Ch.9494. Two Crossing Paths, Lena Grasps the Truth, Irua’s Proposal

I took Somi to the room and sat her down at the table.

Feeling like I needed to cool my head, I drank a bottle of cold water and handed a glass to Somi as well.

“Is becoming a monster the problem?”

“You still understand my thoughts so well, Ui-seok. I like that about you.”

Somi gazed at me affectionately. Even though her appearance had completely changed, did she think I couldn’t read her expression?

That’s why I couldn’t understand her intentions. In my mind, Somi and I were in love, and there was no reason for our feelings to change.

Her attitude about giving me up to another woman made absolutely no sense when our feelings hadn’t changed.

“I wouldn’t give up on you even if you became something worse than a monster.”

“I don’t want to give up on you either.”

“Then why do you want me to increase my lovers?”

“It’s a practical issue. How else will you satisfy your greed and lust?”

“I’ll just fight without those two skills.”

“Are you being serious right now?”

Somi’s eyes sharpened.

“No.”

“I thought so. For world peace, you’d thoroughly prepare every possible means—that’s your way.”

“You’re right. Greed is an invaluable counter skill, and Lust can give me an instant advantage in mass battles. It makes no sense to exclude them when the scenario has begun.”

“That’s the Ui-seok I fell for.”

“…Come to think of it, I’ve never heard your reason.”

Somi gazed into the distance as if reminiscing about the past.

“We had the same goal.”

“World peace?”

“Yes.”

“What surprised me was that I couldn’t find any other heroes with that goal.”

“That’s only natural. Ui-seok, what did we call those powerful villains who tried to conquer the world?”

“Crazy bastards, what else?”

“World domination and world peace mean the same thing.”

“…You’re right.”

“I think all the heroes and villains we’ve met so far fell within the category of ordinary people. They earned money for themselves, became famous, found happiness with loved ones… Those are the usual motivations.”

I understood what Somi meant.

I thought about the motivations of people I’d known.

Ji Se-hwa: money. Shin Yukyong: power. Choi Minseo: jealousy. Lu-a: revenge. Lena: affection. Boksil: appetite.

Everyone was moving for their own sake.

“We’re not that different. Our scope is just a bit wider.”

“…What?”

Somi seemed surprised by my unexpected response.

“I’m satisfied when the world becomes peaceful. It makes me feel good. Looking at it now, I’ve become one of those crazy guys trying to conquer the world. And I kind of like that idea.”

This is my honest feeling.

Perhaps because I had so much affection for the original work, I liked this world.

I was betrayed, fell into despair, and saw the ugly underbelly of the world, which made me change my approach. But now that I’ve reached this position, I realize the kind of satisfaction I feel is the same.

“…Hmm, I see.”

Somi’s face went expressionless for a moment after hearing my words, then relaxed.

“You’ve succeeded, but I haven’t finished yet. Rather, I’m in debt… I’ve killed many innocent people. So I can’t hold you back for my own happiness.”

“So, your choice is based on guilt?”

“I’m not even clearly human anymore, and I’m preventing you and Lu-a, who is human, from moving forward. I’m essentially placing a curse on you. Is that really right?”

“I told you I recognize you as human.”

“I can’t have children with you.”

I had no way to counter Somi’s words.

That’s too much.

“From the beginning, the reason you didn’t take any woman while living as a villain was because of me, right? Do you truly dislike Lu-a?”

“This isn’t something I should discuss in front of you.”

“Please do, honestly. If not now, when?”

So that’s why she fed me so much.

Though I can handle alcohol well, I definitely drank nearly two bottles of 60-proof gin, so I’m not in a normal state.

“Of course I don’t dislike her. When Lust first activated, I had to beat myself up with all my strength to avoid pouncing on Lu-a.”

“I know you have strong sexual desires. So you tried to hold back.”

“She’s a good kid. Cute and capable.”

“Then there’s nothing to hesitate about.”

“I love you, Han Somi.”

“I love you too, Ui-seok. But…”

Somi looked straight into my eyes as she confessed the truth.

“I’m sorry. I love peace more than I love you.”

***

“Ahahahaha!”

Lena, who had been enjoying wine with Lee Lu-a, burst into laughter, clutching her stomach. Lu-a looked at her in shock and recoiled.

“Is this what they call a drinking habit? Illusion warned me to be careful of people who act up when drunk.”

“Hmph, I just couldn’t hold it in. Somi is even more interesting than I thought.”

Lena wiped away tears with her finger as she let out the rest of her laughter.

“Were you eavesdropping on their conversation?”

“Of course. Enhancing my hearing is easy.”

“You shouldn’t do that. We deliberately gave them privacy.”

