Dokkaebi Doesn't Pull That Shit (1)
Honestly, I'd half-expected to have to step in myself, but I'd been hoping it would all sort out without me lifting a finger. Even when I was hiding in the alley, I'd toyed with the idea of just telling her to hold out without stripping—but the moment I saw Yoon Isun, my body moved on its own.
[You okay?]
"Ah, y-yes...!"
Something about the way Yoon Isun looked at me felt a bit heavy. Sure, I'd saved her, but staring at me like I was some hero who'd swooped in from the crisis? That was really burdensome. I wasn't a hero—I was a villain.
[Keh, heh heh heh, so the fake shows up!]
[Who's calling who a fake?]
[You look like that because you're a fake!]
Yuk Gibong pointed at me mockingly, sneering.
[Look at this! This is proof that I'm the real 'Rider'! You showed up like that because you know it too!]
Reasoning with him was pointless. A real conversation needed give-and-take, but Yuk Gibong was lost in his own world, ranting away.
[Me showing up like this means I'm acknowledging you're the real deal?]
[Of course! I don't know what tricks you pulled, but this form belongs to me now! I'm the original helmeted Rider, Yuk Gibong!]
[I see.]
I casually extended both hands forward.
Clap, clap, clap.
[Congratulations.]
[W-what...?]
[Whether it's Gibong Rider or whatever, a superpower user's true power lies in manifesting their delusions into reality. I don't care what ability you had before, but the 'ego' pouring out of you right now is undeniably massive.]
[Cut the crap!]
[...In short.]
I lightly tapped my temple with my index finger.
[Your delusions run so deep it's terrifying how strongly they manifest.]
[W-what...?!]
Everyone in the plaza burst into snickers. Those who got my point, me included—nobody could deny Yuk Gibong's delusions had gone way overboard.
[Ha, haha! Yeah! You're scared of me! You should be scared! I'm the real one! The true Rider!]
But Yuk Gibong was already beyond mad—utterly deranged. His failed patent bid must've been the trigger, and now something like devilish wings was fluttering behind him.
"Kyaaack!!"
People screamed and fled at the sight of him turning into a real devil. Even with heroes gathered and Dokkaebi right there, standing near a genuine devil could get you killed by the fallout alone.
[Look at them! Fleeing in fear of me! Proof my power surpasses even Dokkaebi!!]
[Getting this lost in self-delusion is pretty severe.]
Well, yeah—that severity was what turned him into a devil.
[Yuk Gibong. You're a headache of a villain right now, so let me cure that skull of yours with this bat.]
[No!!]
Yuk Gibong jabbed a finger at me.
[Transform! I, Yuk Gibong, declare we settle who's the true Rider right here, right now!]
[What?]
[You came here to prove it too, didn't you! Transform, now!!]
[.......]
Transform again, right here in front of all these people? Into Doji Rider?
[If you don't transform, I'll start killing everyone here, one by one!]
Now it was murder threats.
[Powerless bugs without abilities! Kehahaha!]
Just a day ago, this kid had dreamed of becoming a hero, and now he was ready to slaughter humans without a second thought. Had to be the devil's influence. Devils could possess anyone, anytime. In wuxia, they called it heart demons; in the East, Mara; in Western faiths, Satan.
[Arrogant bastard.]
Of the seven deadly sins, what gripped Yuk Gibong was the devil of pride. Deluded into thinking he was the strongest, obsessed with being the real deal, sneering at the ability-less as inferiors.
[Call yourself whatever the world does. Here and now, I'm certain. You're...]
I aimed the tip of my bat at him.
[Not even worth executing as a villain.]
[What... did you say...?]
I casually flicked the bat, dissolving it into mist. Less a deletion, more like reverse-summoning.
[I came because some impersonating villain popped up, but you're just wasting my time. Better to catch actual villains who kill and run in the time it'd take to deal with trash like you.]
[Ha, haha...! Scared now?!]
I didn't take the bait.
[Not scared—it's just beneath my dignity to bicker over real vs. fake with your transformed ass.]
Executing that guy would insult every villain I'd properly judged before. He wasn't even villain material—just a moron.
[This form's plenty for dealing with you.]
[Wha—?]
Perfect timing, actually. Nothing better to wean these people off their Doji Rider high.
[Transform.]
No belt. Instead, I held a fan brimming with traditional flair.
[Told you. I'm a wandering scholar Dokkaebi.]
