Chapter 54

Chapter 54

Guilt (2)

“Uh, um, eh?”

Why did he suddenly appear before her?

No, what mattered was that they were in the same room.

She was naked, and he had just come out of the shower, his upper body bare.

“I, um, uh…”

Normally, she would try to calmly assess the situation and maintain her composure, but unfortunately, she was still not entirely sober.

The hangover-induced headache clouded her judgment.

But amidst all that confusion, one thing.

One thing she felt she needed to know first.

“Did I… did I attack you…?”

“What?”

“I mean, did I… attack you…?”

Blushing, Seolhwa looked up at him.

Right, it was hard to imagine him attacking her.

If anything, she might have drunkenly attacked him…

If that guess was true, she couldn’t exactly blame him, but she still felt nervous.

Especially since her first time could be with the man she’d been most conscious of since that day.

“…So that’s what this is about.”

As she anxiously watched him, he sighed deeply and glared at her.

“Hey, Lee Yunseol. Do you not remember what you did when I carried you here?”

“What?”

Staring blankly at him, Seolhwa tried to recall his words.

His stern demeanor brought her back to her senses, and memories of her hazy, drunken state began to resurface.

Yes, she remembered him carrying her through the hallway, with her on his back…

‘Blech!’

“Uh, uh…?”

Shocked by the memory, Seolhwa’s grip loosened, and the blanket started to slip.

He clicked his tongue and turned his gaze away, more out of disgust than embarrassment.

“That’s what happens when you drink so recklessly. No wonder your stomach was a mess.”

Now she understood the situation.

He had carried her, dealt with her vomiting on him, and had to wash himself and his clothes.

And he had also undressed her…

“By the way, it wasn’t me who undressed you. It was a crew member.”

“Ugh…!”

Realizing the blanket had fallen, Seolhwa hurriedly covered herself and looked around frantically.

“But this… this is…”

She grabbed the small package from the table.

It was the kind used by couples…

“That’s a hangover remedy and vitamins.”

“Vi-vitamins?”

Staring blankly at what she held, she saw the pink package labeled “Multivitamin.”

The shape was just a coincidence.

“Oh, um…”

Realizing her misunderstanding, Seolhwa looked at Bread with her head held stiffly.

What she saw was an expression she’d never seen before.

Neither heroes nor fellow villains had given her such a look.

It was one of genuine disappointment.

“Are you sexually frustrated?”

“That’s not it!”

“Then take the medicine and wash up. A shower and some fresh air might help with the hangover.”

He answered curtly and then put on his shirt, heading straight for the door.

Click.

As the door closed, the room fell into silence.

Staring blankly at the door, Seolhwa slowly raised her hand to her head, then crawled under the blanket.

And then…

-Bang!

Still under the blanket, she kicked it furiously.

Her kicks were even more forceful than usual.

“Idiot, idiot, moron, you fool…!”

To think she not only misunderstood but also received that look.

Shouting in shame under the blanket for a few minutes, she finally calmed down.

Looking at the hangover remedy and vitamins in her hand, she fell into deep thought.

“…Did he really do nothing?”

He called himself a villain.

He could have used this chance to exploit her, but he had simply done what he needed and left…

‘No, he wouldn’t do that. He’s different from Anatomy.’

Yes, he was nothing like that despicable man.

Though they hadn’t known each other long, she was certain of that.

Even if she couldn’t remember their time together, she was sure of it.

‘Ginger Bread. Who exactly are you?’

Yes, she couldn’t help but be curious.

Maybe he was a man deeply intertwined with her life.

***

For Seolhwa, her past was something she was very sensitive about.

Before becoming a villain, she had erased all traces of her past and, even after becoming an executive, prioritized erasing her existence.

Conversely, after becoming a villain…

At least in her early days, she shared her story with those she called comrades.

Only they knew bits of her past.

But most of them died on their first mission, and those who survived couldn’t adapt to the organization and chose to return to society.

