episode_0020

“Ga-eun, what are you thinking about?”

A coffee shop located under the office of the hero agency Guardian.

When a fellow hero from the same agency called out to her, Ga-eun finally snapped out of her thoughts.

“Huh? Oh… just…”

“Do you have something on your mind these days?”

Her fellow hero seemed to notice her complicated expression and caught her off guard with a direct question.

However, she couldn’t easily open up about her worries.

If she did, she would have to talk about her own walls.

Her own walls that were difficult to be understood.

“…No, I’m just a bit tired.”

“Really? Oh right. I heard that if the boss approaches the black market again, he won’t stay quiet this time, right?”

“His worries…”

After hearing rumors and going to the alley to catch a bald villain, instead of praise, she received a warning.

It was true that many villains gathered at night, making it dangerous, but if all Guardian heroes were to mobilize, it was a manageable situation.

She couldn’t understand why that place was being neglected.

Even the bald villain, who was touted as a dangerous figure, fell with just one kick from her. What was there to fear?

The other villains in the black market didn’t seem much different from the bald villain.

All the villains had become weak.

There were no S-rank heroes or villains in South Korea.

Only candidates and promising individuals who could reach that rank were occasionally mentioned.

She was one of those candidates.

That fact was truly regrettable.

“Is there no man strong enough to defeat me?”

After becoming an A-rank hero, all the men who stood in front of her were all the same.

Either pathetic or weaklings who didn’t know their place.

She couldn’t develop feelings for such men.

…Except for recently, except for a man named Kang Seok.

It wasn’t love, but she was intrigued.

“Even after taking my kick, he just staggered.”

It was a kick born out of misunderstanding.

Seeing his sinister appearance and feeling the wind subtly approaching from behind, she instinctively kicked to subdue him.

An ordinary person would have been seriously injured, and even a hero or villain with abilities would have fallen from the powerful kick.

But Kang Seok didn’t fall, he just staggered.

He proved her claim of being a promising individual.

So, after that, even if he persistently stuck around, she didn’t feel too bad.

They made a promise.

If he achieved the highest score in the hero test in three weeks, she would treat him to a meal.

“As for Ga-eun, what’s up with Minji?”

She looked towards Minji at her colleague’s question.

Minji, a fellow hero with a cat-like, or rather, a leopard-like appearance, wasn’t very talkative, but always had a confident expression.

But now, she seemed lost in thought.

Occasionally, she would touch her lips with her fingers.

“Minji, do you… have a crush on someone?”

Minji’s eyes widened for a moment before she looked away.

She tried to avoid answering, but her body’s reaction couldn’t be hidden.

Her flushed ears and the way she bit her lip without saying a word said it all.

“Huh? Really?!”

Her colleague hero was even more surprised at her reaction.

And it wasn’t just her colleague hero who was shocked.

“Minji has a crush on someone?”

Unbelievable.

Minji, who had the most in common with her.

She had little interest in relationships, despised weak men, and was as strong a hero as she was.

“Who could this guy possibly be?”

Her colleague hero was more excited about the unbelievable news than the person in question.

Honestly, she was curious too.

That’s Minji’s boyfriend.

And Minji’s eyes widened.

It was very subtle, but I saw the corners of her mouth lift for a moment.

So naturally, I turned my head.

A man was approaching, smiling and waving his hand in our direction.

To be honest, my first impression of the man was.

“Baseball club?”

With a sturdy physique and a baseball bat in his bag, he looked like a corporate baseball team member.

The man who approached Minji out of the blue—

“Hey, wait… cold…”

Kissed her.

It wasn’t a light kiss where lips barely touched.

It was a deep, passionate kiss exploring each other’s mouths. Ignoring the gazes of others, they even made suggestive sounds as they shared their saliva.

“Wow…”

“…”

The fellow hero blushed and stared at the two, speechless.

I was worried Minji might use her telekinesis to push the man away, but instead, I closed my eyes and turned my head.

In response, the man wrapped his arms around Minji’s waist.

It was their own little world.

And the two slowly parted their faces.

A white thread of saliva dripped between their lips.

“You horny bastard…”

“Sorry.”

“I-Is this Minji?”

“…Kind of.”

