episode_0171

171.

A slightly late Saturday evening.

I stopped by a convenience store near Mo’s restaurant for a moment.

But what a surprise?

I unexpectedly ran into some familiar faces.

“Ah, senior.”

A girl greeted me warmly with a clear, pure voice like the sky and a gentle wave of her hand, her smooth hair falling like moonlight.

I glanced at Ha Yooa, who was shyly smiling, her face clearly showing her admiration, like a passionate fan meeting their favorite celebrity by chance. Well, Ha Yooa did call herself my fan.

“You’re here too?”

“Yeah.”

Despite wearing a hat pulled down deeply to avoid people’s stares, Ha Yooa immediately recognized me as Lee Jinhyuk.

Fans are really something, aren’t they?

I casually nudged Ha Yooa’s side and glanced at her.

“….”

There was Lee Cheong, looking at me with sleepy eyes, his head slightly tilted.

It seemed like he had just woken up, with his eyes half-closed and his hair tousled, but he didn’t look messy at all.

It felt like looking at a pretty knit sweater that could appear in a sub-fiction?

“….Hello, senior.”

Lee Cheong greeted me with a nod, but unlike Ha Yooa, there was no sign of excitement in his eyes.

Well, as someone who truly valued Ha Yooa, Lee Cheong couldn’t help but feel awkward around me.

“Senior.”

“Yeah?”

“I’ll ask for a rematch next time.”

“Oh, well… if I have time later.”

Perhaps due to the memory of defeat, Lee Cheong seemed to have a strong sense of rivalry towards me.

Come to think of it, I couldn’t forget the expression on Lee Cheong’s face when he woke up after the match. He was truly shocked.

Because losing to a peer with just one blow, especially for someone known as a genius like Lee Cheong, was quite a first-time experience for him.

Maybe Lee Cheong’s pride took a big hit?

“By the way, senior.”

“Why?”

“Why are you dressed so nicely? Is it… a date?”

“It’s not exactly a date.”

“But you’re meeting a woman, right?”

“Well, yes.”

I nodded affirmatively.

There was no point in lying, as it wouldn’t be believable.

“Oh, are you meeting someone? Oh, sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. That’s not something you should ask.”

“No, it’s okay.”

In fact, I had promised to meet Yoo Seolhyun today.

It wasn’t a date like Ha Yooa suggested, but a brief meeting for business purposes.

Just a casual meal and conversation at a nice restaurant.

But I had arrived at the meeting place too early, so I was killing time at the convenience store.

“Then, senior, we’ll go ahead.”

“Goodbye.”

Finally, Ha Yooa and Lee Cheong bid farewell and were about to leave the convenience store.

And that’s when it happened.

– Ding dong.

“Welcome. This is CE Convenience Store.”

The door of the convenience store opened, and who should walk in but a stranger, a man.

But there was something… suspicious about him.

He had a slightly anxious or tense look on his face.

He quickly scanned the convenience store as he entered.

The man glanced at me, Ha Yooa, and Lee Cheong.

And then, he turned his head sharply towards the part-timer.

“Hey, you bastard.”

“Yes?”

A man creating a small ball of fire in his hand, threatening the part-timer.

“If you don’t want to get hurt, hand over the money now! Quickly!”

“Ah, what?!”

What’s this? A robber?

I was taken aback and looked at the man.

Judging by the flaming ball in his hand, he seemed to be some kind of pyrokinetic ability user.

Since fire abilities usually had a strong impact, I needed to be cautious.

Of course, judging by his appearance, he didn’t seem like a serious criminal.

“If you don’t want to end up as charcoal, behave yourselves!”

This time, he turned towards us and shouted.

If they were ordinary girls, they would have been trembling like leaves, praying for the police or heroes to come.

But Hayoua and Cheong blinked their eyes and maintained a calm expression.

They were hero trainees.

Elite students from the top academy in South Korea.

They didn’t even bat an eye at the threat of such a petty criminal.

“Well, with Hayoua and Cheong here, I don’t need to step in.”

I wasn’t sure of the extent of the criminal’s abilities, but judging by his actions, he didn’t seem too threatening.

With Hayoua and Cheong, I could easily take him down.

Maybe I could just watch this time?

As I was thinking that…

‘…?’

They were staring at me blankly.

Wait, do you guys think I’m going to handle this?

“Senior.”

“Senior.”

Hayoua looked at me with eyes full of expectation for my performance, while Cheong had a look that seemed to say, “Should I show off my skills?”

Oh, no, well…

Honestly, using my abilities was tiring, so I didn’t want to use them unless necessary.

If you guys can handle it, shouldn’t you?

But to them, I was an experienced hero, having even defeated Yoo Da-hee.

It seemed like they thought it was better for me to step in than amateurs like them.

…They also seemed curious about how I would handle the criminal.

‘Sigh, I have no choice.’

I sighed quietly.

Given the situation, I couldn’t just stand by.

There could be casualties if I made a mistake.

‘I have to activate my abilities and take down that robber… Huh?’

“Ah, ah?!”

As I was about to activate my abilities, the part-timer pointed at me, looking genuinely surprised.

“H-Hey, are you Hero Lee Jin-hyuk?”

“What?”

Did they just recognize my face now?

The part-timer, looking at my face covered by a cap, couldn’t hide his astonishment, and even the robber turned to me with a shocked expression.

