Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: A Hero's Reminiscence
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“Kyaaaaah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Yoon Seol wailed endlessly, muttering to herself that she must be crazy.
It was a monstrous shriek, like recreating the cry of a pterosaur from the Permian extinction.
The reason was obvious: some unfortunate memories of last night's disgrace had stuck with her.
“Boss. What do you think of Hero Yoon Seol?”
“I don’t waaant to go hooome...”
“I seeee. Oh? This is my hooome! But I don’t wanna go iiiin...”
“I’m insane... really... ughhh.”
Pound. Pound. Pound.
Only after punching the innocent pillow and blanket a few times could Yoon Seol finally calm herself a bit.
Then came the throbbing headache.
She wasn’t usually prone to hangovers. But yesterday, she’d gone way past her limit... and the result was this agony.
“Ugh. My head.”
She regretted not keeping some hangover remedy on hand. Clutching her pounding head, Yoon Seol lay straight back down on the bed.
‘I should just sleep more...’
Thinking that, she closed her eyes.
...But the human brain has a way of dredging up exactly what you’re trying to forget.
Thump. Thump.
Yoon Seol writhed in embarrassment, which brought on the headache again, and just when it quieted a little, memories of last night resurfaced—trapping her in a vicious cycle of pain.
And at the end of that loop, one thought emerged.
It was why she, who never frequented the same place multiple times, had ended up at that cocktail bar over and over.
‘How did I end up going back there...?’
Burying her face in the pillow, Yoon Seol recalled the day she’d visited Oasis for the second time.
*
That day, like any other, I was lounging in the waiting room of our management company, waiting for a call.
“...Unnie Yoon Seol. The president wants you in her office for a sec.”
“Her office?”
The manager spoke cautiously to me as I sprawled on the sofa, zoning out.
‘What’s this about?’
I’d firmly declined interviews or ads for the time being, so it wasn’t that... What else could it be?
With a twinge of unease, I headed upstairs to the president’s office.
...Why do bad feelings always hit the mark?
When I arrived, Boss Sister greeted me with a troubled expression she couldn’t hide, full of regret.
“Seol-ah. About that scene you responded to recently? Turns out there was an injured civilian there.”
The recent scene...
“...Shinjin Bank? No way. I checked everything thoroughly... You know me. I’m meticulous about that stuff. At least after I got there...”
“I know, I know. But that reporter, Kim Mi-young...”
“Ha...”
The moment that tiresome name slipped from Boss Sister’s lips, I instantly grasped the situation.
‘It’s her again...’
Why is she so obsessed with dragging me down? Last time it was fake scandal articles and power-trip nonsense; now she’s nitpicking my response.
“...You know she’s always twisting things to make me look bad.”
“I’ve requested a correction, but... Seol-ah. I think we need to at least issue a statement of regret.”
Watching Boss Sister bow her head repeatedly, apologizing, I couldn’t bring myself to get mad.
It wasn’t her fault to begin with.
“...Okay, no need to apologize, Sis.”
“I’m sorry, Seol-ah.”
......I said no apologies.
‘Fine. This isn’t the first or second time. I can bow my head.’
If it were just me, I could ignore it. But as the company’s star hero, any scandal from me ripples out beyond just my reputation.
That’s when the cyber trolls and reporters would pounce with glee.
‘They’ll tear into me even if I apologize.’
“Haa.”
Sighing heavily, I returned to the waiting room. The manager—Ji-yeon—who’d been curled up on the sofa, rushed over to me, sniffling.
“Unnie Yoon Seol. Are you okay...? That’s just awful. Reporter Kim Mi-young...”
“Don’t cry. I’m fine, really.”
“Sniff. I contacted the so-called injured guy from the scene... I think he’s in cahoots with her. Frostbite? You’d never mess up like that, Unnie.”
Watching Ji-yeon continue with tears welling in her eyes and a trembling voice made my chest tighten unbearably.
What was it? Not anger... more like a weight hanging from my heart.
It wasn’t because of Boss Sister or Ji-yeon. And not even that Kim Mi-young woman, really.
“...Ji-yeon-ah. Stop crying. I’m truly okay. You know how it goes—it blows over quick.”
“Still...”
I comforted the crying Ji-yeon, finished the scheduled interview that day, and left the company.
‘Already 8 p.m.’
The interview had dragged on longer than expected.
The sun had set long ago, and it was a rare breath of outside air.
