“Ohh…”
At last, it’s starting!
Leaning back in my chair, I stared intently at the CCTV feed displayed on the monitor.
On the screen, The Man, who had just begun his confrontation, stood opposite Custard, whose pristine white cape billowed around her.
‘Wait, that’s not her name, is it?’
‘Who cares? She’s just an early-game trash mob hero, destined to be discarded after being ‘taken’ this time. There’s no need to remember her name.’
In any case, The Man’s expression on screen was not just menacing; it was chilling.
“Whoa…”
The overflowing murderous intent was palpable, even through the screen.
‘It’s really terrifying. So brutal, so brutal.’
‘If I’d seen this scene in a game, my body, which had been all fired up, would’ve instantly cooled down. Fifty points deducted.’
“You hypocritical b*tch. Today, I will absolutely deliver judgment upon you.”
‘Oh, he can deliver lines, after all.’
‘It’s quite cool, in its own way.’
As our protagonist gritted his teeth, openly revealing his animosity, Skate (TL Note: A placeholder name for the hero, similar to ‘Custard’ mentioned earlier) did not back down.
“Ha! A villain calling a hero hypocritical? That’s the pot calling the kettle black (TL Note: A Korean idiom, ‘sadonnammal,’ referring to someone criticizing another for a fault they also possess, similar to ‘the pot calling the kettle black.’)! Truly, you’re an incorrigible villain!”
Then, she brought her hands together, beginning to charge her magic.
‘A classic special move activation pose.’
‘Good heavens. To think she’d try to unleash her most powerful attack right from the start.’
‘Is she even a hero? In hero stories, such attacks are supposed to be saved for the finishing blow!’
‘Honestly, these youngsters today have no sense of romance. Tsk, tsk.’
“With this light, I shall purify all that is evil!”
The hero, clearly hero-ignorant (TL Note: ‘히어로알못’ (hero-almot) is a Korean slang term meaning ‘someone who is ignorant about heroes’ or ‘lacks knowledge of hero tropes’), spouted a provocative remark.
At that moment, The Man smirked and threw the invention he held in his hand.
Croissant (TL Note: Another placeholder name for the hero, similar to ‘Custard’ and ‘Skate’) scoffed at the small, unidentified object thrown from The Man’s hand.
“Ha, has he given up?”
However, as countless mechanical arms rapidly extended from the thrown invention,…
“Huh?”
The hero was flustered.
The Man’s eyes also widened, round and surprised.
‘…I hadn’t heard anything about *that* coming out…’
Watching the two of them in their bewildered state, I bounced excitedly in my chair, my body twitching uncontrollably.
‘Excellent.’
‘Honestly, I was on the fence about whether this invention would even work, but it’s functioning perfectly!’
“Go, Immobilizer Boy!”
The mechanical arms swiftly coiled around the hero’s body, which had been preparing for an attack, rendering her utterly immobile, just as its name suggested.
“Ugh, argh! Can’t you undo this? You cowardly villain…! What exactly have you done?!”
The hero struggled desperately to free herself from the restraints.
Yet, with every struggle she made, the mechanical arms tightened their grip even further.
In the process, the hero ended up in a rather embarrassing pose, with her legs splayed open.
The Man watched the scene for a moment before a smirk played on his lips.
‘I’m not entirely sure how it works… but this invention The Doctor gave me, it has quite impressive performance.’
The thought that he could finally exact his revenge filled his mind.
He took slow, deliberate steps, a smile of pure elation gracing his face.
“Damn it…! Can’t you undo this right now? Gh, ugh… If, if you let me go now, I-I might just let this slide…!”
“Hah.”
The Man was utterly dumbfounded.
Only moments ago, she had freely hurled all sorts of insults, calling him evil and incorrigible.
Yet, the moment she became the weaker one, she changed her tune so abruptly.
“Indeed, you bitches, you heroes are all…”
‘…hopeless beings.’
Muttering thus, The Man picked up a small blade that had fallen to the floor.
“You, you…! What, what are you going to do?!”
Over the anxiety that had clouded the hero’s eyes just moments ago, a fresh layer of terror now settled.
Now, in her clear… no.
The Man’s reflection in her once-clear eyes was broadcast through the CCTV.
“Oh, ohh…!”
He was, quite simply, a devil.
Though his lips curved into a smile, his eyes blazed with fury.
While it might have seemed a comical combination at first glance, seeing The Man wear such an expression… it was something else entirely.
“It’s really quite terrifying…”
Just as some horror films are scary purely through their atmosphere,
even watching through the screen, I found myself trembling, my lower abdomen quivering.
‘…No, why is my lower abdomen trembling?’
Regardless, the atmosphere was incredibly frightening.
To an extent that dwarfed the previous tension.
So much so that if I were in that very spot, I might have bawled my eyes out.
Of course, as a genius doctor, I wouldn’t cry like that, so pathetically.
“Kyaa!”
The protagonist, who had been setting the mood with his head bowed, then swiftly drew his knife—*shhhwick*!
He precisely sliced the hero’s costume in half.
Instantly, the hero was… not quite nude, but in a precarious state of undress.
“Ohh…!”
‘Is this finally the scene collection I’ve been so eagerly anticipating?!’
‘To think I’d get to see the first CG so easily!’
“I absolutely have to see this…!”
I widened my eyes, focusing intently on the CCTV screen.
I also made sure to adjust my headset.
