I Became a Villain's Hero

TL/Editor: raei

Schedule: 5/week, Mon-Fri

Illustrations: Here

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Dice continued his activities.

No opponent capable of stopping him emerged.

He did not show mercy.

Though he didn't engage in battles as frequently as other villains, if there was a fight, the outcome was horrifying.

Those of mediocre skill couldn't even do a thing.

And accordingly, several changes occurred.

Heroes who were doing well started to retire, and the number of students aspiring to be heroes decreased.

Such was the fear that Dice instilled in heroes.

There was a guideline among them to absolutely avoid a Dice with a six.

Opinions on this phenomenon were divided.

While some voiced concerns about the instability he brought to society,

Others cautiously noted that he weeded out the frauds who were only heroes in name.

Han Yoo-jung, of course, agreed with the latter.

No matter how much the reporters vilified him as a cruel and ruthless villain,

She couldn't forget the way he had angrily defended her.

Nor could she forget the sight of him smashing Cant, who had callously taken away her beloved younger sibling and never apologized.

After that, Han Yoo-jung became enchanted with Dice, recognizing him on sight.

It wasn't hard to find articles about him.

Being a symbolic villain, there were bound to be numerous articles about Dice.

Moreover, since he didn't hide behind a mask, sightings of him were reported almost daily.

---

---

Han Yoo-jung turned 27.

It was a day with heavy snowfall.

With Cant retired, she could finally let go of Yoo-ra's matters to some extent and was continuing with her respectable job life.

-Wooong!

Suddenly, all the phones in the office rang at the same moment.

It was a disaster alert.

Dice had appeared nearby.

A few colleagues murmured with anxious voices, rubbing their chins.

"...It's too close..."

"Shouldn't we evacuate?"

"...Hmm... But he's not fighting, just taking a walk..."

Han Yoo-jung also stood up abruptly from her seat.

Dice had appeared really, really close by.

She immediately grabbed her coat and started heading outside.

"Yoo-jung! Where are you going?"

Someone called her from behind, but she didn't have the capacity to care.

Opportunities to get close to the elusive him didn't come by often.

She had to make the most of this opportunity.

---

---

Catching her breath after a brisk run, she spotted Dice walking in the distance.

Since there was no one else but Dice, it wasn't hard to spot him.

Above in the sky, a hero recording his movements was also visible.

Neither of them engaged in a fight.

Who would be the winner was all too obvious.

"....Sigh...."

Far off, Dice let out a sigh, his breath visible as white mist.

He had the same bored expression as always.

Yet, he was enjoying his walk, savoring the outdoor air.

It had been two years since the Cant incident.

Han Yoo-jung had made up her mind to approach him, but... for some reason, it wasn't as easy as she thought.

As always, she was too scared, overthinking everything.

What should she say to him?

Start with a greeting?

Or thank him?

Maybe ask for his name?

Tell him she had been watching him for two years?

But then she worried about what would come after.

How Dice would react, how the heroes would react.

Just by having a conversation with him, she could be branded as being on the same side and thrown in jail.

Or maybe he would find her weird.

Approaching him suddenly to say thanks might just put him on guard.

He was the villain the heroes most wanted to catch.

It didn't seem likely that Dice would easily trust someone.

She sighed deeply, trying to organize her thoughts.

How should she start the conversation?

Then, he spotted a snack bar.

Sniffling, he looked over the restaurant, then called out loudly.

"Hey!"

Naturally, there was no response.

Everyone had evacuated at his arrival.

Dice raised his voice again.

"Hey!"

Still, no reply came back.

Shrugging his shoulders, Dice started to eat some fish cake.

He also poured some broth into a paper cup, blowing on it before enjoying his snack.

"...Delicious."

He muttered to himself, satisfied.

"Pfft."

For some reason, seeing him like this made Han Yoo-jung burst out laughing.

Who would have thought a villain capable of such atrocities could look so adorable?

"...Huh?"

And at that laughter, she was the most surprised.

She hadn't laughed since Yoo-ra died, and she couldn't remember how many years it had been.

Another breeze flowed through her heart.

To some, he might be a villain of the worst kind, but to her, he was a gentle salvation.

After laughing, her tension eased.

Han Yoo-jung slowly approached Dice, who was holding a skewer of fish cake and a paper cup.

As she approached, she realized the street wasn't empty.

Citizens hiding here and there, seeing Han Yoo-jung approach Dice, whispered and shouted warnings.

"You shouldn't go that way...!"

"Someone stop her...!"

The hero looking down from the sky also spoke loudly.

"It's dangerous!"

"...Hmm?"

At the hero's warning, Dice, who was pulling out his wallet, turned his head to look up at the sky.

Everyone went silent and hid again.

The windows of the second-floor shops closed.

The slightly opened windows of the cars were raised again.

The doors of the shops were locked once more.

The hero monitoring Dice flew higher, creating more distance.

