*At the mall*
I was walking casually with Lee Donghyun and Lee Mira.
I came here dressed in simple, casual clothes.
My goal was to cheer them up so they wouldn't dwell too much on yesterday's incident.
"Big brother!! Look! I want that!!"
Lee Mira pointed at an ice cream shop, tugging on Lee Donghyun's sleeve.
Lee Donghyun, who was totally broke, turned to look at me with eyes full of desperate pleading.
"…well… fine, whatever you want. I still have plenty of money."
With that, we headed straight into the ice cream shop.
It turned out the place was ridiculously expensive.
What the— just one vanilla ice cream costs as much as my weekly food budget…
Even with all the money I had, my frugal habits hadn't disappeared at all.
A few minutes later
Lee Mira was happily licking her vanilla ice cream, her expression adorable enough that it made me want to pat her head.
As for Lee Donghyun—
well… he was also eating ice cream, but since he was a guy, I didn't exactly feel the urge to pat him the same way.
"Huh? Why are you staring at me like that, bro?"
"No, it's just… you're pretty ugly,"
I said casually, teasing him.
"So what about you, huh? Already in a relationship at twenty-three? Come on, bro, wake up. You're getting older—you need to find a girlfriend."
His words stabbed me right in the heart.
Damn.
His sarcasm actually hurt.
I fell silent, because what he said… was true.
Suddenly, Mira walked over and hugged me tightly.
"brother! Don't bully Jinhoo!"
I couldn't help but smile as I gently stroked Mira's brown hair.
"Haha, even your sister is defending me,"
I said to Donghyun smugly.
"Oh? So now you're taking his side? Fine. Make your own dinner tonight."
Damn, he's really good at arguing.
But that was bad for me—because he's the one who does most of the cooking at home.
A few moments later
As we walked past an electronics store, the TVs were displaying breaking news.
Helpless?
What do they mean helpless?
I thought I was the one who would die if my bluff didn't work.
Looks like they're determined to catch me.
I guess I'll need to be more careful next time.
I took out my phone and checked the posts trending online.
1. Robbed a bank
2. Committed mass slaughter at an illegal facility owned by A-rank Villain Professor Teros
3. Sabotaged the Han-eul building
4. Killed the French S-rank Villain Andreo with one hand
Likes: 2799
Dislikes: 18
Comments:
{Damn, this villain is cool AND scary}
{Right?? I work at the Han-eul building and the terror I felt was insane LOL}
{How did she even get to Paris so fast? Did she take a plane?}
{Bro above me, are you blind? She literally has teleportation powers}
{Guys, stop changing the topic. Indigo is literally a psychopath.}
Good…
It would be better if they feared me even more.
That way, no one would dare to fight me.
Even though, honestly…
I'm actually more afraid of the people who fight me.
"We've been here for hours. Let's go home."
"Let's go!!"
"Alright."
Donghyun and Mira followed me toward the parking lot.
We did a lot of shopping today—ice cream, food, clothes, and even some supplies.
As a frugal person…
my heart ached.
On Seoul Campus
Ji-hye was sitting on a bench in the campus park, watching the news on her phone.
What?
How did he get to France so fast?
Yesterday he was in Korea, attacking the Han-eul building.
Is it because of his teleportation?
Is his range really that insane?
Ji-hye scrolled down.
S-rank… in just a few days?
That's insane.
Even I— a genius—needed five months to become an S-rank Hero.
Suddenly, Jin-ah appeared beside her.
"Ji-hye? What's wrong? Why do you look so serious while watching the news?"
"Ah… Jin-ah, it's nothing… I just realized I forgot my lunch, so I'll have to starve."
"What!? That sucks! After class, let's go to a fast food place. I'll treat you!"
Jin-ah said enthusiastically.
"Are you sure?"
"Of course! I just got paid yesterday, so let's go!"
With that, the two walked off together.
*In France — French Hero Association Branch*
Inside the Director's office.
"Madeleine, are you sure about what you said?"
the Director asked.
"Of course I'm sure… she told me herself. She knows my identity."
"Hm… so far, I'm the only one who knows that Oceanaria is the princess of France."
The Director scratched his chin.
"Or… maybe you accidentally said it out loud somewhere while drunk?"
"Director… I've never had alcohol in my life."
"Oh— right. I forgot, sorry."
Beside Madeleine
'Damn it… Indigo…
he really is a monster.
No—more like a disguised grim reaper.
Madeleine had spent the entire night researching Indigo—what he had done, and his crimes.'
The fact that terrified her most was…
Indigo had slaughtered hundreds.
