I Became a Villain's Hero

TL/Editor: raei

Schedule: 5/week, Mon-Fri

Illustrations: Here

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Song Soo-yeon cried herself to sleep in my arms, exhausted from the tears.

I tried to adjust my position to take her home, but she clung to me reflexively, not letting go.

It made me realize that this was the same Song Soo-yeon who used to spit only harsh words at me.

In the end, I had no choice but to carry her home in this uncomfortable position.

She clung to me completely, not letting go of my neck even in her sleep.

She wrapped her legs around my waist, clinging to me like a koala to its mother.

I had to support her bottom to prevent her from falling.

On the way home, many people looked at us strangely, but there was nothing I could do about it.

---

---

Back in my apartment after a long time.

"...."

Unlike the last time I saw it, the entire room was clean.

Nothing was broken, and there were no wood chips or dust rolling on the floor.

The broken furniture had all been replaced with new ones.

Song Soo-yeon had fixed everything while I was away.

I slowly laid down Song Soo-yeon, who was clinging to me, on the bed.

Detaching her from me was no easy task.

"....Soo-yeon, let go."

Even when I whispered a plea, Song Soo-yeon didn't respond and kept holding on.

The only reaction she showed was breathing and trembling.

Eventually, she fell into a deep sleep.

After struggling for a while to detach her from me...

I ended up lying down on the bed with her.

As I rolled onto the bed, Song Soo-yeon also rolled and gently landed on my chest.

I sighed deeply.

I, too, felt my tension release.

Now that everything was over, all the fatigue from before washed over me like a flood.

I still couldn't fully grasp everything.

Too many things had happened.

I needed some rest.

I closed my eyes.

---

---

Song Soo-yeon longed for warmth in her dream.

The warmth that had filled her chest just a moment ago had left her side.

She reached out her hand, but there was nothing to grasp.

This emptiness gradually woke her from her sleep.

Light seeped through her slowly opening eyelids.

"....!"

As she became more conscious, she suddenly sat up.

Lying alone on the bed, she started looking for Jung-gyeom first.

"....Ah...Mister?"

That name was once called without an answer.

"Why."

But this time, she received a reply.

With her heart pounding fiercely, Song Soo-yeon turned around.

In the kitchen of the apartment, Jung-gyeom was standing.

He, who was cooking ramen, spoke as if it was nothing.

"...Wait a little. It's time for breakfast."

To anyone else, it might seem like an ordinary day.

But this ordinary day was Song Soo-yeon's dream.

It was a desire she thought she'd never see fulfilled again.

Song Soo-yeon sprang up and rushed to Jung-gyeom.

-Bam!

And she hugged him tightly from behind.

She couldn't say anything.

She couldn't believe that everything from the day before wasn't a dream.

She couldn't believe that Jung-gyeom had really come back.

She cried again, even though she thought she had no tears left from the day before... apparently, there were some.

Jung-gyeom meant that much to her.

"Stop crying, Soo-yeon."

When he called her name, it felt even more special.

His existence changed everything about her.

"...Can... can I really believe it now?"

"...."

"You're... you're not going to leave again, right?"

"...Yes."

"...Sob..really...is it really true?"

Jung-gyeom quietly patted her hand.

That was a greater comfort to Soo-yeon than any words could be.

---

---

I couldn't stop snickering as we ate.

The awkwardness with her was just temporary.

Without having to say much, we quickly returned to our old relationship.

Song Soo-yeon ate her ramen with her eyes swollen from crying.

Why did her eating look so adorable?

But she took my laughter as ridicule, constantly frowning and fiddling with her bangs.

"...Ah.."

She kept lowering her head, embarrassed.

"Is it good?"

Despite this, she dutifully responded to my question.

She nodded slightly and continued eating her ramen.

During this, news aired on the TV.

A significant change that happened overnight was the focus of the news.

Solace's interview was aired again.

The footage of Solace announcing 'Dice's' death.

She was hiding me without caring about how it would damage her reputation if it became known I was alive.

No one questioned her words.

Partly because of the reputation she had built, and because there was no hero who hated Dice as much as she did.

Instead, praise towards her for defeating the number one villain continued.

Besides Dice's death, there was other major news.

The complete dissolution of the Villain Alliance was announced.

Mugshots of Stingshot, Liquid, Riem, and Tryno appeared on TV as evidence.

'Luna' was also mentioned as deceased.

Song Soo-yeon and I watched this news in silence.

Neither of us spoke, but... she must have thought the same as me in her heart.

We can't act as we did before.

---

---

"...Do you really have to go today?"

