The Guy Next Door to the Heroine

6 – ???: This Kind of Hero, Stop It

A moment of awkward silence hovered over the ruins. Although it was called silence, screams were rampant everywhere else. But here, it was quiet.

“He’s the bad guy!”

“Ice Queen!”

That moment was brief; the hero? The woman pointed out the villain.

“Oh? Feeling wronged being treated like a villain even though you’re a hero?”

“She’s right! He’s the villain!!”

“Ice Queen!!”

Whether that expression was of being betrayed by a lover, or a ‘Even you, Brutus!’ kind of situation, neither concerned her.

Actually, it doesn’t matter which side is the villain, but it’s easier on the conscience to threaten the villain side.

“You guys don’t need to worry about scum like me. Well, if you want, I can cut your throats.”

“…”

“Heroes are advocates of not killing…”

But you two are in love, right? She felt like she should say something along those lines. Even though she said she’d kill them, their apathetic response seems like they don’t really want to kill.

“A romance between a hero and a villain…”

She witnessed something precious that money couldn’t buy.

“In a city where romance has become a vulgar joke…”

“He burned down our house, how can that be romantic!!”

“Ah, I can’t forgive arson.”

Given the current real estate prices, if he burned down the house, it’s not a matter of romance; she’d believe it if they said he’s their parent’s enemy.

“But he seems to have feelings for you.”

“Uweeek!”

She genuinely dislikes him… she dislikes him with all her might.

“There are various remarkable things about you. Anyway, fire guy, you have to tell me where your boss is.”

Just in case he does something like ‘Kuek! Kill me!’, she should show him that people can die from shock due to excessive pain.

“Location of the boss… don’t know.”

“Figures.”

Whether he truly didn’t know or was pretending, historically, there’s been an immediately effective remedy for such things.

“I’ve done this a few times, and even those who can revive can die from shock.”

They revive, but they can die from shock. So,

she learned. Regeneration has to be stopped.

Anyway, she grabbed a handful of Fire Guy’s hair. Enough to deliver a sensation of pain.

“Are you sure you don’t want to talk, even now?”

“I don’t, I don’t know!”

Whether being frozen mid-air and only able to move his eyes, nose, and mouth while having his hair pulled was a significant fear for Fire Guy, he was sobbing with tears and snot.

“Don’t look at me like that. I haven’t done anything yet!”

She felt pain when he looked at her with eyes similar to a certain rabbit detective; they were so innocently clear!

“I guess you have to learn how to deal with nuisances with a smile when you’re working part-time.”

To her level, in the age of major villains, she was exceptionally kind.

Well, if they were at that low level, they probably came from a hero academy for part-time work. They would learn on their own.

From inside, the murmurs were getting louder. The already fierce battle sounds grew even fiercer.

-“What’s happening now!”

“Uh, a civilian! A civilian? Is breaking through the barricade and entering!”

-“A civilian?! What are you talking about right now!”

Ignoring the breaking voice of the part-timer behind her, she intervened in the nearest battle.

“Flame!!!”

“Ice Queen!!”

Watching the two shouting desperately, engaging in a soulful face-off,

she couldn’t tell which one was the villain, so she directly asked the parties involved.

“Can someone tell me who’s the villain and who’s the hero?”

With their pre-battle pose frozen, the two stared at her.

“I mean, Flame really wouldn’t know. He’s only been in there for barely two weeks.”

So, this fire guy is a newbie villain and doesn’t know such things. And you, a newbie hero, don’t know anything either. That’s the point.

“Ah, what a waste of time.”

“Kyaaak!”

“Kwek!”

Leaving the two screaming and collapsing onto the floor, I intended to find another nearby battle scene.

“Um, excuse me! I know where the boss of Dongryeon is!”

“You? I thought you’re a hero.”

Even though he’s a newbie. I can’t tell his age because he’s just wearing a tight suit and a mask, but considering his yelling and the youthful sound of his voice, he probably came from the academy, didn’t he?

“I got the boss’s location during the briefing earlier!”

Convinced by the ensuing explanation,

“I see. It would only take a second for someone like you to be caught. It would be troublesome if you were taken hostage unnecessarily.”

Even if you’re only B or C grade, that’s pretty weak, isn’t it? When I first awakened, my pure lethality was about S grade, I think.

Although that was limited to one person.

“Ugh… Your words are too harsh!”

Accept the reality, kid!

“But, is that Eastern boss strong?”

“Dongryeon…”

“Yes, Dongryeon.”

It’s been about half a year since I stopped paying attention to the villain organizations, but no matter how much time has passed, has he already become a big shot? In Incheon?

“I heard that the boss of Dongryeon is nearly A grade!”

Whether it’s near-A, S, or SSS, it doesn’t matter to me, but why is this kid so flustered?

“You seem to lack confidence.”

“I’m still a trainee…”

A trainee, huh. Incheon seems to be a good place to send kids for trainee roles. The student from earlier, too.

“It’s definitely an intern thing. You just let him escape?”

“Ah!”

The fire guy, attempting to flee, was frozen in place and apprehended by the hero. Was it a special rope? Anyway, it’s a special rope for binding.

