A Villain's Forgetfulness
A Villain's Forgetfulness
I did the right thing.
This Moonlight Church terrorist attack was something that had to be stopped, so I stopped it. That was only natural when you consider that in the Original Work, this incident turned Seoul into a complete wreck and kicked off the story's full-on collapse arc.
And I turned the broadcast on not just to keep the Moonlight Church in check, but to draw aggro. In the original timeline, the Seoul attack blanketed all of South Korea in fear of the Moonlight Church and the mood got unbelievably grim, so I deliberately spun it to make them look like no big deal. The whole vibe was: "Even a run-of-the-mill A-rank villain like me can shut them down—that's the Moonlight Church for you."
And the Moon Priestess, Baek Eun-wol. I'd cried my eyes out when she died in the Original Work, so saving her had been non-negotiable. And as long as I was saving her, I'd figured I might as well pull her into the villain alliance I'd founded. Sure, what she'd shown that time had been boosted by a magic circle, but she had attack magic, illusion magic, and a range of other abilities. Recruiting her had been fairly necessary, especially because Ego Stream had only Electra and Death Knight for firepower besides me.
And of course, as for stroking Stardus’s hair... well, yes. It might not strictly have been necessary. But I couldn’t help it. I had seen my favorite character collapsed and struggling with my own eyes—who could have stopped themselves from springing forward? It was unavoidable. Honestly, it had already happened several times with her; what was one more? On the train, on the plane. She had probably only been annoyed anyway. And I had hacked and erased the few photographs that were taken. No evidence, problem solved.
So, in conclusion: I hadn't done a damn thing wrong. Who could throw stones at me? Granted, my public image had improved a little, which was an issue, but that would vanish after a few more terrorist attacks. No problem at all.
I said something along those lines, and I still got chewed out.
"Big bro, I'm worried. What if Stardus notices your real identity? You told us yourself—Stardus has to keep seeing you as the enemy, or the whole plan goes down the drain. The way you've been acting lately, it wouldn't be weird if she got suspicious at any moment."
Seo-eun laid into me in a dead-serious voice.
I just smirked and told her.
"Seo-eun... I get what you mean, but you don't have to worry."
"Why not?"
"Stardus's convictions are rock solid."
With her personality—she never lets injustice slide—there's no way she could look kindly on me, someone who's already committed every form of injustice under the sun.
...Though, come to think of it. She did act a little odd last time.
'...That makes us even, doesn't it?'
Her voice overlapped in my memory, the way she said it while leaning against me.
...But that was merely her personality—she couldn't stand owing anyone. There couldn't have been any other meaning behind it. No way.
"Whatever, enough of that! Let's get some rest. I went through absolute hell fighting through that storm..."
Flinch—
The moment I mentioned the storm, I felt Baek Eun-wol twitch at my side.
"I-I'm sorry..."
"No! It's nothing to apologize for—don't worry about it."
I said that and glanced at Baek Eun-wol beside me.
She'd put away her ceremonial priestess robes and changed into a soft, fresh T-shirt.
With Seo-eun across from us, the two of them were about the same height, but their hair—white and black—was opposite, so they almost looked like twins. Their actual features were completely different, though. Come to think of it, they were about the same age too, so they really did resemble twins.
And ever since Baek Eun-wol came to the house, Seo-eun got close with her right away.
There wasn't anyone in the house Seo-eun's age before, and now Baek Eun-wol is the only one close in age, so they hit it off pretty fast.
Of course, Baek Eun-wol still uses formal speech with everyone, so she hasn't dropped the politeness even with Seo-eun.
"...But why do you stick so close to big bro?"
"...Is it wrong to stay by his side?"
"No. It's not wrong, but big bro is uncomfortable."
"Really? Is that true, Dain?"
"No. I'm fine."
"He says he's fine."
"...Hmph."
...They're friends, right?
Anyway, Baek Eun-wol adjusted to our house quickly and blended right in.
There was a little moment when she burst into tears after seeing how warmly everyone welcomed her, having come from the cold Moonlight Church, but—anyway.
The kid lived her whole life cooped up in some gloomy corner of the Moonlight Church, so she gets moved by the smallest things.
Take mealtime this time, for example.
“What... is this?”
"Just omurice. How is it? I made it. Good, right?"
"...Sniff."
"Hey, why are you crying? Don't cry!"
“Big sis Se-hee. Did you really make her cry?”
"Se-hee, I'm disappointed."
"No! Why is everyone jumping on me? Is it so terrible? I thought it was edible?!"
"...Sniffle. That's not it. It's the first time I've eaten something this good."
...What on earth did they feed her in the Moonlight Church that the kid tears up over some omurice?
