Ch.9393. There was no Asura, but there was chaos.

“Hmm, everyone did well with the Galaxy Empire. Cheers.”

“Your toast is still weak as ever.”

Somi lightly chided me. Well, people can have things they’re not good at, right?

I rolled my eyes for about two seconds but couldn’t think of anything better to say, so I just held out my bottle.

Everyone clinked their glasses together, and after the light sound of glass touching glass, we began our meal.

“Hmm.”

The gin I poured straight into my mouth didn’t taste half bad. It seemed to have quite a variety of botanicals mixed in, giving it a substantial aroma. My throat burned hot, but it was tasty enough that I could keep drinking it without mixing in tonic or anything.

“Everyone has something different.”

Looking around, I noticed every team member had a different liquid in their glass.

Lena had red wine. I don’t know much about wine, but it’s definitely expensive stuff. It was a low-sweetness, heavy variety.

Boksil was drinking a low-alcohol lemon carbonated drink as a substitute for soda. Somi probably decided that for her in advance, since she might be hard to control if she got drunk.

Somi was drinking her usual plum wine. Her expression showed she was enjoying it.

And Lu-a had ordinary beer, but—

“—Ugh.”

After taking one sip, she frowned and stuck out her tongue.

“Come to think of it, is this Lu-a’s first time drinking?”

“Yeah. I didn’t drink at the Vengeance company dinner either, so this is my first time. Why does everyone like this so much? It’s really gross… Lena, is that tasty?”

“Wait a moment. I’m decanting it.”

“De… what?”

“There’s nothing more fun than alcohol once you get to know it. We have various types here, so try them all and pick what you like.”

It feels like hanging out with college freshmen.

I got a bit excited and set up several types of alcohol in soju glasses for Lu-a, like a sampler.

“They all smell so strong. Does Geo drink with me every time I take a sip?”

“Mine is 60 proof, you know?”

“I don’t care about that. You’re not going to skip out, right? I heard subordinates are supposed to say ‘cheers’ when drinking together.”

“You only remember such unnecessary information. Fine.”

I took a swig straight from the gin bottle every time Lu-a sampled a drink. Lu-a squinted her eyes into angle brackets each time she swallowed the liquid.

“Lu-a, don’t focus on your tongue, but on moistening your body. When your skin feels pleasantly warm after drinking, that’s the alcohol that suits you.”

Lena advised Lu-a while swirling her wine glass. Lu-a tilted her head.

“I don’t really get it. Geo, pour me samples by type again.”

“This is really unfair to me. My gin is already half empty. Somi, give me some beer.”

Thud.

Somi placed a second bottle of gin in front of me with a bright smile.

This is basically telling me to die.

It won’t be that easy.

***

An hour into the drinking session.

Lena leisurely sipped her wine while observing the other team members.

“Bladder capacity at 72 percent. Requesting transition to excretion sequence. Negative. Must use the bathroom to maintain personality. When humans drink alcohol, they become dogs… Am I a dog? If a dog drinks alcohol, does it become human? Then what am I now…?”

Boksil was lying face down on the floor at attention, her sense of self collapsing.

Lena found it quite amusing and chuckled, but the other three were too busy to pay attention to Boksil.

The atmosphere between Jung Ui-seok and Han Somi was so serious that there was no room to interrupt.

“Why would I use such a complicated method? The only time you ever speak honestly about your feelings is when you’re drunk and about to pass out!”

Han Somi’s usually gentle voice had risen considerably. Jung Ui-seok sat beside her, holding his forehead with one hand.

“No, I mean, why is that even necessary? I told you as soon as I came back after the Recter battle. I still think of you as Somi, as a human! There’s no reason our relationship should change.”

“Yes, there is!”

Whoosh!

Han Somi flared her aura and instantly thrust her nails toward Jung Ui-seok’s face. Ui-seok instinctively reacted, taking a combat stance and drawing on the dragon’s power.

Ui-seok shook his head and immediately dropped his guard, but the mistake couldn’t be undone.

“Even if you accept me in your heart, your body’s instincts can’t help it. In reality… I committed crimes as a monster.”

“That was Dark Arthur’s doing.”

“It was my mistake too. The accident that made me Morgan was a mistake to begin with. It was my fault that I was deceived by Minseo, and that Minseo came to hate me.”

“How does that make sense?”

“When I was a hero, I was careless about properly concluding relationships. I thought I was being considerate. But that ambiguous attitude actually angered Minseo, Se-hwa, and Yerin.”

“What are you talking about?”

“It’s a problem that you don’t understand this either!”

Bang! Somi slammed the table.

Lena smoothly extended her glass between them. The four unconsciously clinked glasses. More alcohol flowed through their veins.

“So I won’t repeat the same mistake. That behavior became a curse that made the Dragon King Sentai what it was, made you get betrayed, and turned you into a villain.”

“I sort of get what you’re saying. Lena also mentioned my attitude, and Somi is saying our relationship needs to change. You’re all indirectly criticizing me for not taking care of you properly, right?”

“My, I’m glad you have at least that much awareness, Ui-seok.”

Lena glanced at Ui-seok with a chuckle. Ui-seok looked displeased.

“Come on, haven’t I done enough? What villain organization has better benefits than Vengeance?”

