The Afternoon Terror Scare
From the next day on, Valkyrie came to lectures looking thoroughly depressed—anyone could see it.
Just as I'd said, she had almost certainly gone straight to the Hero Union office after classes to demand answers. And knowing the kind of man Representative Lee Jeongseok usually was, of course he had refused to let the Union investigation team set foot inside.
For the present-day Valkyrie, who still clung to the absolute conviction that the Hero Union and the powers they protected were justice while every villain was pure evil, the whole affair must have been a crushing shock and a relentless source of stress.
She had been forced to confirm that I had been right and her own claims had been wrong.
Even so, she refused to admit it. Whenever she saw me she didn't even bother with those clumsy tricks of leaving a recorder running while she talked; she just sat there sulking, not saying a single word.
I had no reason to poke at an already low-spirited Valkyrie, so I didn't teabag her with a smug "I was right, wasn't I?"
Of course, leaving her in that state forever wouldn't help either, so I decided it was time for the next move.
The entire reason I was doing any of this was because I wanted to take the life that had ended in tragedy for Valkyrie and rewrite it into a happy ending.
She was such a stubborn justice-obsessed fool that the only way forward was to open her eyes slowly, like this.
I stacked hundreds of boxes in my house and, whenever I had spare time, divided the money among them, slipping a prepared card into each one.
This is the compensation you were originally entitled to for the unjust harm you suffered. It amounts to roughly half a year's salary. It is far from enough, but I hope it will give you strength while you prepare for your next start.
— Kid G.
Preparing and packing the boxes took time, but it wasn't particularly hard work, so I finished faster than I'd expected.
I was nearly done with the wrapping when an interesting report came on from the news channel I always left running at home.
"Hm?"
I looked up from the boxes I was packing and turned my gaze to the television.
On screen, the representative of the dismissed irregular workers was giving an angry interview about Cheonok Logistics. The news even announced the exact time they would gather, and noted that Cheonok Logistics itself had offered no particular statement.
"This just made things a lot easier."
Originally I had planned to use the addresses of the irregular workers I'd obtained through a private investigation firm and send the packages under false names. Now the job had suddenly become far more convenient.
The television continued covering the rally of the fired workers.
I tossed the dozen-odd sheets of A4 paper listing the fired workers' addresses aside and bundled the individually packed boxes together.
"About time we started properly advertising the Kid G–Valkyrie rivalry, don't you think?"
Two days before the protest rally—Wednesday.
A single card that arrived at headquarters threw Cheonok Logistics into chaos once again.
On the day of the Cheonok Logistics protest rally, I will pay you another visit.
— Kid G —
Representative Lee Jeongseok, who had already watched his two most prized possessions get stolen right in front of him, foamed at the mouth and mobilized the entire security team to fortify every corner of headquarters.
Meanwhile, word that Kid G intended to head for Cheonok Logistics HQ was shared with the Hero Union. The moment Valkyrie heard it, she insisted vehemently that she would go to the site herself.
A villain appearing at a large-scale gathering almost always meant a terrorist act, so the Union side asked the protesters to change the date. They refused, saying, "Because of Cheonok Logistics we have nothing left to lose."
The news leaked to the press as well; several broadcasters decided to send larger crews than originally planned for on-site coverage.
A simple rally would have been a one-day news item at most. But once the villain's terror warning and the arrival of Valkyrie—the rising star of the Hero Union—were added to the mix, Friday's protest instantly became a massive spectacle.
People who had never cared about the Cheonok Logistics mass-firing scandal suddenly decided they at least wanted to watch the event from a distance out of sheer curiosity.
And then Friday morning, 9 a.m.
The moment Valkyrie arrived on site with her white angel wings spread wide, the crowd erupted in gasps of admiration.
"So that's Valkyrie…"
"Whoa, she's actually gorgeous. Are those wings her ability? They're so pretty…"
"Valkyrie-nim, I love you!"
