Ch.105Episode 22. Comfort (3)

“Now! Look at this!”

She says as she moves closer to me.

She opens YouTube on her phone and clicks on a thumbnail that reads, ‘Should Heroes Provide Fan Service Like Celebrities?’

So these days they’re even making content about heroes…

I realized that being a hero isn’t as rigid a profession as I thought.

“By the way, this person is a B-rank hero. He mentioned what name he works under, but I forgot. Not that I care anyway.”

“…I thought you admired heroes?”

“I do. I think all heroes are cool. But the only person I truly admire is Instructor Yujin. Speaking of which, could you give me your autograph right now? Having the signature of the future world’s number one hero would be worth a fortune.”

She’s exaggerating.

When she says such ridiculous things with complete conviction, I can’t tell if she’s serious or joking.

“Are you planning to sell it?”

Honestly, I doubt it would be worth that much.

I seem to recall hearing that many people love getting autographs but then forget where they put the signed paper afterward.

“No. I’m going to frame it.”

“I see… Still, I’m not giving you my autograph.”

“Why not?”

While I was trying to understand why I was even having this conversation, sound continued to leak from her phone.

[—That’s why I believe we should. You can extract requests from the Association through public opinion.]

“…Extract requests through public opinion?”

I was dumbfounded by this absurd statement.

The basic principle was to assess a villain’s abilities and rank, then send a hero who could definitely win.

The outcome of hero versus villain fights was tied to the Association’s credibility, so victory was essential.

Considering public opinion instead of strength matchups?

What nonsense.

“I don’t understand it either. But apparently, among people reporting villains recently, many specify which hero they want to see fight because they admire them. In such cases, the Association compares ranks and sends that hero if they think it’s appropriate.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Since the Association is connected to the government, they tend to value public opinion.”

This was news to me.

Information never mentioned in the novel.

“So next time a villain appears in Seoul, I’ll report it and request Instructor Yujin!”

“Don’t you dare.”

I can already see the Association Chairman grinning as he assigns me the mission.

“Why not? Citizens would cheer tremendously knowing Instructor Yujin is protecting Seoul. Villains would be too scared to show their faces.”

“I don’t want that. Why should I get attention from people I don’t know?”

“Because that’s a hero’s destiny.”

Her deep yet greasy tone gave me goosebumps. I frowned, rolling up my shirt sleeve and rubbing my exposed arm.

“Don’t look at me with that weird expression while talking.”

“Okay. Anyway… In cases like that, the Association seems to want heroes to provide fan service.”

“Fan service? Aren’t heroes more like police or firefighters?”

“They used to be, I think. But recently, they’ve become more flexible. Personally, I think it’s a good change—I prefer approachable over rigid.”

She answers every question like a machine.

How does she know all this information?

Different field, but Lee Yeon seemed just as passionate about her interests as Koo Yeonhwa.

“Anyway, since times are changing that way, fan service has become almost essential.”

“…I’m not doing that. I only need you guys.”

“Hmm~ So Instructor really cares deeply about the special class! Wow~ If I hadn’t joined the special class, I would have missed out on 90% of life’s opportunities.”

She looked at me with half-lidded eyes and tapped my pelvis while wiggling her hips.

“Anyway, I’ll teach you the basics of fan service.”

“You can do plenty of that after you become a hero. I’ll pass.”

“It’s not difficult. You just need to remember one thing: smiling.”

Despite my refusal, she started spewing TMI.

She placed her index fingers at the corners of her mouth and slowly lifted them. She created a perfect smile, complete with smiling eyes.

“Pretty.”

After quietly observing her smile, I spoke honestly. At my words, Lee Yeon’s eyes widened, and her index fingers fell from her mouth.

“What?!”

She exclaimed in shock, raising her voice.

The peaceful silence was completely shattered by her voice. The mood was nice before. That’s a shame.

“Why are you so surprised that I called you pretty? You know you’re pretty.”

“No, no…! Even so, saying it so directly is cheating!”

So she’s not denying it…

“Ahem! Ahem! Th-thank you for the compliment.”

After clearing her throat to hide her shyness, she turned off the video.

“Wait… we got sidetracked. Practice smiling like this often. So you won’t look awkward when taking photos with fans.”

“I don’t need to. I barely take photos even with you guys.”

“Then shall we get used to it?”

“What?”

She turned her phone back on and opened the camera app. She switched to selfie mode and framed both of us.

Thanks to the nearby streetlights, our images appeared clearly on the phone camera.