"I have to finish things."

I said to Song Soo-yeon as I finished getting ready to leave.

Soo-yeon, still anxious, couldn't stop fidgeting and kept looking up at me.

"...You have to come back."

She sought reassurance from me again.

I stroked her hair and nodded.

But that wasn't enough for her.

Biting her lip, Soo-yeon pushed my hand away and pressed her body against mine.

Then, suddenly, she stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to mine.

-Smack.

"..."

"..."

It was a brief kiss, just a touch of lips.

But with that kiss, her entire expression changed.

Her eyes grew hazy, her cheeks reddened, and her expression was one of longing.

After looking at me for a while, she sighed and calmed herself down.

"You... you have to come back."

How anxious she must be, she's repeated this phrase hundreds of times by now.

Again, I nodded.

-Thud.

With that, I left the apartment.

I picked up my phone.

I dialed the number Soo-yeon gave me, for Stella... in other words, Han Yoo-jung.

-Drrrrr...Click.

"..."

"..."

The call connected, but neither of us spoke first.

"....Who is this."

Finally, a hoarse voice came through.

I said,

"Han Yoo-jung."

A gasp of surprise came through the phone.

"...Gyeom...is that you?"

"...I'm alive."

"................."

"Let's meet."

---

---

Han Yoo-jung cried for a long time upon seeing me.

In broad daylight on the street, I had to exert all my effort to console her as she cried.

I told her to stop crying several times.

I patted her back several times as well.

It didn't feel awkward to do so.

Now that everything was over and I had some leisure time, I could afford to treat her with more patience.

After a few minutes, she managed to calm her tears and finally smiled at me, repeating that everything had turned out well.

I grabbed a drink from a nearby vending machine and handed it to her.

"Here."

"Thank you."

Looking at her damp eyes, I organized what I wanted to say.

"Han Yoo-jung."

"...Yes...?"

"..."

But when it came time to speak, it wasn't easy.

Maybe because our relationship didn't start off on the best terms, there was still some awkwardness.

Still, I had to speak. I wanted to let her know my feelings.

"...Maybe, all of this wasn't because of you."

"..."

"Even without you, Soo-yeon... might have made the wrong choice."

"…No, Gyeom. It was my fault…"

I couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

"I think so too, but I'm just trying to be nice."

"Uh..."

Han Yoo-jung, acknowledging her mistake, bowed her head.

I told her,

"But, all of this... in the end, it ended well. That's thanks to you."

"........"

"Thank you for admitting your mistakes and trying to make things right."

"..."

"Thank you for helping me out during this time."

"..."

"Thank you for being willing to sacrifice yourself in my place."

Instead of replying, Han Yoo-jung just nodded slightly.

Seeing that she might cry again, I stopped talking.

After all, there was nothing more to say.

For a while, we just stood there, quietly enjoying the sunlight.

---

---

"Gyeom."

After tens of minutes, a calmer Han Yoo-jung called out to me, her voice a mixture of relief and caution.

"Yes?"

"...Can I... stay by your side in the future too?"

She swallowed and continued to persuade me.

"I know it's shameless to ask... but I'll do my best. Like Lu... no, like Song Soo-yeon. Like Solace. Can I stay by your side?"

".........."

I continued to think. Planning in my head.

During this time, my silence grew longer.

At that, a shadow fell over Han Yoo-jung's face.

".....Sorry. I shouldn't have-"

Cutting off her attempt to back down, I asked,

"-Do you have any plans on cooking?"

".....What?"

---

---

I was preparing a new restaurant, learning from past mistakes.

After all, my happiest times were when I ran a restaurant.

At the same time, I tried not to leave out the good parts.

I didn't want to run a restaurant that was too busy.

I wanted to work while enjoying a reasonable amount of leisure, just like before.

I thought it might be okay to operate in a secluded place again.

"Here, try this."

I offered Song Soo-yeon a taste of my new spicy pork.

After trying the food, Soo-yeon repeated her usual phrase.

"It's delicious?"

"Ah...there you go again,"

I grumbled, frowning.

Soo-yeon made a cute face, mimicking my expression.

"What can I do if it's delicious..."

"......"

We exchanged glances for a moment.

Then, putting on a serious expression, I... suddenly smiled.

"Is that so?"

It didn't seem like a lie when she said it like that.

Smiling, Han Yoo-jung joined in from the side.

Before I even suggested it, she tasted the food and shook her head.

"It's too bland, Gyeom."

I looked at Song Soo-yeon.

"It's bland."

"..."

