Villain Eaten By The Hero - Chapter 90

90

Seo didn’t object, silently accepting. His words were starting to make sense.

“You only asked her to move in with you, right?”

“I did…….”

“You’re so naive. Where in the world do things get resolved just with emotions and enthusiasm? Romance may be a dream, but marriage is a reality. Instead of saying, ‘Let’s overcome obstacles together,’ you need to clear the obstacles first to be a man she can trust!”

The trainer concluded, “Marriage is something you do with someone with whom you can envision the future,” and observed Seo’s reaction.

For a while, Seo stared with wide eyes and pondered each word the trainer said. There was nothing wrong with what he said.

Belze’s demeanor aligned perfectly with what the trainer said. She was worried about the disciplinary action Seo would receive, and she said she couldn’t do it because Seo would be punished.

So, what if he doesn’t get punished?

What if the obstacles disappeared?

As he thought about it, Seo realized just how half-hearted his earlier offer had been. It was only natural for Belze to reject, given the sacrifice he demanded. It was absurd to suggest living together so suddenly when they couldn’t even hide forever in a small house.

“Thank you.”

Seo stood up from his seat. He knew what he had to do.

*.

“Hero Ravi, can you swear that the oath you made is not false?”

“Yes.”

A green light flashed, signaling the truth of Seo’s answer. The people sitting in a circle, with Seo sitting in the center, cleared their throats, groaned, and exchanged glances.

The vice-chairman in charge of the proceedings raised his hand halfway and looked back at the audience.

“Do you have any objections?”

Some committee members had troubled expressions, but no one raised their hand. When the vice-chairman turned off his microphone after looking at everyone, the chairman turned on the microphone in front of him.

“Then, according to the agreed-upon terms, I will notify you of the disciplinary action.”

The sound of the microphone echoed within the meeting room, where fifteen disciplinary committee members, two record keepers, and Seo were present.

“We, the Disciplinary Committee, hereby discipline Hero Ravi, Kim Seo as follows.”

Seo raised his head high, accepting the impending disciplinary action. There was nothing more he could do.

“Considering the gravity of the matter, it is right that you are suspended for three months. However, taking into account the public safety gap, you are now only suspended for fifteen days and reduce your wages by one-third for three months.”

After a much-talked-about process that ranged from dismissal to psychotherapy to close surveillance to intense legal action, the disciplinary committee’s conclusion was very lenient.

A 15-day suspension and a three-month salary reduction were typical disciplinary actions you’d get for assaulting a citizen or being lazy at work. It’s a pretty weak punishment for a guy who’s been rumored to have ties to a villain.

Seo accepted the disciplinary action somewhat indifferently. It was expected. As long as he didn’t openly rebel, the Hero Disaster Management Headquarters couldn’t afford to give up on Seo hastily. He was a talent worth keeping, an indispensable force.

Half of the disciplinary committee was more concerned about the public opinion burning with a light punishment for Seo, rather than finding an appropriate level of punishment for him. There were also concerns about fairness compared to other heroes.

However, such issues were resolved when Seo made a promise.

“This disciplinary action is valid only if there is no disruption in your exclusive monitoring and reformation work of Belze, the former evil organization chief, for a year. If any issues arise as a result, it will be immediately nullified and reconsidered.”

Seo stated that he would secretly bring Belze to the Hero Disaster Management Headquarters, on the condition that Belze’s past would not be brought up for discussion.

Risking his entire career as a hero, he takes full responsibility for surveillance and identity security.

“All rise. The 11th disciplinary committee meeting of the third quarter is adjourned.”

The people of the Disciplinary Committee, five internal personnel, and ten external individuals struck a deal with Seo.

*

During a leisurely period when Belze was idling at Seo’s house, Seo was summoned to the disciplinary committee, <Cheonha> was busy without a moment’s rest.

<Cheonha> declared an all-out war on DDD and fought them day and night. As a result, employees who used to work about two shifts in a three-shift system were subjected to a crazy schedule of overtime and early arrivals.

No matter how much it was outside the jurisdiction of labor laws, it was not something a person should do. Although the members complained one by one, after receiving the sharp gaze of the stern boss, they obediently kept their mouths shut.

Everyone knew how much the boss was agonizing over Belze’s absence.

[You still don’t know where Belze is? It’s been a while since we saw her in the Meteor Daily!]

“It hasn’t even been three days. Calm down. With Belze’s specialty in blocking location tracking, how do you expect me to find her?”

