Villain Eaten By The Hero - Chapter 105

105

Among the people who liked the idea of Seo and Belze together, this person stood out noticeably. While this person’s writing skills weren’t particularly outstanding, nor did they write provocative stories, among those who knew Seo, this person’s work was highly regarded.

The content mainly consisted of warm everyday stories or plausible mundane tales, but despite the writing skills, this person vividly portrayed Seo as if this person knew him well. Even Seo himself said that he felt like it was written by someone who knew him.

It was the only book Seo hadn’t abandoned when he threw away his collection, but now the author wants to quit.

It’s understandable given that a hero received disciplinary action for violating ethical standards, but it still bothered Belze for no reason. It was because this person had quietly walked their own path without much reaction even when scandals involving Seo and her broke out.

But now, this person was quitting, and Belze felt uneasy about it, so she tried to contact the owner of the page.

Baal: [Hello. Why are you shutting down the website? You kept it running even during the scandals… Are you disappointed because Seo is going to prison?]

If that were the case, this person would have been inclined to think that Seo wasn’t entirely at fault, but the response Belze received was unexpected.

KKN: [No.]

KKN: [Actually, I’m Seo’s old classmate, so I just wanted Seo to be well and happy.]

KKN: [That’s why I wrote RPF with Seo and Belze ㅜㅜ]

Belze didn’t understand it from the beginning.

Do you usually pair up imaginary lovers to make your classmates happy, and then write about it in a novel?

It felt like an example of what Wonha was talking about when she said, ‘Writers wanted to write a story where Seo was loved, and you, Belize, happened to be a visual nearby’.

Seo may be like that, and perhaps he has a strong tendency to be loved by people whose minds are somewhat unstable. Belze nonchalantly crossed herself off the list and waited for the other person’s response.

KKN: [But I’m sad that Seo is going to prison…].

Baal: [But Seo is truly loved by Belze, right?]

KKN: [Yeah, but]

KKN: [Seo is best suited to be a hero. He looks the happiest and brightest when he’s working.]

KKN: [He can confidently knock down his opponent without caring about others’ opinions.]

It was a sharp insight and it matched reality, but it seemed strange in this context. A feeling of whether this was okay surged within Belze.

However, the person on the other side of the monitor was serious.

KKN: [But I’m sad because I think Seo can’t be a hero anymore because of Belze.]

……Ah.

The cursor, which had been moving diligently, stopped. Belze’s fingers had stopped moving on the keyboard.

A sudden surge of irritation ran through her. She was angry that the other person had treated her as an obstacle to Seo’s happiness, but she was also angry that she couldn’t deny it.

This person was right. Seo shone the brightest when he was a hero. The Seo she loved was also the Seo who was a hero, and just as he had accepted Belze as a villain, Belze had accepted and loved him as a hero.

But it had become difficult. His relationship with Belze was exposed, he admitted it himself and stepped up to the negotiation table only to be rejected, and in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to harm Belze.

The scandal that had spread inadvertently ruined everything.

“Damn it…..”

But there’s nothing she can do now. The scandal has already spread, and since Seo admitted it, there’s no way to cover it up. But it’s not like Seo can switch to being a villain either. So resigning herself to “there’s nothing I can do” isn’t a solution suitable for a true villain of this age, who is both cultured and intellectual.

Belze’s mind began to race.

The visiting room at the detention center.

“In two days, when you go to court, you’ll probably be immediately transferred to a maritime prison. Do you have anything to say?”

“I’m sorry Seok-hyung. You trusted me in so many ways, and I let you down.”

Seo had no dignity when facing the reinforced glass. It felt sorry to be the only one showing signs of unresolved animosity.

They hadn’t been assigned to the same area for long, but he had always shown unwavering trust and friendship. Excessive trust had caused problems, but he was grateful for the fact that someone believed in him.

When he was trying to figure out what to do, the last thing on his mind was not his family or fans, but Seok. The thought of losing his trust made him feel a little sick to his stomach. It was something he knew he had to do when he decided to admit his feelings for Belze, but it didn’t sit well with him.

“No, if you really wanted to disappoint me, you would have been in <Cheonha> rather than in prison.”

“And you don’t mind I’m being sent to prison?”

A hint of laughter came out of Seok’s voice. It was relatively gentle for a man who looked like he might stand up in one go and say he was disappointed.

He’d shaken off the despondency he’d been displaying for a while, and he’d gotten over it. In fact, he looked more animated and confident than ever.

