Ch.9595. The Violent Incident Between Rena and Han Somi

“A proposal?”

“Yeah. Um… I probably caught you off guard bringing it up so suddenly, so first… I’m sorry.”

Lu-a struggled to speak, hunching her shoulders like a small animal.

It reminded me of when I first met her, stirring up a feeling of concern.

“No. I genuinely appreciate your feelings, Lu-a. You don’t need to apologize.”

“…Really?”

“Yes. I’ve been watching you. Compared to when we first met, you express your emotions more and more naturally now. I feel proud every time I see you.”

“…Hee.”

Lu-a smiled slightly, clearly pleased. She seemed more relaxed now, settling deeper into the bed and swinging her feet.

“It’s thanks to you, Ui-seok. I’ve learned so many things from you and everyone else at Vengeance.”

“Are you enjoying it?”

“Yes.”

Lu-a’s sincere way of expressing her emotions without any pretense was as adorable as always.

“You know, Ui-seok. I know you’re troubled because you fought with Somi. But I think I’m… just too greedy.”

“Your competitive spirit is the strongest I’ve ever seen.”

“Yeah.”

I knew it was an insensitive question, but I needed to ask Lu-a directly.

“Why do you like me?”

“…Because you valued my life.”

“You mentioned that before. I never thought about it from that perspective. I’ve saved many people, but from the perspective of someone who’s been saved, you only have one life.”

“Yes. And since my life had no value, I grew to like you even more for cherishing it and showing me the joy of living.”

“Only those bastards at the Switch laboratory thought your life had no value. You were just unlucky. If you had been born into a normal family with normal parents, things might have been different…”

“No.”

Lu-a looked me in the eyes and said:

“From the beginning, I was the one who thought my life had no value, Ui-seok.”

“Why would you think that?”

Lu-a’s expression turned slightly sorrowful.

“Secret.”

Without thinking, I grabbed her shoulders and pulled her toward me. Lu-a seemed startled and resisted for a moment, but soon buried her head against my chest.

“Don’t think like that. You’re the second-in-command of Vengeance, and I acknowledge that. You have kindness in your heart, and you’re learning how to express yourself.”

“…Thank you.”

I could feel Lu-a fidgeting with her fingertips, hesitating whether to reach out or not.

“…So, Ui-seok, about my proposal.”

“Yes?”

“You love Somi.”

“That’s right.”

“And Somi loves you too.”

I couldn’t answer immediately.

I believe Somi’s feelings for me are genuine. Throughout our time together, there was no reason to doubt that.

But I was beginning to question whether her feelings were purely and solely directed at me, whether she chose me because I was me.

“I don’t understand complicated things like that. I don’t want Vengeance to fall apart, and I don’t want things to be awkward with you. So…”

Lu-a slowly looked up at me.

“Will you play a dating game with me?”

“A game?”

“Yes. For one year, show me the joy of dating. I want to experience and learn more. Of course, it would be better if you could truly love me, but since that’s too difficult, this is a compromise.”

Lu-a’s voice was bright. There was no trace of disappointment, just genuine excitement.

“Treat me like your lover for a year. If you genuinely fall for me during that time, I win. What do you think?”

It sounded like a child’s game.

It was so typical of Lu-a.

I couldn’t help but smile.

“What? Why are you laughing? I’m serious.”

“Alright. I’ll answer seriously too. I’m in.”

“…Really?”

“Yes. Let’s do it.”

“…Mmph.”

Lu-a bowed her head deeply. I could feel the heat radiating from the top of her head.

“…Um, Ui-seok.”

“Yes?”

“…Can I hug you?”

“Of course.”

Lu-a hesitantly brought her hands toward me. I wrapped my arms around her back and pulled her to my chest.

“…Heep.”

Making a sound like a small animal, Lu-a quickly relaxed and seemed to enjoy the feeling of my body as she leaned into me. I could hear her soft breathing.

“…It’s warm.”

“Do you like it?”

“Very much.”

“You can sleep in my room if you want.”

“W-wait, that’s way too advanced already.”

“Haha.”

I lay down on the bed while still holding Lu-a. She rested her head on my chest as I covered us with the blanket.

In the quiet, dark room, I could only hear the faint beating of Lu-a’s heart.

“…Um, Ui-seok.”

“Yes?”

“There’s one more thing I’d like to ask.”

I immediately guessed what Lu-a wanted and brought my face close to hers. She was startled and backed away slightly, but soon slowly approached me, leading with her forehead.

“I probably smell like alcohol.”

“…Right now it smells good, so it’s okay.”

Lu-a said that and then shut her eyes with all her might. She was squeezing them so tightly that her face was trembling.

Finding that cute too, I gently caressed her cheek and kissed her.

A light bird kiss, without any lust.

“…Ah.”

Lu-a, realizing what had happened, opened her eyes, looked at my face, and smiled broadly.

