episode_0560

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Saaaljak.

A really, reeeally awkward unnie’s friend.

If asked to describe Seol Da-bin in one line, Lee Ji-yoon would think of this in less than a second.

Was it because she didn’t like Seol Da-bin’s appearance?

Not exactly, though that might have been a small part of it.

Ji-yoon had always had an allergic reaction to people who, like her sister, loved dressing up.

A similar example would be Yozora from her class.

But as mentioned earlier, that was just a minuscule reason at best.

Then, was it because she didn’t like Seol Da-bin’s personality?

That wasn’t it at all.

Sure, Da-bin’s extroverted tendency to try to befriend anyone and everyone was exhausting and a bit overwhelming, but it wasn’t something Ji-yoon disliked.

Even an introvert like Ji-yoon knew that each of those actions was a sign of goodwill.

So why did Ji-yoon find Seol Da-bin so awkward?

Simple.

It was because of the things she had done in front of Da-bin.

“Huh? What’s up, Ji-yoon?”

“……Ah, sunbae.”

“You’re already here? I heard you were coming to the same place, but…”

To put it bluntly, it went something like this:

Activating the rotor she had attached to Lee Ha-yoon right in front of Seol Da-bin.

Having a conversation with Da-bin when she briefly visited their house, still disheveled from just having had sex.

…Honestly, from the perspective of the sunbae standing right in front of her—

And if she had even the slightest inkling of what had happened—

Even if she called her a slut,

Ji-yoon wouldn’t have had anything to say in return.

“…Hello, sunbae. Long time no see.”

Thus, this morning.

When Ji-yoon ran into Seol Da-bin in front of the office, her first greeting carried a slight hesitation, as if saying, “You make me feel awkward, sunbae.”

After all, every single one of those actions driven by lust was entirely Ji-yoon’s own fault.

Rather than feeling awkward, she should’ve been embarrassed first.

“Sunbae? Just call me unnie. Like last time.”

“Last time…, ah, when we first met…”

“Yeah. You’re Ha-yoon’s little sister, after all.”

“…….”

“Mmm. Should we head inside first?”

“…Sure.”

But judging by the sunbae’s reaction, she didn’t seem to have any thoughts about it—contrary to Ji-yoon’s worries.

What a relief.

At least one big hurdle was cleared.

“…….”

Separately, for just a brief moment, Ji-yoon wondered: Why is this unnie being so kind to me…?

The face of that idiot Ha-yoon, who had been sulking earlier because her breakfast rice had gotten slightly soggy, naturally came to mind.

Wetting her dry lips with the tip of her tongue, Ji-yoon followed Seol Da-bin’s lead and stepped into the building.

560

Still, being alone with Seol Da-bin was awkward, so Ji-yoon deliberately killed time by stopping by the restroom.

There, she encountered yet another “person who loves dressing up.”

Her name was Park Ji-won.

Codename: Dokkaebi (Goblin).

Rumor had it she was the one running the show here.

“Seol Da-bin, you’ve been here before, but since it’s Ji-yoon’s first time, it’d be good to take a quick look around before starting, right?”

It didn’t matter that she casually mentioned how she had been the academy’s second-best in her youth.

Bragging about past achievements was practically human nature.

Ji-yoon herself could’ve rambled all night about how she had ranked within the top pages in some FPS game, so she understood that part.

And Park Ji-won being a bit too handsy? That didn’t matter either.

After all, wasn’t Ha-yoon, who she lived with, even more excessive?

Especially after the three of them—Seo Woo-jin included—had sex, even the most unspeakable actions no longer felt like a big deal.

Swallowing cum and then kissing had become part of her daily routine, so someone like Park Ji-won getting unnecessarily close was whatever.

If it was just her way of trying to bond with a trainee, the reasoning made sense.

But there was one thing.

Why was the smell of makeup so strong every time she got close…?

Was all that glitter on her face from makeup or something?

“Ji-yoon?”

“…Ah, yes. Sure. Let’s look around.”

Even Ha-yoon, at most, just put something on her lips or used hand cream…

She never caked herself in makeup like this.

And even Da-bin unnie, who was right beside her, didn’t smell like this.

Yozora, who had been annoyingly persistent every day, was the same.

…Guess she’s really into makeup, huh?

Part of her wanted to push her away with both hands, but she restrained herself, keeping that thought purely in her imagination.

Then, subtly breathing through her mouth, she got up and followed Park Ji-won.

“Our office, so to speak…”

The office the three of them toured together wasn’t much different from what Ji-yoon had learned so far.

Meaning, it didn’t stray far from the hero office stereotype.

One side handled operations and management.

Finance, accounting—difficult terms aside…

The fact that there was a separate legal team stood out.

While compensating citizens for damages was the government’s job, the saying that heroes sometimes got sued directly wasn’t an exaggeration, it seemed.

Beyond that, there was a simple medical support department and an operations team busy scheduling heroes.

