I Became a Villain's Hero

TL/Editor: Raei

Schedule: 5/week, Mon-Fri

Illustrations: Here

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How long had it been since Jung-gyeom disappeared from sight?

Regaining her composure, Song Soo-yeon forced her trembling legs to stand.

"Ah...!"

In the process, her legs gave out several times, causing her to fall, but she persisted until she made it outside the building.

"Mister... Mister..."

Tears streamed endlessly from her eyes.

Barefoot, her feet began to freeze against the cold ground.

Yet, Soo-yeon paid no mind to any of it.

Hoping to catch a glimpse of Jung-gyeom, she started wandering aimlessly.

Where could he have gone?

Should she go left or right?

She couldn't afford to lose him now. Who knows when he would return.

She had to kneel and beg, over and over.

To trust her once more.

To say it was because of love, that he was precious to her.

She had to say it until he believed.

Soo-yeon headed to a nearby convenience store first.

It was a place Jung-gyeom often visited when he needed something.

-Ding!

Shocked by her appearance, the part-time worker watched as Soo-yeon, undeterred, ran into the store to look around.

Jung-gyeom was nowhere to be found.

She quickly left the convenience store and walked the familiar path, almost running.

-Clack! Clack! Clack!

Her tender feet made noise against the cold pavement.

A walk they started under the pretense of mending her misandry.

There were memories on this path where she held his hand and felt excited.

But Jung-gyeom wasn't here either.

Then to the playground.

The supermarket where they shopped.

The bus stop.

She looked everywhere he might be but couldn't find him.

"Sob...! Sniff....!"

The longer she couldn't find him, the more her heart ached.

Anxiety and fear grew within her.

Could it be that she would never see him again?

Unwelcome thoughts began to occupy her mind.

Soo-yeon shook her head. She didn't want to entertain such ominous thoughts.

"Haa.... Haa...."

Eventually, she arrived at that place.

Jung-gyeom's restaurant.

Another home filled with countless memories.

Until a month ago, he would always greet her with a smile whenever she came here.

"...Mister...?"

Soo-yeon already knew.

In the dark, ruined store, Jung-gyeom would not be there.

This place of memories had turned to dust, so changed from before.

Yet, dragging her bleeding feet, Soo-yeon approached the store.

"Mister...?"

Calling out for Jung-gyeom, who she knew wouldn't be there.

And no matter how long she waited, no answer came.

Jung-gyeom was nowhere to be found.

---

---

Soo-yeon repeated the same actions.

-The number you have dialed cannot be reached...

-Beep. Beep.

-The number you have dialed cannot be reached...

Sitting powerlessly inside Jung-gyeom's one-room apartment, she moved only her fingers.

She had long known it was a meaningless act.

After all, Jung-gyeom's phone lay smashed, right beside her.

But for Song Soo-yeon, this was all she could do.

She couldn't find Jung-gyeom anywhere.

It was a meaningless act, but longing for him like this made her feel at ease.

The blood that had flowed from her torn feet had already clotted.

She felt a throbbing pain, but compared to the pain she felt in her heart, it was minor.

The sharp pain that made it difficult to breathe kept stabbing at her heart.

There was no end to this pain.

She couldn't get used to it.

-The number you have dialed cannot be reached...

-Click.

The call ended abruptly.

Soo-yeon looked down at her phone.

The battery had died, and the phone turned off.

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

Her hand went limp.

-Thud.

Her phone dropped to the floor.

It was then that Soo-yeon thought to look around her.

The room was a mess.

A cake, a watch, and Jung-gyeom's wish bracelet were scattered on the floor.

The dawn's blue light seeped through the broken window.

It was dawn.

Unbeknownst to her, she had been calling Jung-gyeom for almost 6 hours.

Soo-yeon looked towards the door of the studio apartment.

Why hadn't Jung-gyeom come?

It was late.

It was about time for him to return.

It must be cold outside.

He could return any moment, smiling.

It had been a tough day.

She had woken up early in the morning, battled with Solace, and had been doing this ever since.

She was at her limit, both emotionally and physically.

Her eyelids began to droop.

Soon, she fell asleep.

---

---

"Soo-yeon."

At the sound of that voice, Soo-yeon jolted awake.

"Ah, Mister...?"

Her eyes, unfocused, scanned the surroundings.

There was no one there.

Like a cruel joke, she found herself sitting alone in the apartment.

She had imagined his voice.

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

Soo-yeon looked at the wall clock.

It was 9 AM. The birds chirping outside signaled the morning.

Jung-gyeom still hadn't returned.

"...."

Soo-yeon silently accepted this bitter truth.

Her throat began to tighten again.

She forcibly held back tears.

Strangely, after sleeping, it became easier to withstand the tears.

Perhaps her heart had died a little.

It was hard to tell.

Either way, she knew she shouldn't cry anymore.

Crying would only lead to her downfall.

