Intermission: Kill the Hero (1)
The Heroes Association's 6th-floor conference hall.
A man in his mid-thirties stood on the stage and murmured the ceremony speech.
"The recipient has simultaneously eliminated a monster and protected others from danger..."
His name was Lee Cheol-yeong. One of the heroes affiliated with the association, a High Ranker known by the title of Unbreakable, who had defeated countless monsters and villains.
"......"
I subtly turned my head.
Next to me, Jin Soyeon was choking back a dry swallow, looking quite tense. She didn't seem used to this kind of place.
Fidgeting and unable to keep her gaze steady, she soon met my eyes.
"Eep."
Jin Soyeon flinched and trembled.
She looked adorable in her obvious nervousness, which made me a little embarrassed.
Soon Jin Soyeon steadied her tense heart and raised her chin straight, gazing up at the stage.
It was still awkward, but there was no changing that.
'The others......'
This time I shifted my gaze toward the students.
The other kids seemed bored by the familiarity of such a place as they listened to the ceremony with one ear in and one out.
"To become a role model and an example for society......"
I rolled my eyes so hard they nearly fell out of their sockets.
Just beyond the small stage, an electronic screen was visible.
Big letters were displayed on the screen: [Award Ceremony].
Awards.
That was right. All six of us had been rewarded for the achievement of defeating the monster that appeared at the academy.
Of course, one might wonder why we were receiving an award now that we already held temporary hero licenses. Eliminating monsters as heroes was supposed to be the natural order.
But considering that we were still students and that this incident had occurred at Union Academy, it seemed the award had been decided after considering social issues.
In other words, it was just the adults' convenience.
......In the game, there had been no such content. Tsk. It was annoying that they had rehearsed the award ceremony right from morning for nothing.
I was dying of sleepiness.
"......And by this award. Recipient: Lee Siwoo."
"......"
While I was lost in thought, Siwoo bowed his head politely once and accepted the award.
Then flashes burst out along with the sound of many cameras from the back.
From a slightly distant spot, association members, clan representatives, and the media were watching the ceremony. This incident had received significant social attention.
Enough to broadcast live.
"Yu Seolhyeon. And the rest of the students."
Next.
Seolhyeon, Nari, Yuria, and Jin Soyeon in that order received their awards.
Jin Soyeon received hers with a stiff expression, her hands trembling slightly. Why was she so tense?
She hadn't experienced anything like this before, either.
Now that I thought about it, she must have been like that in middle school too.
"Lee Jinhyuk. The content is as stated above."
Finally, it was my turn.
I lightly accepted the award.
Wow.
Who would have thought I'd receive an award certificate in this life?
In my previous life, I hadn't received much of anything like this.
"With this, the award ceremony is concluded."
The presenter said a few more things, and suddenly the entire ceremony came to an end.
Each of us received ten million won as a reward.
It was a huge sum if you had it, or a small one if you didn't.
Of course, when I looked at Jin Soyeon's twitching lips, it seemed like a very large amount to students.
'Huu. It's all over.'
In an instant, many people approached us. A crowd. There were a lot of them. But they weren't coming toward me.
Well, then.
It seemed everyone didn't really care about me.
After all, the others were famous as Siwoo from the SL Group, Yu Seolhyeon from the Gaonnuri Clan, Nari the genius martial artist, and Yuria the disciple of the Great Mage, right?
It was only natural that the related parties would pay more attention to them.
Reporters and clan representatives surrounded them, and Siwoo and his group were being interviewed quite naturally.
Um...... I felt bad.
'They treat me like a side character.'
I smirked inwardly and secretly changed my footsteps.
I had worried a little that people might be interested in me, but luckily, no one was.
In that case, the "guys" watching this scene on the broadcast tonight would probably be even more interested in them than in me.
I could feel a slight sense of relief at being a little farther away from the interest of those psychopathic villains......
"Jinhyuk, let's go together!"
"Eh?"
As we were leaving the association building and heading toward the bus stop, Jin Soyeon's voice suddenly grabbed my footsteps from behind.
Jin Soyeon had run here, her breathing slightly labored.
"Haa, haa...... What? Why weren't you answering your phone?"
"Oh, sorry. I set it to silent."
Because of the award ceremony, I had set it to silent for a while.
"By the way, aren't you going to do an interview or something?"
"Interview? No way. Ugh~ I almost died from nerves. You know I have camera shyness."
It seemed there was such a setting?
"And right now, you shouldn't bother showing your face either. There are tons of women who are jealous of my beauty and will leave mean comments? Ugh, that's really annoying~."