“Come closer. You’re not in the frame!”

“What are you doing…”

“A rehearsal. Come on, don’t be so stiff. Put your arm around my shoulder like this.”

She moved my arm onto her shoulder. Suddenly finding myself embracing her, our bodies pressed much closer together. Our chests were almost touching.

Lee Yeon also placed her hand on my back and smiled broadly, as if telling me not to get angry at her actions.

While I was feeling bewildered by the situation, she was adjusting the camera angle to get the best shot.

“I’m taking it! Smile brightly~!”

Having found the best angle, she smiled while making a nasal sound. I unconsciously gave a wry smile.

The whole situation was just too ridiculous.

Click!

But she must have thought my wry smile was a real one, as she pressed the shutter button without hesitation.

After checking the photo, she expressed her excitement by shrugging her shoulders.

“Look.”

She showed me her phone.

A single photo that made it look like Yeon and I were spending intimate time together.

It looked perfect for giving Yoo Ari a seizure if she saw it.

“Hmm! As expected… you’re handsome.”

“You know… aren’t you just satisfying your personal desires?”

“Hehe. Did I get caught?”

She was quite the shameless one.

“Oh, but let me tell you one thing—don’t put your hand on the shoulder of fans you’re meeting for the first time. Be careful.”

“You’re the one who put it there.”

After she moved my hand herself.

“But you didn’t remove your hand from my shoulder even after I let go. In this case, wouldn’t that be considered mutual consent?”

She’s really pushing this argument?

I laughed at her logical rebuttal. I removed my hand from her shoulder and ruffled her hair.

She’s somehow annoying but impossible to dislike.

She seemed satisfied with my reaction and smiled, showing her teeth.

“Hehehe. Let’s take photos like this occasionally during our trip.”

“What if I refuse?”

“Then I’ll create a mood like this and take natural photos!”

“Then I’ll humor you and let you take photos, just to acknowledge your effort. Though I don’t see what value photos with me would have.”

“They’re extremely valuable! The date on the photos will prove that I was very close with Instructor Yujin before you became famous. Then many people will envy me.”

That’s quite a long way to say “pointless.”

“Alright, alright. Let’s go back inside now. The bugs are starting to gather.”

“Okay.”

I stand up from the steps, casually dust off the dirt from my pants, and turn around. Even as she stood up, Lee Yeon couldn’t take her eyes off her phone.

“Hehehe… Got another good photo today.”

“…’Another’?”

I reflexively questioned her choice of words.

“Ah… yes. I took photos at various places yesterday too. These are memories, right?”

She says with an awkward smile, looking flustered.

For some reason, it felt like she was making excuses. I glanced at her phone. She flinched and slightly hid it behind her back.

Lee Yeon fidgeted uncomfortably, rolling her eyes to avoid my gaze.

Her overly obvious reaction deepened my suspicion.

Could she have taken photos of me at other times without my knowledge?

Considering all her talk about being a fan, it seemed possible she had photographed me secretly.

“Hmm…”

For a moment, I almost asked if I could see her phone, but decided against it.

There would be plenty of opportunities to check her phone later. Like the next time we take photos together.

“Why are you so flustered?”

“It’s nothing! Let’s go quickly. It’s getting late.”

“It’s not even 10 o’clock yet.”

When I pretended not to notice, she pushed my back and tried to brush off the situation.

“By the way, can I use this as my wish? Taking photos with me?”

“Absolutely not! I have something else in mind for my wish from Instructor!”

“What is it?”

“It’s a secret.”

Her tone was rather firm.

It seemed like a declaration that she would never tell me.

“You sure have a lot of secrets.”

“Women are supposed to have many secrets!”

“Fine. I won’t ask.”

“But Instructor.”

“What?”

“Are you really not going to give me your autograph?”

“…I’ll give it to you later.”

I reluctantly answered as I walked back to the lodging with Lee Yeon.

* * *

Around noon the next day, a man in a suit visited our lodging. He showed me his hero license.

The name field read “Yang Myungho.”

“Nice to meet you, Yujin. We’ve met before.”

“Pardon?”

As I tilted my head in confusion, he reached out his hand with a disappointed expression.

“I believe we met when I was assigned to monitor Kim Soyang, but you seem to have forgotten. Well, we didn’t introduce ourselves then, so it’s understandable. I’m Yang Myungho.”

Ah, is he the one who can use the transparency skill?

“I’m here to brief you on the details of the transaction between Heukbang-je and Akcheon, and what you need to do.”