Mmph?!
Cat’s Eye immediately pasted her palms to the ground as if they were her feet, anchoring herself. Suddenly pinned belly-down, she glared at me, her face beet red, as if she could kill me.
Looking down at Cat’s Eye, I reached out and stroked her hair a couple of times.
Huh, heuh…!
Whether from the strange sensation or something else, Cat’s Eye trembled.
Now, this is more like a villain.
After all, simply fleeing from an enemy who couldn’t even move felt a bit anticlimactic.
“Stay like that for about an hour. And next time, fix that disrespectful way you speak.”
I whispered.
An hour was more than enough time for me to get home.
“Be grateful I didn’t kill you, Hero.”
Mmph, huh…
Well, I had no intention of killing her, anyway.
My business was truly finished.
This was sufficient to showcase my villainy.
I swiftly moved away, leaving Cat’s Eye behind.
Behind me, Yuha’s flames intermittently erupted, subduing the other villains.
A profound sense of satisfaction swelled within me.
My chest felt light, like a child’s after performing a good deed.
It felt as though I had taken another step forward for Yuha’s bright future today.
All without anyone ever realizing.
Heuh, huh…!
Even Cat’s Eye’s desperate cries sounded like a symphony to my ears.
****
The next day, during a lecture at the Cradle.
I sat in the back row of the classroom, engrossed in my smartphone.
Though I had managed to secure my admission, I wasn’t particularly ambitious about my grades.
My goal of keeping Yuha from worrying was already halfway achieved, after all.
I simply intended to maintain a respectable average, somewhere in the middle ranks.
Honestly, I wouldn’t mind if my grades slipped further, but then Yuha wouldn’t leave me alone.
She would probably abandon her own studies to tutor me through the night.
That, I desperately wanted to avoid.
[Flame Mist’s Exploits Yesterday]
A video had been uploaded to the Hero Minor Gallery.
Judging by the blurry quality and poor angle, it seemed someone had accidentally recorded the incident at the bank yesterday while passing by.
The video focused on Yuha.
It captured a series of moments: her dramatic hero landing amidst flames, her subduing the small fry with a single gesture, her defiant stand against a villain’s threats, and her eventual triumph.
The video concluded with Yuha standing tall, surrounded by cheering citizens.
[Likes: 32][Dislikes: 1]
-ㅇㅇ(239.43): Wow, seriously so cool
-ㅇㅇ(23.57): I love you, noona
-ㅇㅇ(153.129): For real, she looks like she has S-rank potential
-ㅇㅇ: Hmm, is she really that good? Seems like an overreaction (TL Note: ‘Geundeulgab’ is a Korean slang term referring to an overreaction or making an excessive fuss about something that might not warrant such enthusiasm).
“…”
My lips curved upward.
It filled me with pride to see people acknowledging Yuha’s true worth.
This method truly was the right one.
But who was that jerk in the comments below? A sockpuppet account (TL Note: ‘Kkanggye’ refers to an account with little to no activity or history, often used by trolls or sockpuppets)? I knew it.
I’ll make a note of you.
Troublemaker… unfair criticism (TL Note: ‘Buntang’ refers to an act of causing discord or disruption in an online community, while ‘eokkka’ is a slang term meaning to unfairly criticize or attack someone)… good, done.
I’d keep an eye on them and report them to a moderator.
-ㅇㅇ: Hmm, is she really that good? Seems like an overreaction
ㄴㅇㅇ(71.34): Villain caught
After leaving a warning, I scrolled through the other posts.
No matter how far I scrolled, there was no end to the articles related to Yuha.
[Flame Mist or whatever, the spam is insane. I’m not interested, go make your own gallery and get out]
Such was the extent of it that some users were even complaining of fatigue.
Of course, I had no intention of listening.
While it might seem unusual for an aspiring hero, not even a fully-fledged one, to garner so much attention, such a thought only arises from an ignorance of the Hero Minor Gallery’s unique characteristics.
Its primary users were individuals who would delve into anything related to heroes, wearing out every piece of information.