“I’m busy, so mark the location quickly.”

“Well, umm… I heard it’s at the harbor!”

“If it’s the harbor, it should be fairly predictable.”

The harbor that the villains would use is predetermined. I’ve seen many attempts to escape from Incheon before.

The peak was definitely a year ago, wasn’t it? Dozens crawled out in just one day.

“Right, make sure to get a good price for your house.”

The woman, who is pressing down on the man bound by ropes. Whether it’s a hero or a villain, oh wow, looking at the skin-tight suits.

Leaving the two, who somehow exude an awkward atmosphere, I head towards Incheon Port 1, waving my hand.

“Um, good luck…?”

Really, kids these days are something. To see them even cheering on a person, not knowing whether they’re a villain or a hero.

A brief thought, I was near Incheon Port 1 when,

“Oh… um, it’s been a while?”

“You are…!”

Cheong’s mother was there. But her head was stuck in the ground.

“This isn’t even tag: stuck in the wall. You’re stuck in the floor…”

Ah, is it sense blocking in this case?

“You, you? Tag…? Ah! Can you possibly help me?!”

You don’t need to know about that. Turn off your pupils!

‘female: milf, female: suit, female: stuck’ Turn off your pupils, I said!

Shaking my head, I dust off the pupils.

“I can help, but, um. You’re a hero… who were you again?”

I know her as a C-grade hero Na… Something, rather than Cheong’s mother, Yoo Hwa. I don’t particularly memorize the nicknames of heroes or villains. It’s all the same; you only need to remember the notorious fugitives.

Still, shouldn’t I have remembered Cheong’s mother? Lately, my memory isn’t working well…

“C-grade hero Narae!”

“Ah, Narae…”

Hmm, what should I say? Should you quit being a hero? Is it a bit too direct to say that…?

“Let me get you out first.”

I touch the ground where Hero Narae’s body is stuck.

Snap!

Contrary to the somewhat limp sound, cracks form on the ground surrounding Narae, and it soon collapses into fine dust.

“Ah, I really need to control my strength.”

What was intended to be a modest effort created a 3-meter-wide hole. Nevertheless, Narae, now freed, hangs limply in my hand, looking like a wet rag.

“You seem to have lost all your strength.”

Holding her dangling body, I walk towards stable ground.

“Eh…?”

Whether it’s a problem that the result is too big for such a trivial action, or that she’s hovering in mid-air, Narae freezes solid.

Cheong definitely takes after her mother. This strange freezing too.

“Narae, you should quit being a hero.”

“Huh…?”

While casually, that ship seems to be the bastard making the drug factory and running away.

“You’re too weak to keep being a hero.”

Gently stepping on the air, I land on solid ground, and Narae collapses.

“I don’t know how strong the villain was…”

Walking on the sea, I slightly part the rippling water with my foot. Plunk, with the sound of a water drum, and

“There are things in the world that cannot be done with poison and persistence.”

The sea splits. The splitting water surface increasingly divides to the left and right, exposing its soaked, muddy bottom, which soon dries out.

“Ah, I really need to control my strength…”

Accidentally creating a path to stop the ship.

“… Who exactly are you, telling me to quit being a hero?”

Speaking well even after seeing such a miracle… who am I? Oh, I was wearing a mask.

“I said earlier, I hate troublesome things. So, I trust you won’t say anything anywhere.”

Taking off the cloth wrapped around my face, it doesn’t feel different but it’s cooler.

“Shall we just say I’m the uncle next door to Cheong’s place?”

“Mr. Siwon…?”

“You can just call me Siwon.”

“What exactly is this…”

“Ah, speaking informally is a habit. Please overlook it a bit.”

The only person I formally speak to is this person, Cheong’s mother. So, sometimes I inadvertently speak informally.

It’s not particularly because she’s the mother of the heroine. Just, she’s a good person. A kind person.

Well, the kind person isn’t just this person, but given the situation, I only speak formally when I’m an ordinary next-door bachelor, Lee Siwon.

In any case, I’m immortal. Age doesn’t matter.

“That.”

“Shall we go take a look at the big shot who set up a drug factory in Incheon?”

Exhaling a puff of cigarette smoke and taking another drag, I walk towards the ship engulfed in chaos

.

“We’re all screwed! It’s all over!!”

“If you knew that, why were you running a drug factory in Incheon?”

“You, you are!!”

“That C-grade and… who…?”

Whether it’s because others are watching, Narae starts to struggle all of a sudden. It doesn’t particularly bother me, but I wonder why she’s acting like this all of a sudden.

“Let me, let me go…”

“Oh, yes.”

Leaving Narae, who is boarding the ship while covering her face with both hands, I approach the villains.

“This, this sea! You did this?!”

“If not me, then who could?”

“Poseidon…?”

“Damn idiot!”

A response comes amidst this. Is he trying to engage in some banter?

“Do you need a fan?”

A Harisen? Isn’t that what they call those fans? Yakuza use them well.

“Is this bastard looking at a person as water! Be serious!”

Serious? Can you handle it if I get serious?