The Meeting of Two Heroes
“So… he came in less than a minute?”
My incredulous question hung in the air. Sehwa nodded, her face twisted in a mocking grin.
“Yeah. Not even a minute. Maybe… thirty seconds?”
“That doesn’t even make sense.”
“I couldn’t believe it either.”
“Was it at least fun?”
“It was… whatever.”
Her words said one thing, but her expression told the truth. She’d had a blast. All that pretending to be awkward and innocent, and she’d still enjoyed every second of it.
A faint smile tugged at my lips. Sehwa grabbed her laptop and muttered, “Enough talking. Just thinking about it makes me sick.”
“Fine.”
“Let’s scroll through Twinkle instead.”
I sank back into the plush pillows while Sehwa, legs casually draped over mine, browsed through various accounts on the anonymous platform. Hashtags like #InvitedGirl, #CoupleMeetup, #LesbianPlay, and #FFM filled the screen.
“You’re not actually thinking about swapping, are you?” I asked lightly.
Sehwa whipped her head around and shot me a glare. “Are you joking? Why would I ever let some other bitch have you? And you think I’d spread my legs for another guy?”
“I was just asking because you’re looking at couple-meetup accounts.”
“I’m only watching out of boredom. I want to see how other people post. I’d never actually do it. Don’t even say stuff like that.”
“Got it. Though FFM doesn’t sound too bad…”
Two girls and one guy. Any man who hated that setup had to be impotent. Once all the Beast Slayers fell, we’d have a full FFFFFM harem. I was already looking forward to living like an emperor.
Sehwa saw the mischievous look on my face and started punching my thigh with her fist. She was genuinely upset that I’d shown interest in other women. Her hits were surprisingly strong, but they didn’t hurt at all. I caught her wrist and pulled her into my arms.
“Let’s just sleep. Stop hitting me— Aaaagh! I said don’t bite my chest!”
I smacked her forehead with a loud thwack after she sank her teeth into me, then wrapped my limbs around her like a cage.
“You’re getting more violent every day…”
Not that I minded.
“You’re the one who pisses me off… My forehead hurts.”
I answered by pressing my lips to her forehead. Sehwa’s expression softened, her mouth curling into a childish pout. While I gently rubbed my lips across her skin, her phone vibrated. I reached for it, unlocked it with the pattern she’d shown me, and saw a message from Yu Seunghyeon.
“What is it? Let me see too.”
Sehwa squirmed in my arms, trying to get a look. I held the screen up to her eyes. As she read, her expression turned dreamy.
“That’s really touching…”
Look at that fake face. Though there was a hint of sincerity mixed in.
I set her phone down on the pillow beside us. “Keep taming him properly.”
“Yeah…”
“I’m going to be busy for a while.”
“Why? What’s going on? Work? Why are you so busy lately?”
Sehwa’s eyes widened as she pressed me for answers. I stroked her hair with a serious expression.
“It’s not company work. It’s related to us.”
“Us…?”
“There’s someone suspicious. Might be connected to the Evilion Gates. I’m going to look into it.”
Sehwa sat up, her gaze sharpening. “Isn’t that dangerous? You didn’t even tell me about something that serious?”
“I’m telling you now. And it’s not dangerous.”
“I want to come with you.”
I hesitated. Usually I kept Sehwa out of my affairs, but if I left her behind this time she’d sulk for days. Better to bring her along and keep her happy.
“Alright.”
“Hehe…”
“What are you laughing about?”
“Because I get to protect you.”
“I doubt anything will happen. Still, keep your Device charged just in case.”
“It’s already at a hundred per— Kyaa!”
Sehwa burst into giggles mid-sentence. My face had drifted down toward her lower body.
**
Sehwa and I were tailing Yuria in Daejeon. After I gave her a quick rundown in the car, she asked, “So that person… knows the alien who opens the gates?”
“Not confirmed yet. Her name’s Yuria Elenar, twenty-one years old. Registered as an immigrant, but something feels off. That’s why we’re following her.”
“She’s really pretty… like a model. But why is my heart pounding so hard?”
“First time tailing someone?”
“Maybe…”
I placed a hand on her chest to calm her. “Let’s see what she does from here. Just a second…”
I reached into the back seat for the laptop and tapped away at the keyboard, deploying the miniature drone we’d brought from the lab. With a faint buzzing sound, the drone hovered above Yuria and began transmitting her image.
Sehwa stared at the monitor in awe. “Wow… that’s amazing.”
“The Doctor and I made it recently. Let’s head to the hotel. We can watch from there at our leisure.”
“Okay. My heart’s racing so much… It feels like we’re movie protagonists. You know what I mean?”
I chuckled. Her childish excitement was adorable. I pinched her cheek, handed her the laptop, and drove us to the reserved hotel. From there, we monitored Yuria together.
She went home and didn’t come out until nightfall. Sehwa grumbled while staring at the drone feed showing only the exterior of the house. “Just send it inside already…”
“The connection drops if it goes indoors.”
