That’s How They Became Villains

# 7. A Perfect 100-Point Villain -4-

“Excuse me.”

I whispered to the woman sitting next to me.

“…What is it, miss?”

“Just, I suddenly had a thought.”

“…What?”

I pointed in sequence at Han Yu-jin and Han Cheol-ho, and then at the other enhanced humans mixed among the civilians.

“That person is fighting against a rampaging enhanced human, but what are the other enhanced humans doing?”

“Huh? That’s…”

At my words, the woman’s gaze turned toward the enhanced humans.

Her head must already be a mess of anxiety and fear. If I give her something to blame like this, the reaction will come naturally.

-Kwang!

“Open this! Open it!”

-Bang, bang!

“Kyaak! Someone do something about that quickly!”

“When are the police coming? Did anyone call them?”

“Why are such dangerous things allowed in society!”

Right. This kind of thing doesn’t even require controlling brain waves.

I glanced at the woman’s expression.

Her face, a mess of fear and anger mixed together, was quite a sight to see.

Suddenly, the woman who couldn’t stand it anymore stood up and approached the enhanced humans.

“Hey, you guys!”

The enhanced humans, who had been eyeing each other cautiously, asked.

“Us?”

“Yes! What exactly are you doing?”

The woman shouted at the top of her lungs with madness in her eyes.

“Look at the person lying over there. While he’s fighting so hard, what are you doing just sitting here quietly, huh?”

“Why are you suddenly acting like this?”

“Hey! Isn’t this Cheongang downtown? It’s a street made for your comfort, not ours! The city treats you so well! Shouldn’t you at least show some gratitude in return!”

‘Wow, ma’am. You’re fierce!’

As the woman berated them, the civilians who were listening began to ignite like fire on oil, chiming in with “That’s right! That’s right!”

“…….”

In response, the enhanced humans whispered something to each other and then approached the fallen Han Cheol-ho.

-Zzzzt!

Following that, sparks flew, and Han Cheol-ho coughed up black liquid with a “Kuluk!”

The color of the barrier, which seemed about to shatter, became vivid again.

Maybe they had a shock device or something. That would just be buying time, though.

“Is that enough?”

The enhanced human who woke up Han Cheol-ho looked at the woman and spoke.

“Enough? What’s enough?”

“We helped, didn’t we?”

“Go out and fight!”

“Why should we?”

Unable to hold back any longer, an enhanced human gritted his teeth.

“To be honest, isn’t this all self-inflicted?”

“What did you say?”

“We’re humans too, and if you keep scratching at us like that, won’t we get hurt? Huh? If I were surrounded by people like you, ma’am, I think I’d suffocate and couldn’t live!”

“Y-you…!!”

-Thwack.

The enhanced human’s head turned from the woman’s forceful punch.

Everyone present held their breath at the sight, but the enhanced human who was hit looked down at the woman as if he hadn’t been affected at all and returned to his seat.

“Oh my, my hand…!!”

The one who did the hitting collapsed on the spot and wailed loudly, seemingly in great pain.

That sight was quite pathetic, and the situation naturally reached a stalemate.

‘Huh? Is this it?’

Tsk, less of a bite than I expected.

Maybe I should have let one more loose.

Just as I was thinking that and about to subtly approach the enhanced human who had just been punched…

-Stagger.

Suddenly, the world began to sway.

‘What’s this? I haven’t done anything yet…’

Then a mysterious window appeared in mid-air.

[By consuming a large amount of health, you can manipulate electrical signals more precisely to interfere with others’ synapses.]

As if answering my question, the part about consuming health was underlined on the status window.

…Is this what it means by consuming a large amount?

‘Damn, since this is the first time I’m using this ability, I couldn’t control the output…’

“Miss, what’s wrong all of a sudden?”

When I staggered, the woman who had just given that speech came over to support me.

“No…I suddenly feel dizzy…”

After barely regaining my balance, something strange caught my swaying vision.

Kim Seok-ho.

The enhanced human Kim Seok-ho had also begun to groan in pain, clutching his head just like me.

“W-why is he suddenly like that?”

People muttered as if dumbfounded by the sight.

Could it be that the suggestion is breaking?

What’s the reason? Because my health has been depleted? Because it’s mixing with the side effects of Winter Dead?

“Uwaaaaah!!!”

The next moment, Kim Seok-ho, who let out a loud roar, struck the barrier with strength he hadn’t shown before.

-Crash!

Then Han Cheol-ho’s barrier, which had just begun to regain its color, broke helplessly.

Kim Seok-ho began looking around among the people as if searching for someone, his eyes bloodshot.

“You…!!”

That gaze soon stopped on me.

Seeing his eyeballs glitter with rage, it seemed certain that the suggestion had been broken.

‘I’m screwed…’

“You did this to me…!!”

Kim Seok-ho rushed over in one breath, grabbed me, and slammed me to the floor.

“Urgh…!!”

