Chapter 5. Nah, no way. (2)
Chapter 5. Nah, no way. (2)
"Soi is late."
"Did she lose something?"
The kids, having waited for about 5 minutes, spoke as if they were bored.
Soon, conversations were flying around. This group, how should I put it, they find it hard to endure boredom. If it's quiet even for a moment, it's like a reaction, and it immediately gets noisy again.
"......Lua-ya."
"Yeah?"
As I was lost in thought, Chaeyi spoke to me.
"Just called your name."
"Ah, yeah."
Her shy, bashful smile is bad for my heart.
Though, Soi is just as bad for my heart.
But, how should I say, their vibes are completely different.
The reason Soi is bad for my heart is because of that distance.
She doesn't bother hiding that she really likes me and just gets close without a second thought. I'm not sure if this is the right way to put it, but she's like a puppy.
She comes right up to me with her pretty face, smiles brightly, and talks about this and that, so I don't know where to look, and if we touch, it's a bit embarrassing, so yeah.
Chaeyi, on the other hand, keeps a bit of distance, but she doesn't give off the vibe that she dislikes me at all.
Rather, it's a vibe like she's waiting for me to talk to her, standing about a step away, wondering if she should be the one to start the conversation.
But it doesn't feel like she's forcing it, so I feel at ease. Like just now, even if I space out, she doesn't get mad and talks to me first.
"Oh, right. Did you guys hear? They say a Villain appeared."
"A Villain? Haven't there been almost none lately?"
In my past life, 'Villain' was just a common noun for evil people, but in this world, the usage is a bit different. Just as the word 'Hero' is used as a common noun for a hero, and also as a noun for a superhero fighting against supervillains, 'Villain' also more frequently refers to a supervillain in daily life.
If someone says, "Did you hear a Villain appeared?", it means a psychopath who knows how to use superpowers has shown up.
"Yeah. They say the Heroes have arrested almost all of them lately. They've barely appeared in the city center, right? Even if the location was a secluded spot with no witnesses, it's still in the middle of Seoul."
The kid who brought it up showed a smartphone screen.
A news article was displayed on the screen.
It was about a dead body. And one found in plain sight in the middle of the city, at that.
"They say there's a high possibility the culprit is a superhuman. Apparently, no murder weapon was found?"
"Couldn't they have hidden it?"
"The thing is, they say the wounds look like they were ripped open."
Another kid listening added an explanation.
"The skin from the chest to the face was peeled off, and it looked more like it had been ripped off rather than cut with a blade. It wasn't just the skin; the limbs were broken too. And the joints were bent in the opposite direction."
"Super strength?"
"They said it wasn't that. There were no marks from being ripped by hands. You know, if a person grabs something, there would naturally be handprints. Especially if they grabbed it that hard."
"That's scary, seriously."
One of the friends said, shivering.
"The alert hasn't even been sent out yet."
"It'll probably come soon. Maybe they're investigating carefully just in case it's not one?"
Like missing person alerts or disaster alerts, this world also has texts warning about Villains.
If a violent crime by a Villain occurs, they strengthen security around the area until the Villain is arrested, and in serious cases, they even take measures similar to a lockdown.
In my memory, it never actually went that far. To begin with, the fight between Villains and Heroes has been going on for decades. The government wanted stronger control measures, and as a result of constant strengthening, they managed to control that social phenomenon somehow.
It's not like there's some device that suppresses superpowers or anything. They just suppressed it purely through the logic of power.
Because it's a world where that's the only way.
.....A Villain, huh.
I don't know how much of the story in the article is true. No, more than that, usually articles don't write about cases in such detail.
So, the details about how they died are probably closer to rumors.
I felt a bit cold. Even though it's a season where it shouldn't be cold anymore.
Even though I already know it's not something I should be worried about.
Just the fact that such a being is roaming the world, couldn't I suffer the same fate at any time? Since it's a superpower, without any way for me to resist.
Even I have already met a Villain twice.
Is it because the memories of my previous life are still vivid? The existence of a 'Villain' feels absurdly dangerous. To the point where I wonder how the ordinary people of this world live their lives normally without being terrified all the time.
"Lua-ya."
I blink at Chaeyi's words.
The kids are now sharing stories that are almost half ghost stories, but only Chaeyi was staring straight at me.
"Are you okay?"
"Ah, yeah. I'm okay."
And fortunately, the kids couldn't continue that scary story.
"Guys!"
As the classroom door opened, Soi entered energetically.
The brightness around her shot up.
It was to the point where I had the illusion that a radiance was cast upon Soi's face as she smiled brightly, seemingly in a very good mood.
"What's up, did you go to the bathroom or something?"
"No, I didn't!"
Soi answered, blushing at one of the friends' questions.
"Just... I thought I lost my smartphone, but I found it. It was at the very bottom of my bag."
And then she smiled brightly at me again.
Hmm, as expected, Soi's face is also bad for my heart.
We're only middle schoolers. Then what happens when we're high schoolers? Am I really going to get angina or something?
"Let's go eat!"
At those words, the kids swarmed out.
"Let's go."
Chaeyi said, grabbing my hand and pulling me along.
I let out a small sigh of relief at the fact that that topic was finally over.
*
On the way home.
Watching Soi, who seemed to be in a very good mood for some reason, I eventually couldn't hold back my curiosity and spoke to her.
"Did something happen?"
"Huh? No, nothing happened."
"Oh, it's just, you seem to be in a good mood."
"Ah, yeah. Well, there are just days when you feel good for no reason, right? Today is one of those days. The weather is nice, too."
"I see......."
Come to think of it, that was true. Especially since Soi's default expression is always a happy one, so it's actually harder to see her with a frowning, bad-mood expression.
