Welcome, Newbie
"Looks like we'll have to get married."
"What the hell are you talking about all of a sudden?"
I'd just explained to Hwang Yerang how I'd ended up meeting Diana, and out of nowhere, she drops this weird bomb.
"You saw a full-grown virgin's naked body. Only way to take responsibility is marriage, right? Isn't that right, Anne?"
"I'm not particularly bothered."
She really didn't seem to care at all—her tone was completely nonchalant. Well, yeah. No way a pervert like her would get embarrassed over flashing some skin.
At a glance, she looked so innocent and harmless. Pretty aside, there wasn't an ounce of intimidation or roughness in her face or demeanor. Considering she was a werewolf, that quiet, demure attitude might just be camouflage to fool people.
"Anyway, so what's this Betrayer thing? And what are you guys?"
"Betrayer is Chaerim's epithet. And we're with an organization called 'Jamryong.'"
"Why's her epithet Betrayer? Was Seo Chaerim with the Villain Alliance or something?"
"Hmm… Do I really have to spill this? Feels kinda iffy telling you without Chaerim's okay."
"Fine, whatever. Then what's Jamryong?"
"A gathering of villains who aren't really villains? Something like that."
What the hell is she even saying? That makes zero sense.
"Villain's a villain. What's with the contradictory bullshit?"
"Simple. It's a group of guys like you, bro."
The "guys like you" part gave me a rough idea. A bunch of villains who'd been wrongly labeled banding together. Sure, I'm a werewolf, so that tracks for me—but once you're branded a villain, is it even "wrongful" anymore? Or maybe they're regretting it late and trying to live right now.
"But didn't you say you were a terrorist? I looked you up before, and that's what came up."
Yeah. Hwang Yerang had a history of attacking the Hero Association and getting wanted for terrorism. Hard to buy her "not a villain" claim after that.
"Haha… well, yeah, I guess?"
Hwang Yerang laughed awkwardly and brushed it off. Then Diana, sitting beside her, squeezed her hand tight and spoke up, looking right at me.
"Yerang isn't a terrorist. It's connected to Chaerim, so I can't go into details, but Chaerim was once captured by the Hero Association and subjected to human experimentation. Yerang raided the lab to rescue her. The Association covered up the experiments by labeling Yerang a terrorist."
"What the…"
The Hero Association doing human experiments? Tough to swallow. They were supposed to be the righteous group protecting people from monsters and villains. Sure, the "benevolent org is actually evil" trope is cliché, but with how little I knew about this world, I couldn't just nod along.
"Wait, then why'd they grab Seo Chaerim?"
"Remember I mentioned her epithet is Betrayer? It's because of her ability. Chaerim can control monsters. You saw it yourself when we fought before, right?"
Monster control. That massive bird she'd ridden off with during our fight with Hwang Yerang—that was her power.
"An ability to buddy up with monsters rubs people the wrong way. It's special compared to others. Idiots who don't get it call her a traitor to humanity, hence Betrayer. That's why the Association nabbed her too. Oh, and Chaerim hates being called that, so don't use it around her."
I'd figured Seo Chaerim had betrayed the Villain Alliance or something. Guess not. Kinda relieving, actually. If she were lumped in with terrorists, I couldn't keep treating her the same.
"Okay, one more. You and Seo Chaerim aside—Diana's a werewolf, right? The kind that eats people. She's cool with that?"
No matter how upright they claim to be, if they're munching innocents, it's all moot. Kinda ironic coming from me, a werewolf, but my case is different.
"Anne doesn't eat people. More like, she can't."
"Can't? Why not?"
"She's got issues. Hated it since she was little, and her parents force-fed her, so trauma. Werewolves eating humans is more preference anyway—not like you die without it. Everyone's got different tastes, right? That's the gist."
Convenient, feel-good excuse. Was Hwang Yerang telling the truth? Diana didn't look like a people-eater. But werewolves are deceivers who lie without batting an eye to lure in prey. Still, back when we first met, and when Marie caught her, she could've killed us but didn't. If she'd transformed and fought, Marie and I would've been wiped out. She was that much of a monster.
And Hwang Yerang, who'd known her way longer, vouched for it. Honestly, neither Hwang Yerang nor Seo Chaerim struck me as evil. Otherwise, Chaerim wouldn't have risked her life fighting villains at the hospital.
"So Jamryong is just full of types like you? And why the name?"
"'Cause it sounds badass as fuck."
"Huh?"
"Dragon in the name makes it sound strong, right? Cool, huh?"
Hwang Yerang declared it so confidently I was momentarily stunned. Was she messing with me?
"Fun fact: I came up with it. I'm a founding member, believe it or not."
She grinned innocently, no malice in sight. I'd been tense, grilling her with questions, but around her, I felt like the idiot relaxing.
"Anyway, our group's not huge, but everyone's like that. Villains by Hero Association standards, but just folks trying to live like humans."
"You recruited me 'cause I seemed harmless?"
"Yup. We know a lot, y'know? Chaerim's monster control means we scatter stealthy little ones around the city for intel. We knew about you. First caught wind during your fight with Spica."
The day I'd first transformed and let Spica live instead of killing her—they'd marked me then. These guys weren't amateurs.
That covered my questions for Hwang Yerang. But one thing pissed me off.
"Hey. Then you should've explained that from the start. I thought you were Villain Alliance."
I'd assumed she and Seo Chaerim were Alliance villains. My bad for jumping to conclusions, but anyone would in that situation. Who'd believe in harmless villains?
"I never once said I was Alliance. Don't blame me for your wild assumptions."
Technically true, but she wasn't innocent either. Whatever. No point arguing now.
"So, ready to join us now?"
I'd figured she'd push again. Honestly, I was tempted. They didn't seem bad. With my Joker epithet, the Association had me targeted, and the Alliance wouldn't go easy either. Reliable allies were a huge plus. Villains can't survive solo, like she'd said.
"Join now, and as a bonus, you get a hot girlfriend like this?"
Hwang Yerang smirked, pointing at Diana.
"…Not interested, I said."
"Why'd that come a beat late? Admit it—she's gorgeous, right?"
"Well, yeah, she is, but…"
She's pretty, sure. Tempting, even. But love isn't just about looks. I value personality more. And romance wasn't on my mind right now.
"Forget the girlfriend joke. Come with us. If trouble hits you, we'll have your back."
The playful vibe vanished as Hwang Yerang locked eyes with me, dead serious. Her pacing was all over—hard to pin down. But I felt her sincerity.
So I…
"Fine. If I don't like it, I can just quit, right?"
"Chop off your pinky?"
"What are you, yakuza?"
"Hehe. Kidding, obviously."
…decided to join the villain group, Jamryong.
"Welcome, newbie♪"