episode_0021

It was in the afternoon when I finally met Minji after parting ways at the cafe.

Perhaps tired from hero activities, Minji leaned her head on my shoulder as soon as she saw me.

“You’ve been through a lot. This is a gift.”

I casually handed Minji a luxury wallet, filled with cash, as a token of appreciation.

To be honest, it wasn’t much of a gift. The luxury wallet I received from Minji for free didn’t differ much in price.

I even filled the wallet with more cash than I received back then.

Minji hesitated for a moment, examining the wallet, before handing it back to me.

“Enough, you beggar.”

“What do you mean? I have plenty of money.”

“A guy who couldn’t even pay for a motel.”

“Now I can afford a hotel, you want to go now?”

“…You horny bastard.”

Minji’s swearing now felt oddly satisfying.

It seemed like a dangerous barrier was forming between us.

Despite my protests, Minji reluctantly accepted the wallet as I insisted.

After examining the wallet for a moment, Minji quietly spoke to me.

“…Hey. Are you really going to take the hero test?”

“Yes.”

At my firm answer, Minji let out a heavy sigh.

Glancing around to make sure no one was listening, she gestured for me to come closer.

“You’re a villain, aren’t you?”

Her question caught me off guard.

Between a hero and a villain, I was undoubtedly closer to being a villain.

I might not know the exact criteria for being labeled a villain, but having taken on contracts in the villain’s underworld and completed them, I was no stranger to being called a villain.

But how did Minji know this fact?

“How did you…”

“A guy who dragged someone to a motel against their will, is that a hero or a villain?”

“…”

Well, she had a point.

Because of Minji’s barrier, I remembered our first meeting as if it were pleasant, even though it was the first encounter between a criminal and a victim under the guise of ‘forcing Minji to commit a crime.’

Still, there was a slight sense of injustice.

“…We didn’t go to the motel against their will, we agreed to go together—”

“…Shh.”

As Minji gestured, our lips met in an instant.

It was the first time I witnessed her ability, telekinesis.

With the power of her lips, resistance was futile.

Could I resist if she used this telekinetic power to subdue me?

I was curious.

“So what now, if you catch me during the villain search, will you arrest me right away?”

Even though it was practically revealed that I was a villain, Minji’s attitude remained unchanged.

In fact, she seemed concerned for me.

Her concern was quite reassuring.

“Can’t you somehow avoid it?”

“I can’t.”

At my flippant response, Minji replied seriously.

When I asked for the reason, Minji showed me a picture.

“It’s because of this person’s ability.”

“What ability is that?”

“It’s the ability to see the number of crimes committed.”

I carefully examined the picture Minji was showing me and used my ability.

And I understood.

“I won’t get caught.”

I could probably participate in the hero test without being exposed as a villain.

The female hero in the picture Minji showed me didn’t have the ability to see crimes as numbers.

She wasn’t a hero who caught every villain 100%.

Minji looked at me with concern, but I wasn’t afraid.

After all, I could see everything with my own eyes.

[Barrier: Liar, Capable Man, Stubborn]

I knew the person with this barrier.

A villain who liked lies despite his abilities.

Violet.

The true identity of the hero in the picture Minji showed me.

Although she hid her tattoo well, she couldn’t hide her true identity from me.

Barriers don’t change easily.

“…Phew, if I get caught, I’m in big trouble for real.”

Listening to a mix of worry and curses, the two of us headed to the hotel.

This time, it was my treat.

***

We arrived at the black market early in the morning.

Most of the shops were closed, but the place that looked like a lodging establishment and my destination, the bar, were open.

“What’s going on?”

“Can I see the owner, by any chance?”

“Me?”

Whether she was listening to me or not, Violet slowly walked out from behind the counter.

“What are you up to so early in the morning?”

Violet crossed her legs with a menacing look, arms wrapped around her chest, and a mischievous smile.

Her short dress revealed her fair thighs. It was clearly intentional exposure.

“I want to take the hero test.”

“The hero test? Hm… Seems like you know everything already.”

Without any further explanation, Violet glanced at me and chuckled.