Afterward, we talked about various things until we fell asleep.

Just ordinary, trivial conversations we hadn’t been able to have because we’d been so busy.

Honestly, it was enjoyable.

Lu-a seemed happier than I’d ever seen her, which made me feel good too.

And so began our one-year competition.

But I should tell you in advance that this competition never reached a conclusion.

This is neither a joke nor a prank.

A serious problem arose that required our most sincere and full attention.

Just before the year was up, Lu-a rebelled against Vengeance and staged a coup.

***

“Oh my, if it isn’t Somi.”

Han Somi, who was taking a walk through the bushes, encountered Lena. She was clearly waiting in a position to ambush her.

“Lena.”

“You look happy. Did you have a pleasant fight with Ui-seok?”

Lena chuckled. It was clearly mockery directed at Han Somi. Though she understood it as provocation, Somi had no intention of responding in kind.

“You should get some rest. You must be tired from overexerting yourself lately.”

“Are you worried about me, or are you worried about my impact on the world?”

From Lena’s choice of words, Somi realized she had eavesdropped on her conversation with Jung Ui-seok.

“At first, I thought you were annoying. Back in the Dragon King Sentai days, I didn’t like that unwavering face of yours. But what do you know.”

Lena approached Somi and lightly stroked her chin.

“Now I might be willing to offer you a cup of tea. I’m curious. How twisted and broken must the structures in that head of yours be.”

Slap. Somi knocked away Lena’s hand.

“I don’t want to hear such things from you, Lena.”

“Are you angry? I didn’t know you could make such expressions.”

“Are you enjoying this?”

“Of course. I’ve seen many broken people in my time. At first, watching them break was fun, but it quickly became disgusting. But you were broken from the start, weren’t you? Yet no one noticed. How could that not be interesting?”

“Why is that interesting?”

“Why else would you become a villain?”

Lena answered as if it were obvious.

“Embracing other heroes like a mother, stepping forward to fight and get hurt more than anyone else. All of that because you can only establish your self-identity by sacrificing yourself to help the world.”

Lena tapped the ground with her high heel.

“How is that any different from self-harm?”

Somi glared at Lena and replied:

“I know. I know it’s an abnormal way of thinking.”

“Ui-seok doesn’t wrap his actions in noble words like self-sacrifice. He sees it as the price he pays to do what he wants. But you consider yourself noble.”

“Do I disgust you?”

“I told you, I find it interesting. Even your reason for falling in love is for world peace. You knew it from the beginning, didn’t you? You didn’t love Ui-seok because he was Ui-seok, but because he was the strongest man.”

Somi didn’t answer. Instead, she narrowed her eyes sharply as she glared at Lena.

“How happy were you when you heard the conditions of greed and lust? Because you could perform the noble act of giving up your beloved partner to another woman for the sake of the world.”

“Lena, I’m sorry, but if you continue speaking, I’m going to find it unpleasant.”

“Do you want to fight me?”

“…Such actions…”

“It’s okay. ‘You may fight.'”

WHOOSH!!

As soon as Lena finished speaking, Somi lunged at her with her nails out.

Lena, grinning widely, immediately used her high-speed commands to restrain Somi’s arms.

“‘Stop,’ ‘Vines,’ ‘Bind,’ ‘Kneel,’ ‘Bend back,’ ‘Levitate,’ ‘Sink down’!”

Lena floated into the air to avoid the attack. In contrast, Somi was restrained by vines that shot up from the ground and began to dig into the surface with terrifying force.

“This is why I hate villains.”

FWOOSH!

Somi released her aura and deflected Lena’s commands. Lena responded by unleashing even more powerful, multi-layered commands.

“Oh my, I hate heroes too. But you know what?”

CRASH!!

With a thunderous sound, Somi broke through Lena’s commands and flew up to charge at her.

Grabbing Lena, Somi shot like a missile. The two instantly flew to a coastal cliff far away.

Just before impact, Lena used her commands to turn the rocks into cushions for a safe landing. The momentum caused Somi and Lena’s bodies to overlap.

SWISH!

Somi’s hand stopped just in front of Lena’s neck. At the same time, a giant scythe created by Lena was hovering over Somi’s neck. It was shaped like the blue of death.

“Somi, you would have done quite well if you had come as a villain. I guarantee it.”

Somi lowered her eyelids. The strength drained from her eyes.

“…What should I do?”

Lena giggled and answered:

“Didn’t you say Ui-seok never even confessed to you? Start over from the beginning. Starting with loving Ui-seok.”

Somi looked at Lena with a strange expression.

“Why are you telling me this?”

Lena closed her eyes tiredly and replied:

“One can’t proudly write on their resume that they stole a child’s toy and plundered it.”

“Carry me to bed,” she murmured, and then fell asleep right there.

Somi looked down at her and sighed deeply.