‘Oh, just in case anyone’s worried, let me clarify something.’
‘The protagonist won’t boringly attack the hero with that knife.’
‘That would just turn into a bloodbath. Not the kind that comes from *that* lower orifice, but a *real* bloodbath. It would become R-rated in a different sense.’
‘Not only would that be out of bounds in the context of an erotic game (TL Note: ‘야겜’ (ya-gaem) is a Korean slang term for ‘erotic game’ or ‘adult game’), but our organization itself possesses a most desirable ability: to sexually torment heroes, reaching a climax that allows us to absorb their power.’
‘When he first joined the organization, he heard the explanation clearly, so he must know.’
‘If he doesn’t know, that’s another problem entirely. I must have shouted “Remember, if you ‘take’ a hero, you get stronger!” in front of the boss dozens of times until it was ingrained in his ears.’
‘…How is such a thing possible, you ask?’
‘I don’t know either. I’ve only been told it’s the boss’s superpower. They never gave me a detailed explanation.’
‘Well, even if I was curious, the boss seemed reluctant to tell me, given the nature of their power.’
‘Honestly, we’ve been working closely together for so long now; shouldn’t they start telling me already?’
‘Even if my current body is that of a girl, and even if the boss’s power is related to R-rated matters.’
“W-wait a minute…”
“Finally, the time for revenge has come.”
“N-no, wait…?! That’s not what I’m thinking, is it… Ugh?!”
‘Oh, my goodness.’
‘How underhanded, trying to jump into the main event while I’m distracted by other thoughts?!’
‘This guy, this guy, he’s incredibly possessive, just like a protagonist should be!’
‘I almost missed it inadvertently…!’
“Ehehehe… But, *this* genius doctor…!”
*Bling-bling-bling—*
‘…Huh.’
*Bling-bling-bling—*
‘Who’s calling at this hour?’
‘I told them not to contact me unless it was something truly important.’
Muttering, I moved the mouse. *Click.* A call window popped up, displaying the caller’s name prominently on one side of the screen.
Unfortunately, it was a very familiar name.
[Idiot Boss]
‘…It’s from the boss.’
‘No, why now of all times?’
‘This is the most crucial scene!’
However, ignoring the boss’s call was out of the question.
I furiously put my brilliant mind to work.
‘If I just answer quickly and end it fast, I might still catch it by the skin of my teeth.’
– *Ring.*
– *Connecting…*
– *Ring-ring…*
‘Ugh, why is it so slow?’
After a fleeting moment that felt like an eternity, a click sounded, followed by a crackle of static from the microphone.
It was the signal that the call had connected.
“Bo-oss, why did you call…?”
I hastily spoke, intending to quickly get to the point, but…
– Doctor, come to my room immediately.
“Ugh.”
‘…No, why, why, *why* of all times…!’
– …Doctor? Is the connection bad? Well, that’s too bad. In that case, I’ll have to seriously consider cutting your snack budget…
When I didn’t respond, the boss, with a questioning tone, dropped a bombshell.
‘No, how underhanded. To bring that up now.’
“I-I’ll be right there…”
Ultimately, I had to rise from my seat, feeling as though I was on the verge of bursting into tears.
‘Truly befitting the boss of an evil organization.’
‘To do such a wicked thing without batting an eye.’
‘The boss will definitely, absolutely go to hell.’
‘…Hmm, is that a compliment for a villain?’
‘Correction. The boss will definitely, absolutely go to heaven.’
‘Go to heaven and live happily ever after.’
*Mutter, mutter.*
Muttering praises about the boss in a voice too low for anyone nearby to hear, I slowly exited the laboratory.
Just then, a voice came from behind me.
– Doctor, move quickly.
It was the boss’s impudent voice, urging me to move faster.
“…Ugh.”
‘The call isn’t over yet.’
‘But how did they know I was dawdling?’
‘Did they install CCTV in my room or something?’
‘…No, that can’t be.’
“Ugh…”
I glanced around unnecessarily, then quickened my pace.
‘After all, the first CG was already shown in the PV (TL Note: Promotional Video), so there’s no real need to see it, right?’
‘…That’s how I rationalized it to myself.’
‘Still, I really wanted to see it with my own eyes.’
“What a shame…”
‘Such a pity, truly.’
Lost in these thoughts, I made my way toward the boss’s room.
****
I arrived at the boss’s room.
The unnecessarily large door still greeted me.
*Kreeaak…*
Upon opening the door and stepping inside, I saw the boss in the center of the room, striking a pose characteristic of an evil organization leader.
You know, the one where they sit in a chair, one leg crossed, slowly stroking a cat placed in the middle.
It was exactly that.
I shook my head, saying,
“…That pose again? Don’t you ever get tired of it…?”
– What’s the matter? Didn’t the Doctor recommend it?
The boss shrugged, giving me a thumbs-up.
“Well, yes, that’s certainly true, but…”
‘But if you keep doing it, it just feels… cheesy, you know?’
‘And why are you striking that pose for *me*, an ally?’
“Hmph.”
‘If I had known this would happen, I never would have said such a thing to the boss.’
I despised my past self, who, upon first joining the evil organization, had propagated the idea of ‘romantic actions’ to the boss.
*Kreeaak, slam!*
“Hgh!”
– Haha, you still get startled by loud noises, I see.
‘Ugh,’
‘I fell for it again.’