They were people filled with a desire to unearth something new and different, rather than the established heroes who were exhaustively covered by various media.
In that sense, the aspiring heroes of the Cradle were perfect subjects for deokjil (TL Note: ‘Deokjil’ is a Korean slang term referring to the act of being an avid fan and engaging deeply with a particular interest, similar to ‘fandom’ or ‘stan culture’).
They weren’t yet famous, but they showed considerable promise.
Could there be anyone better for expressing personal fandom?
Naturally, when a major incident or issue arose, established heroes were frequently discussed, but ordinarily, the forum’s discussions revolved primarily around the aspiring heroes of the Cradle.
Though Yuha, it seemed, had already outgrown the ‘najakhi’ (TL Note: ‘Najakhi’ is a Korean slang term, a shortened form of ‘naega jjakge mandeun hieoro,’ meaning ‘my small-scale hero’ or ‘my personal hero,’ implying a hero who is not yet widely famous but cherished by a dedicated fan) category.
Of course, that wasn’t the only reason.
Heroes were the all-around entertainers of the modern age; beings who thrived on public recognition.
Simply gaining a power and becoming a super-human wasn’t enough.
Low recognition naturally led to a decline in popularity, and without nominations, performance and rankings would plummet.
Being reassigned to a local administrative office or relegated to a dead-end job was a path no hero desired.
In other words, they would do anything to gain that recognition.
For instance, they might exploit the anonymity of online communities to praise themselves as if they were someone else, engaging in repulsive acts unimaginable to ordinary people…
This wasn’t just an occasional occurrence, but a real phenomenon that surfaced whenever one least expected it.
Hadn’t I caught someone doing just that recently? It had certainly made my work easier.
[Marionette? That audacious (TL Note: ‘Gan do keune’ is a Korean idiom meaning ‘to have a lot of guts’ or ‘to be audacious,’ often used sarcastically or critically’) fool tried to rob a bank in the middle of Seoul][5]
[I’m so jealous of manipulation powers. If I had them… hehehe][6]
[Isn’t she just a coward who ran from an aspiring hero (TL Note: ‘Jjoltwihan beombu’ is a Korean slang term combining ‘jjolta’ (to be scared or intimidated) and ‘beombu’ (a common, ordinary person), implying someone who ran away like a coward’)?][3]
[So where is Vengeance? Are they stronger than Dark Cosmos?][7]
And now, my name, too, was beginning to appear intermittently.
This was thanks to the video that had spread, showing me openly revealing myself at the bank, unlike the previous alley incident, and confronting Yuha and the other heroes.
However, the public’s perception was still a bit nuanced… but for now, I was satisfied.
“Hmm?”
Suddenly, I snapped back to attention.
The classroom, though the lecture had ended, was still noisy.
I watched the source of the commotion.
Near the front door of the classroom, someone was half-hidden, peeking and glancing in my direction.
At this utterly unexpected appearance, my face instantly contorted into a frown.
“Han Sua?”
Why was she suddenly here?
I had told her I would personally come to the Hero Department to receive her report.
‘That’s Psyche… Han Sua…’
‘I’ve never seen her in person before…’
‘She’s looking at Kim Woojin, right?’
‘No way… one Flame Mist isn’t enough, so now…’
‘Is this for real…?’
The whispers, far from dying down, grew louder and louder.
I let out a deep sigh of exasperation, feeling utterly awkward.
Ignoring the stinging gazes, I walked straight towards Han Sua.
She glared at me as if to kill, her eyes welling up with tears.
****
“Th-This is you…!!”
Han Sua, who had led me to a deserted classroom, suddenly shoved her smartphone in my face.
I frowned, yet read through the news article on the screen.
[Yesterday, around 4 PM, there was an attempted cash heist by a villain at a branch of A Bank in Seoul. The villain identified herself as Marionette, and based on various testimonies and on-site verification, the Agency has concluded that she likely uses manipulation-type powers. Meanwhile, the criminal organization known as Vengeance is still being investigated to ascertain its true nature…]
The news article was playing a familiar video.
It was the same video of Yuha I had just been watching on the Hero Minor Gallery.
