I Became a Police Officer in a Superhero Genre

“We are not villains. I just needed people with power, for the human rights of superpower users. I know you can’t believe these words right away. That’s why we healed your injury like this, and wanted to let you know about us.”

I painfully endured the dampness in my ear while chewing over his words.
What’s the purpose of kidnapping me? Did they kidnap me to convince me they’re not bad guys? Why go through such trouble?

I couldn’t understand why they would do this to convince one mere police officer.
Although I’m injured and not in the field, kidnapping an active duty police officer is not only dangerous but could also make them a target of the entire police force.
Are they trying to build a good image by healing my injury? This is strange too, as these bastards are openly showing the faces of villains who identify as members of the Chosen Ones.
If I don’t trust this bastard and report to the police, everything he’s built up so far would be shattered, so why on earth?
No matter how I think about it, even if they’re plotting something, there’s no reason to go as far as ‘kidnapping’ me deliberately.
Because kidnapping me, a police officer, is too dangerous. But is there a reason they have to do this? I rack my insufficient brain, but for now there are only questions without answers.

As I bite my lip and break out in a cold sweat, Park Jung-hoon meanwhile babbles with a kind smile plastered on his face:

“We won’t do anything to you. Really. You can go back like this. Please work diligently as a police officer. Just – could you wait a little? For a better society. If you surely know about us, even that hero New Hope would understand us.”

From his casual words, even if I don’t know exactly what these bastards want, I could roughly guess their current purpose. And also why these bastards haven’t caused any incidents so far.

The reason they’ve moved quietly until now is partly because the cracks in society haven’t grown as much as they want due to the changed developments from the original, but also because they were afraid of New Hope.

Well, all the bastards here have been beaten up by New Hope once and miraculously succeeded in escaping. New Hope’s existence must be very frightening, but knowing her power, they can’t help but be wary.

In the original, they framed New Hope as a traitor to superpower users and isolated her. But the Park Jung-hoon bastard in front of me seems to have different thoughts.

Is it that Sai bastard?

It’s possible Park Jung-hoon’s thoughts have changed due to the altered developments from the original. But my instinct screams that this is related to that Sai bitch again.
As I blink at the ominous sensation and look at him, Park Jung-hoon helps me up. He kindly dusts off the dirt on my pants and continues speaking:

“We’ll take you home. I sincerely apologize again for bringing you here so suddenly. And – Detective. There’s one thing you need to remember.”

He suddenly looked at me with a serious face.

It seems like an atmosphere trying to scare me and bend me to his will, but because I can roughly see this bastard’s thoughts, it only looks like an unfunny farce.
But I can’t show that. I silently waited for him to speak.

“Your wounds have been healed by my ability. But every miracle comes with risks. Although I believe you are truly a good person.”

“If you have temptation in your heart, unfortunately, your injuries will be directed to someone among your acquaintances. If such a tragedy occurs – please come back to me.”

This son of a bitch saying he’ll surely help.

I let out a hollow laugh at those words. Temptation my ass. While having a shitty ability that necessarily transfers misfortune to others.

I knew from when he was doing Jesus cosplay on the outside. Indeed, this bastard matches that son of a bitch from the novel I remember, and he’s a genius at making people uncomfortable.

Afterwards, Park Jung-hoon bastard released me without any tailing as he said.
As if certain I wouldn’t report what happened here to the police, and that I would return again.
Does he mean that since my acquaintance has taken on this injury, I’ll have no choice but to come back once I find out?
Looking at the bastard waving his hand as if seeing me off, I rubbed my healed arm and leg.
But unfortunately, I’m not a nice enough guy to overlook these bastards just because my injury was transferred to an acquaintance. Rather, I’m an extremely selfish bastard.
But why doesn’t this ominousness disappear? I walked down some unknown street, feeling an inexplicable sense of discomfort at the unfamiliar absence of pain.

After leaving the building or whatever the Chosen Ones were using, the first place I went was a phone store.

In a situation where I don’t know who my injury was transferred to, I first bought the cheapest phone to call everyone whose number I know, and made calls.

The chief and colleagues, and other acquaintances all answered they were fine – but someone, was it? Misfortune always heads in the direction you least want it to.

Beeping sounds ring out. While the sound of hurried footsteps, gasping breaths, groans, and someone’s shouts echo from afar, I looked at the open door of the operating room in front of me.

I had become familiar with the scene of the emergency room after seeing it many times. There were several times when a fellow police officer who went to the scene with me collapsed after being stabbed and was brought to the emergency room, only to die in vain.

Conversely, there were also several times when I was severely injured and lay unconscious on that operating table. So I had become familiar with it.

But now, it was different.

The person lying there now wasn’t a fellow police officer or me, but a child. Mina. The protagonist of this world is lying there.

Mina, with her long hair spread out on the operating table, her face twisted as if she couldn’t bear the pain. Her face looked so agonized that I couldn’t recall her usual bright face.
The characteristic clean white of the hospital feels ominous and disgusting. A shaman’s words that white is dangerous echo in my ears. Coming this far, I’m starting to simply dislike the color white now.

