Chapter 30
Chapter 30
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Ji-ah is in Danger (5)
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"Hey! Chase down those bastards who just went underground, quick!"
"Yes, sir!"
At the boss's furious command, the gang members bolted straight toward the passage where Do-han and Yoon Seol had vanished.
But...
Whoosh. With a light wave of her hand in the air, Hwa-young drew a red line between herself and the gang members.
"Sh-she's an ability user...!"
Hwa-young had swiftly contained the flames before they could spread elsewhere, but the psychological impact was immense.
The gang members hesitated, unable to advance.
The boss clicked his tongue in disgust at their pathetic display and addressed Hwa-young.
"What are you? A Hero?"
"Yeah. Guess the mask threw you off."
Once Hwa-young removed her mask, murmurs erupted among the gang members who recognized her.
"That's Hwa-young..."
"No way. What the hell is she doing here?"
The boss didn't know her personally, but he could tell from his men's reactions.
...Must be a pretty famous Hero.
He, too, had once dreamed of becoming a Hero in his youth.
Not out of any sense of justice, of course—just greed for the wealth and status Heroes enjoyed. That's why he had some confidence in his own abilities.
He'd failed the Hero qualification exam solely due to his lengthy record of violent offenses.
With his naturally brutal temperament, he'd fallen into the life of organized crime... and eventually clawed his way up to boss.
With that history, the boss spoke with unfounded confidence, convinced he was no slouch compared to any Hero.
"Even if you're a Hero, you wrecked someone else's business like this—you ready for the consequences?"
Hwa-young responded to his words with a cold smirk.
"Consequences? You think I need to prepare myself... for trash like you?"
Hwa-young was pissed, too.
First, for the way these guys treated people like merchandise.
And second...
"...That said, I can't just stand around waiting. Ji-ah's our shop part-timer... no, family. Please."
For making Do-han—the man she owed a debt to—wear such a desperate expression.
"You fucking bitch. What did you just say?"
The boss's face flushed beet red at being called trash.
Unable to contain his rage, he slammed his fist into the nearby wall.
Boom!
The wall crumpled like a cardboard box, sending vibrations through the building that made it feel like it might collapse.
"B-bro! Th-the building's gonna come down!"
"Shut up!"
Physical enhancement ability user, huh.
Among ability users—who made up about 1% of the population—this was the most common type.
When regular Heroes awakened, their physical prowess skyrocketed—like Yoon Seol kicking down iron doors—but physical enhancers took it even further.
Exhibit A: blinding speed or freakish strength beyond common sense, like this boss.
That's why they called it extraordinary ability.
...His body's probably tough as nails, too.
Perfect. As Hwa-young thought that to herself,
the boss—assuming she'd been intimidated by his power—spewed more bravado.
"What? Did my [Earth Quake] blow your mind?"
"...Earth Quake?"
Hwa-young stared at him in disbelief at the awful naming sense.
Then, suddenly,
a ridiculous idea popped into her head.
"Y'know, I really hate it when people name their abilities and techniques. It's just lame."
"You damn bitch..."
To the boss, her words sounded like mockery of his [Earth Quake].
He burned with the urge to smash her face to a pulp.
But Hwa-young didn't give a damn.
She pointed her finger at the boss and his burly thugs behind him.
"But I just thought of one perfect technique name watching you losers."
"...What?"
Unable to hold back her laughter, Hwa-young murmured softly.
"[Whole Hog Barbecue]."
"You... you fucking bitch!!!!!!!!!!!"
With that, the boss's massive frame charged straight at Hwa-young.
"Th-the iron door's totally trashed... Who the hell are those guys?"
"No way..."
As two Dusk Gang members gawked at the crumpled door like a sheet of paper,
"Ji-ah..."
I fixated on the girl lying motionless on the floor beyond it.
Her mouth was taped shut, blindfold on, but I knew at a glance. It was Ji-ah.
"Ji-ah!!!!!!"
I shoved past the trembling gang members—still frozen in shock at the door—and rushed to her side.
"W-wait! You, you're Yoon Seol...!"
"C-cold! What the—my body's freezing solid...?! H-help me!!!!!!!"
The ones who tried to block me were quickly subdued by Yoon Seol.
Forget them. Ji-ah.
"Ji-ah! Wake up!"
Even as I got right up close, she showed no sign of stirring.
An ominous feeling hit me. I hastily peeled off the tape and blindfold, grabbed her shoulders, and shook—but...
"..."
...no response.
Ji-ah's face was serene. Like she'd fallen into eternal sleep.
No way...
Her final moments overlapped in my mind. The guy who'd overdosed on sleeping pills, looking just like he was asleep even in death.
"Ah... ahh..."
This time, too,
I was too late?
Thud. My legs gave out, and I collapsed right there.
As my breathing grew ragged and I curled up,
Huh?
A cool yet soft sensation enveloped me. It was Yoon Seol.
"Boss. Calm down and breathe properly. In... one, two."