Dice looked around and then gazed at the approaching Han Yoo-jung.

Continuing to chew his food, he stared at her.

"Hero?"

He asked Han Yoo-jung as she came within a certain range.

Han Yoo-jung shook her head.

"...Then?"

He was somewhat on guard.

It was inevitable.

Everyone was trying to catch him; how could he not be cautious?

But Han Yoo-jung wasn't like that.

She hoped he would understand her heart.

Even if she was questioned by the heroes afterward.

Even if she was charged with crime through this.

She wanted to convey that she had been saved by his presence.

Han Yoo-jung composed her words and finally spoke.

"....I'm Han Yoo-jung. I wanted to thank you-"

"-Dice!!"

But Han Yoo-jung's voice was cut off by a sudden flash of light.

A smile spread across Dice's face, which had been showing an expression of utter boredom.

He was already looking in the direction of the flash.

Solace had appeared.

The accumulating snow melted away with Solace's arrival.

And as soon as Solace appeared, Han Yoo-jung was already out of Dice's mind.

He didn't give her another glance.

He said,

"Long time no see, Solace."

"Don't act like we're close."

After their brief exchange, Dice's hand held a dice.

Then, in the blink of an eye, he soared into the air.

Solace disappeared after him.

"....."

After they left, people started to emerge one by one from their hiding places on this deserted street.

The same was true for the snack bar where Dice had been eating fish cake.

The owner, placing a hand over his heart from wherever he had been hiding, sighed and muttered.

"...Ahh...it's good that it ended here..."

The owner started cleaning up the empty skewers Dice had left behind.

Dice had not been able to pay for them.

The owner's gaze then shifted to Han Yoo-jung, who was standing frozen.

Licking his lips for a moment, he began to offer some advice.

"Miss, try to watch the news once in a while. That was Dice just now."

"...I know."

"If you know, then you shouldn't act like that! Do you even know how dangerous Dice is? There's a whole truckload of heroes he's dealt with."

Han Yoo-jung found herself making excuses unintentionally.

"But I haven't heard of any civilians getting hurt by Dice...?"

"You want to be the first?"

"..."

The owner looked in the direction Dice had gone and clicked his tongue.

"...I didn't know I'd be affected too."

"..."

Coming to her senses, Han Yoo-jung opened her wallet.

"...I'll pay for it instead."

"Huh? Why would you..."

"...Just take it. How much is it?"

"I won't refuse then. 2,000 won."

Paying on his behalf felt oddly satisfying.

It was as if the money she had been aimlessly saving had finally found its purpose.

Then, Han Yoo-jung said to the owner,

"...I'll have a bit too."

And she picked up some fish cakes.

At that moment, someone placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Do you have a moment?"

It was the hero.

Naturally, Han Yoo-jung received several questions related to Dice afterward.

It was somewhat expected.

Fortunately, they didn't detain her for long.

After all, Han Yoo-jung barely had a conversation with him at all.

---

---

Thus, Han Yoo-jung ended up chasing Dice for years.

Opportunities were rare, but every two years, she managed to run into him.

Each time, she wanted to speak to him, but chances were not as forthcoming as before.

A few eye contacts.

A conversation only once in front of that fish cake restaurant.

But even that was somewhat satisfying.

An indescribable feeling.

At night, she would sigh and search for articles related to Dice.

She knew more about Dice than most people did.

She inevitably learned that he had been donating here and there recently.

She also had a suspicion that Solace might be the reason behind it.

It was inevitable since they were archenemies... but the fact that Solace was influencing Dice somehow didn't sit well with her.

She sometimes disliked that his dice wouldn't roll over 3 when fighting Solace.

Their relationship was oddly changing.

They no longer fought as fiercely as before.

There were more instances where they just smirked at each other.

She didn't know how to describe this feeling.

Just the same every day, preparing for bed with a long sigh.

-Wooong!

But that day, an especially ominous disaster alert sounded on her phone.

Dice had appeared right next to Han Yoo-jung's lodging.

-Boom.

Simultaneously, a thunderous roar shook the ground from afar.

It wasn't hard to imagine that a battle had broken out.

But why did it feel particularly unsettling today?

Could it be because it wasn't the usual time for Dice's activities?

With the thought that something different was happening, Han Yoo-jung hurriedly turned on the TV.

Sure enough, the news was being broadcast as a breaking news segment.

The anchor spoke,

"Citizens residing in Seoul, especially in Yeongdeungpo District, this is a real situation. Do not go outside. I repeat, do not, under any circumstances, go outside."

Han Yoo-jung stared blankly at the TV.

The anchor continued in that rigid, emphatic tone.

"Currently, Shake, leading a team of six heroes, is cornering Dice."

-Boom.

Another thunderous noise.

It might have been the sound of Han Yoo-jung's heart sinking.

"...We may be witnessing the end of Dice."