“I thought I fooled you pretty well.”

Indeed, it was different.

Contrary to her current bold appearance with heavy makeup, tattoos, and daring attire, Violet looked innocent and wore modest clothing when she was active as a hero.

Just that change alone made her look completely different.

If she had a skill other than her ability, it would probably be makeup.

Without the skill to see through disguises, it would have been difficult to recognize her.

“So, you just want me to let you go without catching you?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm, I guess I can do that.”

She came around the counter and leaned into me as if to embrace me.

Her ample chest pressed against me, flattening against me.

“Have you told anyone about this?”

“No.”

“…Hmm, I see.”

She wasn’t actively pressing her chest against me just to seduce me. She was checking if I was lying by pressing her body against mine.

…Maybe it was both.

She was a frightening woman.

“Alright, I’ll do anything if you make one request.”

She smirked and showed me a request form.

The contents of the request were simple.

It was a request to collect money from a man.

Violet began to tell the story with a disgusted expression.

Such tasks were not really special cases, they said.

There were several reasons, starting with the fact that many people who commissioned villains were practically broke or did not actually have the money, or they were heroes or people related to hero agencies who were not afraid of villains’ retaliation.

There was also a problem with how the success of the request was confirmed.

When a villain completed the request, Violet, another villain, used her ability to verify if it was true.

Even if Violet confirmed it diligently, it was enough for outsiders to suspect that villains were colluding and scheming.

Although it was said that such cases were rare these days due to the growing scale of the black market and the reduced fear of retaliation from villains, there were always exceptions.

And this time was one of those exceptions.

“This client is a former villain. And a pretty good fighter, at that.”

Violet playfully pretended to throw punches.

“Do you not trust Violet’s ability even though she’s a villain?”

“I don’t trust the success of the request more than my own ability.”

Saying that, Violet spoke softly.

“The first request you received was practically impossible to succeed.”

“…”

“Sorry, I lied. There’s only 20 million won on that card.”

Violet apologized to me for lying.

Having a penchant for liars, Violet, who had a wall of truth, was already a liar herself.

She seemed sincere, but she had deceived heroes and even me.

Perhaps the woman who commissioned her knew this side of Violet and was withholding payment out of suspicion?

“I’ll let you take the Hero Test if you collect your 50 million won yourself.”

I had no choice but to accept the request.

It felt like my first battle was about to begin.

Before making serious preparations, I decided to investigate the villain I would be fighting.

The investigation wasn’t difficult.

Violet casually provided some information, and in the black market, there were all sorts of shops to help villains with various activities, including a fortune-telling shop that provided information about people.

And the male villain I was targeting seemed to be quite famous, as the shop owner at the fortune-telling shop handed me a thick file without needing any time for investigation when I subtly asked about him.

“Give me 200,000.”

“….”

“Okay! 100,000. Deal?”

“Yes.”

“Great, take it.”

I was momentarily late in responding because I didn’t expect the conversation to turn to money, but the price was cut in half.

The male villain’s name was Scorpion.

At first, I thought it was his villain name, but both his villain name and his real name were Scorpion.

Scorpion once created a gang called the Scorpion Gang, named after himself.

They specifically targeted ordinary people with no abilities, and managed to evade heroes in the Incheon area, earning a reputation as a thorn in their side.

However, the Scorpion Gang met its downfall when they tried to ambush a female student who had not yet taken the Hero Test.

The protagonist of this story was Minji.

I had a feeling I knew why the request was to ambush Minji.

The request was Scorpion’s own form of revenge.

Revenge for Minji to experience what he had experienced.

On the other hand, I was relieved that Minji had not experienced what he had, as her encounter was not assault, but rather harassment.

It may seem similar at first glance, but the location and circumstances are important, as she had mentioned.

She had told me herself.

When we kissed at the cafe, she said she was excited, not uncomfortable.

Anyway.

In the file, along with his past as the Scorpion Gang, there were various other pieces of information.

Where he lived, what he was currently doing, where he had recently been.

Even what abilities he possessed.

I nodded as I read through all the information written in the file.