77. Villain Ban Ha-na
77. Villain Ban Ha-na
Jin Ye-sol addressed the students and explained about Black Dawn.
"Black Dawn. You've all heard the rumors about the villain group that kidnapped Han Si-jun here not long ago."
Black Dawn was a villain group notorious enough that the public knew the name.
But ordinary people didn't know the details.
Only heroes with a fair amount of experience were aware of the specifics.
Jin Ye-sol tapped her pointer against the screen as she continued.
"A lot of people don't know this, but Black Dawn is estimated to have at least three members."
The members of Black Dawn known to the outside world:
Shin Hae-il, Han Yu-wol, and Hwang Pil-du.
These were the ones who had revealed themselves publicly and had criminal records.
Han Yu-wol in particular drew heavy news coverage for her notoriety.
'Still, that's a relief.'
The silver lining was that the public didn't know about non-combat members like Ban Ha-na.
If Black Dawn collapsed, Ban Ha-na had no criminal record,
so she still had a chance at a normal life.
Jin Ye-sol changed the screen.
"Huh?"
Displayed now was a figure quite familiar to Ban Ha-na.
"You all know this person, right? The leader of the villain group Black Dawn. Shin Hae-il."
"Grandpa...?"
No, Ha-na. Stop.
You cannot call him "Grandpa" here.
I clamped my hand over Ban Ha-na's mouth to keep her from saying anything else.
This was Hero Academy, a place packed with aspiring heroes.
For Ban Ha-na, who still belonged to Black Dawn, this place was no different from the heart of enemy territory.
"...Stay still."
"Sorry, Lee Seol-ha."
"Hmph."
Luckily, Lee Seol-ha didn't seem to have caught Ban Ha-na's voice.
I kept my hand over Ban Ha-na's mouth and listened to the president's presentation.
"The leader, Shin Hae-il. According to records, he was once an A-rank hero. But at some point he switched sides to evil. And by the time he did, both of his eyes were already gone."
Jin Ye-sol widened her blue eyes as she spoke.
It looked like a gesture meant to emphasize Shin Hae-il's missing eyes.
"His next moves, as reported on the news, were to raid the Infinite Prison where villains are held and grow his power. As you all know, the person who escaped from that prison was Han Yu-wol. The villain known as the Blood Witch."
"Mmph...! Mmph...!"
Ban Ha-na pointed a finger at Han Yu-wol.
Covering her mouth had definitely been the right call.
"Hold on just a bit longer, Ha-na. I'll explain everything later."
"Mmph...!"
I had no idea what she was trying to say,
but I decided to interpret it as "okay."
"And then there's Hwang Pil-du, who helped with the escape. I'm not sure what made that villain join Black Dawn, but figuring that out is probably what we need to research next."
"I have a question! President!"
A male student raised his hand and shouted.
I couldn't remember his name, but he was a first-year like me.
"First-years these days are really bold. Back in my day, we weren't even allowed to raise our voices to a senior. So, what's your question?"
"Doesn't every villain act with intent? In that case, what reason does Black Dawn have for committing crimes?"
Every villain has a reason for committing crimes.
Results have reasons, and reasons have results.
It was a basic lesson from the academy's Introduction to Villain Studies course.
Jin Ye-sol smirked at the bold student's question.
"How should I know? Are you making fun of me because people call me a genius?"
"E-Excuse me?"
"If we knew a villain group's intent, we'd have arrested them a long time ago. Besides, some crazy villains just leave a result with no reason behind it. There are exceptions to every rule."
She tapped her pointer on Han Yu-wol's photo as an example.
The mugshot had presumably been taken before she went into the Infinite Prison,
and the girl in the photo still had a youthful look.
'Looks like she hadn't gone completely insane yet.'
Those red eyes burned with revenge,
but she didn't yet look like a cold-blooded killer who saw human life as no more than an ant's.
In that moment, my hand, which had been covering Ban Ha-na's mouth, came up empty.
'...A mistake.'
Had I been too absorbed in Han Yu-wol's photo?
Ban Ha-na must have felt my grip loosen,
because now she was free to use her mouth as she pleased.
And she aimed her voice straight at Jin Ye-sol.
"Why is Black Dawn villains?! They're bad, but... they're not villains...!"
"Hmm... Is that what you think, junior Ha-na? I'm curious about your reasoning."
Black Dawn isn't a villain group.
Jin Ye-sol responded to that statement with an intrigued expression.
The kind of genius who always craves a new topic.
She seemed to have that kind of personality.
"Bl-Black Dawn...? Not villains...! They're secretly nice...!"
"So, 'why?' Don't you have a reason for saying they're nice?"
"Th-That's... because they're nice..."
"Why are they nice...?"
"Argh... that's..."
Ban Ha-na stammered, reluctant to answer.
The atmosphere among the students was hostile, and she was drawing sharp glares because of her words defending Black Dawn.
Ban Ha-na seemed to pick up on the mood and muttered in a small voice.
"Th-They're nice... really, they are..."
"Hmm... Is that so? But do you know something, junior?"
Jin Ye-sol leaned in and whispered into Ban Ha-na's ear.
It was a low voice, but since I was right next to her, I still heard every word.
"Black Dawn killed my parents. Can you still say they're nice?"
"...!"
Ban Ha-na flinched in shock.
Watching Jin Ye-sol, I could only think,
'Is she actually insane...?'
How could she say something like that without her expression shifting at all?
