Chapter 100: Arch-enemy (3)

Chapter 100: Arch-enemy (3)

TL/Editor: Raei

Schedule: 5/week, Mon-Fri

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"...So, Soo-yeon. From now on-"

While on the phone with Song Soo-yeon, I sensed danger.

As soon as I stepped out of the phone booth, Solace landed in that spot.

-Boom!

A cloud of dust rose.

Within it, Solace's eyes shone fiercely like a wild animal's.

"I...can't accept your proposal. How can I trust your words?"

"...."

"When will you catch them? How can I know if you're just buying time or not?"

Solace walked out, unharmed, and stood in front of me.

Citizens scattered in shock, cars blared their alarms, and children burst into tears.

Some even sent cheers towards Solace. Others cursed and questioned me.

Solace ignored it all and just looked at me.

She said,

"It doesn't make sense from the start. You think I'd believe you'd surrender?"

"..."

It's a valid point.

Doubting me for accepting that proposal too easily...it's kind of expected.

But there's no other way.

Otherwise, Soo-yeon would remain a villain forever.

There's no escape.

I know too well how persistent they are.

We're already on a path of no return.

After catching all the villains, would I be able to stand proudly beside Solace again?

Like Soo-yeon hid being Luna from me, can I hide being Dice beside Min-Bom?

If I set my mind to it, I can do it again, even better than before.

I can destroy the Hero Association, tear everything down.

The Association's combat tactics are a decade behind me.

I can bend and twist the rules to my whim, do as I please.

But in doing so, I'll be walking the same path as before.

Causing countless citizens to tremble in fear, squeezing tears from the eyes of children.

I will inspire the birth of many villains, with no heroes to stop them.

Laughter will vanish.

Only heroes like Solace will make people smile.

...Even if it's all an act.

And that brings as much revulsion to me as murder does.

I didn't want to enforce my will to that extent.

Call me a pushover, a loser, but I didn't want that.

Especially after realizing how precious happiness is.

Even without the Chairman's words, I might have surrendered anyway.

Solace may not believe it since she couldn't see into my thoughts.

"...I'll catch one each week. I'm not trying to buy time.

Solace smirked and started folding her fingers one by one.

"Liquid, Riem, Tryno...excluding Luna, that's three weeks."

"..."

"How could I know what will happen to you in those three weeks? Luna threatened me. How could I possibly let her go?"

Seeing her unwavering stance, I was plunged into nostalgia.

She was subtly different from the Solace in my memories, yet her actions were similarly unyielding.

Unyielding. Unshakable.

Of course, it wasn't because of her sense of justice that she didn't back down.

Now, she didn't back down out of concern for me, Jung-gyeom.

Maybe she was hypocritical...not the hero I had in mind, but personally, I was grateful.

She didn't know how reassuring it was to have someone care for me like this.

It was a feeling I had never had before my regression.

That's why it only hurt more.

I didn't want to fight.

Her keen senses had already picked up on that.

Maybe that's why she was coming at me even more aggressively.

-Shwooosh...

My abilities left my body.

It was time to roll the dice again.

To face Solace, I needed at least some abilities.

I rolled the dice in front of her.

-Thud.

The number was 2.

"......"

In this situation, a small laugh escaped me.

This too felt nostalgic.

Whenever I faced Solace...the roll was always like this.

I had never rolled over a 3.

Only 1 or 2, day and night.

As if the universe itself was blessing her.

Once or twice could be a coincidence, but when it's every time, perhaps it's her ability.

Solace looked at the dice.

Her sharp eyes alternating between me and the dice.

This was the third time she had seen this dice.

And when the same thing happened repeatedly, Solace quickly caught on.

"...It seems the number of abilities is determined by the dice."

I nodded my head, smiling bitterly under my mask.

"...Right."

"Currently...it's flight and shadow movement."

I shrugged my shoulders.

Solace readied herself for battle again.

I prepared myself as well.

I've never been so reluctant to fight.

---

---

Song Soo-yeon ran through the streets, phone in hand.

In the midst of everyone fleeing, she was the only one moving forward.

Heroes and police officers directed the citizens.

"Come this way! Solace is fighting inside this block!"

The situation was obviously different now, but flashes of those times came back to me.