“Yes. You’re not in league with the villains, nor are you engaged in any over-the-top crimes. You publicly stated that you couldn’t arrest Belze, but I can’t blame you for what we can’t do. Not being able to arrest Belze is something all citizens, including me, do every day.”

Seo’s brow furrowed momentarily at the ambiguous words. Seo didn’t find Seok’s words offensive, but they were hard to accept immediately.

This guy, I thought he was strict about discipline at first, but maybe he’s the type who puts too much trust in others…

“What is the true duty and ethics of a hero?”

Seo’s sudden question seemed to have no effect on Seok’s unwavering expression. 

“It’s to protect society against villains. I believe it’s about restraining so that the current system and common sense are not determined by external pressure and protecting the safety of citizens.” 

“Isn’t it just a tool of the masses?”

Considering that Seo had gained a reputation and a solid following for his brutal violence against villains, that seemed like the correct way to put it.

“Some foolish masses rely on primitive pleasures.”

Seo pondered for a moment whether Seok was criticizing him, or whether he was disparaging the citizens he was diligently trying to protect.

“But villains are people just like us. They’ve just ended up unable to fit into our society for various reasons in modern society. If we can indoctrinate them, that’s the best way to go.”

“You know it failed.”

Knowing that Seo had failed miserably in bringing Belze to the Heroic Disaster Headquarters, Seok nodded nonchalantly, not showing a hint of regret.

“But it might be possible next year. Or in three or five years. Even if it takes ten years, if you succeed in the end, it’s a success.”

“You’re overly optimistic.”

“No. Even if I don’t succeed in indoctrinating them completely, I’ll at least be able to reduce their damage categories so that they don’t become a burden to the heroes I know, and that’s the beginning of socialization, so any personal interaction with a villain can be said to have that grand purpose, as long as they’re not swayed by the villain’s ideas. Yes. It’s not about personal ambition or malice or grudge but…”

The overly optimistic interpretation became increasingly tiresome towards the end.

Seo wondered why Seok was so excessively involved in his situation. Seok, who had been keeping his mouth shut as if it were his job to do so, finally spoke up.

“Anyway, I believe that, for that reason, personal affairs between heroes and villains don’t necessarily violate ethics.”

“It’s nice of you to believe that, but…….”

“Actually, you, Seo, is the biggest proof of that, because I didn’t think that Belze would go that far.”

“Um.”

With no information, all he could think about was whether or not the attack on the Meteor Daily had been discovered, but Seok’s attitude towards handling the aftermath of that incident was too refreshing for that.

“Belze is on a rampage at the front lines with the boss of <Cheonha>.”

“What?”

“Now that you’ve finally been restrained, there are no longer any obstacles in their way, and they’ve revealed their true intentions to engulf the city. It seems that the two organizations, thought to be in hostile relations, have joined forces and occupied some of the city’s key facilities.”

“What’s happening right now?”

“And UBS has released confidential information from <Cheonha> that they obtained exclusively. It’s about manipulating scandals to discredit you, Ravi, the only hero who can defeat the boss, and subjected the members of the disciplinary committee to mental manipulation. Evidence is piling up to support the fact that the scoop is real, as members are complaining of headaches and short-term memory loss.”

“What…?”

Seok was clearly either lying or scheming something. Belze did not foresee the scandalous fallout, nor did she approach him under false pretenses.

Having already confirmed several times, Seo didn’t doubt Belze’s sincerity. All he could think about was how things had come to this.

What was even stranger was the Seok’s attitude, which Seo had expected to be flustered.

“Mr. Seo, you had no choice but to succumb to the cunning villain’s threat, holding the safety of the committee members hostage.”

“No….”

“You chose to take the blame for it all on your own, in the noble spirit of heroic sacrifice, even though you weren’t subject to mind manipulation.”

“What?”

“But I, your most trusted colleague, became suspicious of your behavior and started digging around, and finally faced the truth: you passed the information on to UBS.”

“By what means?!”

There’s no way that conclusion could have come from a false premise.

Faced with the obvious lie, Seo unwittingly pushes the reinforced glass between him and Seok. It was uncharacteristic of him to leave a long mark on reinforced glass.

“Then, seeing <Cheonha> taking control of the city as planned, I decided that I had to break the rules to resolve this situation. I didn’t wait for orders from the government, I came to take you, Mr. Seo, out of the detention center because public opinion, and the field, wants you.”

As Seo was about to voice his disbelief, Seok chuckled softly.

“That’s the setup.”