She tried to maintain a casual expression, but witnessing the deep kiss between the two left her quite shocked.

While others may not know, it seemed unlikely that Minji would ever have a boyfriend. It was understandable, as she despised men weaker than herself and was bluntly harsh with everyone.

Even from just browsing the internet, it was evident.

Despite saving numerous people as a hero and capturing many villains, most of the comments directed at her were negative, all because of her arrogant attitude.

Most of the Guardian members were like that.

Rumors even suggested that there were groups willing to pay just to leave hateful comments or curse at us.

Some even threatened to attack us or supported those who did.

As such news spread, the Guardian heroes became even more abrasive.

Fortunately, the hero next to me was a gentleman.

He was normal as long as he didn’t fight on the internet.

“Look around, you idiot.”

“Haha, sorry.”

Having spent a long time with Minji, he understood.

Even though it was just a usual insult, there was a hint of affection in the curse he spat at the man.

You could tell just by looking at his expression.

A faint smile and a slight twinkle in his eye.

The subtle change in expression from his haughty face made it clear that Minji saw the man with affection.

So I was curious.

Who could this man be that Minji had fallen for?

“Who are you?”

“…I don’t really know either…”

Minji’s response seemed a bit complicated.

Was she telling the truth?

Then why did they kiss?

It was too intimate and enjoyable for two strangers.

Although it was hard to believe, nowadays some people engage in physical intimacy before starting a relationship.

But Minji didn’t seem like the type to enjoy such relationships.

“It’s a deeper connection.”

“What…”

The man chuckled and wrapped his arm around Minji’s shoulder.

Blushing, Minji turned her head but didn’t reject his touch.

The man naturally met her eyes and said.

“I’m Seonghan.”

“…Hmm…”

It was unlikely, but Minji seemed to be hearing his name for the first time.

Introducing himself as Seonghan, the man stared intently at her.

Intense gaze.

So intense that it made others unconsciously avoid eye contact.

“Am I avoiding eye contact right now? With that guy?”

For some reason, his pride was hurt.

And he acknowledged that the man in front of him was not ordinary.

“Do you want more?”

“You horny bastard… After this is over…”

“I’ll wait.”

That kind of appearance might have a different meaning of strength.

He looked more like a beast fitting the word “strong male” rather than a strong man.

“Oh right. Minji, the hero exam that’s in 3 weeks, can I go too?”

“What? You want to take the hero exam? Well, it’s possible but…”

“You’re taking the hero exam?”

“Ahaha, yes.”

Unintentionally, he joined the conversation.

He remembered that Kangseok had decided to participate in the hero exam.

He was an unpleasant man, but at least he was a strong man who had endured his kick once. And he was a promising rising star.

He even boasted that he would receive an A-rank in this hero exam.

Of course, that was close to impossible.

Even for promising rising stars with outstanding abilities, it was common to start with a C-rank and slowly grow.

Even he, who was currently the highest A-rank in South Korea, had started his hero career from a B-rank.

But if Kangseok really got assigned an A-rank as soon as he took the hero exam…

He might look like a man.

And he looked at the man in front of him.

If Kangseok and the man in front of him were to compete, who would win?

There were combat evaluations during the hero exam.

Usually, dueling with the examiners was common, but in cases where multiple examinees received the highest score, they sometimes competed against each other for comparative evaluations.

‘But Kangseok will win, right…?’

He had endured his attacks one way or another.

He felt sorry for Minji and her boyfriend, Seonghan, but he was sure Kangseok would win.

His?

He shook his head to get rid of the wrong thoughts.

And he gave a timid word of encouragement.

“Well… Good luck.”

“Of course. Minji? Do you have anything to say?”

“…Just do your best.”

For some reason, it felt like he was being left out in their own little world.

He felt a bit ignored.

Seeing Minji, who he thought was in the same position as him, happily flirting with that man, he felt a bit empty inside.

And just a little bit, his pride was hurt.

Minji was pretty, but he wasn’t someone to be looked down upon.

He lacked a bit of feminine charm.

Unlike Minji, he had a more neutral appearance.

Thanks to that, he had quite a few female fans.

Maybe it was because of this neutral appearance that the reactions towards him were subtle?

He suddenly questioned the hairstyle and hero outfit he had maintained for a long time.