Valkyrie was wearing a Recognition Deterrent Chip on her suit as well, but the chips heroes used were an improved model that still allowed the general public to recognize their faces clearly enough.
After all, heroes needed their names and faces known so they could appear in the media, give interviews, and help with the Union's marketing.
In exchange, for the sake of their private lives, heroes who wanted one received an improved chip that made people perceive their hero persona and their civilian appearance as completely separate individuals. Valkyrie was one of the heroes who used that chip.
The moment she landed she spoke into the tiny earpiece-microphone nestled in her ear, contacting headquarters.
"Juyeon unnie, I've arrived. Kid G doesn't seem to be on site yet."
Operator Han Juyeon scanned the surroundings and reported back to Valkyrie.
"I've scanned everything around you—no anomalies yet. Judging by the time, that bastard should already be somewhere on site. Don't let your guard down."
"Got it."
Valkyrie surveyed the still-peaceful scene and, inside, burned with hostility toward Kid G.
Kid G… After all that self-important preaching, the best he can come up with is a terror warning at a place where huge crowds are gathering? I knew it. Did he really think I'd just sit back and watch him sacrifice innocent people? Even if he runs again, the second he shows his face at school I'll beat him black and blue and drag him in—evidence or no evidence.
She kept every nerve taut, scanning her surroundings for any sign of trouble. Yet contrary to her expectations, nothing happened even as the rally time approached.
At the scheduled hour of 10 a.m., the roughly three hundred dismissed irregular workers switched on their megaphones and speakers and began their protest against Cheonok Logistics.
Spectators who had gathered at a distance stayed put, imagining a clash between Kid G and Valkyrie…
Eleven o'clock. Twelve o'clock…
Morning passed, lunchtime came and went, and still nothing occurred at the site.
After 2 p.m., the bored onlookers started cursing under their breath and drifting away one by one. Even after 4 p.m., then 5 p.m., Kid G never appeared.
For those who had been looking forward to a showdown between the rising thief-villain and the Hero Union's newest star, the whole thing was an anticlimax of the highest order.
Some people even began calling Kid G a coward and a liar.
Valkyrie was just as bored. Over her earpiece she asked Han Juyeon in the Union situation room the same question she had already posed more than ten times.
"Unnie, any sign of Kid G showing up?"
"You asked me that ten minutes ago, you know that? Still nothing. No suspicious behavior anywhere nearby either."
"Haaah…"
"Maybe he got scared the second he heard you were coming. If he doesn't show, isn't that actually better?"
"Yeah… I mean, I guess so…"
Valkyrie, who had been itching to pulverize Kid G the moment she saw him, felt the energy drain right out of her.
It was past 5:30 p.m. The rally was winding down, most of the media crews had already packed up, and only a few broadcasters remained.
Suddenly the people at the entrance of Cheonok Logistics headquarters began moving in a flurry of activity.
"…?"
Valkyrie's gaze snapped in that direction. Sensing that something was happening, she unfurled her angel wings again, ready to take flight at any second.
"…Juyeon unnie. Something's going on at Cheonok Logistics HQ right now. Can you check?"
"Yeah, checking now. Hang on, let me look at the radio traffic… Wait—Kid G?"
"!!!"
"They're saying he's heading up. Wait, confirming… Wait—wait!! Seol—Seola! The roof! The roof of Cheonok Logistics headquarters!"
Han Juyeon called her by her real name instead of her hero name, Valkyrie, as she urgently relayed the situation. Valkyrie immediately lifted her head and fixed her gaze on the distant peak of the Cheonok Logistics building.
The distance was enormous, but like most ability users her physical capabilities far exceeded those of ordinary people. With her exceptional eyesight she could clearly make out the figure standing up there.
"Kid G!"
On the rooftop of Cheonok Logistics headquarters, against a sky beginning to flush with the colors of sunset, a man in a white mask stood looking down—Kid G.