The Second Subordinate, and...
The reason wasn't anything particularly grand.
“..There's no big reason or anything.”
She simply liked him, so she started following his trail. She created the fan cafe because she wanted to share that feeling with others. To her, there was no reason beyond that.
“Even so, if you can create a security program of that level, you could have worked for a hero agency or taken on more lucrative jobs. Why did you deliberately choose to break the law?”
“Ugh, those old farts who say this is wrong and that is wrong are so annoying.”
Narin shuddered dramatically at Maker's question, sweeping her arms over herself as if brushing something off.
“Anyway, I was abandoned by my biological parents a long time ago, so I've stopped following laws like that ages ago.”
At those words, Maker glanced at Narin's face. She looked completely nonchalant. It didn't seem like she was forcing herself to hide any pain; she genuinely appeared to feel nothing about it.
“What use is a law that can't even protect someone like me?”
Then Narin pulled the candy from her mouth and pointed it toward the sky.
“And the people who made those laws are the Hero Association and those high-and-mighty big shots. I don't particularly like them.”
“So it's a form of rebellion?”
“Pfft, now that you mention it, maybe it is?”
The humans who had ignored her when she was powerless now approached her because she suddenly seemed useful. Perhaps that sight had been so ridiculous that she had always worked alone and committed illegal acts.
“And the way Oraboni carried out his terrorism was so cool.”
“Me?”
“Even though you're a villain, you're always so confident. You could kill all the citizens or heroes if you wanted, but you deliberately only harass them to the point where it inconveniences the heroes. I loved that.”
That relaxed attitude, as if he was deliberately going easy on them and toying with them, was also appealing.
“And that ganji of completely rejecting the current system and going full my-way terrorism!”
Narin stared at Maker with sparkling eyes.
“That's the biggest fan point!”
“...I see.”
For some reason, Maker felt a bit awkward. He soon let out a small chuckle, took a few steps, then turned back to look at her.
“I understand your feelings, Miss Narin. In that case, do you want to keep watching me from now on?”
“Of course I do!”
“If you're going to watch anyway, how about observing it up close from my side?”
At Maker's words, Narin's eyes widened. Her face gradually turned red as she stared at him.
“Uh... proposal...”
“I'm asking you to become my subordinate.”
“I wouldn't mind if it was a confession.”
“Subordinate is enough.”
“Tsk.”
At Maker's firm attitude, she clicked her tongue.
This kid is saying something that could get him in big trouble.
“Anyway.”
Maker extended his hand as if offering a handshake and looked at Narin.
“Will you become a member of my organization?”
“......”
She stared at him the same way, falling silent for a moment.
“Sigh... I don't usually accept this kind of thing...”
Not long after, Narin grinned and grabbed Maker's hand.
“Well, since it's Oraboni, I'll make a special exception!”
“Welcome aboard.”
And so, Maker gained his second subordinate.
Inside the Korean Hero Association headquarters.
“Hey, look, she's coming.”
“Kick. The celebrity has arrived.”
“......”
As Ice Queen walked down the corridor, the heroes around her began to whisper.
“Well, if it isn't her?”
At that moment, a woman with a venomous expression blocked Ice Queen's path.
“Isn't this our famous celebrity? Where are you headed?”
“..I'm on my way after being summoned by Executive Baek Kang-ho. You're busy, so please step aside.”
“Ohhh... Baek Kang-ho? But what is our AV actress going to do there?”
Pfft! Kyahahahaha!!!
At the venomous woman's words, laughter erupted from the surrounding heroes.
“...Haa. Please move aside.”
“Huh? Did that feel good? You were all over that villain, whimpering like a little bitch.”
“......”
Ice Queen acted as if it wasn't even worth responding to and ignored her, walking past.
The woman's face twisted in irritation at her attitude.
Ice Queen. When she had first joined, she had been beneath her. Yet that same girl had surpassed her—someone who had been B-class—and was now an A-class hero.
If it were S-class, fine, but this bitch only just got A-class. With the higher heroes dispatched, she's acting like she's in charge.
And that inorganic gaze that looked at her. That stare was so irritating and repulsive to the woman that it drove her crazy.
“..If you're so busy, I suppose I should step aside. A whore doing what whores do. Spreading your legs for Baek Kang-ho too...”
“Hey.”
“......”
At Ice Queen's voice, the temperature around them instantly plummeted.
“Watch your mouth.”
Crack. Craaack...
“..W-what did I do? I was only saying the truth...”
Whoosh— BANG!!
In an instant, Ice Queen grabbed the woman by the collar and slammed her against the wall.
“With that filthy mouth of yours. Do not insult my benefactor.”
Ice Queen had already created a thin rapier made of ice and pointed it at the woman's throat.
“Ugh!..Aaaaaagh!!!!”
When Ice Queen gave it a slight stab, the woman felt excruciating pain. No blood came out. Instead, an insanely cold chill gradually spread from the wound.
“Aaaagh!! Help.. help me!!!”
“..What are you doing? Stop her!!”
Crackle! Crack!
“..If you come to stop me. You're next.”
As if representing her heart, sharp icicles shot up from the floor.
“......”
The heroes who swallowed hard at the sight immediately relaxed their bodies.
“Hah.”
“Aagh!! Aaaaaagh!!!”