“We’re not talking about a villain organization but the evil sentai Vengeance, you idiot.”

Lee Lu-a hurled an insult at Jung Ui-seok.

Ui-seok was so shocked to hear the word “idiot” from Lu-a’s mouth that his jaw dropped.

“What do you think Lu-a wants most right now?”

“She wouldn’t tell me. Said it’s a secret.”

“That’s a different secret!”

“Really?”

“Yes. Don’t even mention that.”

Lu-a closed her mouth, genuinely angry. The atmosphere grew a bit heavier. Lu-a, who had been mumbling, slowly began to speak.

“Hey, Geo. When I’m with you, I feel like my value keeps decreasing.”

“Why? You keep getting stronger.”

Lu-a sighed deeply and rubbed her eyes with both hands, arms crossed.

“You saved my life, Geo. You helped me get revenge, helped me grow stronger.”

“You always had talent. Even without me, you would have survived and gotten stronger on your own…”

“You always say such hypotheticals are meaningless.”

Stung by his own frequent saying, Jung Ui-seok closed his mouth.

“Listen, Geo. I only have one life.”

Lu-a looked straight at Jung Ui-seok, almost pleading.

“But the lives you’ve saved aren’t just one. You saved me, Lena, Somi, and Blue Saber, Yellow Cloaker, Green Nature, Silver Mirrored from the Dragon King Sentai, and countless others you probably don’t even remember.”

“Well, yeah.”

“That’s why I feel my value decreasing. To me, you’re my one and only special person, but to you, I’m just one among countless people.”

“Huh.”

“But I… I want to be treated specially by you. That’s why I worked hard to get stronger and to be a good villain.”

Jung Ui-seok fell into thought for a moment. Soon he asked Lu-a:

“You want special treatment from me? I’m already doing that. You’re my first evil sentai member, the organization’s second-in-command, and my most trusted subordinate.”

“…That’s not what I mean.”

Lu-a turned her head away, her voice barely audible.

“…I like you.”

Silence stretched on for a long time.

Finally, Jung Ui-seok crossed his arms and spoke.

“Lu-a, I appreciate your feelings. There was an incident when we first met, but enough time has passed that while it might have been a catalyst, it’s not the absolute reason. I understand your feelings. I truly do.”

“…Really?”

Lu-a, her face bright red, slowly raised her head to look at Jung Ui-seok. She was on the verge of tears.

Seeing her like that made Jung Ui-seok reluctant to answer, but he had to say what needed to be said. As Somi had said, it seemed best to conclude things properly.

“Yes. But I’m dating Somi here…”

“Are you?”

“What?”

Jung Ui-seok was taken aback by Han Somi’s cold voice. Lena barely held back her laughter as she fanned her face with her hand.

“Ui-seok, you’ve never once asked me to date you, have you? You never confessed either.”

“Huh? No, we naturally became that way.”

“Implicit consent is consent but not a contract? Hey Ui-seok, have you forgotten that villains operate on contracts?”

Lena teased Jung Ui-seok excitedly.

“Besides, there’s no reason why you should only date me, is there?”

“What are you saying?”

Jung Ui-seok’s jaw dropped at Han Somi’s bombshell statement.

“You’re a villain now, aren’t you? The villain at the pinnacle, even. Isn’t it strange for someone like that to be bound by the most basic moral concepts?”

“This isn’t about morality. Are you serious?”

“How do you plan to fulfill your greed and lust by dating only me?”

“I’ll manage.”

“You clearly can’t.”

“Well, I can’t, but… sigh.”

“Answer Lu-a. A man who ignores a woman’s confession is the worst.”

Han Somi spoke sharply to Jung Ui-seok. Jung Ui-seok straightened his back and took a deep breath, seeming a bit angry.

“Lu-a, sorry, just a moment. Han Somi, we need to talk.”

Jung Ui-seok grabbed Han Somi’s arm and stood up, taking her into the room. Seeing this, Lu-a banged her forehead on the table.

“This is the worst.”

“It seems prejudice against heroes will never disappear.”

Lena shook her head as she traced the rim of her wine glass with her finger.

“But doesn’t it feel refreshing to have expressed your feelings, Lu-a?”

“Yeah. The stuffiness is gone. Sigh, no matter how I look at it, I’ve failed. What should I do?”

“Hmm? Isn’t it obvious?”

Lena moved closer to Lu-a and whispered in her ear.

“Fight and take him.”

“What… Fight who?”

“Defeat Han Somi, and if necessary, knock down Ui-seok too and claim him. That’s all.”

“What’s that supposed to be.”

Lu-a chuckled at Lena’s joke, but Lena’s expression remained unchanged.

“…Are you serious?”

“You’re strong enough now to do it, aren’t you? I tried it before. After Ellie disappeared, I knocked down my father and forcibly took his affection.”

“What… Wasn’t that terribly empty?”

“It was satisfying. Since people can never truly understand each other anyway, it’s just a matter of expressing yourself well.”

Lena laughed softly. She offered Lu-a a glass of wine.

“No thanks. Alcohol tastes bad.”

“This one ‘will taste good’.”

Lu-a decided to humor her and took a sip of wine.

“…It really is good.”