Being a Villain is My True Calling

“Haah…”

Jjeojjeok, jjeojjeok…

“This should be enough.”

The Hero Association’s personal training room, filled with ice, chills, and frost.
After exhaling her labored breaths, Ice Queen finally concluded her training session.

“…Still not enough.”

Ever since her battle with Alpha, Ice Queen had realized her own inadequacies.
Back then, she had been utterly powerless.

She had barely withstood a few of Alpha’s attacks before collapsing, overwhelmed.
No matter how formidable her opponent, such excuses held no merit for a hero.

‘I cannot offer such justifications before the victims who suffered.’

Thus, Ice Queen continued to hone her abilities relentlessly.
Closing her eyes, she recalled her one-sided battle against Alpha.

“…Come to think of it, who was that person who approached me afterward?”

Amidst her recollections, she remembered the man who had approached her with friendly words after her defeat by Alpha’s hands.
At the very moment the live broadcast cameras had shut off, leaving no traces of the mysterious individual.

While she vaguely remembered his words, the specifics eluded her.

“Something about growing well…some sort of deranged ramblings…”

Although dismissing him as a mere lunatic seemed unsatisfying, without any concrete evidence, she had no choice but to bury the encounter deep within her mind.

“No, Yun-hee! You’re still training?”

“Ah. Master.”

Lost in her musings, Baek Kang-ho entered, startled by the scene of devastation and Ice Queen’s sweat-drenched state.

“Haven’t I always warned you? Excessive training ruins your body!”

“But I can still continue, can’t I?”

Baek Kang-ho scrutinized Ice Queen closely.

Her labored breathing and trembling fingertips, coupled with her pallid complexion, all indicated that further exertion would be unwise.

“…I really can keep going. Honestly.”

Yet despite being fully aware of her physical condition, Ice Queen stubbornly persisted.

‘Geez, who raised her to be so headstrong?’

He certainly didn’t recall instilling such obstinacy in her upbringing.
A soft sigh escaped Baek Kang-ho’s lips.

With a resolute expression, he gestured towards the exit with his finger, asserting his authority.

“As your master and a Hero Association official, I hereby ban you from this training room for the day. You are prohibited from entering!”

“Pardon? That’s a clear abuse of power…”

“Tsk! You only had the morning shift today, didn’t you? Go out, go. Get some fresh air, relieve your stress, and unwind.”

“…But-”

Kkiiieek. Cheolchukkhk.

Ultimately, Ice Queen found herself forcibly evicted from the training room by Baek Kang-ho.

‘…No!’

Ice Queen was utterly perplexed.
Despite her insistence that she was fine, he had the audacity to expel her!

‘With that level of stubbornness, I wonder if he’ll end up driving away the middle-aged widow he’s been courting recently…’

Observing her obstinacy, she couldn’t help but pity the potential heartbreak awaiting his prospective partner, should they fail to flee like the others before them.

“Haah…”

Although momentarily enraged, after being ejected from the training room, she begrudgingly acknowledged the validity of his advice.

‘Forcing myself to work under highly stressful conditions would only undermine my efficiency…’

Considering her prolonged absence of proper rest, Ice Queen decided to heed his suggestion and find a way to alleviate her stress.
She promptly headed to change out of her attire.

“This should suffice?”

Having somehow managed to change her clothes, Ice Queen deactivated her subtle ability usage, causing her hair and eyes to revert to their natural black hue, transforming her into an unrecognizable beauty far removed from her heroic persona.

“Now all that’s left is to depart…”

Though she had completed her preparations to leave, a lingering doubt gave her pause.

Here’s the question:

‘How do I usually relieve stress?’

Having lived a life largely detached from leisure activities, the mere suggestion of going out to unwind left her uncertain of how to proceed.

First, recalling her previous attempts at relaxation…

‘Hmm…browsing on my phone?’

She took out her phone and accessed the community forums.
Naturally, the community she visited was her dedicated fan cafe, ‘Ice Garden’.

In the past, she had indeed found solace in the adoration of her unwavering supporters.
However…

-Your Majesty, just one lewd pic. Your Majesty, just one lewd pic. Your Majesty, just one lewd pic. Your Majesty, just one lewd pic. Your Majesty, just one lewd pic.

-What color lingerie would Her Majesty prefer?

She might like black lace.
Personally, I vote for red.
The essence is pure white.

-Reasons to eternally revere Maker:

Allowing community users to breathe.

Revealing Her Majesty’s embarrassing moments in detail.

Blue lace.

Tentacles!!

 …

 …
…

‘You people weren’t like this before…’

Now, merely glancing at the forums only served to unsettle her.
Browsing on her phone was out of the question.

Besides, she had been instructed to unwind outside, so confining herself to her phone would have felt somewhat disingenuous.