And a large room prepared for training heroes and sidekicks.

On a smaller scale, there were departments managing sponsors—basically, donors and the like.

Well, they couldn’t rely solely on government funding, after all…

Sponsorships, advertisements—whatever worked, but…

…Would she have to embarrassingly film ads later too?

The thought briefly crossed Ji-yoon’s mind.

“So? Any questions?”

“Well… Hmm…”

Not really.

She just wanted to finish the training quickly and relax somewhere far from this overpowering makeup smell.

And judging by the way Da-bin sunbae was stifling a yawn beside her, she seemed to feel the same.

As Ji-yoon hesitated, the moment Park Ji-won grabbed her wrist and said, “Then let me show you the café on the first floor,” was nothing short of despair.

– Report received. Location: HS Department Store. The reporter appears to be unable to speak.

Did she have some kind of pager or something?

The voice came from the chest pocket of Park Ji-won’s suit.

Without a word, their gazes turned toward a point outside the building.

HS Department Store—about 100 meters in that direction.

“…….”

“…….”

“…Haa. Dokkaebi, confirmed. Heading there directly.”

Thanks to that, the boring office tour ended in less than 20 minutes.

“If it seems dangerous, just run. Backup’s probably already been requested, and guarding you would just be a headache.”

“What about helping?”

“Just watch unnie work. There’s also a chance it’s a prank call…”

How dare they pull this right in front of my office?

Arriving at the scene in an instant, Park Ji-won quietly stepped into the still-peaceful department store.

If it was a prank call, it’d be annoying but a relief.

If it was the work of some amazing villain, they wouldn’t have started things so quietly.

To preach their ridiculous ideology, they’d have blown up this huge building first to draw attention before beginning.

Based on her near-decade of hero work, the opponent was likely a petty criminal.

Maybe even a desperate one.

The problem was figuring out who in the department store had made the report…

“No additional reports, so we should probably start checking the less crowded areas first. It’s too quiet.”

“Obviously.”

Basic common sense.

And CCTV tracking was already underway.

Hearing Ji-yoon’s words, Park Ji-won turned to examine the department store’s floor plan on the wall.

The quietest places in a department store.

Not that any place was truly quiet, but relatively speaking—restrooms, emergency stairwells, secluded spots in the parking lot.

And the rooftop.

Those were the likely spots for now.

So Park Ji-won first checked the nearest restroom on the first floor, but…

“…Not here, it seems.”

Unsurprisingly.

It wasn’t there.

“We can use the emergency stairs to check the rest. If it’s a prank, we’ll get a call midway.”

“But won’t that be too late? The victim…”

“No other options.”

“Then… I’ll search from the top floor down. We can meet in the middle.”

“The upper floors?”

“Yeah.”

While Park Ji-won was organizing a rough plan, Seol Da-bin, standing beside her, casually voiced her opinion.

From what she remembered, Da-bin was an evolution-type.

And specialized in leg techniques, so she probably wanted to hurry up and check.

But no.

It could literally just be a petty criminal.

Or maybe someone slightly dangerous.

Worst case, it could still be a psychopath trying to lure heroes in to deal with them.

Finishing her thoughts, Park Ji-won lightly greeted a citizen who recognized her and whispered,

“Not happening. If heroes are seen rushing around the department store handling something urgent, panicked citizens could cause secondary accidents. Even just us walking around like this, sharp-eyed people have probably already noticed.”

“Ah…”

“Now you get why I didn’t rush in earlier?”

Though it was more for Da-bin’s safety than the citizens’.

“But I do agree we shouldn’t waste time… Let’s go. Second floor.”

“I’m not publicly recognized, so it’s fine, Director.”

If she had just said that, Park Ji-won could’ve bluntly stated that Da-bin mattered more than the citizens.

Fortunately, Da-bin obediently followed Park Ji-won’s lead instead of burning with justice.

Guess she had to acknowledge the risk of secondary accidents.

Either way, this was much better than causing unnecessary trouble.

Letting out a relieved sigh, Park Ji-won headed straight for the emergency stairwell entrance.

“Got you.”

That’s when it happened.

As Park Ji-won opened the stairwell door, a disgusting male voice trembled from above her head.

By the time she noticed, it was too late.

Long before her trademark blue flames could ignite, something dropped onto her from above.

A person.

An unbelievably large person who had been hanging from above.

And grotesquely ugly.

“Pfft, fuck, at first I thought it was some dude, but then a girl—”

No, grotesquely crushed.

Right before the leering face could reach Park Ji-won, her body was yanked back by someone.

But she saw it clearly.

The face of the man falling toward her was—

Smashed with full force by something coming from the right.

Literally crushed beyond recognition.

One corner of his grinning lips was buried in his own flesh, losing all shape.

The crescent-moon curve of his eyes, as if he had been enjoying himself, was mashed like clay.

The remaining eye of the belatedly realizing man lost all traces of laughter.

Only now did the man’s gaze turn to the side.