I fanned it open and shut, initiating the transformation—
"W-wait!!"
Someone called out. Glancing sideways, it was the vice president who'd stopped Yoon Isun and me from running earlier.
"Y-you're not about to transform into another form, are you, Dokkaebi?!"
[.......]
"That's a traditional Korean fan! You're not gonna turn into a robed scholar here, right!!"
Why the hell was she spouting nonsense like that? More importantly, how'd she know?
"Transform into Doji Rider! In this situation, anything less is betrayal!"
[Betrayal?]
"Yes! Everyone's watching! Doji Rider, now!!"
[......Insane.]
I said that, but honestly, her fervor made it hard to stick to the plan.
"Transform...."
"Nah, no way he's going scholar mode."
"Ugh, total letdown... He did Doji Rider first himself...."
From stag beetle Riders to bicycle knights, even the Five Elemental Special Squad and Mech-Tyranno suit guys—all eyed me with eager anticipation.
'I'm a villain, people.'
What the hell did they want from a villain? Romance had its limits, even if you chased it.
'Fair enough, though. It's hype-worthy.'
The fake claiming to be real, and now the real deal shows up. Denying the fake head-on, taunting him, asserting dominance.
[Ever hear the folktale? A mouse eats a scholar's nail, turns into a fake scholar, and chases the real one from his home. Know how it ends?]
Vrrr.
I extended my hand sideways.
[The fake mouse gets killed by the real one.]
A belt materialized in my hand. I sighed inwardly, striking a pose. Glancing back, Yoon Isun aimed her Taeguk Watch at me, swallowing hard. Not like she was filming a straight cam or anything.
'Is it a straight cam?'
No, there? Absurd, but if she'd been in my fan club since my C-rank days, maybe it tracked.
'Fan service it is.'
These folks had come to stop a villain rampage, sure—but mostly because said villain claimed to be Doji Rider. Half of them were Doji Rider design fans, basically.
[READY—!]
The belt's deep voice boomed as I pressed it. Whoaaa—!! I wanted to ask why the frenzy, but I leisurely buckled it on.
[Trans—]
The moment I went for "form,"
[Kuhahaha!]
Yuk Gibong.
[Die, fake!!]
Pulled a gun. Attacking mid-transformation...?
Bang—!!
The muzzle aimed dead at my forehead.
* * *
Yoon Isun was a hero aspirant. She wouldn't defend Dokkaebi's killings outright. But she couldn't help quietly rooting for him a little.
Watching him avenge those too powerless to even seek revenge for slain families—she felt an indescribable catharsis in Dokkaebi's actions. Not as hero hopeful Yoon Isun, but as plain old civilian Yoon Isun: Dokkaebi's fan.
She had no intention of injecting personal bias into hero work, but she couldn't forgive those claiming to be Dokkaebi, stealing his rights. Nor the 'old fogeys in the backroom' who'd egged a student into this mess.
Still, as a hero-in-training, first came persuasion. When that failed and danger loomed, Dokkaebi appeared—saving her when he didn't have to, kicking a streetlight to land right in front.
Not just fan bias, but his actions moved her. Judging the guilty with execution, protecting the innocent like it was nothing. She fell for him all over again.
Showing up as suited gentleman instead of Doji Rider was a slight bummer, but he'd seemed resigned to 'obliging' with a transformation.
But.
How could he do that?
Villain or not—even as villain Dokkaebi.
'Attack mid-transformation?!'
She knew. Heroes learned it at the academy: Villains had no rights. No reason to show them mercy.
"Danger—"
As Yoon Isun gathered mana for an orb,
[Hmph.]
Dokkaebi's mocking chuckle, and golden mana bloomed from his belt.
Kagagang!!
[Wha—what?!]
The golden gale swirled around Dokkaebi, engulfing him in an instant. Yuk Gibong's bullet didn't just bounce—it was shredded by the wind, erased.
[Transform.]
Whoosh.
The wind died down. Dokkaebi emerged, right hand extended sideways.
[Now then, foolish one—not even proper villain material.]
He flicked his right hand casually; a black club materialized in a glow.
[Time for some discipline.]
Aiming the club at Yuk Gibong, Dokkaebi tilted his head with a crack and advanced.
"Ah."
Yoon Isun felt genuine regret.
'Couldn't even see it head-on!'
She was standing right behind Dokkaebi, after all.