“Is that the best our tech can do?”
We could have done it, but if I saw Yuria showering and got turned on, Sehwa would throw a fit. “For now, yeah.”
I brushed it off and kept myself entertained—ordering room service when bored, groping Sehwa, or making her send messages to Yu Seunghyeon to build his hopes while I snickered.
When night fell, Yuria left her house and hailed a flying taxi. Sehwa leaned closer to the monitor, her expression serious, and wiped her mouth with my shirt. She was completely absorbed.
Watching beside her, I murmured, “Looks like she’s heading to Jung-gu.”
“Jung-gu? That place was completely destroyed when the monsters appeared.”
“Exactly. It’s fine during the day, but at night it’s crawling with criminals and homeless people. She lives in Daejeon, so she’d know that better than anyone.”
“Criminals? Then what do we do? Obviously they’ll…”
Yeah, the criminals would target her. But Yuria would start beating them down instead. She was the type who needed to release her pent-up power after a gate incident or major event.
“Let’s keep watching.”
Yuria landed in the ruined center of Jung-gu. As the distinctive whine of the flying taxi echoed, criminals crawled out from underground and sized her up. Pathetic insects with no redeeming qualities.
Sehwa’s face filled with worry. She placed a hand over her heart and said, “We have to help her…”
“We don’t even know if she’s good or bad yet.”
“Jihyeok… I want to help…”
“No.”
“I said I want to help!!”
She shouted, her brows furrowed. I stared at her. What was this? Why was she being so stubborn today? In the past she would’ve rushed to help any civilian in danger, but after everything, my trust in people had eroded.
Seeing my expression, Sehwa flinched and apologized. “Sorry for yelling… But…”
“You have to help? Is there a reason?”
“I don’t know… but it feels like I can’t not help… My chest…”
Her chest again? I placed my hand over her heart. It was racing just like it had in the car at lunch. She wasn’t nervous… Could it be…?
If my guess was right, things might work out perfectly. I quickly modified a spare room card into a master key, activated a jammer to disable all cameras, and handed the card to Sehwa.
“Transform on the rooftop and fly to Jung-gu. But only intervene if she’s in real danger. Got it?”
Sehwa snatched the card and nodded frantically. As she put on her shoes, I added, “Minimize your aura. You can do that, right?”
She answered with a stiff face. “Yeah. Thanks. I’ll be back soon.”
Sehwa burst out the door. I kept watching through the laptop. The moment she left, Yuria began taking down the criminals who’d approached her. She was far stronger than them; even the armed ones stood no chance. She fought well, too—those long legs delivering high kicks were striking.
After she’d beaten them like stray dogs, a loud boom rang out some distance away, kicking up dust. Leona emerged from the cloud, walking slowly. Following my instructions, she’d minimized her aura. She stared at Yuria intently. I’d told her not to step in unless it was an emergency. She never listened.
—You…!
Yuria’s eyes widened as she choked out one of the criminals. The others nearby gaped at Leona’s beauty before realizing who she was.
—Isn’t that… Beast… Beast…
Crack! Leona darted forward and slammed the man’s head into the ground before he could finish. She took down a few more with brutal efficiency—broken noses, shattered arms, agonized screams. The remaining criminals fled in panic.
Soon only Leona and Yuria remained in the empty streets of Jung-gu. As if drawn by fate, they walked toward each other. Watching them, I stroked my chin.
‘Telepathy, maybe?’
My earlier guess when Sehwa had been restless at the hotel seemed correct. Heroes recognized heroes. There was no other way to explain it. Sehwa’s racing heart at lunch hadn’t been nerves—it had been destiny. She’d sensed Yuria.
Leona reverted to Sehwa. What a careless girl. Criminals could still be watching from underground. I immediately contacted Marcela.
—Yes, Demon King.
“You’re seeing this too, right?”
—Of course. It’s an incredible sight.
“Once Sehwa and Yuria leave, clean up every last insect in Jung-gu before they can talk. No witnesses.”
—Understood.
After hanging up, I kept watching the monitor. Yuria’s face was pure astonishment—probably because of Sehwa’s youthful, delicate appearance.
—…Who are you?
Yuria’s voice carried a surprising warmth. Was the pull between them strong enough to disarm even someone as guarded as her?
Sehwa answered, —I’m Lee Sehwa… Um… I don’t really know what to say… It’s really, really nice to meet you.
She bowed her head politely. Yuria’s expression brightened instantly. After staring at Sehwa for a moment, she spoke.
—I’m Yuria Elenar.
The two of them exchanged glances like long-lost siblings. I grinned. This was how a proper sequel should feel. They really were magical girls.
Bringing Sehwa along had only been to stop her from sulking, but it had turned out to be a perfect move. Now I could introduce Yuria to the Doctor naturally. She might complain that I hadn’t been cautious enough, but the results spoke for themselves. If anything, she’d probably praise me.