“Yes, yes, I’ll stop.”

Having already heard all the important parts, Lena deactivated her enhanced hearing.

‘Ui-seok and Somi had an interesting relationship.’

A connection between two people who found each other with true purpose, something no longer found in this world.

That was their relationship.

It was a natural progression for two people who embodied the now-extinct classic hero archetype to understand and grow close to each other.

But Lena immediately noticed a critical difference in their values.

Jung Ui-seok chose justice as his ideology and being a hero as his means because he wanted peace.

None of it was forced on him—it was what he himself wanted.

That was his instinct and source. So when the means—being a hero—broke down, he simply switched to being a villain.

His goal had never changed.

At first glance, Han Somi seems like someone with the same fundamental nature as Jung Ui-seok.

They probably thought of each other that way too. As someone like themselves who couldn’t be found anywhere else in the world. That’s why they treasured each other so much.

“Hehe. I’ve seen countless broken psychopaths, but that Somi girl takes the crown.”

Lena swirled her wine glass with apparent enjoyment, observing its color. Thinking that even monsters once bled red.

“A human who can’t prove herself without self-sacrifice.”

That was the difference between Han Somi and Jung Ui-seok.

For Ui-seok, peace is desire, while for Somi, peace is justification.

Ui-seok grows himself as he runs toward peace, but Somi sacrifices herself, whittling herself down until she breaks.

From their conversation, it seemed Somi had only just realized that Ui-seok was different from her.

Lena knew well how important a role Somi had played in the Dragon King Sentai. As the strongest villain, she had gathered flawless information about the strongest heroes.

Though she hadn’t known about the personal relationship between Ui-seok and Somi, she had predicted that the Dragon King Sentai would falter after Somi’s death, as she had covered for the entire team.

“To think that his broad tolerance and generosity was actually this. How bizarre. Somi didn’t love Ui-seok and want to protect the world with him. She fell in love with Ui-seok in order to protect the world.”

The causality was reversed.

Lena thought she was quite a disturbed woman.

“A self that can only survive by consuming itself. I wonder if that child has ever been happy in her life? Truly.”

Twisted beyond measure.

For a hero, I rather like her.

Lena muttered, raising the corner of her mouth.

“Lena, what are you talking about? Your expression looks really evil. Is the mood bad?”

“Are you curious?”

“…No. I don’t want to hear it.”

Lu-a shook her head as if feeling guilty.

She kept sighing deeply. She had no idea how to face Jung Ui-seok in just a little while.

“It seems this will take a while, so let’s take a bath. When you’re moderately drunk, getting into warm water makes your body melt. Come along too, Boksil.”

“Waaah. Boksil hates baths.”

“So you’ve sobered up. Don’t you like swimming? What’s the difference?”

“Soli scrubs my fur too hard. It hurts.”

“Where exactly is this fur you speak of? Your genetic memory must be faulty. ‘Baths are fun.’ Come along now.”

“…Really? Suddenly it seems like it would be fun! I want to go right now!”

Boksil followed Lena, swaying her head. Lu-a also got up from her seat, hoping to clear her mind.

***

The night deepened. I had originally planned to play some games with the team members, but that seemed impossible in this atmosphere. I was lying alone on the bed in my room.

Somi ultimately wouldn’t budge. This was the first time she had so firmly expressed her opinion and clashed with me.

…No, come to think of it, she had never disagreed with me before.

Somi’s and my goals are still the same.

Only our positions have changed.

No matter how much I acknowledge her, she actually thinks of herself as a monster. Her actions as Morgan have become her shackles.

The Red Dragon of Apocalypse also judges Somi as not human.

That damn bastard.

And one more thing.

Somi’s sense of justice is still the same as when she was a hero.

I’ve become a villain.

I can already feel the subtle gap growing between us.

Well, in movies, the end credits usually roll after the dramatic return of a lover thought to be dead.

But in reality, there are quite a few problems.

—Knock knock.

As I was staring at the ceiling, I heard a knock.

“Geo, I’m coming in.”

Lu-a’s voice came from beyond the door.

Oh no, I was so caught up thinking about Somi that I made a mistake. My conversation with Lu-a was important too.

Lu-a entered wearing comfortable pajamas. A pleasant shampoo scent wafted from her still-damp hair.

“Come sit down.”

“Okay.”

Lu-a closed the door and sat on the edge of the bed where I was.

I had meant for her to sit at the table.

“Sorry for the delayed response. You must have been anxious.”

Lu-a still lacks experience and knowledge, so she needs to be comforted.

This isn’t my specialty, but I was thinking we should talk slowly when Lu-a spoke first.

“Geo, I have a proposal for you.”