* * *
That night, Lee Jungho called me.
“It’s best if you don’t get too close to that Hunter, Baek Gunho, Hiwon.”
“……Why?”
“It seems he’s been involved in some shady, illegal activities.”
“What kind of illegal activities?”
“Things too dirty for you to know about.”
Lee Jungho avoided giving a straight answer, his response clearly a lie.
At most, Baek Gunho had used private investigators to look into others—that was likely the extent of his transgressions.
It seemed more like Lee Jungho was trying to keep me from getting closer to Baek Gunho to maintain control over me.
I said I understood, but I continued meeting Baek Gunho.
The more I did, the more intense Lee Jungho’s surveillance and pressure became.
He no longer even hid his intentions.
He claimed to know how the Black Sea Guild controlled me, or reminded me that he’d saved me from a life as a mere experimental subject, implying I owed him this much.
The Hunter Bureau wanted my voluntary cooperation.
If I agreed, they would showcase me for publicity while using me for unsavory tasks in secret.
They’d done the same to high-ranking Hunters in the previous timeline.
I didn’t want that. But the pressure became unbearable, and each day grew more horrifying.
Baek Gunho noticed and grew concerned.
He looked at me with pained eyes.
“Why do you look worse and worse? It hurts to see.”
“……”
“What’s going on?”
“……I’m struggling.”
“With what?”
“……”
“Tell me. I’ll help.”
I stared at Baek Gunho.
He didn’t have the power to resolve the situation, but at least he could listen.
So, I opened up.
About the decade I endured and the pressure I faced now.
My words were scattered, but Baek Gunho listened intently, his expression grave.
When I finished, he rose from his seat, knelt before me, and looked up at me.
“Let’s leave this place.”
“What?”
“Let’s run away.”
“To where…?”
“There are plenty of places we can go.”
He spoke confidently, but I had nowhere to go.
No matter where I went, the Black Sea Guild, the Hunter Bureau, or some other force would surely hunt me down.
I couldn’t escape them.
I could probably manage if I used my powers.
But perhaps because of everything I’d endured, I couldn’t bring myself to believe it was possible.
I was simply too afraid.
“Are you scared?”
Baek Gunho saw through me.
Embarrassingly, he was right. I nodded.
“Yes…”
“It’s okay. I’ll go with you.”
His promise reassured me.
Of course, having him with me didn’t guarantee our success.
Even so… seeing his determined face made me want to believe.
The Baek Gunho I knew never failed.
“If we run away…”
“Yeah.”
“Where would we go?”
“Well, where do you think?”
Baek Gunho murmured thoughtfully as he reached out and took my hand.
His touch startled me slightly, but not as much as before.
Maybe I was getting used to it.
Seeing that, Baek Gunho smiled in satisfaction.
“Let’s go somewhere far away. Somewhere warm.”
“Why warm?”
“Because if it’s cold and we get lost, it’ll be miserable.”
How often did people get lost anyway?
I thought, but his face was so serious that I just nodded quietly.
“Seoul is too crowded and stifling. Let’s go somewhere quieter, closer to nature. It’ll be more peaceful to live there.”
“Okay.”
“When we get there, people will probably take an interest in you.”
“……Why?”
“Because you’re beautiful.”
He said it so seriously that I couldn’t help but laugh.
“It might be a bit annoying at first, but as you get to know them, they’ll like you. You’re kind, gentle, and a good person.”
“You’re overestimating me.”
“I’m not. Sometimes, there might be nuisances, but I’ll handle them, so you don’t need to worry.”
I chuckled at his confidence.
“And once we’re settled, let’s take walks together every evening.”
His gentle whisper carried warmth.
The heat from his hand as it held mine felt overwhelming.
“We’ll stroll through the village, chatting idly about nonsense. Some days, we’ll carry groceries in both hands; other days, we’ll wander leisurely with ice creams in hand.”
It sounded like a beautiful dream.
Too good for someone like me to hope for.
I looked at him, hesitating before speaking.
“Do you think we can?”
“Of course.”
“Will you be okay?”
“With what?”
“With leaving with me.”
At my question, Baek Gunho leaned in.
His face drew closer until his lips touched mine—soft and warm.
Startled, I raised a hand to push him away.
He didn’t resist and pulled back immediately, a smile on his face as he looked at what must have been my flushed cheeks.
“Of course.”
“……”
“As long as it’s with you, I don’t care where we go.”
“How can you say that after barely knowing me…”
“You don’t need time to like someone.”
His words carried a gravity that I couldn’t ignore.
It made me hesitate even more.
Because I didn’t like this Baek Gunho the same way I once had.
“Don’t overthink it. Just use me.”
“I don’t want to use you.”
“You don’t have to take it that way. I’m treating you well because I want you to like me.”