Soo-yeon, clearing her throat and skillfully dodging the question, eventually said slowly.

"Let's stop here and go, Mister."

I glanced at the clock.

We still had 30 minutes left.

Han Yoo-jung also pointed out,

"We still have 30 minutes left."

"....I wasn't talking to Yoo-jung unni. Anyway, we're done cooking."

I shrugged.

"Alright, let's go 30 minutes early then."

A smile bloomed on Song Soo-yeon's face, and her movements became quicker.

"I'll just go to the bathroom quickly."

She told me with barely concealed anticipation.

We had a date planned.

Today, we were going to see a movie followed by dinner.

While Song Soo-yeon headed to the bathroom, I began tidying up the dishes around us.

But then, Han Yoo-jung blocked my path.

".....Why?"

When I asked, Han Yoo-jung looked up at me and said,

".......You haven't forgotten the promise you made with me, have you?"

"The day after tomorrow?"

"....Yes."

"Don't worry, I haven't forgotten."

Apparently, my response wasn't reassuring enough, as Han Yoo-jung complained,

"...Can't we meet tomorrow?"

"I told you I have plans with Bom tomorrow."

"......Did you?"

Han Yoo-jung sighed.

She then started helping me tidy up.

"Ah, Han Yoo-jung-"

"It's 'unni.'"

When I called her name, Han Yoo-jung immediately corrected me.

".......What?"

"It's Yoo-jung unni, not Han Yoo-jung."

"..."

Only then did I slowly realize that she was jealous.

That's why she was particularly prickly today.

I didn't try too hard to appease her mood.

Instead, I took it as an opportunity to tease her.

"So I should just suddenly call you 'unni'?"

"It's natural considering my age."

The Han Yoo-jung who used to flinch at just her name being called was gone.

She had gained quite a bit of leisure herself.

I didn't dislike this change.

"...When you start to look like an 'unni', I'll call you 'unni.'"

As soon as I said this, Han Yoo-jung turned to face me.

Then she pulled my face towards hers and pressed her lips to mine.

"..."

"...Does this count?"

After saying this and giving me a sharp look, she went back to tidying up.

Song Soo-yeon came out of the bathroom.

"Mister, I'm ready..."

She stopped mid-sentence as she sensed the atmosphere around us.

Song Soo-yeon, with light makeup. Her already beautiful face shone even more.

She no longer hid her appearance like she used to.

She had regained confidence in herself.

She looked at Han Yoo-jung and me with a stiff face, alternating her gaze between us.

"...."

Then she looked at me and said,

"Let's go, Mister."

Her voice was a bit colder than usual.

"...Shall we?"

Song Soo-yeon suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me along.

Han Yoo-jung bid us farewell.

"Both of you, take care."

Soo-yeon briefly nodded in farewell, and I gave a small wave.

---

---

-Thud.

As soon as we stepped out of the apartment, Song Soo-yeon pushed me against the door.

-Thump.

"...Soo-yeon?"

Looking at me with a sharp expression, similar to before, Soo-yeon pulled my neck towards hers and pressed her lips to mine.

Her tongue slipped deeply in a sudden move.

Without a moment to be taken aback, her tongue swept through my mouth.

"Pff!"

Then, she irritably pulled her lips away.

Her expression remained sour as she asked,

"....Yoo-jung unni kissed you, didn't she."

"Uh?"

As I responded in surprise, Song Soo-yeon continued.

"Your lips taste different."

"..."

".....Sigh."

She brushed her hair back, looking a bit impatient.

She then closed her eyes and opened her phone.

"What are you doing?"

I asked, and she replied,

"Canceling the movie."

Wondering if this was how our date was going to end, I said,

"No, Soo-yeon... It can't end like that. I was looking forward to today too-"

"-Who said it's over? You can't go just like that, Mister."

"....Then?"

Soo-yeon's fingers paused for a moment.

Trying to act nonchalant, but not good at hiding her feelings, she spoke with a voice slightly tinged with embarrassment.

".......I booked a motel."

"What??"

I, of course, knew what a motel implied.

Soo-yeon chewed on her lip and then raised her voice,

"Oh, what!"

"No...Soo-yeon, isn't that... a bit too soon?"

"What's too soon?"

"If you were a bit older..."

"Kissing is okay, but s*x isn't?"

I was shocked and lightly hit her shoulder.

"Hey! Watch your mouth...! Everyone can hear...!"

The soundproofing of the studio apartments wasn't great.

I ended up scolding her out of embarrassment.

But Soo-yeon stood her ground.

"I'm not that young, Mister."