One, two.
Following her lead, I steadied my breathing, and my blurred vision slowly cleared.
Yoon Seol gave a faint smile, relieved, and gently stroked my back.
"Ji-ah's not dead. I can hear her breathing."
"What?"
I pressed my ear to Ji-ah's face.
She's right.
Faint but unmistakable breaths.
Right—thinking calmly, they had no intention of killing her.
They treated her like merchandise.
I'd just overreacted, her deathlike pose triggering memories of that other body.
And moments later.
"Mmm..."
Ji-ah's eyes fluttered open with a sleepy murmur.
I quickly untied the ropes binding her hands and feet,
"Thank God..."
and hugged her tight in overwhelming relief.
"Eek?!"
Still groggy and confused, Ji-ah's pupils darted wildly.
"Huh? Un... uncle...? That you?"
But after locking eyes with me,
"Yeah, Ji-ah."
"For real? This isn't a dream?"
"Not a dream."
Tension melted away, tears welling in her eyes,
"Hic... sob... I was so scared..."
until she threw her arms around me and burst into sobs.
.
"Hic."
After soothing her cries, I finally realized Ji-ah wasn't the only kidnapping victim.
In the corner of the basement were two more, bound just like her.
One a man clearly beaten to a pulp, the other a girl with strikingly white hair. That's the two.
"Hey, you okay?"
While I'd been comforting Ji-ah, Yoon Seol had approached them to check.
"Sniff... Th-thank you... thank you so much..."
The man burst into grateful tears the moment his tape was removed.
He looked about Min-ah's age.
Guess they used him as a punching bag. His face was a total mess.
And
"...Thank you."
Unlike the man, the girl—who'd been treated like merchandise like Ji-ah—seemed unscathed.
Once Yoon Seol removed her tape and blindfold, she bowed her head calmly in thanks.
"..."
Compared to sniffling Ji-ah beside me or the man still repeating his thanks, she seemed eerily composed.
Eh.
Whatever. Makes sense. And that white hair's wild.
I stood, heading toward the two half-frozen thugs Yoon Seol had iced—eyes rolled back white.
"Ugh... so damn cold..."
One spat curses.
The other had passed out cold, lips blue, not moving.
Not dead, right?
Poke. Poke. A few kicks to his head got a twitch. Alive, probably.
Hm.
Suddenly, I felt a twinge of worry glancing at Yoon Seol.
"Hey, Yoon Seol. Think the media'll call this excessive force again?"
I remembered those malicious online articles about her before.
Some bashed her for "overkill" when subduing Villains—total bullshit.
Worried it might happen again, I asked,
but she just smiled wryly.
"It's fine. Just list off what these guys did—human trafficking, kidnapping, and hey, technically a hostage rescue."
Right then,
Rumble!
The whole basement shook, vibrations from the walls. A massive crash from above.
Yoon Seol looked up and told me,
"...Boss. Stay here a sec. Gonna check on Hwa-young unnie."
"Okay."
She's gotten comfy calling her "unnie," I thought, then said,
"Be careful, Yoon Seol."
She flashed a soft smile and headed straight upstairs to where Hwa-young was.
.
Now it was just me, Ji-ah, the other two hostages, and the thugs in the basement.
"..."
Ah. Eye contact again.
The white-haired girl kept meeting my gaze for some reason.
Should I say something—right as I thought that,
"Um, uncle. How'd you know to come here...?"
Ji-ah—curled beside me—asked in a voice still thick with tears.
"Mm... Hwa-young helped a ton. Yoon Seol, too."
"...They're amazing."
"Yeah."
Maybe the sedative's still kicking? Her stare at me was a bit glazed.
"Sleepy?"
"N-no!"
She averted her eyes quick.
Well, yeah. After bawling like that...
Probably embarrassed to show her face.
"Heh heh heh... You're all screwed."
Just then, one thug—color returning to his face—let out a creepy chuckle.
"Why's that?"
"'Cause our boss'll be here any minute. Once he shows, you're done for. Heh."
...What makes this guy so cocky?
Doesn't he know the Hero who wrecked him is Yoon Seol?
The passed-out one next to him seemed to recognize her, at least.
"Our boss is an A-rank criminal flagged by the Hero Association. Even if that chick upstairs is a Hero, she ain't enough..."
As I stared in disbelief at his rambling,
"No way you can beat our boss..."
Right on cue, Yoon Seol and Hwa-young walked into the basement.
"Honey, we're back. Whew, wiped."
"Tell me about it. Sigh."
Dragging a hulking brute covered in scorch marks and frost in a bizarre combo.
"...Gone?"
The thug trailed off, staring blankly at the brute they'd hauled in. His smug face twisted hilariously.
"Wh-what...? Boss?"
"What? This guy's the boss? No wonder he was weirdly tanky. Saved us some trouble."
At Hwa-young's follow-up, the thug was practically bawling.
Idiot.
...Time to head home.