Anyway, after that, a weird little campaign kicked off where everyone fed Eun-wol things. Rice, cider, chocolate... every time you gave her something, her eyes sparkled that way that just makes you want to keep giving her more. Was this a grandma's heart?
Of course, Eun-wol wasn't just adorable.
"Eun-wol, you said the abilities you can use are attack magic, like what you showed us last time, and illusion magic, right?"
"Yes. For example... something like this."
She waved her hand, formed a magic circle in the air, and immediately summoned a deer.
It looked and moved like a real deer—utterly lifelike. Though it burst into purple powder the moment you touched it.
"Impressive."
When I praised her, Eun-wol beamed with a bashful smile.
Attack magic, illusion magic... anyway, one look at magic made it obvious how useful it was. Mainly, I was simply happy that someone with actual firepower had finally joined our party.
And like that, I slipped back into daily life.
Yeah, I'd just demolished a major event. I deserved a little peace and quiet for a while.
"...Now, I wonder what happens next."
"Big bro? What are you doing?"
"Ah, Eun-wol."
And that night.
I was out on the balcony, leaning on the railing and looking up at the moonlight shining through the cloudy night sky, when Eun-wol came over.
"Just looking at the view for a bit. Want to join me?"
"Yes."
She pressed right up next to me at my question and looked outside with me. I gave her head an absent-minded pat and sank back into thought.
...What happens from here?
I stopped the Original Work's main event—the Moonlight Church's destruction of Seoul.
Because of that, unlike in the Original Work, Seoul had not collapsed in this timeline. And it never would.
That meant the future I knew was now highly likely to change.
"..."
The Original Work.
In the Original Work, Baek Eun-wol died only after Seoul had been destroyed.
Because of that, the capital was temporarily moved to Busan to escape ruined Seoul.
And that became a golden opportunity for Lee Seol-ah, the power behind Yuseong Group in Busan, who harbored ambitions to swallow South Korea whole.
With the capital temporarily designated as Busan, the president, major government offices, and corporations all relocated there—and she used that window to co-opt them all. She won over politicians and acquired companies.
By the time Seoul’s reconstruction was finished and the capital moved back to New Seoul, more than half of South Korea had fallen into Lee Seol-ah’s hands.
And that future was erased—because I protected Seoul. Meaning Lee Seol-ah's behind-the-scenes takeover of South Korea was going to proceed much more slowly than it did in the Original Work.
That, actually, isn't the problem.
The single biggest difference from the Original Work? People who were supposed to die didn't die.
Through the Moon Priestess Baek Eun-wol's dozens of attacks, Seoul suffered massive casualties in the original timeline. Especially from the fourth attack onward, when she stopped pulling her punches.
But this time, no one died.
In other words, those survivors were the biggest butterfly effect.
Who knows if some of them will become future terrorists.
"Hoo..."
I let out a sigh.
Yeah. From then on, I had to be ready for events to diverge from the Original Work to some extent. Most of what had happened in the original would probably still occur, but I needed to brace myself for entirely new developments too.
And the Moonlight Church.
I also needed to pay attention to the Cult Leader's movements, since I'd deliberately drawn all that hostility.
...Though if I had to guess, the most likely scenario was that he wouldn't care much. His greatest obsession was tearing open a portal to another world and summoning a god; everything else was secondary to him.
Still, I should prepare for what he might do, just in case.
"Lee Seol-ah, the future, the Moonlight Church. Just those three to keep an eye on."
"Huh?"
"That's just how it is."
I patted the curious Baek Eun-wol beside me one more time and let my thoughts drift back.
Lee Seol-ah, the future, the Moonlight Church, huh.
...Wait.
Lee Seol-ah.
Had I called Lee Seol-ah?
A sudden chill ran down my spine. I turned on my phone and opened my call log.
***
[Missed Calls]
Lee Seol-ah (67)
***
"...Ah. I'm screwed."
"What's wrong, big bro?"
“...Eun-wol, how would you feel if someone ignored sixty-seven calls from you?”
"Um... I'd be angry, wouldn't I?"
"Right?"
I really am screwed.
I hurriedly hit the call button.
It was late, but still, I had to call.
She probably was not still waiting, though.
***
As if a hole had been punched in the sky, rain was hammering down.
Busan at night.
The top floor of Yuseong Group, the president's office.
Rumble. Boom.
In that darkened room, where only thunder rolled, a phone pierced through the rain with its noisy ringing.
Ring. Ring.
Flash.
In that moment, lightning struck, illuminating the dark office for an instant.
The lightning revealed a woman sitting alone in silence.
Her fingers were interlaced, her hands resting on the desk.
Lee Seol-ah sat quietly, staring at her phone.
“.....You're late, Dain.”