“……”
“Don’t worry about anything. I’ll take care of it all.”
I looked at Baek Gunho for a long moment before finally nodding.
✧✧✧
Baek Gunho’s preparations took quite some time.
The pressure had only intensified as the days passed, but I endured, trusting that Baek Gunho would somehow take care of everything.
And finally, after three months, everything was ready.
Late at night, I slipped out of the house to meet Baek Gunho in secret.
With a slightly tense expression, Baek Gunho took the lead.
“Let’s go.”
“Yeah.”
Following behind him, I could feel my heart pounding uncontrollably.
We planned to escape overseas by boat. Despite the tension, everything proceeded smoothly.
We successfully left Seoul and soon arrived at a quiet harbor.
I thought we could finally relax once we made it past this point.
But then—
Boom!
My relief was mocked by the deafening explosion that erupted right before my eyes.
I wasn’t caught directly in the blast, but…
Baek Gunho wasn’t so fortunate.
I ran to him.
His body, limp and lifeless, felt unreal.
As if that weren’t enough, crimson blood was pouring from him…
“Ge-Gunho…”
My voice trembled miserably.
I fumbled to press down on his wounds, desperate to stop the bleeding, but it was no use.
I could feel life slipping away from him.
The murmurs of people around us faded in and out.
What I thought was an empty harbor was now crowded with figures.
Someone must have leaked our plan.
Who was it?
Who would do something like this…
I held Baek Gunho’s body tightly.
Gritting my teeth, I glared at the approaching figures, trying to keep them at bay.
They were strangers—faces devoid of any trace of guilt or remorse.
I felt my strength spiraling out of control. It surged wildly, lashing out and smashing everything around me. At the sight of the destruction, the advancing crowd hesitated, unable to come closer.
My breathing was ragged.
Why? Why does this always happen?
Things were always miserable, but I thought I’d finally found a chance to be happy.
If only my misfortune had continued…
If only Baek Gunho hadn’t met me, this wouldn’t have happened to him…
Is this all my fault?
— It’s because of those who attacked you.
For the first time in a long while, ‘Seo Heewon’ whispered in my mind.
I raised my head and looked at the people before me.
For once, Seo Heewon was right.
This was all because of them.
That was a strike meant to kill.
An attack strong enough to take out Baek Gunho, who was only an F-rank, even if it wouldn’t harm someone like me, an S-rank.
— Then eliminate them. Kill them.
Yes. There’s no other choice but to kill them.
A tremor ran through my body as a dark resolve took hold.
The malice that had plagued my life seemed insurmountable, no matter what I did.
I couldn’t bear it anymore.
—Kill them. Don’t you want to?
I couldn’t forgive them.
I wanted to kill them…
My entire body trembled with murderous intent.
The thought of reducing those who arrogantly assumed they were untouchable to the same state as Baek Gunho was unbearable.
I lifted my head and fixed my gaze on them.
As my blurred vision cleared, their faces came into sharp focus—those I wanted to destroy.
Killing them wouldn’t be difficult.
It wouldn’t be hard at all.
“Ugh… hng…”
But I couldn’t stop the tears.
No matter how many people Seo Heewon had killed in fits of rage, this anger of mine wasn’t any different.
This loathing that made it unbearable not to act…
Even now, anger wrapped around me like a storm.
It wasn’t as though I’d never felt it before. I’d always suppressed it, pushing it deep down, because I didn’t want to sink to the level of those who had hit rock bottom.
Malice was easy. Goodness was harder.
Though I believed in the goodness of the world, I couldn’t deny the existence of its darkness.
I didn’t want to succumb to the easy path of malice.
But if I acted now… if I crossed the line even once, I would never be able to return.
Just once. Crossing that line, even once, would mean…
“Urgh…”
“Ha… honestly…”
At that moment, Baek Gunho murmured from within my arms.
Startled, I looked down at him. His face contorted in pain as he struggled to speak.
“You… soft-hearted… Seo Heewon…”
“Ge-Gunho!”
Baek Gunho reached out a hand.
At the same time, an immense force radiated from him.
It was a power that didn’t belong to an F-rank like him—a tremendous power.
With that force, the very world began to crack.
Unlike the appearance of a gate, these fissures seemed to be shattering the darkness of this world itself…
— Kill. Just kill them.
— Just end them all.
— Don’t you want to?
— Kill. Just… kill.
— Kill… all…
The sinister voices ringing in my ears grew fainter.
Amid the light pouring out from the fissures, a system window appeared.
[The trait [Villain’s Qualities] is not activating.
Control over the trait [Villain’s Qualities] cannot be measured.
The activation of the trait [Villain’s Qualities] is being rejected.
The trait [Villain’s Qualities] has been permanently deactivated.]
I awoke from a long, long dream.
* * *
I cried, my poor baby