Even if most were criminals, wasn't killing still killing?
When Indigo appeared before her yesterday, she couldn't even look directly at her mask.
She was terrified of Andreo, the villain she struggled to fight—yet Indigo came out of nowhere and killed him with one hand.
Everything she learned only made Oceanaria more curious—
but she was too afraid to continue digging deeper.
But there was one question that she couldn't shake.
'How did he know my identity?'
And another one.
'Why did he let me live? With that kind of power, she could have killed me so easily…'
She overthought the situation, not knowing that the person she feared…
was actually afraid of her too.
*Three days later*
I walked out of my room, yawning, and glanced at the calendar.
"Oh? Looks like it's her time to act."
The "her" I was referring to was Kim Gae-in.
In the webtoon, Kim Gae-in is a villain with wind manipulation.
A short-haired woman with black hair.
Beautiful—so beautiful that many villains had a crush on her.
And me?
Of course not.
I planned to recruit her into my team.
*In downtown Seoul*
People walked as usual, going about their daily business.
They had no idea what was coming.
At exactly 10 a.m.—
A massive tornado formed in the center of the city.
At first, people just recorded it with their phones, thinking it was a strange weather phenomenon.
Then suddenly, the tornado expanded, twisting violently.
Chaos erupted as people ran in all directions.
"HAHAHAHA! SO THIS IS WHAT VILLAINS FEEL!! IT'S SO FUN!!"
A woman shouted from inside the tornado, controlling it.
*On Lightnova's side*
Lightnova flew at the speed of light toward the location.
"Ji-hye, be careful. This is a new villain. We don't know their powers or strength yet,"
the Director said through her earpiece.
Upon arriving, Lightnova tried to break through the tornado at light-speed—
but the surrounding light dimmed near it.
"Damn it!"
She raised her hands and aimed them toward the tornado.
A brilliant golden beam shot out toward the swirling winds.
But instead of disrupting it—
the light merged with the tornado, making it even deadlier.
Buildings around began to crumble.
"Damn… how do I even fight this? My long-range attacks don't work at all— forget about getting close!"
WHOOSHHHH—
The tornado grew even stronger.
If left alone, this would be catastrophic.
"Ahem."
She heard a cough.
Lightnova turned around—
and saw a figure wearing a hat, a suit, a mask, and a black cloak.
It was Indigo.
*On Indigo's side*
I stood on the rooftop, staring at the massive tornado.
Huh… this is way bigger than I expected.
Lightnova's attacks weren't doing anything, which meant this situation was tricky.
But that didn't mean I couldn't stop it.
There was one method.
Well… thanks to this weird power of mine, of course.
I teleported toward the tornado.
My cloak flapped violently from the wind.
I casually extended my hand, releasing dark blue light, forming a glowing ring around the tornado's edge.
Then, I stepped in and closed the circle.
*On Kim Gae-in's side*
Hahaha!
This is fun!
I never thought doing something like this would feel so good.
Man… this is addicting.
"Hello! My name is Indigo Reign."
'Huh?
Wait… what?
How did he get inside my tornado?'
"Before you ask how I got in here, let me tell you something."
"What?"
Kim Gae-in asked, curious and cautious.
"Join me. Be my partner. You'll become stronger—more fulfilled."
…what the hell is this weird guy saying?
She wants me to join his team?
But… the fact he got inside my tornado unharmed…
this woman was dangerous.
"What if I refuse?"
"Oh, isn't that obvious?"
Indigo's tone darkened.
"I'll kill you."
The pressure around her intensified—Kim Gae-in felt her chest tighten.
This was dangerous. Extremely dangerous.
"…isn't this more like a threat than an invitation?"
"Ah… is it? Then forgive me. But this needs to be done,"
Indigo said calmly.
'Like it or not…
I have to accept.'
"Alright… I'll join."
*On Indigo's side*
Great! She accepted immediately.
This was faster than I expected.
I can relax a bit now.
"Good, Miss Kim Gae-in. Now, take my hand. We'll teleport out of here."
"Wait… how do you know my name? I never told you."
Ah… right. I forgot about that.
Let's bluff.
"Let's just say my informant is top-level."
I said it as if I had some high-ranking hacker reporting to me.
With that, Kim Gae-in dispelled her tornado and took my hand.
We teleported home instantly.
*On Lightnova's side*
'What?
The tornado disappeared?'
"And… where did that villain go!? The one with Indigo!?"
Damn it.
She ran away with the new villain.
'This is bad…
That villain might become Indigo's partner.
I need to report this to the Director.'