“Ugh, silly Woojin. Did you get lost again trying to find me?”
Baek Yuha, with her characteristic bright smile, stepped even closer to Kim Woojin.
“I told you this was Building B, not Building A. You should have gone up one more floor.”
“Oh… right. I must have been mistaken.”
“You’re always like this when I’m not around, aren’t you? I can’t stick by your side all day, honestly.”
“Hey, who says I’m always…”
“Hehe, Woojin, your face is all red~”
After chatting idly with Kim Woojin for a long time, as if to flaunt their intimacy,
Baek Yuha’s gaze finally, belatedly, shifted to what was behind him.
Han Sua merely stood quietly, as if she were an invisible person, following Kim Woojin’s shadow.
“But when did you two get so close?”
Baek Yuha smiled nonchalantly, steering the conversation.
“I really had no idea.”
The moment her words fell, Han Sua flinched slightly. At this, Kim Woojin stepped forward as if to shield her, quickly continuing his explanation.
“I just happened to be passing by and helped her for a bit. It looked like she had a lot to organize inside.”
“Is that so…?”
“Yeah. And it turns out Sua and I get along surprisingly well. Honestly, I was a little intimidated at first… but I guess you really shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.”
Woojin smiled brightly and turned his head. Han Sua, unable to meet his eyes, simply lowered her head deeply.
“Uh, um…” she stammered.
“…Hmm, I see.”
Before she even realized it, Baek Yuha’s voice had sunk to a whisper. She found herself inexplicably displeased by the way Kim Woojin had stepped forward, almost protectively, to shield Han Sua.
“Well… that’s great. It’d be fun if the three of us hung out next time, wouldn’t it?”
Despite her words, Baek Yuha barely glanced at Han Sua as she approached Kim Woojin.
‘She needed a change of mood. Something to lift her spirits from this heavy, sinking feeling.’
“Woojin. Do you want to go home together later? I’ll make something delicious for dinner…”
“Ah, I’m sorry. I don’t think I can today.”
However, Kim Woojin, after a quick glance at his smartwatch, merely shook his head with an apologetic expression.
“I have another engagement…”
“…”
‘Prick. Prick.’
‘A sharp needle pierced her heart even deeper.’
Yet, Baek Yuha did not lose her smile.
She simply nodded, as if nothing were amiss.
“Oh? Well, there’s nothing for it then. Or, I could go ahead and wait for you.”
“That wouldn’t be a problem, but… Ah, I really have to go now.”
“Huh? Wait a minute…”
Beep- The alarm chimed from his smartwatch, and he hastily bid farewell.
Woojin, who had been turning as if to leave immediately, hesitated for a moment.
Then, he smiled brightly and waved to Han Sua as well.
“See you later, Sua? Today was fun.”
‘Prick. Prick.’
“Y-yeah… see you, see you again.”
And Han Sua, once again, merely lowered her head, seemingly shy.
‘Han Sua. She wasn’t this type of person.’
‘Why is she pretending to be so demure, when it doesn’t suit her at all?’
“Yuha, I’m leaving now? See you later?”
“…Yes. Goodbye, Woojin.”
Kim Woojin, having offered a friendly farewell to Baek Yuha as well, promptly disappeared down the corridor.
In the space where only the two of them remained, a desolate silence soon settled.
Baek Yuha, who had been weakly waving her hand in the direction he had vanished, slowly turned around.
“…Han Sua.”
She still hadn’t lost her smile.
“If you wanted to get close to Woojin, you should have told me first.”
She spoke in a gentle, hushed voice.
“I know Woojin best, you see. We’re very precious to each other. So, it’s a shame. I could have told you all sorts of things beforehand, couldn’t I?”
“…Ha.”
And Han Sua let out a hollow laugh, as if utterly dumbfounded.
Her previous meekness had vanished without a trace, and she was once again the arrogant Han Sua of old.
Her attitude had flipped like a switch, simply because one person had left.