They erased all memories of their time in the organization.

“Bread.”

Yes, the man leaning on the ship’s railing, looking out at the sea, was the only one left.

“Were you waiting for me?”

Even she had forgotten.

The man deeply involved in her circumstances.

“…Waiting? No.”

On a quiet night.

In an almost deserted spot, he smiled wryly, resting his arms on the railing.

“I was just waiting for Shadow to come back. I don’t know how to get back to the vault.”

There was no hint of wariness or fear toward her.

Despite facing the worst villain… or perhaps because he knew her well.

If she remembered correctly, he wouldn’t harm her.

“Well, he has a lot to discuss with the Boss, so it might take a while.”

Saying so, Bread tossed something from his pocket.

Seolhwa caught it and looked at it.

It was a chip.

Unlike the ones traded with Anatomy, this one was gold-plated.

“I took it from Anatomy. He said it contains only the essential information, so you can trust it.”

“Oh, okay…”

Despite this, she had been blinded by information and manipulated by him.

If Anatomy had intended more than humiliation, she might not have been safe.

Thinking so, she felt grateful to the man who had brought it for her.

So, to be honest, she should thank him, but…

“Bread, you’re kind.”

Instead, what came out of her mouth was more an assessment than gratitude.

“…What?”

He looked bewildered.

Feeling his gaze, she shrank back.

It was strange.

He was much weaker than her and had only been a grunt in the organization.

“Oh, um… Did I offend you?”

“No, I just didn’t expect to hear that from you.”

Of course, the feeling was mutual.

Seeing his puzzled look made her uneasy.

Normally, she wouldn’t care, but he knew things she didn’t.

“Did I do something terrible to you in the organization?”

Especially since he was someone she had considered a friend.

If those feelings still lingered, she would feel uneasy if she had harmed him unknowingly.

“Not really. Objectively, you were just a strict superior.”

“That’s not a good evaluation.”

“At least you didn’t pick on anyone like Anatomy. You just gave orders and did your job. You weren’t friendly, but as a boss, you were fine.”

Indeed, she had been like that in the organization.

Trying not to be underestimated, she communicated with her subordinates only when necessary.

Whether they feared her or resented her, she exuded a strong presence.

“But writing about your worries in your diary was a bit…”

“How do you know about that!?”

“How do you think? I was in your unit, and cleaning your personal room was one of my duties.”

“But I locked it in the safe…”

“Oh, the password was your birthday.”

Flinch.

Seolhwa flinched involuntarily.

He seemed to take her reaction as just surprise and laughed, leaning on the railing.

“Yeah, it’s understandable. Some stranger knowing all your embarrassing secrets.”

No, that wasn’t why she was surprised.

Sure, it was embarrassing for him to know her secrets, but it was also a way of showing he wasn’t afraid of her.

His teasing was just bluster.

Even if she didn’t know him well, she could sense that.

“…I told you.”

Even without memories…

She began to see a clearer picture.

“Yes, we shared personal stories during training.”

Yes, even if she had hidden her life, there were times when she was less guarded.

She had shared her secrets for peace of mind.

Her birthday was something she had only shared with those who trained with her before the first mission.

She must have trusted him enough to give him such a critical task as cleaning her quarters.

“So… you must resent me.”

Or worse.

She might have felt an obligation to keep him close.

“Resent you? For what?”

“I remember a little.”

Even if she had god-like abilities, they were incomplete.

But she could piece together fragments of memory.

“During our first mission, someone who cursed me for killing the hero who wiped out our unit.”

It was her peer, someone who had supported her.

Yet, she felt no anger toward his sharp attitude.

‘You had that power, so why did you let us die?’

She had hidden her power to keep her past secret, leading to the deaths of her comrades.

‘I could have saved everyone if I had that power. Why…’

And then she was promoted to an executive for finally showing her power.

To the one who had supported such a despicable person, she could only feel guilt.

End of Chapter