Jin Soyeon was spouting words like the final stages of a princess complex, but she had actually received mean comments and text messages from many girls who were jealous of her beauty when she was selected as the school promotion slogan during middle school.
"Being too pretty is its own problem, right?"
"......"
"Huh? Hey, hey! Jinhyuk, let's go together!"
While I was gazing blankly at Jin Soyeon, she noticed and came running over.
"What? Why would I ignore you and go?"
"You were talking nonsense today."
Jin Soyeon pouted her lips and stuck to my side.
"Nonsense? Everything I said was true."
"Yep, yep."
I responded coolly, but Jin Soyeon's face was brimming with joy.
She was smiling even while standing still.
I had no choice but to ask her.
"By the way, do you really like receiving an award?"
"Ah. Hem, hem."
Jin Soyeon quickly composed her expression.
Her cheeks flushed slightly, as if she was a bit embarrassed by her excited appearance.
"No, it's not that I like the award because I received it......"
Jin Soyeon glanced at my face and then burst into a grin.
"......It feels like I've taken one step closer to my dream."
"Dream? Ah, the dream of becoming the greatest hero?"
She nodded vigorously while clutching the award tightly.
"To be precise, our dream...... isn't that right?"
"Us?"
As I asked in confusion, Jin Soyeon frowned slightly and muttered.
"What? We both promised to become the greatest and finest heroes. This award can be seen as the first step, right?"
"Hmm."
The finest hero......
Right now, I felt the emptiness of that dream more painfully than anyone. So I could only answer with a wry smile.
"You forgot I'm the bottom of Union? If I just graduate normally and put on makeup, that would be enough for me..."
"Hehe. Don't worry. When I succeed, I'll hire someone like you as my sidekick."
Jin Soyeon's sidekick?
Well, since Jin Soyeon would become the greatest hero representing the Republic of Korea in the future, being a sidekick wouldn't be so bad.
Of course, without any other male protagonists around her.
"Jinhyuk, Jinhyuk."
"What?"
"Thank you."
"Suddenly, what for?"
Jin Soyeon suddenly stopped in her tracks.
I also stopped and looked at her.
Jin Soyeon lifted her clear gaze and looked straight into my eyes.
"......At that time, my mental state had slipped a bit. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have recovered my mind."
The image of Jin Soyeon, who had been terrified by the bloodlust that scattered like monsters, flashed through my mind.
The first time she had experienced such slimy and obscene bloodlust, the only thing she could do was tremble.
Of course, it wasn't just her.
The other students were also struggling to suppress their fear, breathing heavily. It had been awkward, but I was glad I helped them recover quickly.
"Honestly, when the monster appeared at the academy, I thought I was going to die of fear. I had never seen such a strong monster unprepared, and it was like my first real combat."
It was natural for Jin Soyeon to react like that, because any mistake could have been fatal.
"If you become a hero and work, you'll probably experience something similar to this many times, right?"
Jin Soyeon gave a wry smile.
She seemed to be still bothered by what she had experienced this time.
Whether good or bad, since it was a life-or-death battle, the memory would remain clear.
"But."
Jin Soyeon suddenly spoke to me.
"Still, I want to become a hero."
Her eyes were clear, directed toward a clear goal.
"Becoming a hero...... is my dream."
"Yes."
In the future, the enemies she would face would be stronger and more threatening than this time.
She would probably have to repeat experiences that might cost her life countless times.
She would waver and hesitate, but even so, Jin Soyeon would never give up, like today.
Yes.
Jin Soyeon was the protagonist.
The heroine chosen by this world.
The only protagonist, and the hero of heroes who would alone defeat countless villains.
That was Jin Soyeon. Her fate, and her future.
***
Night.
It was a dark night.
"I hate heroes."
Under the dark night sky bathed only in moonlight.
The back alley smelled musty and filled with an inexplicable silence. The dark shadows filled the space.
When the hazy clouds drifted toward the distance, the faint moonlight briefly illuminated the back alley.
On the dilapidated ground of the back alley, glass shards, cigarette butts, used condoms, and food scraps lay scattered.
And there, a girl was.
"Why do I hate heroes?"
The girl who resembled the moon lowered her gaze.
"Are you curious?"
Black hair contrasting with Jin Soyeon's, pure white hair.
Dark eyes sinking like the moon, contrasting with Jin Soyeon's bright eyes like the sun.
"Eh? Why no answer?"
"Khhh, ugh, ugh, heh."
The white-haired girl stomped on the bloody hero's head and grinned. She seemed genuinely happy. As if the situation was quite enjoyable.
And like...... a villain who loved trampling on heroes.