Finding the scene ridiculous, she let out a cold laugh.
“W-wrong.. heuk... s-spare me...”
The woman's face had already turned deathly pale. Ice Queen, looking at her, soon dispelled the rapier and released her grip on the collar.
“You have no dignity, senior.”
“Heuuurk... heuk.. heeeurk..”
The woman collapsed to the floor, trembling violently. Ice Queen ignored her and walked forward.
“Ice.. Queen..!!”
The woman glared at Ice Queen with murderous eyes.
“You handled that quite refreshingly.”
“I'm sorry.”
Inside a room with an old-fashioned atmosphere, a middle-aged man was seated. His build was larger than that of a sturdy adult male, and his eyes were sharp. The nameplate on his desk read 'Executive Baek Kang-ho.'
Baek Kang-ho stared intently at Ice Queen for a moment.
“Did the others pick on me again?”
“......”
“I see they did.”
His expression softened, and he asked her kindly.
“Ice Queen.. no, Yun-hee. You have a tendency to only look after your own people too much.”
“..Isn't that necessarily a bad thing, Master?”
She had simply gotten angry because they had insulted her family. She hadn't abandoned citizens she could have saved in a crisis to save her family, nor had she covered up her family's wrongdoing. She had only gotten angry at the ridiculous nonsense that insulted her family.
“That's not what I'm scolding you for, Yun-hee.”
Baek Kang-ho chuckled warmly as he approached Ice Queen. As if it were familiar, he gently stroked her head.
“Because within that boundary of 'your own people,' you yourself are not included.”
“......”
“If someone as deep-hearted as you got angry, it must mean those kids crossed the line first. However.”
Before those insulting words that touched on her family.
“Didn't they also spout words that hurt you?”
“..I'm fine with it.”
“Haven't I always told you? If those small wounds pile up in your heart, you'll eventually collapse.”
Baek Kang-ho looked at her with slightly bitter eyes. He knew why she was so neglectful of herself.
“When you fight someone else or get hurt, it's a situation you alone must take responsibility for.”
She had to take responsibility for the things she did because of her own choices. It was only natural. Ice Queen was clearly an adult and a hero.
“But I thought it would be nice if sometimes the cause of that fight was for yourself, not for others.”
Baek Kang-ho removed his hand from her head and smiled awkwardly.
“Please cherish yourself. As your mentor, that's all I want to say.”
“......”
Beep—
'Sister! Sister!!'
'......'
'...Sister! Next time, you have to work hard and save kids like me, okay?'
Beep—
She had no choice but to nod at her mentor's request.
“Now then, let's get to the main topic.”
Baek Kang-ho, who had returned to his seat, looked at Ice Queen.
“Is it true that your ability has grown?”
“Yes.”
At Baek Kang-ho's question, she stretched out her hand and pointed at the water bottle on the desk.
Crack— Craaack...
The water inside the bottle froze instantly.
“Oh ho! So you've finally 'awakened'?”
“..Um. I don't think it's quite 'awakening' yet.”
An ability user's power could be grown. From simply mastering it through repeated use, to deliberately injuring muscles and regenerating them to make them tougher, or pushing the ability to its limits. Among them, the most rapid growth came from using the ability based on intense emotions.
And the stage that went beyond growth, to the point where it almost became a new ability, was awakening.
“Hmm... Still, growth is a good sign, isn't it?”
“Isn't becoming this strong this quickly something to be satisfied with?”
No one knew the conditions for awakening yet. It had been less than thirty years since ability users first appeared, and proper methods for growth hadn't even been established.
“True. Growth through intense emotions only works if it's a situation where truly powerful feelings surge... Wait a minute.”
“...Why?”
Baek Kang-ho, who had been thinking deeply, suddenly grinned with a face full of mischief and looked at Ice Queen.
“I wonder what kind of emotions our hero Ice Queen felt to grow so much~?”
“...It was because I was angry. Angry. I was angry that I couldn't do anything in that situation and was just being played with.”
“Aww, is that really all?”
“Master!!!”
“Aww, you're a grown adult now, why are you so embarrassed?”
Ice Queen's face flushed red as she shouted. Baek Kang-ho cackled while looking at her. It was like a mischievous father teasing his daughter going through puberty.
“Yun-hee, be honest. You have feelings for Maker, don't you? This master will oppose this romance until dirt fills my eyes!”
“Ugh!! Stop joking around! That's crossing the line, you know?!”
“Uhahaha!”
She had already been bothered by the dubious reason for her growth! Moreover, from what she had looked up, tentacle videos modeled after the last terrorist incident had been popping up all over adult sites.
The whole world was mentioning Maker and tentacles in relation to her. On top of that, the fact that Baek Kang-ho had no malice and was purely intent on teasing her made her even angrier.
“Ugh, seriously!”
Ice Queen vented her frustration at Baek Kang-ho, and they bickered for a while.
After their long bout of bickering...
“..Anyway, have you finished everything you called me here for?”
Having swallowed her anger, she asked if she could leave now.
“Ah, there's one more thing I haven't mentioned.”
Baek Kang-ho made a face as if he had forgotten. He placed a document on the desk.
“Hero exchange period?”
At the document, Ice Queen made an expression that said, 'Of course it was this.'