"..."

"There's only a 3-year difference between us."

I sometimes forget... but she's right.

There's only a 3-year difference.

But it always feels like there's a significant age gap.

"....That's true but...."

As I hesitated and frowned, Soo-yeon cleared her throat and said,

"...........Oppa."

"......What?"

After bluntly using such explicit words, Soo-yeon blushed as she called me "Oppa."

"...Then I should just call you 'Oppa' from now on. That'll solve it, right?"

"That's not the issue-"

"-That's the issue. So, let's go, Gyeom oppa.........let your first time... be with me."

".........."

She momentarily raised her voice again, trying to hide her feelings.

"Ah, or what...! Is, is it not your first time? Did you... already do it with Bom unni... or was there someone else before...?"

"......."

When I didn't answer right away, Soo-yeon's expression changed quickly.

Her eyebrows drooped, and her eyes widened.

".......It's not, right?"

I quickly answered, fearing she might start crying if I left it alone even for a moment.

"Of course, it's not."

"...But... why are you so slow to answer...?"

"...I didn't know you cared about that."

"...Doesn't everyone want their first time to be with someone they love?"

Relieved to hear I hadn't had such experiences, Song Soo-yeon's mood quickly improved.

She grabbed my arm again.

"...Now that it's settled, let's go."

I stopped her, intending to lead me to the motel.

"Soo-yeon, calm down first... let's cancel the motel."

"What? You don't want to do it with me-"

"-I want it to be in a better atmosphere."

"...."

"...Naturally."

Song Soo-yeon's grip loosened.

Her face, which seemed it couldn't get any redder, blushed even more.

She then relaxed her neck.

"If you put it that way... fine."

"..."

"Just promise me one thing. That I'll be your first."

"...Yes."

"It's a promise."

"Promise."

-Ding!

Just then, a text arrived.

I turned on my phone.

It was a message from Min-Bom.

[Bring your toothbrush tomorrow.?]

"..."

"..."

Song Soo-yeon froze upon seeing the message.

Her eyes slowly turned towards me.

"....What's this?"

"..."

"...And what's with the heart?"

"...That's... I'm not sure..."

I was just as flustered.

It was the first time Min-Bom had been so openly forward with me.

Since she revealed her true self to me, she had become this uninhibited.

"Are you going to Bom unni's house tomorrow?"

"......"

Song Soo-yeon's expression darkened again.

"...I guess it won't work after all. Let's go to the motel as I said before-"

I quickly pulled Soo-yeon into my embrace.

The air rushed out of her chest.

"Huh...!"

"Calm down, Soo-yeon."

I spoke to the agitated Soo-yeon again.

I hugged her tightly, putting all my affection into the embrace.

When she's in my arms like this, I always feel my heart fill up.

Gradually, she relaxed in my embrace, molding into me like a cat.

I whispered to her.

"......We already made a promise, right?"

"........."

Song Soo-yeon slowly nodded.

After calming her down, I didn't let her go, wanting to indulge my personal desire to hold her longer.

I don't know how long we hugged.

Finally, I let go of Soo-yeon.

Tears were welling up in her eyes as she looked up at me.

Surprised, I looked at her, and she explained the tears,

"I'm just... really happy."

"...."

I stroked her hair and suggested,

"Let's go watch a movie."

A smile slowly spread across my lips.

She smiled back at me.

I never expected to experience moments of love like this.

It was a much happier present than any moment in my past.

I hope my ordinary life continues like this, far into the future.

---

[raei: ch 126 is a note from the author, I've included it here instead]

This work has come to an end.

Thank you to everyone who followed along.

I'm not sure how you found it.

As always with writing, it's tough to judge my work.

Some of you praised it as improved, and some... haha.

I still feel a lot of shortcomings in this one.

Perhaps the part I'm proud of is that the daily views continued to increase even after chapter 80?

Previous works tended to lose viewers towards the end, but interestingly, this one gained more as it went on.

Of course, views dropped a bit after entering the ending, but I think it showed the best retention rate overall.

What I aimed for in this work was a smooth ending.

It seems I fell short in this area again.

Many found it out of the blue.

Maybe my cowardly nature played a part.

Afraid of being boring, it felt like landing with full throttle at a point where I should have been slowing down for a landing...?

I thought it was about time... but I guess not.

It's hard for me to gauge this myself, and it seems it's a problem that doesn't easily improve.

It feels like a chronic issue.

I'm still quite inexperienced. But, I will try to improve.

Another regret is that I couldn't quite achieve the extreme atmosphere I wanted. My taste seems to lie in dark characters after all.

