Negotiations, Part 2
"And how, pray tell, did you figure it out?"
I didn't take off my mask. Instead, I leaned back crookedly in my chair and let out a smirk.
Part of it was because of the hunter named Mad Hunt sitting next to her, but it was mostly to get under Flan's skin.
Even if she knows I'm Lee Kangwoo, as long as I keep the mask on, she can't be one hundred percent sure.
It was like knowing your opponent's hand in a card game but still burning with anxiety until they actually show their cards.
Sure enough, Flan frowned slightly, clearly annoyed by my attitude.
Even as I met her cold, silver eyes, the smirk on my face showed no signs of fading.
"...It didn't seem like you were trying very hard to hide it."
"Kehehe, is that so? I must say, I'm rather curious about what goes on inside the head of the esteemed President of the Hero Association. Care to enlighten me?"
"It's simple. Your movements were stiffer than usual when we met, you are the only one who knows Ar, you came to the Association despite being on leave, and your house was empty."
Flan glanced at Ar. Their eyes met.
Ar clenched her fists to suppress her rage, glaring at Flan with bloodshot eyes.
She was gripping my arm so tightly it actually hurt, but the atmosphere was too tense for me to complain.
"So, what is it you want, our grand President?"
"It doesn't suit you to talk like that, Kangwoo."
Flan let out a soft sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose.
Looking at the exhaustion in her eyes, she seemed to genuinely mean it.
...Ugh.
To be honest, I knew it. But this was the villain concept I'd settled on, and this theatrical tone was actually quite comfortable to use.
I shrugged.
"You'd better get used to it. You're going to be seeing a lot of it from now on. Kehe."
"What I want is simple."
Flan nodded and pointed her finger at me.
She wants me?
That sounded incredibly weird out of context.
I stared at Flan with a puzzled expression for a moment.
She spoke with a blank face.
"My demand is that you cease your villain activities and return to being a hero. I won't press heavy charges. I'll assume this was just an impulsive act on your part."
"...That doesn't sound very rational, Flan. What could have possibly swayed your heart so?"
"It is rational."
Flan hesitated slightly before speaking. However, she avoided my gaze, and her voice grew quieter.
From the Association's perspective, I was a traitor of the highest order. Defecting from hero to villain was a massive blow to their public image.
Not pressing heavy charges meant this was either a lie to lure me back, or she was being completely sincere...
But when Flan lies, she usually maintains a completely blank expression.
My current assessment was that she was telling the truth.
"Why? From your perspective, aren't I a traaaaitor?"
"Oh, for God's sake. We're offering to reduce your sentence, and you're still throwing a fit."
Mad Hunt glared at me irritably, her lips curling in disgust.
I gave her a bright smile in response to her annoyed gaze. She was staring at me so intently that I decided to offer a little fan service, but it only made her scowl deepen.
"You bastard."
"Does the little syringe girl still hurt from getting beaten up? What year are you in now? About three years of experience?"
"You...!"
Just as Mad Hunt flared up and leaped to her feet—
"Mad Hunt."
A cold voice cut through the air. In an instant, the temperature in the office seemed to plummet.
Mad Hunt flinched, her eyes trembling as she turned her head.
Flan was staring at her with emotionless eyes.
"Did I give you permission to speak? Did you not account for unexpected variables in this mission?"
"..."
Mad Hunt hesitated before slinking back into her seat.
Even as Mad Hunt kept casting nervous glances at her, Flan turned her attention back to me.
This is crazy.
That coldness was typical of Flan, but for some reason, she seemed to be getting dragged into my pace.
Did working together in the Association for ten years actually build some kind of affection between us?
"The moment the name 'Persona' hits the media, you won't be able to turn back. The Association can still cover it up right now, but this is your only window of opportunity. Come back quietly."
"...I'm not foolish enough to try and cross back over a river I've already crossed. Hahahat!"
I threw my head back and laughed out loud.
Flan's eyes darkened further. I couldn't tell what she was thinking.
"Do you want to become my enemy?"
"...Indeed. I am an enemy of the Association. Just like any other villain."
SLAM!
A sound like something breaking echoed through the room. Flan slammed her palm onto the table and stood up abruptly.
Mad Hunt's eyes widened in shock.
The sound of Flan's slightly ragged breathing broke the silence. Her silver eyes wavered.
"Lee Kangwoo. What is your problem? What is so wrong with the Association? Did you really want to save that one child so badly that you would become a villain?"