“Tomorrow’s my day off, right...?”
In modern times, solo heroes without a management company are rare.
Pass the hero exam, and you can join the Hero Association, but they don’t handle interviews, ad deals, or bounties for individuals.
Villain alerts come automatically from the Association anyway, so hero management firms are like entertainment agencies for celebrities.
It’s definitely more convenient than going solo... but crap like this happens too.
“I don’t wanna go home...”
Returning to an empty house would just mean silence greeting me. In this mood, I couldn’t face it.
But I had nowhere else to go.
Once I started hero work and fame kicked in, friends naturally drifted away.
Cafes were out too. With this heaviness in my chest, I couldn’t deal with people recognizing me.
‘So where do I go?’
In this glittering city, there was no place for me. I felt like a lost child.
Suddenly, I wanted to cry. No, I already was.
“Hey. That girl... looks like she’s crying? But damn, she’s gorgeous.”
“Hold up. Lemme talk to her.”
People around whispered, staring at me.
“Um, miss? Everything okay? Wanna sit and talk over—wait, you’re not... Yoon Seol?!”
“...No.”
To top it off, some recognized me. I fled the scene like a fugitive.
Pulling up my hood, I wandered aimlessly. By the time my tears dried and my legs ached, I looked around.
“This is...”
A somewhat secluded alley. But familiar.
Near that cocktail bar I’d gone to before. A dingy place I wouldn’t normally visit.
The first time was during a nearby villain call while resting at home. I wrapped it up quick and stumbled upon it by chance.
The name was...
“Oasis.”
As I recalled, hardly any customers. Last time, it was just me.
Retracing my steps, I headed toward it.
‘...It’s open.’
“OPEN” sign on the door. Peeking in, still no customers.
I stepped inside and said to the owner polishing a glass,
“Give me the strongest drink you’ve got. Something to get me blackout wasted. Make me forget everything.”
*
‘Yeah, that’s how it was.’
The cocktail that day was too sweet, but that sweetness was a huge comfort to my weary self.
Yeah, like an oasis.
And yesterday was the day I’d issued a statement of regret about that incident.
So I’d gone back to the cocktail bar for a mood boost.
“Mood boost my ass... ugh.”
Resisting the urge to tear my hair out, I flipped the pillow over my head.
‘Others say they black out when drunk. Why not me...?’
If only I couldn’t remember. Closing my eyes just pieced together last night like a puzzle, making it worse.
“Y’know how there are those news articles that hype stuff up sensational for clicks? It felt like that... but honestly, the biggest reason was...”
“Biggest reason?”
“...He didn’t seem like the type. I read faces a bit.”
Hearing that, I was dumbfounded but felt a knot in my chest loosen, so I downed more booze than usual... and ended up passing out on the street, making the Boss bring me all the way here.
And it wasn’t even smooth sailing.
“I must be crazy... Seol-ah, you’re totally insane...? How could you...”
Trying to strip in the taxi, and vaguely, throwing a tantrum outside my door about not wanting to go in.
Lucky the cocktail bar Boss is a good guy. If it’d been some creep, it could’ve turned serious.
“Gotta apologize later... Ah... Aaaah!!!”
After thrashing the blanket with my feet for a while, my eyes caught the monitor in the corner.
‘W-Wait, is there more I don’t remember?’
There are home CCTVs linked to my room monitor nearby.
Installed after a sasaeng fan tried breaking in once...
“Should I not look...? No. I need to know if I caused any trouble...”
With Pandora’s box trepidation, I launched the home cam app.
Click. Click.
‘What time did I get home...? Went to the bar around 2 a.m., I think. Ah, found it.’
Front door cam showed me staggering unpleasantly—and the Boss.
Thankfully, no tantrum beyond whining about not entering... Huh?
“W-Wait, Boss?!”
On screen: me collapsing like a ragdoll.
—And the Boss carefully scooping me up in a princess carry.
‘That’s why I woke up in the shoe cabinet...’
I’d assumed I walked in, but reality was brutal.
Drunk and carried by a strange man, even unlocking the door...
“You’re really crazy, Seol-ah.”
Really, what if something weird happened...? I checked the shoe cabinet cam too.
Thankfully, the Boss set me down inside, watched briefly, closed the door, and left.
“Phew.”
Seeing that, I felt guilty for suspecting the innocent Boss.
And,
‘Ugh. Somehow...’
A twinge of annoyance.