I couldn’t tell if this situation was a dream or reality. As I blankly stared at the operating room, someone who looked like a nurse approached and said:

“Are you the guardian? Thank goodness. We finally got in contact. May I ask what your relationship is?”

“…I’m not a relative, but someone who knows her well. Just often. Uh…”

“Ah… I see. Then do you know this student’s legal guardian?”

“No, there isn’t one. She’s a child, who’s alone.”

“…I see. Then you’re the temporary guardian, right? We need you to listen to the explanation about Mina’s hospitalization procedures and treatment progress…”

“I’ll do it. Please tell me.”

The nurse began explaining how Mina ended up lying in such a place.

Mina was on her way home from school this afternoon when she saved a child who was about to be hit by a car.

Apparently the child who nearly had an accident didn’t see the lunatic who had been drinking since midday ignoring the signal because they were looking at their phone.

But Mina, who was watching the whole situation from the side, quickly ran over and pushed the child away to save them. Unfortunately, Mina herself couldn’t be saved.

But it didn’t make sense. It didn’t make sense that Mina would end up in the operating room just from being hit by a drunk driver, and it didn’t make sense that she would save one child and get hit by the car herself.

What on earth happened? I asked the nurse exactly how she was injured. The nurse answered:

“Fortunately, because Mina is a superpower user and wasn’t hit head-on by the car, her life isn’t in danger. But unfortunately, because she got caught up when the car overturned… her right arm and leg are severely injured.”

“Her right arm is in a severe state that will likely result in disability, and her thigh was also… when the cargo the vehicle was carrying spilled…”

The nurse’s face crumpled as if her tongue tasted bitter. I signed the necessary documents after hearing that much, answered that I would pay for money or whatever instead, and then sat in a nearby chair.

Did I think of Mina at that timing for a moment? Good. My injury was transferred to Mina. I understand. I understand, but it’s fucked up.

I forcibly try to connect my thoughts. What will happen to the future if Mina, no, New Hope is out? To think my injury was transferred to New Hope of all people, is this what Park Jung-hoon bastard aimed for? Or…

“Fuck.”

My thoughts don’t connect. It’s because my head was already full of other thoughts. Imagining an acquaintance getting hurt instead of me felt even dirtier than I had imagined.
To the point where I felt stupid for thinking I could ignore it because I’m selfish.

“Fu, ck.”

My teeth grind, my body trembles, and I feel like my brain is burning. The emotion called anger envelops me.

Of all people, why this kid? She’s a brat who stupidly goes around saving people just because she has power. She’s a child who’s lonely without family or anything, but doesn’t even show it.

I’m a selfish bastard. As an adult, I didn’t stop her from fighting. For my own survival. I ignored it because it was dangerous for me.

But fuck, this isn’t right, is it? Isn’t it too shameful to pretend not to know even this?

I thought of that detestable face of Park Jung-hoon bastard.

I feel ashamed and embarrassed that I was briefly happy that my injury was healed, but now is not the time for such thoughts.

I have to catch that bastard. And make him transfer Mina’s current injuries to me. It should be possible since they were originally my injuries.

If my injuries were transferred to Mina, conversely, Mina’s injuries could come to me too, right? It won’t be easy, but I must do it. As an adult, as a police officer in uniform, I must do it.

“Guardian? The student has woken up now, and is looking for her guardian. Would you like to go in?”

How much time has passed? It was already dark beyond the window. Suddenly I could hear from the nurse that Mina had been moved to the recovery room.

I answered the nurse that of course I would go, and headed to the recovery room.

When I first entered the recovery room, my gaze naturally went to that kid’s right hand, which looked like a lump of meat smashed with a hammer, just as I had before.

There were stitched marks on her thigh too, indicating there had been a hole, and clear marks that looked like a knife had pierced through her left hand as well.

Seeing that miserable state, I was at a loss for words. I couldn’t say anything.

As I stood there blankly, I felt Mina’s gaze. That child’s red eyes were looking at me, having lost their strength.

At that gaze, as if something that could be called conscience was being mercilessly torn apart, I bit my lip in agony, and Mina spoke with a weak smile:

“Detective… I’m sorry. I, I wanted to find that guy who hurt you and… say I’m sorry… for being late… but I… lost him… I couldn’t… see you because I felt sorry… So. I…”

Mina seemed to be talking about that Minus bastard. Whether due to anesthesia or pain, her consciousness appeared to be in a hazy state.

Well, fine. Just listen to whatever she says in that state.

It’s okay to ask why she recklessly went into the research lab and got hurt. It’s okay to ask if it’s true she doesn’t remember anything about revealing her identity.

Whatever Mina says, I must listen silently. Thinking that, I silently waited for Mina to speak.

Mina painfully stretched out her right hand that was hideously distorted because of me, and muttered with a face that looked so happy to see me:

“I really… missed… you…”

…Damn it. I’d rather she had cursed at me.

I rubbed my face with both hands.