“I-Is that Lee Jin-hyuk? The hero who defeated Yoo Da-hee?”

“Um.”

Sorry, but I’m not a hero, I’m a hero trainee.

But because of my past actions, the citizens almost treated me like a hero.

“W-Why, why! Of all people, Lee Jin-hyuk is here!”

“Well, I just came to the convenience store to kill some time.”

The robber’s eyes widened, and he staggered back.

It was like the face of someone who heard thunder.

If I were to compare it, it would be like the expression of a thief seeing a swarm of police officers when trying to steal.

“W-What a joke… Agh?!”

“Huh?”

The man, with a face full of fear, stumbled backward, tripped over his own feet, and fell flat on his back.

When I fell, I hit my head hard on the shelf, shivering for a moment before collapsing and lying limp.

It felt like a brief moment of unconsciousness due to a concussion.

“Hah.”

I stared blankly at the scene, thinking to myself.

‘…Is he an idiot?’

Why is he scaring himself like that?

It’s ridiculous.

“Wow, senior, that was amazing!”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“You used your energy to subdue him in an instant!”

Out of the blue, Hayu spouted nonsensical words, leaving me dumbfounded.

Huh? Energy? Me?

Hey, what are you suddenly talking about?

You saw it too. That guy just stumbled and fell like an idiot.

“Right? Wasn’t he just stumbling backwards and fell?”

The part-time worker who had witnessed everything expressed a natural doubt.

To which Hayu, with a triumphant voice, pointed her finger and explained confidently.

“Ordinary people might think that way. But no.”

“Yes?”

“Heroes beyond a certain level can control their energy very precisely. Senior probably unleashed a powerful energy blast at that thug.”

What…?

Energy control?

I can’t do that at all.

“The man who was exposed to intense energy for the first time probably couldn’t even breathe properly. You saw it just now. His face turned pale and he was trembling.”

“Oh, right.”

Well, that’s because I was scared by the fact that I killed the villainous Yuda, right?

Honestly, the thug was a bit small for a villain.

“In a situation where his body stiffened due to energy, it’s natural for him to act recklessly and try to escape.”

“T-That’s right.”

“It was all intentional on your part, right, senior?”

What’s all this nonsense, Yua?

Hayu turned her head towards me, waiting for a response.

But with her expectant eyes, I couldn’t bring myself to deny her words.

Well, anyway, Cheong will probably explain everything.

As a renowned genius freshman, Cheong wouldn’t make such ridiculous mistakes.

Right, Cheong?

“…I was so overwhelmed by the energy that I couldn’t feel it? How precisely did he control the energy.”

“C-Cheong?”

“…Was there such a big gap in skill? Knocking me down in one hit. How skilled is senior Lee Jinhyuk? Can I catch up?”

Cheong muttered to himself with a serious expression.

…Even you, Cheong.

Why are you suddenly trying to surpass me?

Is it because of when I knocked you down last time?

If you knock me down, you’ll have to be knocked down yourself, right?

“Anyway, let’s report it to the police. We can’t just stand around like this forever.”

“Ah, yes.”

Upon my words, the part-time worker promptly reported to the police.

Hayu and Cheong were looking at me as if I were amazing, but I deliberately ignored their gaze.

They seem to think too highly of me.

Honestly, it’s a bit burdensome.

It feels like I’m lying for no reason, which makes it even worse.

***

“Thank you for your cooperation, Hero Lee Jinhyuk. We’ll take it from here.”

A while later.

After the police arrived and took the criminals into custody, they saluted me and smoothly left in the criminals’ vehicle. Wait, but why are they calling me a hero too? I have a hero license, but it’s only temporary.

“Phew. It took too long…”

“Oh my. Jinhyuk, you’re here?”

“Hmm?”

Just as they were about to head to the meeting place, Yoo Seolhyun, accompanied by her assistant, greeted with a bright smile and a wave.

Her wavy golden hair fluttered in the wind as Seolhyun brushed it aside and confidently walked towards me.

Dressed in mature clothing and walking alongside her assistant, she truly exuded the image of a young CEO.

Seolhyun definitely gave off a more mature vibe compared to the other kids.

But why is she acting so blatantly familiar in a situation like this?

If rumors spread unnecessarily, it could become troublesome for both of us.

“How did you end up here, Seolhyun?”

“Hehe. I was about to enter the restaurant when I happened to see you from behind. I also noticed a police car, so I came to see if something was wrong, and they said they caught a robber?”

“It just happened…”

It’s not like I caught the robber myself.

“Anyway, Seolhyun. Acting like you know me in a crowded place like this is a bit…”

“Hehe. What’s the big deal? It’s not like we did anything wrong.”

Does she not care about unnecessary rumors spreading?

As one of the heirs to Gaon Nuri, it wouldn’t be good for baseless gossip to start circulating about her.

If people find out that a man and a woman are meeting like this on a weekend, they might get the wrong idea.

That’s why we decided to meet in a private room at the restaurant.

“By the way… what about you guys?”

“Oh. Hello, Senior Seolhyun. I’m Hayou, a first-year student. And this is my friend, Cheong.”

“Hello.”

“Hmm? Oh, hello.”

Seolhyun greeted Hayou and Cheong, who were by my side, but she didn’t seem particularly pleased for some reason.

“I heard the rumors. You’re Jinhyuk’s enthusiastic fan, right?”

Is it just me, or is her gaze slightly colder?