"...The textbook answer would be that it's for Ar. But that's only half-correct. The Association has forgotten true justice, burying it beneath a massive wall of rationality. Have you ever even questioned it?"
"You know what the world was like when villains ran rampant. The Association, and I..."
Flan trailed off and fell silent. She had met my calm gaze.
Just as I cannot understand you.
She closed her eyes. For some reason, she looked sorrowful.
I shook my head and spoke.
"You won't be able to understand me either."
"I see. So this is your choice. I will not change. The Association must remain this way. A giant gear of rationality... that is how it must be."
"If that is your path, then I have no choice but to move forward, even if I end up regretting this decision."
Flan turned her back. She opened the door, preparing to leave.
The last glimpse of her face was dark, clouded with deep thoughts. Mad Hunt asked in a panic,
"A-Are we leaving? What about subduing him?"
"...Let's go, Mad Hunt. Lee Kangwoo is my... no, the Association's..."
"...enemy."
The incident involving the villain Persona was brought to light.
A formidable villain who had done the impossible: escaping the Association building and shaking off Flan's pursuit.
"Hmm... Escaping the Association building and evading Flan? That is an unprecedented achievement."
A woman who had been drinking milk narrowed her eyes with interest, looking away from the television.
An intrigued smirk spread across her lips.
A woman whose rank had not yet been revealed.
The leader of the New Villain Alliance.
Baek Hwaran.
She set her milk down on the table with a soft thud. Then, she gestured to a man standing nearby.
The man immediately bowed.
"What are your orders?"
"That man. Find out who Persona is. As quickly as possible."
The man quickly left to begin the investigation.
Baek Hwaran leaned back into the plush sofa and took another sip of her milk.
Her silver eyes focused on Flan, who was currently appearing on the television screen.
"Persona. Evading Flan's pursuit... If he is officially a villain, it only makes sense to recruit him, right?"
"..."
"You're supposed to answer me."
"Indeed."
The neat-looking man standing behind her replied.
Baek Hwaran frowned and spoke in an annoyed tone.
"Which means you should go bring him to me. You really don't catch on quickly, do you? Even though you're good at your job."
"Understood."
He closed his eyes and nodded.
Inside a dark, messy room, an irritated voice rang out.
"...Is that crazy bastard Lee Kangwoo seriously doing this?"
Art let out a deep sigh, running a hand through her messy hair.
Her annoyed gaze was fixed on an article on her phone titled 'Villain Persona.' The suit, the mask—it was all there.
She groaned, glaring at the article for a moment before letting out a soft click of her tongue.
"A villain, huh?"
Art stood up, clicking her tongue once more.
Ever since she had given Lee Kangwoo those clothes, she hadn't been able to work, let alone sleep properly due to anxiety.
The sound of rolling bottles and empty beer cans clattering across the floor echoed in the room. The place was an absolute mess.
Exasperated by the state of things, she let out a long, heavy sigh and turned her gaze elsewhere.
The Art Free Pass.
That scrap of paper, written in colorful letters, was framed on the wall.
"...That bastard Lee Kangwoo. He must have underestimated me. Does he think the Free Pass is expired just because I made him one suit?"
Art chuckled as she looked at the paper inside the frame, then walked over to a corner of the room.
She slammed her hand down on a red button that practically screamed 'do not press.'
Whirrrr—clack!
The floor of the shop opened up, revealing a hidden basement. Having not been opened in so long, a cloud of dust billowed out, making Art cough.
Frowning, she waved her hand to clear the floating dust.
"Ugh..."
She descended into the basement. There lay Art's very first masterpiece.
"I'm in my mid-twenties now, and I have to wear this?"
Art pressed a hand to her forehead, finding the situation utterly ridiculous.
The legendary phantom thief who once shook the world by manipulating fabric, only to be subdued by Lee Kangwoo and fade from the public eye...
The Phantom Thief.
Villain Alias: The Magician of a Thousand Fabrics.
Seeing it again made her heart race.
Though she grumbled on the outside, she put on her masterpiece.
A red cape draped over her shoulders, a monocle rested over her eye, and a top hat was placed upon her head.
"It's been a while... I used to get so excited sending out calling cards every time I wore this. That damn Lee Kangwoo."
Art smirked as she fluttered her red cape.
"All the treasures of the world belong to me. I shall send a calling card. The target of my theft is the villain, Persona... no, Lee Kangwoo."
Fwip!
She threw her calling card into the air.