Soo-yeon hugged her knees.

'Mister will come back.'

Without any basis, she repeated this to herself.

Believing those words made her heart feel lighter.

Even Jung-gyeom had to return home at some point.

She waited for him.

But her thoughts easily changed as time passed.

10 AM.

12 PM.

2 PM.

4 PM.

6 PM.

8 PM.

10 PM.

Soo-yeon's despair knew no end.

Jung-gyeom did not return today either.

As time passed, her breathing became more labored.

It was becoming harder to endure.

"....No."

She gathered her resolve once again.

Firmly, she comforted herself, "No. He will come back."

Alone, she spoke to herself like a mad person.

Midnight.

"....Sob..."

The tears she had held back started to flow again.

She couldn't hold on any longer.

Accepting that Jung-gyeom had left her was too hard to bear.

Jung-gyeom, her only friend, had left her.

The bitter reality was rubbed in her face.

"...Haah... Haah... Sob... Haah... Gasp..."

Tears endlessly streamed down her numb eyes.

She bit her lip, trying to hold back the tears, but she couldn't any longer.

A crushing loneliness found her.

Her heart ached as if it was being torn apart.

It was the loneliness she could forget when Jung-gyeom was there.

With him, she needed no one else; she didn't feel lonely.

But now, she was alone.

Left alone in this vast world.

She couldn't believe this was happening.

How had she endured before him?

She couldn't remember a world without Jung-gyeom... and it was too frightening.

Was it really over with Jung-gyeom?

The person who was everything to her, would she never meet him again till death?

When she's having a hard time, he won't be patting her back anymore?

He won't be there smiling when she's happy?

She would never again hear his greetings when leaving or coming back?

"...No...Sob...No..."

She shook her head, repeating 'no' over and over.

There was still so much she wanted to do with him.

She wanted to laugh and cry by his side for the rest of her life.

She wanted to be his lover.

She wanted to marry him.

She wanted to have children together and grow old slowly.

But now, it was all over.

He had left, taking her heart with him.

She already knew that nothing could fill this vast hole unless Jung-gyeom returned.

Soo-yeon blankly stared at her hand.

Checking what was left.

...There was nothing.

Really, nothing at all.

Even money had lost its meaning without Jung-gyeom.

She felt she understood what Jung-gyeom often said about buying happiness when you can.

Now, happiness couldn't be bought anymore.

Soo-yeon clutched her chest.

This won't do. Really, this won't do.

It was too hard.

Too painful.

She plugged her phone into the charger and turned it on.

The desperate thought that came to her mind was...

...Stella.

She felt like she needed to see Jung-gyeom in her dreams at least.

Otherwise, she felt like she might die right now.

She called Stella, trying to find out where she was.

"Haah... Haah..."

After a day, Soo-yeon's phone was turned on again.

She even harbored the foolish hope that there might be a message from Jung-gyeom.

Even with his shattered phone right beside her, she indulged in delusions.

-Ding!

"...Huh?"

As soon as the phone turned on, an alarm went off.

There were dozens of missed calls from an unknown number.

"...Mister...?"

Startled, Soo-yeon quickly unlocked the screen.

Tears welled up as she saw Jung-gyeom's smiling face as her wallpaper before she hurriedly called the unknown number back.

She didn't know who this call was from, but if it wasn't from Jung-gyeom, it meant nothing to her.

-Rrrr... Click.

The call connected immediately.

Soo-yeon asked, trembling,

"...Mister...?"

"-Luna!"

A loud exclamation burst through.

Soo-yeon's heart plummeted once again.

Not 'Soo-yeon,' but 'Luna.'

It felt like she was facing the sins she had committed.

"Luna...! Why didn't you answer? Are you okay?"

Soo-yeon recognized the voice right away.

It was Riem.

"Luna...! Please, answer me...! Are you okay?"

She wasn't okay.

She felt like dying.

That's why she had called back, to survive.

Soo-yeon pretended to care.

To receive the dream, she had no other choice.

"...What's going on?"

"Oh...! Thank goodness...! Luna, we need to gather quickly...! Ah...hurry...!"

Soo-yeon frowned at the panicked voice, wiping her tears with the back of her hand, and asked,

"...Is there a reason-"

"-We're being hunted...!"

Riem's voice was filled with panic.

It was the first time Soo-yeon had heard Riem so afraid of something.

"...What?"

Soo-yeon couldn't understand what Riem was saying.

She added an explanation.

"It might be out of nowhere, but it's true...! We're being targeted...!"

For Soo-yeon, it was puzzling.

Who could possibly be hunting the villain alliance?

Other villains can't stand up to the villain alliance.

They had won against the heroes just yesterday.

Solace was still injured.

There was no force in the country that could challenge the Villain Alliance.

So, there was no reason for them to be suddenly attacked like this.

"...By who?"

Soo-yeon asked.

Riem answered, terrified,

"St, Stella said it's Dice...."