Jin Ye-sol looked at a wide-eyed Ban Ha-na and laughed.
Then she quickly lifted the corner of her mouth and spoke.
"That was a lie. My parents are probably watching TV right now."
"H-Huh...?"
She'd just casually killed off her own parents to see Ban Ha-na's reaction.
Jin Ye-sol really was a person beyond common sense.
"But y'know. A huge number of people really did lose their lives because of Black Dawn. That part is true. So..."
Jin Ye-sol, who had been talking with a beaming smile,
now faced Ban Ha-na with a serious expression.
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't say any bullshit about Black Dawn being nice. Because there's no such thing as a nice villain."
She left it at that and returned to her seat.
Ban Ha-na stared after her, blinking.
Moisture was gathering at the corners of her eyes.
'...She's going to cry when we get home.'
Ban Ha-na was holding back her tears because there were too many people around.
She was doing her best to choke them down.
'Crying will probably stunt her growth. Nothing to be done about it, I guess.'
I secretly took Ban Ha-na's hand, careful not to let Yu Ha-yeon see.
The trembling that had signaled she was about to burst into tears gradually subsided.
"Alright, next up is how to research villains..."
The club meeting continued.
Once she'd calmed down a bit, Ban Ha-na murmured quietly,
"Really, really... they're not..."
"...I know, Ha-na."
Right now, I was the only person who could understand her.
I held Ban Ha-na's hand for the rest of the club meeting.
"..."
But surely Lee Seol-ha's gaze wasn't burning into me for no reason, right?
It was a look that from Lee Seol-ha seemed almost like jealousy.
'Haha...'
With Yu Ha-yeon's hand in one of mine and Ban Ha-na's in the other, I couldn't exactly focus on the meeting at all.
***
The dormitory.
After finishing all my schoolwork for the day, I returned to my room to find Ban Ha-na already lying on my bed.
...Is she crying?
I walked straight over to her.
"Ha-na. Are you crying?"
"I-I'm not crying...! I-I've only cried three times in my whole life...!"
So that time at the room cafe was the second?
According to Ban Ha-na, today marked the third time she'd ever shed tears.
'...As if that's true.'
I shook the body of Ban Ha-na, who lay on the bed hiding her face.
"Really? Are you sure you're not crying?"
"I-I'm not crying...! Si... Si-jun, stop shaking me...!"
Ban Ha-na waved her arms wildly to fend me off.
I spoke up to get her to sit up.
"I was going to do 'that' with you, Ha-na. But if you won't show me your face, I can't do it... What a shame."
"...!"
Ban Ha-na reacted instantly.
Just the words "that thing" were always enough to get a response from her.
Intrigued, Ban Ha-na slowly pushed herself up from the bed.
"See. You were crying."
"*Sniff.*"
She seemed deeply upset about belonging to a villain group and getting scolded by Jin Ye-sol.
When you thought about it, if someone said the people who raised you were murderers, the shock would obviously be enormous.
Ban Ha-na stared at me with puffy eyes.
Then, holding back tears, she asked,
"Si-jun. Are Gramps, and Uncle, and my sisters really villains...?"
"..."
Before I answered, I thought hard.
Could Ban Ha-na accept this?
The fact that the group that raised her was a villain group, and that they were plunging the world she loved into chaos.
The fact that she'd also aided their crimes by teleporting them around.
No matter how I looked at it, these were truths too heavy for her to carry alone.
But.
I couldn't lie to her.
The truth she had to face couldn't be avoided.
'...Not that I'm really one to talk.'
I thought to myself, and then I told Ban Ha-na the truth.
"Villains. Yeah. Those people are exactly the villains you've been learning about at the academy."
"..."
Ban Ha-na kept her mouth firmly shut and hung her head.
Then she spoke through a choked-up voice.
The tips of her fingers trembled as she held my hand tightly.
"Th-Then. Si-jun. Am I a villain too...?"
Ban Ha-na was shaking as if she was terrified.
Did I really even need to answer that?
I said it loud and clear.
"Why would you be a villain? That's just ridiculous."
"R-Really, Si-jun...? I don't have to go to jail...?"
"Of course not."
There was exactly one scenario where Ban Ha-na would ever go to jail.
If she walked into the Hero Association and turned herself in.
"I'm so relieved..."
Seeming reassured, all the tension drained from Ban Ha-na's body.
But a hint of unease still lingered on her face.
"Ha-na."
"...Hmm? Si-jun?"
"You're not a villain. So don't worry."
"Okay..."
Rustle.
With that, I stole Ban Ha-na's lips.
She was caught completely off guard, but she offered no real resistance, nor did she seem to have any intention of doing so.
"Nn-chup... Si-jun... I'm not a villain... don't throw me away..."
"...Why would I ever throw you away."
Ban Ha-na.
I'd grown too attached to her, body and heart alike, to ever even consider abandoning her.
With a sweet voice, Ban Ha-na
pressed her body closer to mine.
'...I have no choice.'
Her starved need for affection was something I had to fill.
As we kissed, I thought to myself,
'Will I be able to stop Ban Ha-na from going out of control?'
It was an unknown future.
If Ban Ha-na ever found out the truth about her parents,
I had no choice but to be the pillar that kept her mind from collapsing.
"Si-jun... I love you... I like you..."
"Me too, Ha-na."
I pulled the curtains shut so no one outside could see us kissing.
And with that, the exhausting day drew to a close.