I Became a Villain’s Hero

Chapter 96: If You See Me Like This (4)

TL/Editor: Raei

Schedule: 5/week, Mon-Fri

Illustrations: Here

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Solace flew, her heart dropping as she saw the window of Jung-gyeom's apartment.

The glass was shattered.

Under normal circumstances, she might have simply wondered why it was broken.

But it had been quite a while since she had been able to contact Jung-gyeom.

Anxious thoughts were inevitable.

She quickly scanned the interior of the apartment from in front of the broken window.

"....Huh?"

Destroyed furniture.

Piles of dust.

Torn wallpaper.

Wooden splinters rolling around.

It was completely different from the room of Jung-gyeom she remembered.

It was enough to make her wonder if she had come to the wrong house for a moment.

She was becoming increasingly scared.

And then, she felt a presence inside.

Solace frowned and focused on the interior.

It wasn't Jung-gyeom.

...It was Song Soo-yeon.

She sat there, limp and miserable, like a doll with its strings cut.

She had never seen Song Soo-yeon so disheartened.

This, too, only heightened Solace's anxiety.

"....What happened here...?"

A question slipped out of Solace's mouth without resistance.

Song Soo-yeon jerked her body in surprise, then turned her head.

Her eyes were hollow, her hair a mess.

Her cheeks were gaunt. Her lips, parched and twisted.

She was still beautiful, but it was clear even in this darkness that something significant had happened.

Solace's heart started to race.

Something was seriously wrong.

"....What happened here...?"

She asked again. Now, she wanted an answer.

She had been locked up in the Association for a week, with no information whatsoever.

This Song Soo-yeon in front of her hadn't replied to even a single message during that long time.

Song Soo-yeon still didn't answer.

She only reacted to external stimuli, like a person whose soul had left.

She only turned her head in response to the question, giving no further reaction.

Frustration and irritation rose.

With all her pent-up stress, it was driving her to the edge.

Solace started to walk slowly towards Song Soo-yeon.

And as she walked, she inspected the room more closely.

"..."

She saw the shattered pieces of Jung-gyeom's cell phone.

A spoiled cake and an unopened gift box with a ribbon were visible.

The broken wish bracelet that would have been on Jung-gyeom's wrist.

And there were also bloodstains drawn with Song Soo-yeon's footprints.

"......Where's oppa?"

Solace asked.

Only then did Song Soo-yeon react.

Tears started to fill her eyes at the word oppa.

She didn't know the details, but it was clear that something had happened to Jung-gyeom.

Solace's anxiety grew.

The threat from Luna echoed naturally in her head.

Before I kill that person, Jung-gyeom...

A sharp pain pierced through Solace.

It couldn't be. It was impossible.

She had heard that the Villain Alliance had collapsed.

"...Ah."

But then, a moment of realization hit with the announcement.

'...Luna was not at the scene.'

Luna was still out there, intact.

She hadn't heard any news about her falling victim to Dice either.

"Where did oppa go?"

Solace asked again.

She approached Song Soo-yeon and looked down at her coldly.

She didn't care even if Song Soo-yeon was miserably crying.

She never liked her in the first place, and now, she couldn't afford to comfort her.

"Where did oppa go!!"

Solace yelled, frustration peaking as Song Soo-yeon remained silent.

At that loud voice, Song Soo-yeon finally spoke, her head hanging low.

"I... I made a mistake..."

She couldn't finish her sentence.

In her position, she couldn't just admit to a hero that she had been caught doing villainous activities.

Her dried-up voice, sank.

Pitifully, Song Soo-yeon trembled.

On the other hand, Solace's heart raced even more fiercely.

"What did you do? Song Soo-yeon, what the hell did you do?"

Song Soo-yeon shut her mouth again, shaking her head to avoid answering.

"Were you manipulated by Luna? Did you take him somewhere?"

Song Soo-yeon slowly looked up at Solace.

"..........You didn't...sniff...hear from him either...?"

She was desperately searching for Jung-gyeom.

"You haven't... seen... Mister?"

"If I had seen him, I wouldn't have contacted you. Why haven't you replied all this time? Why did you ignore all my messages?"

Hundreds of questions formed.

She couldn't do anything but bombard Song Soo-yeon with questions aimlessly.

"Where did oppa go... Where did he go...! What did you do!?"

Then, finally, Song Soo-yeon spoke.

".....I'm sorry, unni."

For some reason, Solace didn't want to hear that apology.

She had always wanted to put the high and mighty, prickly Song Soo-yeon in her place at least once.

But now was not the time.

An apology without Jung-gyeom felt strangely out of place.