“What about it?”
I feigned ignorance, hiding my inner alarm, and asked again.
Han Sua bit her lip, then snapped back.
“Anyone can tell this is you…! The one in black clothes…! Why would the guard suddenly choke himself? You used that on me, didn’t you!”
She was more observant than I thought.
I hadn’t expected her to recognize it immediately.
Well, she had experienced it firsthand, after all.
“Assuming it was me… then what’s the reason you came looking for me like this?”
I subtly trailed off, getting to the main point.
“I told you. Don’t look for me unless it’s important.
Did you find my warning so amusing? Or…”
“It-it’s important.”
Han Sua flinched and trembled but continued speaking without stopping.
“This… this is a Hwaryeon affiliate bank…! One where I’m the largest shareholder…!”
“What?”
I asked blankly.
A Bank was part of the Hwaryeon Group?
“Do you have any idea how much loss you caused? The stock price has completely bottomed out…! What are you going to do about this, seriously…!”
Han Sua’s voice was filled with a sense of injustice.
I hadn’t considered that at all.
Though the separation of industrial and financial capital (TL Note: ‘Geumsanbunri’ refers to the separation of industrial capital and financial capital, a regulatory principle designed to prevent industrial conglomerates from owning and controlling banks) had long since been discarded in practice.
For a moment, I almost felt a flicker of pity… but of course, I didn’t.
“So what?
It just means it was a bank used by villains for money laundering, anyway.”
I dismissed Han Sua’s words, muttering in a low tone.
“If I’d known, I would have just destroyed the building entirely.
And stolen all the money.”
“You ran away disgracefully, didn’t you? Anyone would think you killed all the heroes who came to catch you, especially *her*…”
“What are you talking about?
Why would I kill a hero?”
“…You’re a villain.
Wouldn’t you naturally have gone in with that intention?”
Han Sua’s eyes widened, as if she had heard something utterly absurd.
What on earth did she think I was?
“Don’t talk nonsense.
I’d die before I’d ever do something like that.”
A day might come when I would kill a hero, but it certainly wouldn’t be now.
And Yuha, of course, could never be that target.
“What…? What do you mean…”
Han Sua’s voice trailed off in disbelief.
After a moment of deep thought, she cautiously asked again.
“Is she… Baek Yuha, also… that?”
“‘That,’ what?”
“That… thing you did to me… like a puppet or something…”
At that, my expression instantly soured.
“Han Sua.
You’re really pushing your luck today.
Do you think I would do such a thing to Yuha?
Say something like that one more time.”
“H-Hiek…!”
I raised a finger in front of Han Sua’s eyes.
She immediately understood its meaning, sank to the floor, and trembled violently.
“You’d do well to be careful.
I’m already considering giving you regular ‘training,’ after all.
If you show such insolence again…”
“Heuh, I won’t, I won’t…!”
Han Sua’s tears dripped onto the floor.
She mumbled, sobbing, her voice brimming with a sense of injustice.
“*Sniff*, huh… Why, why only me…”
…Why did she look so pitiful?
Seeing her tear-filled eyes, I felt inexplicably disturbed.
‘Snap out of it.
That’s a villain.’
I immediately reined in my wavering resolve.
Yes, she was a villain.
And not just any villain, but an exceptionally malicious one, willing to steal internal Cradle information and backstab heroes to the point of death.
No amount of crocodile tears would sway me.
Speaking of stock prices.
Villains tampering with the market was nothing new.
They would sometimes deliberately sabotage, or even go further, causing specific companies to collapse or, conversely, colluding with villainous organizations.
Even the Hwaryeon Group, the top conglomerate, hid such a facade behind its respectable exterior.
Naturally, the Agency severely punished such acts, as they severely disrupted social order, but it was a situation where proper regulation was clearly failing.
Hmm, I felt a good idea might be brewing.
Oh, come to think of it…
“Aren’t you posting those Psyche praise articles on Hero Minor Gallery anymore?”
“Would you, if you were me…!”
Han Sua’s face instantly flushed red as she shouted.