Han Yoo-jung staggered to her feet and rushed towards me with quick steps.

My eyes fixed on her neck.

Where I had applied pressure, my handprint was visibly red.

But she spoke as if she had already forgotten about it.

"You haven't been taking care of yourself lately. I'll...I'll be going then...okay?"

We looked at each other for a long time.

Then, she looked at me and placed her hand on my chest.

Suddenly, her hand started to glow brightly.

-Thud.

I pushed her away lightly.

Han Yoo-jung staggered and fell to the floor.

Before I could even ask, she spoke first.

"You'll...have a good dream."

"..."

"It's the only ability I have...but...you'll sleep more comfortably tonight...last night, you moaned as if...you were having nightmares..."

I let out a long sigh.

"...Please, do it in moderation."

And then I opened up.

"...Huh?"

"Do you know me?"

"..."

"Do you truly know me?"

I asked, tapping my chest.

She stammered in response.

"Gyeom..."

"That name, you only knew because I told you a few days ago."

"..."

"Before the regression, you and I didn't know each other. Why do you keep pretending to be close to me? Why do you keep trying to approach me?"

"...No..."

"You knew Dice, not me!"

Han Yoo-jung gradually bowed her head as she lay on the floor.

Even so, I didn't stop.

"The people who knew me, because of you, have become distant. It's now irreparable with Soo-yeon and Bom."

At my outburst, tears flowed all too easily from Han Yoo-jung's eyes.

That, too, could not stop me.

"I hated being a villain. That's why I didn't show up. I wanted to live more like a human..."

-Drip...drip...

Tears slowly soaked the floor.

I crouched down in front of her and this time, I held her cheek.

I lifted her head so she could look up at me.

Her tears wet the back of my hand.

"Why did you look for me? Why did you appear and ruin my happiness? What did you want? Why did you have to do this..."

I don't know what expression I had when I spoke to her, but I'm sure my emotions were plain on my face.

To my question, Han Yoo-jung swallowed her tears and replied.

"...You died because of me..."

My grip loosened slightly.

"...What?"

"...I didn't know you didn't want to become a villain...I just wanted to take revenge on the heroes who killed you...to be of help to you...to say thank you...to apologize..."

"..."

It was then I vaguely remembered her.

Due to Solace's overwhelming presence when I died, and Soo-yeon's presence after regressing, I couldn't remember her.

She was buried deep in my memory, not surfacing until now.

But now, I felt a faint familiarity, as if I had encountered her somewhere before.

Lost in recollection, Han Yoo-jung pushed my hand away.

And then she suddenly rushed in and hugged me tightly.

"..."

She wrapped her arms around my back and pressed firmly into my embrace.

As she wet my clothes with her tears, she asked,

Again, she dropped the formalities.

"...Dice, do you really not remember me?"

".........."

"...We've crossed paths so many times... you've saved me several times... you were my hero..."

Her words froze me, and I blinked for a while.

I belatedly tried to push her away through her shoulders.

But for some reason, she wouldn't budge.

I thought she would fall if I applied strength, but she remained in my embrace, unmoving.

---

---

As time passed, her grip loosened.

She wanted to look at my face and started to pull away from the embrace.

But the moment she let go of me, I got up.

Leaving her and the food she prepared behind, I headed deeper into the hideout.

Searching for a place to rest, I continued further in.

That night, I indeed dreamed happy dreams.

There were two dreams.

One was of traveling with Min-bom, experiencing new places.

The second was with Song Soo-yeon, sitting closely together in our restaurant, feeding each other.

Both dreams were filled with smiles and laughter.

---

[raei: Author note was a little interesting so I thought I'd share:

The names of the heroines and their relationships with the protagonist are closely related.

I named them based on the order of influence they have on the protagonist.

While Jung-gyeom is considered Earth, the Sun has the greatest influence, followed by the Moon, and then the stars.

The motif of their relationships is also derived from this.

Jung-gyeom orbits around Solace, and Luna orbits around Jung-gyeom.

When Solace rises, Jung-gyeom doesn't pay attention to Luna.

Even though the Moon is the closest, its relationship is pushed away.

Personally, I think the Moon is prettier haha.

I thought it'd be more fun if I shared this.]

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