The sudden impact made my lungs feel like they were shrinking.

“Unnie!”

Then I felt a floating sensation.

When I barely opened my eyes and looked around, I was already in front of a glass wall overlooking the downtown landscape.

“Stay still! Don’t come closer!”

Kim Seok-ho shouted, gripping my neck.

It meant he would crush my neck if I moved even slightly.

At that, it seemed Han Seok-ho and Han Yu-jin also couldn’t move readily.

‘What’s happening? How did the situation flow like this?’

Why am I suddenly a hostage?

Why did this guy run toward the glass wall?

Hey, Mr. Kim Seok-ho.

Surely you’re not thinking of breaking the glass wall to escape.

We’re on the 37th floor!

-Crash!

Betraying my expectations, the reinforced glass that must have been at least 3cm thick was torn like paper.

‘Fuck!’

The nightscape of the darkened city felt like it was right in front of my nose.

Kim Seok-ho began to slowly back away, as if watching for the other enhanced humans.

“Help…!”

I squeezed out my voice and shouted. However, Kim Seok-ho didn’t stop backing away, as if he couldn’t hear my voice.

It seemed from a glance that too much blood had rushed to his head, making him unable to hear surrounding sounds.

Is this how I die?

No, I can fly.

The only one who will die is this guy.

But it would also be a big problem if the incident ends like this?

How do I explain that an ordinary person survived falling from the 17th floor?

When is Last coming?

Last.

‘Last.’

At that moment an indescribable, strange sensation passed through my brain like it was flowing up my spine.

This sensation…Yes. I had felt it just recently too.

“Hehehe…”

Dopamine flowed through my brain.

Ah, I was happy. How could I not express this situation as happiness?

“…What, are you laughing at?”

Perhaps finding it strange that I was laughing in this situation, Kim Seok-ho, whose ears had cleared, asked.

Instead of answering, I threw my gaze toward the shutter.

-Kwang!

The shutter that had been firmly lowered was shattered along with a cloud of dust.

Standing in the dust was the silhouette of a man.

It was the protagonist of this world, who always appears in moments of crisis.

It was Last.

*

Returning to the 37th floor due to the strange feeling from the floors below, what Jin Hyun witnessed was an iron shutter that was designed to close automatically in case of an emergency.

Made of chromium alloy, the shutter – created to prepare for when humanoid monsters invaded the city or when armed groups tried to illegally occupy the building – wouldn’t budge even with ordinary explosives.

‘Is it a terrorist attack?’

At this point, what came to Jin Hyun’s mind was the well-being of Cheol-ho and Yu-jin, who would be in the restaurant.

They were strong enough to be classified as A-class and B-class at Minos, so there probably wouldn’t be any major issues, but the problem was that there were too many civilians inside.

‘They’re kind-hearted people, so they won’t be able to ignore it.’

In that case, even Cheol-ho and Yu-jin could sustain serious injuries.

Once he reached that thought, Jin Hyun quickly initiated action.

First, he looked around to check if there were any CCTV cameras capturing him.

He wasn’t yet mentally prepared to reveal his past to Han Cheol-ho and Han Yu-jin, so Jin Hyun advanced while avoiding anything that could record his appearance.

He had that ability.

Having reached the front of the restaurant like that, Jin Hyun put his ear to the shutter to grasp the situation inside.

“Unnie!”

“Stay still! Don’t come closer!”

Han Yu-jin’s voice and the voice of the serving staff were heard one after another.

It seemed quite dangerous, with the urgency in their voices.

‘Damn it…!!’

Jin Hyun instinctively began to put strength into his fist to break the shutter and enter.

However, Jin Hyun couldn’t immediately throw his punch.

If he broke the shutter and entered here, the city would discover that he was one of the first-generation enhanced humans who had gone missing.

That’s not all.

It would betray the trust of Cheol-ho and Yu-jin, who had thought of Jin Hyun as a civilian all this time.

He would lose the place to return to that had just been given back to him.

Isn’t there a better way? A way to resolve the situation without stepping forward himself.

At that moment, the word “Unnie” he had just heard flashed through Jin Hyun’s mind.

The only person at this place who Yu-jin would call “Unnie” was…Chae Yu-ha.

The woman who had awakened memories from Jin Hyun’s childhood that he had forgotten for a while.

The woman who always had a smile on her face, though what she was thinking was unknown.

“……!!”

Jin Hyun’s senses rang an alarm.

That if he didn’t break through this shutter right now, he would be left with a regret that would never be erased.

-Boom!

Thus, unripe justice and an incomplete villain met in a critical moment as hostage and savior.

*

Last appeared.

Although he wasn’t yet complete he clearly appeared before me in the form of a hero.

‘I knew it!’

Except for being taken hostage, this situation was about half orchestrated by me, but I felt a new emotion when he actually appeared.

“You, who are you!”

Kim Seok-ho shouted as if surprised. It was no wonder, given that the shutter, which wouldn’t even scratch from ordinary impacts, had been shattered.