She glared silently at Baek Yuha.
She seemed frustrated, as if holding back something she desperately wanted to say.
After a long moment, Han Sua suddenly swept past Baek Yuha.
“Know him best, really.”
And a broken whisper, as if through gritted teeth, grazed Baek Yuha’s ear.
Soon, Han Sua disappeared down the corridor.
It was the exact opposite direction from where Kim Woojin had gone.
“…”
Baek Yuha’s eyes, left alone, had by now lost their light and grown dim.
With vacant eyes, she merely stared endlessly at the classroom they had just exited.
Beep! Beep!
Until the emergency pager at her waist blared a noisy alarm.
****
[Skill: Machine Manipulation is being used…]
[Skill: Perception Degradation is being used…]
The moment I left the Cradle, I moved with urgency.
Though it hadn’t been heavily emphasized, I had another schedule today related to Yuha.
[March 18th, A-Bank Branch Attack Incident]
Before my regression, this had been a minor news blurb, easily overlooked.
Flame Mist had caught a group of villains attempting to raid the bank and steal cash… or was it? I think there might have been more to it, but anyway.
Bank raids were common enough, and back then, Yuha had already earned a solid reputation for being a troublemaker due to the Red Mask incident, so it didn’t receive much attention.
Fortunately, this time, my intervention had successfully averted the Red Mask incident.
I needed to ensure that success continued for this second event as well.
‘But I didn’t expect to run into Yuha there…’
I was truly surprised the moment I stepped out of the utility room.
It seemed I had spent more time than anticipated in subduing Han Sua.
Still, it seemed to have gone over well enough, didn’t it?
Han Sua also seemed to have quickly regained her composure and tidied up her disheveled appearance.
Though she was a rotten villain, she still maintained the facade of a hero.
‘Is her mental resilience surprisingly strong? Perhaps a single attempt won’t be enough to completely break her. It might be necessary to periodically tamper with her dreams.’
For now, I intended to let Han Sua follow her original path, whether she was plotting something or extracting information.
I had commanded her to share any new schedules or instructions with me without fail, so I would simply respond to variables as they arose.
“We’re almost there.”
I twisted my bracelet, donned my suit, and surveyed the area around the bank.
I searched for a long time, focusing on the dark alleyways. Eventually, a group of villains huddled in a corner, plotting their scheme, caught my eye.
[Character Alert!]
[Character Alert!]
[Character Alert!]
“Ugh, noisy.”
I immediately dismissed the pop-up alerts. There was no need to know the names of these expendable, small-fry villains.
Moreover, judging by the firearms in their hands, they were mere half-wits who hadn’t even awakened proper powers.
‘In a way, they could be considered my kin. If I hadn’t killed The Doctor, these guys might have also received artificial superhuman surgery from him someday.’
‘Too bad for them.’
“So, according to plan… Who the hell are you?!”
I revealed myself before them, not even bothering to conceal my presence. The men, who had been engrossed in their plotting, instantly pointed their gun barrels at me, adopting a wary stance.
Without exchanging a single word, I snapped my fingers.
Click!
[Skill: Multi-Manipulation is being used…]
[Skill: Puppetry is being used…]
[Success!]
Their fierce gazes, which had been ready to pull the trigger at any moment, soon grew vacant.
I approached the men, who now stood limply, and asked.
“What plan were you concocting?”
“To… raid the bank… and steal cash…”
“With mere firearms? The guards inside must be strictly vigilant.”
“Bribed them beforehand… promised them 10% if successful…”
‘So that’s how it was. No wonder they were so brazenly plotting, even in a back alley.’
“Were the guns just for intimidation?”
And the men shook their heads.
“If anyone interfered, we’d shoot them dead… or just use them for target practice for fun…”
I twisted my lips. I take back my apology.
‘Perhaps the strength of one’s power and the wickedness of a villain are entirely unrelated metrics.’
