”
“…Yes.”
“You can go now.”
After leaving the Association President’s office,
I blankly lowered my head and stared at the report in my hand.
“……..”
As soon as I arrived at the Association, the President had handed me a report, saying it was urgent…
—
– Special task force for the capture of the Villain Hunter.
Mobia.
Due to that villain’s activities, the reputation of the Hero Association has suffered significantly.
Lethal force is authorized if necessary.
The Villain Hunter’s…
.
.
.
—
It was a report stating that I had to capture Min-hyuk oppa…. even if it meant killing him.
What nonsense… the Association’s reputation has suffered?
It was simply that the higher-ups were displeased.
They were uncomfortable that the Association, which operated on taxpayers’ money, had its legitimacy questioned due to the appearance of a vigilante.
I don’t know…
– Heroes aren’t stupid, so they try not to kill villains.
That had been his answer to a question I asked out of pure curiosity.
I had just wondered how he felt watching himself on the news…
– There are laws, and if someone refuses to follow those laws and goes around killing other villains like some kind of vigilante… then yeah, that’s wrong.
Oppa had given an answer more heroic than any other hero’s.
Why had a man who lived with such deep thoughts chosen the path of a villain instead of a hero?
Why had a man who walked the path of a true hero more than anyone else… chosen to become a villain…?
Why…?
As I sat on a nearby bench, planning to carefully read through the report while pondering these thoughts,
Suddenly… that idea crossed my mind.
Was the reason he didn’t become a hero… because of the Hero Association…?
Min-hyuk oppa hadn’t become a hero.
No… at first, he wanted to. But maybe, after realizing something within the Hero Association,
He chose not to become one.
***
“Open the door.”
“Promise you won’t hit me!”
“Hurry up.”
“Oh my god! This is dating violence! I’m going to report you. To the police, no, to the Hero Association!”
The first place I went after being discharged from the hospital was the secret hideout of Pyro Bomber and Hye-won.
Partly because I needed to pick up the custom-made villain outfit I had ordered.
And also because I had to catch Pyro Bomber for stealing someone else’s money.
While I was at it, I also had to pick up the bombs they’d been keeping for me.
“Open the door before I break it.”
“Hye-won!! Hurry! Hit the emergency switch!!”
[.Just open it, Unnie. You know you were in the wrong..]
“How could you do this to me!”
[Sorry. I’ll give you a discount on the custom-made villain outfit, so just don’t kill our Unnie, please.]
“…Fine.”
“As expected! I love you, Hye-won! You’re the only one who ever thinks about me!”
Going down into the basement through the door Hye-won opened for me—
“Wanna touch my chest?”
“Please put something on.”
“I heard guys always forgive you when you do this kind of thing?”
“Well, I must not be a guy then.”
“Eueegh!?”
I pushed the woman who was awkwardly trying to seduce me aside by her face.
Then immediately opened my duffel bag to check inside.
And, of course…
“…I’m seriously going to demand a huge discount.”
[Uh… sorry. I didn’t know Unnie would actually do that either…]
The cash I had stored inside was completely cleaned out.
“…I just want to hit her once…”
…
“Oh…”
[So? Do you like it?]
“Like it? I love it.”
I checked myself in the full-length mirror while wearing the outfit Hye-won had made.
[I made it from the exact same material as the one Unnie’s wearing. Even in the middle of an explosion, that outfit won’t tear, and it won’t burn in flames either.]
“Thank you.”
[But don’t go jumping into fire like an idiot. Just because the outfit’s fine doesn’t mean you’ll be. You know villain gear doesn’t absorb 100% of the impact, right?]
“Of course.”
Some villains walk around with their faces exposed.
But for me, keeping my identity hidden was one of the top priorities in villain work.
So a villain outfit that could keep me anonymous even in the middle of an explosion was absolutely essential.
[Also… I’ll give you a 30% discount on that.]
“You’re giving me a 30-million-won discount?”
[Mhmm. Unnie is just… yeah, even I can’t defend her.]
On top of that, she gave me a huge discount, so there was no reason to foolishly refuse their generosity.
I can just pay Seo-yoon back right away.
Now that all my errands were done.
I was planning to head straight home after collecting the money I was owed, when—
[But hey, listen.]
“Yes?”
[This time, there’s something we’re planning to hit. Want in?]
I heard Hye-won’s voice, casually proposing a terrorist collaboration.
“Why exactly would I need to be involved in terrorism?”
[To get a little fame.]
“…What?”
[You didn’t know? You’re trending on social media right now. People are calling you the villain hunter.]
The villain hunter?
That clearly sounded like a hero name. Wasn’t it just a mislabeling?
And then…
…I’ve only taken down three villains, though?
Up until now, I had subdued a total of only three villains.