Maybe the heroines were a bit less dark this time.

Maybe that's why there was a lack of cathartic regret... Hmm. Being my own work, it's indeed hard to judge.

There's more to say, but... chances are, the issues you readers have noticed are probably ones I'm already aware of.

I might not show it, but I'm quite self-critical.

Listing them all would make me look too pitiful... and it wouldn't be polite to those who loved this story.

In that regard, I am grateful.

Some of you might have wanted to curse but held back.

And there might be those who intended to criticize harshly but toned it down.

I always welcome criticism... but as a human, harsh words do hurt, and this time there was hardly any of that.

Instead, there was an overwhelming amount of comforting and cheering? lol

'Maybe it'll get better,' is that what you're thinking? Even if not, if anyone held back from cursing, thank you.

Although I started with the regrets, there are certainly parts I'm satisfied with.

Of course, this is just my personal opinion, but I think I wrote a more structurally stable piece this time.

I'm glad that the story unfolded as I initially planned, all the way to the end.

The ending was still lacking, but I felt it was better than before.

And I think I managed to keep true to the characters' motivations as well.

The motifs of the sun, moon, earth, and stars.

In fact, I named Jung-gyeom, aiming for the same initials '??' as 'Earth'.

It might not relate to the fun of the story, but it was quite interesting to incorporate such symbolic meanings into my writing for the first time.

Now, I'll answer some questions you might have had while reading.

Why does Jung-gyeom cry so much?

I saw a character in a novel crying, and I thought it was cute and endearing, haha. I thought it would be fun to have such a character be a ruthless villain. It seems to have been a divisive point. Some liked it, and some found it odd...

What about a spin-off?

I don't have any big plans. If there's anything, it might be about Soo-yeon... but I'm not sure. It's possible Soo-yeon won't even be featured.

Why does it always end so quickly?

Honestly, I'd like to write longer, but I'm scared. There's no guarantee that my next work will be as loved. However, before I start writing, I think through all the major events. So, when I run out of ideas, I don't have the confidence to keep the story interesting. To put it better, please think of it as me having shown everything I wanted to.

What about your next work?

I have something in mind. I've roughly outlined the structure. I'm planning a setting that allows for darker characters than in this work. I'm even considering making it rated 19+... I'll start to seriously think about it as the ideas become more concrete. I'm still stuck on how to end this work. I might end up releasing a completely different work, but for now, I'm thinking about a story filled with regret.

I don't know when I'll return, but it might take longer than my previous breaks.

This time, I came back almost within a month, which might have been too soon.

I plan to enjoy reading various web novels and relax during my break.

However, I'll be careful not to take too long to return. Please don't forget about me.

I want to express my gratitude to many of you.

To those who supported me.

To those who gave compliments.

To the PD.

To those who posted reviews.

To the person who sent fan art.

To the artist who drew illustrations.

To those who pointed out typos.

To those who commented.

And to all of you who followed along and read until the end.

I am truly grateful.

This has been,

[I Became a Villain's Hero].

---

[Hi ya! Raei here! Thanks for reading and supporting all the way to the end.

As a reader, I have questions. I wished the novel was longer because there's so much to expand on... I want to know more about how Soo-yeon's previous life went. We know why she chose the name Luna in this life (to be opposite to Bom), but how about the previous life? etc. etc.

But as a translator... I'm pretty burnt out. You might have noticed that with how chaps slowly became later and later than when I usually post it... So I'm happy it's done :P

Author's next work by the way is Incompatible Interspecies Wives, which is very popular. Haven't read it myself but it has been recommended to me many times, I'd translate it myself but another group is on it already!

Anyways I'm ahead on my other novels so I'll be taking a break before finding a nice romance novel to replace this one. Maybe one with a little less angst and self-torture.

Thanks for reading all this time, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the novel here or maybe in the discord.

After a year of translating, this is my first novel to be completely translated. Hope to add more to the list.

^^ Since this note was made for advance chappiers, I actually have 2 more to the list, 3 completed novels! And I've posted my newest translation for anyone interested, not a romance one, that one is still in the 'do I like this enough to commit' stage. I'll be either posting that or dropping it in the next two days.

This link will take you to my newest translation for anyone interested: <a /humanity-protection-company</a>

Uh leave your thoughts on the novel here or maybe come to the discord and leave your comments there? I'm deleting every comment soon unfortunately(11k comments site-wide!) to implement a new comment system. Sucks cuz the comments for this novel was nice but too many bots lately harassing my older chapters.

Raei out!]

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