But still, we've known each other for quite a while, haven't we? That good mood definitely has a reason behind it.
"Huh."
However, before I could ask for the reason, we felt something was off about the scene in front of our house in the distance.
There are a few cars parked in front of the house. A black sedan, and...... a police car?
Soi and I looked at each other and ran quickly.
"Omma!"
Soi shouted that first and ran into the house.
And my heart pounded as I followed her inside.
Did something happen at home? Did something happen to Yujin-ajumma or Dohyun-ajeossi?
Fortunately, both of them were perfectly fine inside the house. Sitting on the living room sofa with calm faces.
However, they weren't the only ones in the living room. There were a few police officers and a woman in a suit.
I remember the face. Because it's a face I saw a few times when I was young. She even came along to my counseling sessions.
The civil servant I saw when I was adopted here.
"Soi-ya. Lua-ya."
"What's going on?"
Soi asked impatiently, as if she had forgotten to say "I'm home" like she usually does.
"Wait, these people are......."
Yujin-ajumma's gaze rested on me.
"It seems they have something to discuss with Lua."
"It's nothing special. There's just a matter that needs to be checked as a mandatory procedure."
The woman in the black suit said in a kind voice.
"Since Seo Yujin-nim and Lim Dohyun-nim have both been checked, it's just a routine matter."
"......Ah, yes."
Soi answered, blinking.
"Then...... by any chance, will the guardians be present?"
Yujin-ajumma and Dohyun-ajeossi looked at each other and then nodded.
Yujin-ajumma stood up from her seat.
"Soi, could you wait with Appa for a moment?"
"Ah, okay."
I felt sorry for Soi, who looked a bit intimidated.
This is that. They're questioning superhumans. Because an incident involving superpowers occurred.
It seems they don't even know what kind of ability was used to kill.
I went into the room that I rarely use, except for storing my things, and closed the door.
Yujin-ajumma took a seat near the door. Far enough from me but not out of my sight.
I sat on the bed, and the civil servant woman pulled a chair from the room and sat facing me.
"As I mentioned, it's a somewhat formal procedure. When a crime involving superpowers occurs, it's procedure to meet and talk with the registered superhumans in the area."
"Uh, but the incident was a bit further away......."
"......."
The civil servant woman paused for a moment, then rummaged through her pocket and took out a business card.
Lee So-jeong.
Korean Superhuman Association.
There were other tiny words written on it, but the most important things seemed to be those two.
"For now, it's the same Seoul. The matter is quite serious, and it's a case that many people are concerned about."
There seemed to be a lot left unsaid, but it didn't seem like something I should dig into.
As I nodded, Lee So-jeong also nodded lightly and continued.
"First, what I'd like to ask is......"
The content of the questions was really simple. Tell me where I was from such and such date to such and such date. Tell me about the people who can prove that. About what's called an alibi.
She especially emphasized that she wasn't just asking me, but also Yujin-ajumma and Dohyun-ajeossi.
"And...... your superpower is Telekinesis, right?"
"Yes, but it's not that big of a power......."
The woman nodded at my words.
"By any chance, have you seen anything suspicious around you recently? Like someone following you, or someone you've never seen in this neighborhood before."
I shook my head.
"Is that so."
Lee So-jeong nodded and smiled faintly.
"That's about all I have to ask. How is it, it's really just a formality, right?"
"Ah, yes."
Lee So-jeong stood up, and I stood up too.
"If anything strange happens, please make sure to contact me. Contacting the police should be the priority, but if you contact me separately at my number after that, I might be able to help."
"Ah, yes....... Ah, but, could I, could I ask one thing?"
I called out to Lee So-jeong, who was bowing politely and turning around.
"Yes, it's fine."
"Um, by any chance, was there...... another incident?"
Lee So-jeong was silent for a moment, then,
"Hmm, sorry even though I said it was fine, but I don't really know the details of the investigation. The investigative authority lies only with the police."
"......I see."
My shoulders keep tensing up.
If it's not just a single murder, but a serial murder. If a murderer is roaming around.
And if that murderer has come around here.
Because that's such a terrifying thing.
......Geez. When I first arrived, I thought the protagonist of an isekai/possession story was the person who possessed the body.
What am I going to do, being this terrified.
*
*
*
Yujin-ajumma, who came out to see Lee So-jeong off, only asked in a small voice once she was outside the house.
"So...... is that true?"
"The pattern is exactly the same as back then. For better or worse, the rumors were a bit exaggerated, so people haven't noticed the commonalities."
"No, that's not it."
Yujin-ajumma said in a slightly trembling voice.
"The birth records, and the ability."
"......Abilities are often inherited from parents. But it's not absolute. There are people who assume they are similar, but it's not certain."
"What about the birth records?"
"......There is a record that the Villain gave birth to a daughter. And then she disappeared. Along with the child."
"Not long after, at the orphanage?"
"That's not certain either. It's not like there's only one or two children found in front of an orphanage by chance. The timing overlapped, and the appearance was similar. That's all. It's not like there are only one or two children with black hair in this country."
"But......."
Yujin-ajumma was silent for a moment, then opened her mouth heavily.
"Could it be because of the content of the interview I did?"
"......."
Lee So-jeong was silent for a moment, then shook her head.
"No one knows if they really acted that way because of that interview. To begin with, it's no one's fault. A murder case is the murderer's fault."
"......."
Yujin-ajumma sighed softly.
Lee So-jeong, who answered, was the same.
A horrific murder case with a message left behind.
It's a case that can't help but feel hopeless for both the investigators and the ones hearing about it.
However, the one feeling a bit more hopeless was likely Yujin-ajumma.
*
*
*