Was This a Satisfactory Answer?
The sparring match ended in my defeat without any dramatic twists. As expected, Seong Haneul was strong. The gravity weighing down my body was annoying enough, but flipping it to make me feather-light was a real pain. Just moments ago, my body had felt as heavy as rebar, but now it was light as a feather—same force applied, but my movements reacted completely differently. Especially since I had to fight purely with physical brawling, I was hit hard by the gravity shifts.
If I'd had some ranged attack options, I could've offset the disadvantages from his gravity manipulation to some extent. Once I awakened my ability, a long-range attack was essential.
Still, sparring with Seong Haneul had been pretty helpful for me. I never thought I could beat Hwang Yerang or Diana no matter how many times we fought, but with him, I felt like I could catch up if I tried hard enough. It lit a fire under me.
After the match, I showered and then just lounged around my room. It was getting late; I should head home. But once I lay on the bed, getting up felt impossible. Before, with only the women around the hideout, I'd always gone home to sleep. But now that Seong Haneul was here, maybe I could crash here too. No one would say anything anyway.
Maybe because I'd eaten dinner early, I felt peckish and headed to the living room. The hideout always had food overflowing, so there was no need to tough out the hunger.
Stepping into the living room, I saw Seong Haneul and Hwang Yerang chatting away over beers. They'd clearly been at it for a while—empty cans and snack wrappers littered the table. How much had they drunk?
"What the hell, you two? Eating without me?"
"Ooh~ Want a beer, oppa?"
"Hand it over. I'm joining."
I plopped naturally onto the sofa and joined in. As soon as I did, Hwang Yerang grabbed a few more cans from the fridge. So that's where all those beers had gone.
"If I'd known you liked drinking, bro, I'd have called you sooner."
"Leaving me out of drinks? Rude."
Thinking about it, it had been ages since I'd had a drink. Back in the day, I loved boozing it up with friends, and when I holed up at home, I was always knocking them back. But since possessing this body, I hadn't touched a drop.
It wasn't like I was too busy or anything; mentally, I just didn't have the bandwidth. Sure, I acted chill, but living in a strange new world was disorienting as hell. Plus, with the Villain Alliance running wild, there were terrorists and fights popping up left and right.
I chugged the beer, cold enough for condensation to bead on the can, and the fizzy bite washed away my thirst. The booze settled in, pulling me back to a normal daily life, and it strangely calmed my nerves.
"Ahh. Hits the spot. Didn't peg you for a drinker, though. Figured you weren't into it."
"Just beer now and then. Soju's too bitter for me."
"That's 'cause you've had it easy. After going through hell, it just tastes sweet."
"Whoa, oppa, you're such a boomer."
It was a joke. Back when I drank hard, it was mostly soju, but that was to get wasted, not because it tasted good. Anyone claiming soju's delicious is full of shit—steer clear.
We all took sips, and Hwang Yerang piped up with a pleased grin.
"Nice having more drinking buddies. Chaerim and Anne never join in."
"Seo Chaerim looks like a lightweight. Diana probably skips it for training."
"Heh heh. Spot on."
Like any drinking session, the talk wasn't deep—petty chit-chat and throwaway stories dominated. Topics jumped around: TV shows Hwang Yerang watched, missions Seong Haneul handled at the association. Sometimes we'd run dry and lapse into silence.
Right on cue, I asked Seong Haneul something I'd been wondering.
"Speaking of, how'd a hero like you end up here anyway?"
He'd been the baby of the group before I joined. How did a famous hero slip into a villain outfit? Seo Chaerim wouldn't spill.
Alcohol loosens tongues for things you'd normally skip—that's the magic of drinks.
"Just happened that way. Life throws all kinds of curveballs."
He downed his beer and clammed up. The vibe said he wasn't opening up easy. I'm not one to pry into sore spots usually, but damn, it bugged me.
He was the protagonist of the novel I'd been obsessed with. How could I not be curious?
"The organization took you in, huh? They suspected you were a spy at first, right?"
"Chaerim especially gave me hell. I suffered for it."
"Honestly, when they said Star Seeker was joining, I was suspicious too. Heroes don't just waltz into villain groups."
Not "heroes don't"—no one does. What would a top hero lack that they'd join villains? But he seemed settled in now, so the spy suspicions were cleared.
"And you? How'd a werewolf like you end up exposed and here?"
"Yerang had dirt on me, so I had no choice. Already busted."
"Hey! Don't paint me as the bad guy. If not for me, you'd never have made werewolf buddies."
True, I owed her that much. Without the group, I'd be totally alone. Chatting over drinks like this was thanks to her. Not that I'd admit it.
"Scouted by Yerang, eh? Same here, actually."
"What? I didn't scout you—you kept hounding me."
"Tomato, tomahto. Don't nitpick, Yerangie."
"Ugh, you guys always gang up on me. I'm pouting now."
"Don't butt into grown-up talk, kid."
"Aaaah! You boomers suck!"
We cracked up teasing Hwang Yerang. Just as the topic might shift, Seong Haneul shook his can and drained it, leaning back on the sofa with a looser vibe.
"What do you think about living a life someone else laid out for you?"
"Outta nowhere, huh?"
"Just philosophy. Following rails someone else built? Boring as hell."
"You some rich kid?"
"Haha. Grew up comfortable, but not that kind."
"So you joined villains for a thrill?"
"Kinda. Was killing it as a hero, then bam—burned out. 'This ain't me.' Messed around, met Yerang, boom, here."
Turned out he was a weirdo too. I got the sentiment, but hero to villain? I'd figured some epic backstory, but it was so mundane I deflated.
"Was this a satisfactory answer?"
"...You caught on."
"Obviously. And I was curious about you too—think I get the gist now."
"What? What're you two on about?"
Hwang Yerang tilted her head, totally lost. Hard to say I "caught on"—I'd suspected him, naturally, and vice versa. This session cleared the air.
I'd only known Seong Haneul from the novel, but now I had a real sense of him. You gotta meet people to know 'em.
"Guess we should wrap. Gotta work tomorrow—any more and I'm toast."
"Huh? I just cracked this!"
Hwang Yerang stared, baffled, mid-pull on a tab as Seong Haneul called it.
"Loser cleans up, right?"
"No fair!"
She chugged desperately, hacking from the fizz. Seong Haneul and I stood in sync and headed to our rooms, ignoring her grumbles. Thanks for the feast—cleanup's on you.
I still had more questions for him, like early novel events, but they went unasked. Knowing those would've shown how far off-script we were.
I had no clue if now was before or after the novel's early parts. Sure, spoilers wouldn't help much without the ending, but still.
Everyone else isekai'd, living large, hogging opportunities—why'm I fumbling blind? At least I'd see Seong Haneul often now; another chat would come. No rush.
A comrade accepting me as a werewolf? Good for me. Since joining, people had trickled into my life. Yeah, coming here was the right call.