‘Then what should I do…’

As she pondered, her gaze fell upon a book, conveniently within sight.

“……”

Seo Yun-hee enjoyed reading books.
Aside from work-related activities, it was practically her sole hobby.

“…Perhaps I should read at a cozy establishment?”

The impulsive thought, upon further contemplation, seemed like a reasonable idea.
Yes, why not serenely read a book at a tranquil cafe?

Truthfully, she disliked crowded and noisy environments.
Whether due to occupational hazards or the constant unease of potential incidents, she harbored an aversion to loud disturbances.

Bbbbbbbiii-

Resolutely ignoring the familiar sound, she retrieved a book from her locker.

“As long as I’m just relaxing at a cafe, Master shouldn’t have any objections.”

Her decision made, she turned and departed from the Association’s premises.

“I was considering visiting a cafe.”

“…A cafe?”

“…?”

“…A cafe. Cafes are nice. It’s quite soothing to unwind in a cozy atmosphere with delicious beverages.”

“I suppose so…?”

There had been a peculiar incident when she had encountered Chise in the lounge, who had reacted strangely upon her mention of a cafe.
However, she had long since dismissed that memory as insignificant.

‘Let’s go…!’

Thus, the civilian Seo Yun-hee took her first steps towards finding a healing cafe respite.

Inside the serene cafe.

“Another peaceful day~”

After completing the cleaning, I gazed absentmindedly at the clear skies and muttered to myself.

Peaceful.
While perhaps inappropriate to utter amidst the current societal turmoil, why not?

‘After all, I was responsible for two major catalysts of that social chaos.’

I had released Alpha and created the “trash bin” community to prevent thought control.
As the mastermind behind those events, I was well within my rights to declare a state of peace.

No harm would befall me, after all.

“Haamm~”

“Big Bro. I’m bored.”

“Should I whip up some snacks for you?”

The very chaos engulfing everyone else was, for us, akin to a period of rest and respite.

“Not a single customer has shown up today…”

“Perhaps someone will arrive soon?”

Such leisurely conversations flowed amidst our idleness.

“Ah, a customer is coming.”

Speak of the devil, as if summoned by our words, a customer promptly shattered the stillness.

Ddalrang~

“Miss Tsukino!”

The hero Phantom Luna, and our cafe’s regular vagrant, Tsukino Chise.
Entering with an air of caution, she scanned her surroundings warily.

“…Miss Tsukino?”

“Hick?! C,Cafe Manager…!”

Finally acknowledging me in response to my bemused tone, her face flushed as she let out a startled exclamation.

“Is something the matter? You seemed quite on edge as you entered.”

“It’s nothing! Just some personal pest control, you could say…”

Her evasive rambling only served to deepen my curiosity, but I decided to let it pass.

“Well, if you say so, Miss Tsukino.”

Offering a faint smile, I approached the table and pulled out a chair invitingly.

“Have a seat. Let’s catch up since it’s been a while.”

“…Yes!”

After preparing her beverage and a light snack, Chise and I easily slipped into our familiar, comfortable rapport.

Our conversations ranged from the recent ominous atmosphere to the former hero Alpha, and even extended to the newly emerged community.

With such varied topics, Chise blossomed with laughter, clearly delighted to revisit the cafe after so long.

“I had a wonderful time today!”

“Thank you for keeping me company.”

A few hours later, having been the cafe’s first customer that day, Chise flashed a satisfied smile and waved enthusiastically as she took her leave.

‘We didn’t exchange any particularly substantive information. At most, I gleaned the Association’s reactions to the new community.’

While reciprocating Chise’s parting gesture with a smile, I mentally filtered and collated any useful insights from her responses and our dialogue.

‘Still, opening the cafe today proved worthwhile.’

Such was my fleeting thought.

“……”

“…Excuse me, aren’t you accepting orders?”

“…Ah, yes, of course. My apologies.”

Well, well, what do we have here?

Who had declared that opening the cafe today was worthwhile?
A few hours later, I retracted those very words.

“Did you have a particular menu item in mind?”

Black hair, dark eyes. And while she had slightly altered her overall style, likely in an attempt to conceal her identity, I immediately recognized her upon sight.

‘Why is Ice Queen here?!’

Her piercing gaze felt as though it could see right through me.

“Should I kill her? But I don’t want to demolish the cafe, and fleeing isn’t an option either…”

Even Gah-yeon, who had been cleaning, seemed to panic, clutching her broom tightly as she muttered under her breath.

‘Best to maintain the guise of an upstanding civilian. An honest cafe owner…’

Steeling my resolve for a moment.

“Excuse me…”

“Yes, customer.”

“Haven’t we met before?”

“……”

Ah.
I should not have opened the cafe today.
Regret set in, belatedly.