-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The Aftermath
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Seo-eun."
"What is it?"
"Can't you untie these for me?"
"No."
I said, rattling the handcuffs binding me to the bed.
No, but tying my hands to the bed is a bit much, isn't it?
And I can just teleport out anyway, can't I?
"Just *try* to take them off. I'll never look at you again, Oppa."
"..."
Seo-eun, as if reading my thoughts, said with a chillingly sharp tone.
Tsk... I'm in no position to argue after what I put her through.
"Alright, alright. I'll just lie here, okay?"
I finally surrendered and leaned back against the bed.
My right arm had an IV in it. A saline drip or something.
Weeks had already passed since I took a knife for Stardust in the Han-eun Group's basement.
I'd been on the brink of death, barely clinging to life thanks to the healing Ha-yul provided. My body clearly had a hole in it, yet I lived—if that's not a miracle, what is?
And considering the fatigue that had overwhelmed me from teleporting all the way here, it was a miracle I was even alive.
But the problem was.
Everyone in my family found out I'd almost died.
As a result, I was confined to my room.
"..."
"Here. Say ah~."
"...Ms. Su-bin. Please, please, can't I just feed myself?"
"No. Ah~."
"Haa..."
Yeah. To be honest, I admit it.
I would've been really shocked too.
If Seo-eun, Ms. Su-bin, or one of my siblings had gone out and then shown up with a hole in their body, bleeding profusely? It would feel like my heart was dropping.
In fact, when I woke up a few weeks after collapsing, everyone cried buckets in front of me.
...Still, I don't think they would've handcuffed me to the bed.
Anyway, even after waking up, I wasn't in great shape, so I lay in bed on an IV for a while.
"...I'm sorry I hid it until now."
"No, no. *I* should be thanking *you* for saving my life, what are you talking about? Stop crying!"
And Ha-yul confessed to me that she had healing abilities. Aside from the orphanage director she'd told unknowingly as a child, I was the first person she'd ever confessed her powers to.
Of course, since she'd openly healed me while I was collapsed in the living room, everyone would have found out anyway. But I already knew. I just waited for her to tell me herself.
Thus, I officially gained a healer.
There was an incident where I said, "Even if I get hurt, Ha-yul can just heal me, so it's fine, right?" and got smacked on the head by Seo-eun, but anyway.
After I got a bit better, the first thing everyone asked was how I got such a severe injury.
I was just going to tell them the truth: "I got hurt protecting Stardust."
"..."
A strange premonition washed over me.
For some reason, I felt like if I said that, I'd be screwed.
Did I have a super-sense like Stardust? What was this feeling?
...Right, I'll say this.
"A monster ambushed me from behind?"
"Yeah. I was off guard and got hit."
It wasn't a lie. I just told part of the truth.
I was indeed stabbed due to a monster's surprise attack. The only thing was, I let myself get stabbed on purpose, but if I told them that, I'd probably have a terrible time, so I'd better keep quiet.
Their expressions had already hardened just from that much.
Everyone harassed me so much about why I went into such a dangerous place in the first place that I only got released after promising not to go to places like that again.
...Tsk. A man must take risks, after all.
After a few days of confinement.
At my pleading that lying in bed all the time was bad for my health, I was finally allowed to get up and take a walk.
Thanks to our house being in the mountains, the front yard was practically a park, perfect for walking without needing to go anywhere else. A walking path right outside your door—isn't that every modern person's dream?
Of course, I wasn't walking alone. Seo-eun was glued to my side, claiming she was supervising me.
...No, what would I do? Suddenly run away from here? It's truly unfair.
Come to think of it, maybe she just wanted to walk with me. Oh well.
At any rate, the day was beautiful.
Now that it was spring, birds were flying, flowers were blooming... and the breeze was pleasantly cool.
"Oppa, are you really okay?"
"Yeah. I'm perfectly fine now. How many weeks have I rested? It'd be weird if I *hadn't* recovered by now."
"...It's weirder that a hole in your chest healed so quickly, though."
"Ha-yul's healing is just that good. See? Every team really does need a healer. If not... it would've been a disaster."
Still, I do feel bad for Ha-yul.
I heard she passed out briefly from exhaustion after healing me.
...To be honest, I recruited her with the intention of her being a healer from the start, but hearing that she actually had to do it makes me a bit uncomfortable.
I still stroked Seo-eun's head as she looked at me with worried eyes.
Seo-eun just let me stroke her head without a word, leaning into my touch. She wasn't usually like this, but she'd mellowed out a bit since I collapsed.