Still, thanks to that, a small burden was lifted from my mind. I had worried if they might have had unavoidable circumstances, but it was truly a relief that they were perfectly wicked individuals.
“…Excellent.”
Originally, this raid was nothing more than a minor disturbance caused by small-fry villains.
However, I intended to escalate the scale of this incident. I would also make myself the mastermind behind it, and create an even more thrilling spectacle for the citizens.
Then, the praise for Yuha, who would stop this, would naturally grow even louder.
This was merely the fragile beginning. She would ascend faster and higher than before her regression, without any pain or wounds.
I grinned.
“Come slowly, Yuha.”
“Because I’ll be paving a flowery path for you.”
****
“Don’t move!!”
“Resist, and I’ll blow your head off! Kuhahaha!”
I burst into the bank with the brainwashed men.
The loud gunfire, like beans roasting, incessantly pounded against eardrums. The peaceful bank instantly transformed into a chaotic mess.
I had instructed them to only fire their guns into the air. Unless someone was incredibly unlucky, these were blind bullets that wouldn’t hit anyone.
Of course, the innocent citizens and bank tellers, busy screaming, would have no way of knowing that, would they?
“Get down, get down!”
“I told you not to move!”
I appeared belatedly among the shouting villains, taking slow, deliberate steps. This was to impress upon the public that I was clearly the one orchestrating this incident.
Beyond the counter, I saw the subtle movement of a security guard attempting to draw a pistol from his holster. I immediately snapped my fingers.
[Skill: Puppetry is being used on the target…]
[Success!]
“Cough, gasp…!”
The dazed police officer dropped his pistol with a thud and began to choke himself. Soon, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the floor with white foam at his mouth.
“Kyaaak!”
“Oh, what do we do…!”
Loud screams erupted from all directions. ‘I offered him an apology internally.’
‘He’s only going to faint moderately anyway. By the time he wakes up, everything will already be over.’
‘Still, thanks to that, I seem to have created a rather intimidating scene.’
“I distinctly told you not to move.”
A dry, hollow voice resonated from behind the mask covering my face. The near absence of emotion made it all the more terrifying.
“Well, at least there was one courageous soul. I commend you.”
‘Hmm, at this rate, he probably won’t be reprimanded for security failure later.’
The atmosphere in the bank had settled into a deathly silence. I calmly walked toward the counter.
Then, I flung the large money bag I had taken from the villains.
“Fill this with cash within one minute. If you’re late or try any tricks…”
Then, in the same dry voice, I added a warning.
“For every ten seconds that pass, I will execute one person inside.”
“H-heek…!”
The bank teller, his face pale with fear, stumbled and ran towards the vault. Naturally, I had no intention of actually taking the money.
My exaggerated display of composure was precisely for this purpose. I checked my watch. Hmm, not yet?
‘It was about time for the hero of justice to make their appearance.’
Kwaang!
“Gah!”
And a pillar of fire instantly erupted, engulfing the bank’s entrance. Soon, crimson flames were licking greedily in all directions.
A strange sense of welcome made me grin. ‘Speak of the devil (TL Note: A Korean idiom, “horangido je mal hamyeon onda,” literally “Even if you speak of a tiger, it comes.”)’
Stomp, stomp…
Behind the villains who had been thrown back by the impact, a blurry silhouette gradually drew closer. From amidst the flames, a pair of green eyes stared intently at me.
And then, a familiar voice resonated softly.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not in a very good mood today.”
Yuha’s voice, as she appeared, was colder and more chilling than usual today. ‘Honestly, I never get used to this every time I see it. We just exchanged smiles and farewells.’
“And it just so happens I need to blow off some steam.”
“…Hmm?”
“We’ve met before, haven’t we, villain?”
Yuha’s glare radiated a vivid intensity. Cold sweat instantly beaded on my back.
I found myself facing an unexpected dilemma.
‘…Why is she in a bad mood?’