"....I'm sorry. I messed everything up..."

Song Soo-yeon continued.

".....Please just leave me alone..."

Solace still couldn't understand the situation at all.

What happened?

Why was the room such a mess?

Does it have something to do with Luna?

Did someone break in?

Why did Song Soo-yeon say she made a mistake?

What did she do to make him leave?

Is Jung-gyeom safe?

Where is he now?

Solace's eyes turned to the ruined cake.

Considering it was a birthday cake... the incident must have happened on April 20th, Jung-gyeom's birthday.

A week had already passed.

Jung-gyeom had been gone that whole time?

Along with the concern for him, the stress that had accumulated exploded.

"....Ah."

-Boom!

A shockwave erupted from Solace's body.

Everything dirtying the floor was pushed towards the walls, centering around her.

Song Soo-yeon's body also shook helplessly with the shockwave.

Windows shattered, and electronic devices were broken.

A blackout spread throughout the city.

Complete darkness descended.

"....Huh?"

Song Soo-yeon's voice, which had been subdued, was now filled with panic.

She picked up her malfunctioning phone, which quickly lost its light and turned off completely.

"...Uh...uh...?"

With stiff fingers, Song Soo-yeon fiddled with her phone.

But Solace knew it was futile.

If the shockwave hit this close, Song Soo-yeon's phone would be broken.

Song Soo-yeon muttered desperately.

"...The pictures of him...the pictures were there..."

Solace just watched.

Anger surged to the tip of her head.

She didn't feel the slightest bit of pity for Song Soo-yeon.

She pulled out a cigarette from her pocket.

Placing one between her lips, she lit it with her finger at the end.

The only things shining in the darkness were Solace's eyes and the ember of the cigarette.

She no longer wanted to be nice to Song Soo-yeon.

She didn't want to solve things with words anymore.

People sometimes forget, but heroes build their careers through fighting.

They wield their power, second only to villains.

In a situation as frustrating as this, it was impossible not to think of violence.

Solace grabbed the collar of Song Soo-yeon, who was desperately shaking her phone, and lifted her up.

"...Ugh...!"

"....Haa."

Cigarette smoke enveloped Song Soo-yeon's face.

"Cough..! Cough...!"

Only then did Song Soo-yeon's eyes move.

With a slightly surprised expression, she looked at the cigarette in Solace's mouth.

Solace didn't care.

All electronic devices that could record her were destroyed, and even if Song Soo-yeon went around talking... it wouldn't tarnish her reputation in the slightest.

"....Why didn't you reply all this time?"

Solace asked again.

"It's been a while since there was a problem with oppa. Why didn't you tell me all this time?"

Hate towards Song Soo-yeon approached its limit.

"It would have been better if you had told me earlier. Maybe I could have solved it."

Song Soo-yeon moved her lips, but stayed silent like a criminal.

Her patience ran out.

-Slap!

With a strike that was light yet far from weak, Solace hit Song Soo-yeon on the cheek.

Shocked by the hero's slap, Song Soo-yeon flinched and recoiled.

"If you don't answer, you'll keep getting hit. What did you do?"

"..."

-Slap!

"Ugh....!"

"What happened?"

"......"

-Slap!

"Ow...!"

Song Soo-yeon covered her cheek. It was already starting to turn red.

"Where did oppa go...where did he go!!"

Desperately, and slowly, imbuing her emotions, Solace asked.

And then, after pushing away Song Soo-yeon's hand, she slapped her cheek again.

-Slap!

Song Soo-yeon's dry lips burst too easily.

A sticky, dark red liquid began to trickle down from the corner of her mouth.

At the same time, Song Soo-yeon started to laugh weakly, a laugh that seemed to let go of everything.

"...It's a bit unfair."

".......?"

"...I'm the only one who got caught."

Song Soo-yeon chuckled weakly again.

"....Unni, you're just as unfit for him as I am..."

Solace clenched her teeth.

Instead of answering, she slapped the cheek of Song Soo-yeon, who was spouting nonsense.

-Slap!

Solace exhaled another puff of cigarette smoke into Song Soo-yeon's face.

"There's no need to worry about me, just answer."

"....."

Solace sighed again, speaking to the unresponsive Song Soo-yeon.

"This time, it's going to hurt."

She raised her hand again.

"Sol...ace?"

Just then, a man's voice echoed from the window.

Both Song Soo-yeon and Solace turned their eyes towards the window.

With the city plunged into a blackout, it was not easy to see in the darkness.

Solace's body began to glow brightly, revealing the figure's identity.

There stood a man wearing a strange mask.