“D-don’t come any closer! I don’t care what happens to this woman!”

Kim Seok-ho grabbed my arm and pushed me toward the railing but Last didn’t stop walking. In his eyes, there was a kind of determination and solemnity.

“I said don’t come closer! I’ll really drop her!”

The pressure from the frightened Kim Seok-ho intensified. Now it felt like I would fall if my body tilted back just a little more.

“H…help…”

I squeezed out a voice.

And the next moment, Jin Hyun disappeared from my sight.

“Wha…Where did…?”

An uppercut landed on the confused Kim Seok-ho’s chin.

“Kheuk…!!”

Lifted into the air, Kim Seok-ho hit his head on the ceiling and collapsed face-down on the floor, unconscious.

It happened in the blink of an eye.

Everyone present, except for me, looked at the scene as if they were out of their minds.

“Are you alright?”

Last asked me, to which I answered with a smile.

“I’m al…”

-Stagger.

Once again, the world spun.

I lost the strength in my legs and collapsed on the spot.

For some reason, my vision seemed to be turning red.

No, it really was turning red.

‘This ability…I should avoid using it as much as possible.’

I tried to steady my breathing but couldn’t lift my head, so I observed the surroundings.

“Did you see…just now…?”

“Did I see something…?”

“The one that abilities users were barely handling, in the blink of an eye…”

Unfortunately, the ignorant masses seemed scared by the appearance Last had shown.

‘Why do you guys complain even when you’re saved?’

Slightly annoyed, I threw my gaze toward the Han siblings.

“Senior…right?”

“…what are you…”

But contrary to my expectations, they too were pale with fear at Last’s appearance.

Hey, why are you guys like this too?

I became slightly anxious and looked up at Last with some difficulty.

“…….”

At the same time, I covered my mouth.

I had no choice.

That feeling was similar to the helplessness one feels when confronted with some enormous being.

The ability to transform emotions into power also known as Heroic Force.

Though he wasn’t showing it, judging from the form of power rising like an aura, Last was definitely in an angry state.

Why?

What made Last this angry?

‘Ah.’

I remembered.

When Last used his power for the first time in front of people to save Han Yu-jin, there was definitely such a scene.

Last thought of the friends with whom he had received experiments at the laboratory as family.

How should I put it, fellow sufferers – he had no choice but to think of them as family, having received the same experiments and shared the same pain.

Then one day, with a mysterious explosion, the laboratory and his friends all disappeared.

The memory of that time still remains like a trauma for Last.

Was it because of that? Last almost tried to kill the guy who was trying to run away with Han Yu-jin as a hostage.

He must have thought that he couldn’t lose family before his eyes again.

‘Looking at the situation so far, apart from the fact that I’m the hostage, the context is roughly similar…’

But there was one strange point in this assumption.

While Han Yu-jin and Han Cheol-ho could be considered family to Last,

‘I’m someone he met for the first time today.’

A sense of unease washed over me.

‘This guy couldn’t possibly…?’

No, that wasn’t what was important right now.

The current Last couldn’t be said to be the order-obsessed pushover Last that I knew.

In other words, if left like this, Last might kill Kim Seok-ho lying over there.

‘At that time, Han Yujin definitely calmed Last down with some words…’

The problem was that I couldn’t remember what they were.

Please, remember.

If things stay like this, all my efforts so far will be in vain.

It will leave a big stain on Last’s hero debut.

At that moment, something like a message appeared above my head.

[Advice: Run to Last and hug him within 5 seconds]

Status window…?

[5…]

Can I trust those words…?

[4…]

You might lack flexibility, but you don’t lie…!!

[3…]

[2…]

‘Ah, whatever…!’

I immediately ran to Last and hugged him tightly.

And naturally, my mouth moved.

“Thank you for saving me.”

Such words popped out.

‘…Right, this was it.’

The words Yu-jin said to Last when he was about to fall into the abyss of murderous intent.

Now that I said it, I remembered.

Is this what they call “the body remembers what the mind forgets” or whatever?

‘But, did this really work…?’

With some apprehension, I glanced at Last and saw that the killing intent that had been gushing out to the point of suffocation had disappeared.

“Are you a bit calmer now?”

“…Ms. Yu-ha, are you alright yourself?”

“Huh? Why?”

“Blood is…coming out from your eyes, nose, and mouth.”

“Ah…this…it’s fi…”

-Stagger.

Unintentionally, I buried my face deeper into Last’s arms and said.

“…I’m not really fine.”

“I thought so…”

“But I’ll say I’m fine.”

“…Pardon?”

“Because I want you to remain as the hero who saved me.”

“…….”

Last seemed to be at a loss for words and remained silent.

Yes, that’s enough for now.

The hero, Last, a small savior who will someday shine brilliantly and my nemesis.

The next moment, I collapsed and lost consciousness like a doll whose power had been cut off.