The physical enhancement-type villain from the loan shark company.
The summoner-type villain and the invisibility-type villain from the parts factory.
Just three, and they were calling me a “hunter”…?
Seems like they’re pretty generous with their titles.
I didn’t really feel much about it.
But the fact that I had a title now meant people were paying attention.
[So what do you think? If you help with our job.]
“…If I do?”
[There’s something we’re planning to steal from the place we’re hitting. I’ll share it with you.]
“What exactly are you trying to steal?”
[It’s an augmented alloy known as the Metal of God. A hero from Japan’s tech division created it. Japanese heroes all use it in their suits, which is why their injury rate is the lowest in the world. I wanted to take a look at the materials that go into it.]
“Wait a minute.”
[If things go well this time, we could mass-produce the augmented alloy and blend it into our “villain hunter” costume.]
“Oh…”
At the same time as a fairly decent offer was added,
It felt like I might be able to let people know about my existence. And maybe even achieve the purpose behind becoming a villain.
“I’ll do it, then. But in return, I have a favor to ask.”
[What is it?]
“Please let me post a note I wrote at the scene of the attack.”
[Let’s hear it. What kind of note?]
“It’s a warning letter. A message saying that there’s no statute of limitations on murder caused by drunk driving and that a proper verdict should be given.”
[…Sounds like something bad happened to you. But do you really think a warning letter will work?]
“I had no intention of stopping the attacks until a proper verdict was made. He’s got connections, sure… but eventually, he’ll give up.”
I still didn’t plan on acting like an outlaw.
For now, I wanted to stay within the boundaries of what was still considered legal.
I wanted to see him receive the justice he deserved.
I just wanted him… to remain in people’s minds forever as a complete bastard.
I mean…
– Take it up with the judge again, will you? And how did you even get my number? Don’t you know all this is illegal? I paid the fine I was supposed to and even reflected on what I did, so why are you still—
I still…
had never once heard him say the words, “I’m sorry”.
…
“Min-hyuk oppa!”
“How have you been?”
“I’ve been well! What about you, oppa? The area where you had surgery…does it still hurt or anything?”
“Not at all, it’s perfectly fine. I may not look it, but I’m pretty sturdy.”
“Well, yeah, even if you’re not a hero, my Min-hyuk oppa is tough as nails.”
I looked at her as she sipped her strawberry latte with a big, carefree smile.
Chirping away like a little sparrow, the way she chatted made me think…. if my younger sister was still alive, she might have been just like this.
She was the kind of girl who stirred up all kinds of thoughts in me.
“So I just told them I didn’t want to do it. Ugh… I don’t even know why group projects exist in the first place.”
“You’re going through a lot.”
“Oppa, where did you go to college?”
“I just finished high school. I was in college for a while, but… after the military and a bunch of other things, I ended up dropping out.”
“That’s a shame. If you’d been in a similar major as me, I could’ve asked you about all the stuff I didn’t get.”
And just like that, I kept listening to Seo-yoon, all the while waiting for the right opportunity.
Bzzzt—
“Huh, who could that be?”
Seo-yoon glanced down at her phone.
“Um… excuse me for a moment.”
As if she had to take an urgent call, she quietly got up and headed to the restroom.
Quietly…
While she was away, I slipped an envelope filled with cash into the small handbag she’d left on the table. It was the surgery money from that day, plus an extra 500,000 won.
Done.
There had been no way to hand her the money directly without physically touching her, so I had come all the way to her university, where she studied, just to seize this exact moment.
“I’m sorry, oppa. Something came up, so I have to go now…”
When she returned from her call, Seo-yoon said she had to leave immediately because of some issue.
So I let her go, then finished off the remaining coffee in a few quick sips.
I also stood up from my seat, recalling that Hye-won had told me to come hear today’s mission briefing.
Just as I was about to head a little early toward the place the two of them called home—
“…Hmm?”
I noticed that Hero University which was located right in front of the café seemed a bit noisy.
“What kind of villain is causing trouble this time~?”
At first, I brushed it off, thinking it had nothing to do with me, and continued on my way to where Hye-won was waiting…
“…….”
But then I remembered. Just a short while ago, Seo-yoon had run into the university.
…Will she be okay?
Worried about whether she’d be alright, I started walking straight toward the inside of the campus.
Of course—
Damn… I left the villain outfit back there.
Since I was supposed to do a mock battle with Pyro Bomber today while wearing the villain outfit, I had left the new suit inside the secret base the two of them used.
So I had no choice but to grab the usual black hoodie and black pants I wore, along with my mask.
Just get Seo-yoon out of there… and then run for it.
Bang!! Bang!!! Bang!!!
“……!!”
Please… I hoped I wasn’t too late.
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