[Of course, you amateurs won’t be able to catch up with Belze’s skills.]

“If you’re going to brag, cut me some slack… Currently, there are a total of six unknown attack cases in any organization. Two journalists, one broadcaster, and one well-known BJ. I’m attributing all four to Belze’s actions, but why she’s doing this…”

Wonha, the number one victim of the boss’s hysteria, grunted as she gripped the mouse. She sighed heavily as her desk crumbled in the middle of gathering data. The all-out war with DDD, and the ongoing additional work for several days, all of it was due to Belze successfully concealing her traces.

It all started the day the day the payment details stopped coming from the card Belze was given as severance pay.

The boss turned the research department upside down all day, asking what happened to Belze when the payment history didn’t show up. What seemed like a cold-hearted dismissal of Belze was in fact just a combination of poor emotional expression and threats aimed at establishing organizational discipline. He only kicked her out for a moment to scold her, but he had the intention of bringing her back as soon as she seemed to have run out of money. After all, she would have reflected enough by then. 

However, with the balance not decreasing and no payment history coming in, he couldn’t find Belze. From that day on, the boss, captured by ominous thoughts, directed his arrows of anger toward DDD.

They were to blame for his predicament. If it weren’t for them, Belze would have probably explained the situation on her own! It was just embarrassing, and that was the only reason she couldn’t speak up! 

The reason Cheonha turned DDD into an enemy was because of this.

From that day on, Cheonha entered a full-scale battle with DDD, and the ten members of Belze’s direct team searched for her traces. It wasn’t until three days ago that they finally found a clue at the headquarters of the Meteor Daily News. Coincidentally, it was Wonha, who had been infiltrating the news organization, who discovered the clue.

“Ah, all of this… It’s the media leading the criticism against Kim Seo.”

Wonha, who had been thoroughly investigating the incidents of the attack, recognized a commonality. Among the media outlets full of criticism against Belze and Seo, they belonged to the particularly vocal group.

The same went for the BJ. He was an author who thoroughly criticized Kim Seo’s morality while tearing him apart.

“No way…”

Did she cause trouble just because they cursed Seo?

While Wonha was pondering the ominous conjecture, Hyena, who had come up behind her, interjected. Looking at the data that Wonha had organized, she seemed to have a sudden realization as she lightly tapped her chin.

“Come to think of it, Kim Seo has been going home early lately.”

“I don’t know how you know that. But Hyena, you took a day off yesterday, why do you look so tired?”

“Well… I couldn’t rest properly lately because the guy I’ve been meeting is quite persistent.”

“I feel like I vaguely know what happened, but turning it into blame is not the solution. How can you have fun alone when everyone else is busy….”

Hyena ignored Wonha’s words.

“Anyway, that’s what I heard. Kim Seo kept going home early, and Belze kept going to media outlets that criticized Kim Seo…… Then I think we have our answer.”

“No way. He’s still a hero, he wouldn’t let a villain into his house… that’s impossible.”

“You’re being silly, assuming everything. What’s the big deal? There are heroes who sleep with villains.”

“I know.”

Hyena smirked as she put her arm around Wonha’s shoulders. Wonha realized that Hye-na wasn’t talking about Seo, and she was about to hear something she didn’t want to hear.

Now that Wonha heard it, it was clear a hero was the source of Hyena’s information. The picture gradually became clearer.

Wonha didn’t think it was possible, but if it was, everything was clear.

The fact that there were no traces of Belze because she wasn’t using the card.

Even though she had to be scouted by other organizations, she hid her traces cleanly.

She attacked the media outlets that criticized Seo.

Everything was related to Kim Seo.

“…Boss. It seems like Belze is… living with Kim…Kim Seo.”

Taking a deep breath, Wonha prepared to face the boss’s anger. As soon as she finished speaking, the boss’s mechanical mask crackled as if it were about to burst and began to emit steam.

[How dare she.]

A high-pitched electronic sound rang sharply.

[Speeding.]

“No! You were not speeding! You wouldn’t!”

[Living together without telling me.]

The machinery that surrounded him like armor hummed, sputtered, and emitted electricity here and there. His tone was somewhat boisterous, but the changes in the surroundings were as eerie as they were frightening.

The computer right under his nose was smashed to pieces. Not only that, but the entire area was shaking.

[I’m coming to get you.]

It was the final notification that Belz’s probation was over.