Indeed. Seo-eun was the first to see me half-dead. The others had instinctively braced themselves after hearing Seo-eun's scream, but Seo-eun apparently ran in without any warning and saw me. Honestly, seeing someone with a hole in their chest bleeding profusely would be traumatizing.
...They said she was really, really shaken. According to Ms. Su-bin, she cried continuously. I feel bad about that.
Right. I should show her something fun.
"Seo-eun, look at this."
"What is it?"
I gathered the Behemoth from my body onto my hand.
Practically the only gain from my recent mess.
It was a black, remote-controllable liquid monster.
...Saying it like that makes it sound kind of lame, but anyway.
I molded it into several balls.
Instantly, four wriggling black balls appeared.
"Ta-da! Juggling!"
I started juggling with them.
A bio-weapon created by grinding up dozens of people in a secret lab.
Can be used as juggling balls.
"...Oppa. Is that fun?"
Seo-eun just stared at me with a dry, unamused gaze.
That's weird. Don't kids these days like juggling?
***
Anyway, I recuperated for quite a long time.
After a few more weeks, my condition had fully returned.
I had finally graduated from a life of just lying in bed receiving IVs and could now properly sit in my room.
Thus, my personal time had returned after so long.
Everyone needs time to themselves, after all.
"...Done."
Having written everything that had happened into my diary, I then put it deep into a drawer and locked it with a key.
I had to write in this diary every day until 'that villain' appeared. After that, I could just burn it...
So if anyone reads this, it would be a disaster. All my secrets are written in it.
...But Seo-eun keeps trying to read my diary, which is a big problem. She can't read this. It's forbidden.
I'll have to come up with a plan soon.
"Whew..."
Having finished my tasks, I leaned back in my chair and cleared my head.
The incident in the Han-eun Group's basement. I succeeded in absorbing the Behemoth, which was what I wanted, but the aftermath was the problem.
This was the first time since coming to this world that I realized I could die.
It would be a bit troublesome if I died.
I didn't know how Seo-eun, Ms. Su-bin, and Ha-yul would react... and as a result, the world would go haywire again.
In truth, everything I was doing now was just delaying the world from becoming a grimdark story; it would be meaningless unless I defeated the original's final boss.
So the conclusion was.
I should probably plan for the world after my death too.
"..."
I guess I'll have to buy another notebook.
Anyway, moving on, let's talk about preventing such incidents from happening again.
I realized this time that I have almost no combat power, so it's a bit risky for me to directly step in somewhere alone.
"...No. Not anymore."
I looked at the black something attached to my right shoulder. The Behemoth. Now that I had this, I had some combat power. I could probably block most incoming bullets with it.
...But I probably wouldn't be participating in actual combat much, so it was basically just like insurance. Something to pull out in the worst-case scenario.
Anyway. The important thing was that I had almost no combat power.
And what's more, it was tough because I kept having to put myself on the front lines.
Right. I definitely needed to implement what I'd envisioned even sooner.
Just bringing all the villains in South Korea under my control.
Heroes had an association to manage them, so shouldn't villains have something to manage and control them too?
If something like that existed, I wouldn't need to actively initiate terror attacks myself.
I'd just outsource everything. Roughly, no civilian casualties, and only Stardust gets stronger.
If that happened. Maybe. My retirement wouldn't be just a dream.
I'd stand far behind, only managing and confirming all the terror attacks.
...But would such a day ever come?
"Whew... First, I'll have to recruit *her*."
I then began planning my next move. First, I'd need someone with combat power.
...
I need to... make a plan...
"Haa..."
I sighed, stopping my planning.
Right. Plans for the future and all that were unnecessary.
My biggest worry right now was.
"...What about Stardust?"
What on earth did she think of me?
What kind of villain in the world would take a hit for a hero who was about to die?
If she started to truly suspect me because of this, I'd have nothing to say.
"...Ah. I don't know."
I don't know. Still, I can just talk my way out of it later, right?
Besides, given all the things I've done so far. She wouldn't suddenly suspect me just because of this one incident.
Nah. I've caused four terror attacks so far, so yeah.
...I have to believe that. Let's not worry.
"..."
...No, wait. Parting ways like that last time.
She doesn't think I'm dead, does she...?
***
"Ha-ru. Why have you been spacing out so much lately? Is something bothering you?"
"Ah... It's nothing, Unnie."
"What do you mean 'nothing'? You've been so down lately, always looking troubled. Did something happen?"
Something *did* happen.
Something I'm worried about.
Swallowing those thoughts, Shin Ha-ru simply forced a smile and said it was nothing.
It was a month after that day.