But it was too late.

His last remaining eye was also crushed, losing its form.

And then—squelch.

With that horrifying sound, a pillar of transparent ice filled Park Ji-won’s vision.

“…Ah.”

There was no time to scream.

All Park Ji-won could manage was a weak gasp before blinking rapidly.

The situation had started and ended in an instant, leaving her mind blank.

And the same went for the assailant who had attacked her.

Not the rapid blinking part, but the no time to scream part.

That much was identical to Park Ji-won.

“…….”

The man’s body, which had been falling straight down, was now embedded in the corner of the stairwell, creating a large crack.

…Still twitching quietly under the ice pillar, but—

Judging by the earth-shaking impact earlier,

He was pretty much a lump of meat by now.

“…….”

And one more thing.

“…Ah, shit… Gross… What the hell even was that…? Even in games, I’ve never seen something that ugly…”

“…….”

That a trainee student reacted more calmly than her,

Who had been in this field for ten years,

Wasn’t entirely wrong either.

“Are you okay, Director? I pulled you back in a hurry…”

“…I’m fine. Yeah. Just caught off guard by the ambush…”

…I can’t do this.

Seriously.

Given the small crater now in the HS Department Store’s emergency stairwell, keeping this incident quiet was impossible.

Especially since the thud had echoed throughout the entire building (reportedly heard clearly even on the upper floors). How could they hide that?

Thus, Ji-yoon and Da-bin inadvertently ended up on the news.

The main focus was Park Ji-won, but the two academy students were framed as having “helped out.”

“…….”

Incidentally, the broadcast station played a big part in this.

Ji-yoon and Da-bin had been keeping quiet, but the station had shoved cameras in their faces, asking if it was okay to film.

As she’d always felt, these bastards had no manners.

Especially when it came to things likely to blow up online—they were downright filthy.

– A villain who had previously scouted the crime scene, cleverly avoiding CCTV…

Anyway, it’s already on TV—must be breaking news.

Sitting blankly in a chair while watching the TV, Park Ji-won sighed in relief upon seeing how the lighting made her look somewhat decent.

Not satisfaction.

Just relief.

She was just glad she looked that presentable.

And for good reason. Compared to the two trainees who followed her in the interview—Ji-yoon and Seol Da-bin—

Her looks were undeniably several tiers below.

How could she possibly be satisfied?

“…Kids these days are monsters… Seriously…”

Their reflexes, their looks…

What am I, with my age starting with a 3 this year, supposed to do?

Leaning back in her chair and grumbling, Park Ji-won took advantage of the empty room to let out a deep sigh into the air.

Park Ji-won had a conscience.

So she made sure to credit the two trainees as much as possible for this incident.

The broadcast station, happy to have more footage, didn’t press for details.

As if to prove it, Ji-yoon’s face appeared on screen without delay.

– I just caught the villain…, …Wait, is this going on TV?

Still the same snow-white cat-like appearance that Park Ji-won loved.

Her shyness in front of the camera was devastatingly cute.

The unmistakable look of an amateur who didn’t know where to put her eyes.

Just from this news segment, it was easy to imagine how many fans she’d have if she became a hero.

That interview would definitely be screenshot in high quality and reused by fans for years.

Predictable.

Seol Da-bin, who appeared next, was still as pretty as ever.

She looked a bit nervous, but compared to Ji-yoon, she seemed much more composed.

She even threw in a few polite words for Park Ji-won, but the director herself didn’t really hear them.

Too busy playing an absurd mental balance game like “Would I go back 10 years if it meant 10 billion won in debt?”

“Haahhh…”

…Whatever.

Let’s just leave early today.

I’m drained…

“Early” still meant just 15 minutes ahead of her usual time.

For a workaholic like Park Ji-won, who had lived diligently for years after graduation, even this was a generous act of self-care.

Grabbing her smartphone, she sent a group message telling everyone to leave early today.

Her subordinates probably thought she was in a good mood because of the TV appearance.

Whatever the truth, as long as it worked out, it was fine.

“Should I grab a drink…? Ugh… But tomorrow’s a weekday…”

Spending the remaining time like mold, Park Ji-won sluggishly boarded the elevator around the time the other employees left.

It had been a while since she craved alcohol, so she thought about having a light drink at home.

Drinking alone might be a bit sad, but who cared?

No one was watching anyway.

Lost in thought, she soon arrived on the first floor.

About to head straight to the nearby parking lot, Park Ji-won paused mid-step while adjusting her suit against the chilly January weather.

…Not for any particular reason.

She had just witnessed something startling.

“You didn’t get hurt, right?”

“Hurt? It was nothing.”

“Nothing, but you were on the news?”

“Dunno. Guess they didn’t have anything better to report…”

Ji-yoon was casually talking to some guy.

“What about you? You were in the same place, right?”

“…Ji-yoon handled it alone. Nothing much happened on my end.”

“I see…”

And Seol