Public Opinion Reversal

It didn't take long at all for what I'd told Eun Seol—about "the reaction the government wanted" and "who they needed to redirect the arrows toward"—to come fully into view.

Barely two days after the Myeongdong terrorist attack.

Every corner of the internet and every news article comment section had flipped a full one-hundred-eighty degrees. The only things filling them now were people cursing me, damning me, wishing me dead.

I'd expected that. So had Eun Seol. When the public started turning on me as casually as flipping a hand over, she even shot me a look that said I told you so, eyes full of thinly veiled contempt.

But something she hadn't expected revealed itself almost immediately.

Online and offline alike, people began branding the victims of the Cheonok Logistics temporary-worker mass firings as my accomplices. Counter-protests sprang up demanding "the truth" from them.

Two days. That was all it took.

Two days for doxxing the workers and their families, for pointing fingers and branding them as Kid G's gang, for that whole spectacle to spread like a fashion trend.

After lunch with Kim Sejin, Eun Seol sat watching the news spill from the TV. Her eyelids trembled.

"Why... why are they doing this? Those people didn't do anything wrong! If they had any connection to Kid G, the Union would have known already, wouldn't they? Can't anyone think that far?"

Kim Sejin took a casual sip of her coffee and answered without much concern.

"Why would that matter? Those people are just hyenas looking for something to tear into. You think they're carefully weighing the facts while they throw that kind of fit? They're bored, so they curse people. They're bored, so they beat people up. And they probably think they're doing the right thing right now."

Kim Sejin was reading the situation with surprising clarity.

She acts like an idiot and falls for things way too easily, but she's not actually stupid, huh.

I decided to mess with her a little.

"Unexpected. I figured you'd be going, 'Damn it! I'm still waiting my turn and they got involved with Kid G first?!'"

"It's not like the thought didn't cross my mind, but that's my personal problem. Those people are the ones under stress right now. I'm not a sociopath, okay?"

"Ooh, reevaluating Sejin over here. I was genuinely worried I'd have to hold you back from hunting them down and yelling, 'I'm so jealous you got involved with Kid G-nim! Tell me where he is right now!'"

"Hey!"

Kim Sejin and I had been on casual terms from the moment we met, so we could trade this kind of banter without any awkwardness. Still completely unaware that the Kid G she idolized so fiercely was sitting right next to her, she punched me in the side.

Unlike the two of us, Eun Seol remained steeped in a heavy, gloomy atmosphere. She still couldn't tear her eyes from the news, murmuring under her breath.

"This... this isn't right... It can't be like this. Why is this happening... What did those people ever do wrong..."

Then she whipped her gaze toward me—still looking perfectly unbothered—and stood up from her seat.

"Hey. Ki— Lee Yechan. Step outside for a second."

Took her long enough.

I rose with a faint smile. Kim Sejin grinned wickedly and needled us.

"What, what? Are you dragging him out for a confession? Were you two a thing?"

"No, so shut up!"

Thwack!

Eun Seol flicked Kim Sejin hard on the forehead. The sound was impressive. Kim Sejin's eyes immediately welled up as she clutched her forehead.

"Ack!!! That fucking hurts, you crazy bitch!"

"That's what you get for asking for it. I need to talk to him, so if we're taking too long, just go to class first."

"Damn bitch... absolute piece of shit... every single meal I hope you bite into a hair..."

"You don't look so good. Want me to run to the pharmacy and grab you something for an upset stomach?"

"...Those people you mentioned. The ones who were even more pitiful. The targets to redirect the arrows toward. Those people? The temporary workers who got fired from Cheonok Logistics?"

"Who else would it be?"

"And you're saying the government orchestrated all of this from behind the scenes? That's impossible! The government would never do something this cruel to its own citizens..."

"You think they wouldn't?"

"......"

"You browse the internet too, Eun Seol, so you already know how the current has been flowing. From the very day of the Myeongdong attack, public opinion lumping the temporary workers together with me and cursing us both started pouring out. And the voices criticizing the government for failing to protect temporary workers? They vanished like ghosts. Right now, on the internet, in the news, in the articles—you can scrub your eyes raw looking for any criticism of the government and you won't find it. From the government's perspective, isn't this a thoroughly desirable development?"

"That's... that's just speculation. With no evidence at all. The kind of conspiracy theory only antisocial villains like you would believe..."

"Yes. It's just speculation. But if there's any group that stands to gain more from the current situation than the government itself, I'd be curious to know who that is."

Eun Seol seemed to realize, even by her own reasoning, that no one stood to gain more than the government. She fell silent for a moment like someone who'd swallowed honey, then redirected her arrows at me.

"You... this is all your fault in the first place! Because you're a villain! Because you went around doing good deeds with stolen money like some kind of benefactor! If you'd just been normal, those innocent people never would have been blamed!"

"In other words, if I'd used this power to live as a hero instead of a villain, I could have ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠been far more helpful. Is that what you're saying?"

"Yes!"

"So then, what exactly did the Union heroes do for those temporary workers?"

"......"

Eun Seol went silent again.

"Did they even say a single word to the government about needing protective measures? Did they help those temporary workers directly behind the scenes? Or at the very least, did they give an interview asking the media to pay attention? It wasn't just the Cheonok Logistics case. Before that, too. What about Chilseong Construction? AD Group? And everything that came before that?"

"That's..."

"You should have helped those victims the proper, righteous way? Then who compensates those people for the years their lives were destroyed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠through no fault of their own? Can you turn back time?

And who punishes the ones who put them in that state?"

"......"

"I'm not trying to claim that everything I do is automatically right or anything..."

I took a step closer to Eun Seol. Overwhelmed by the pressure, she unconsciously took half a step back.

The situation was the complete reverse of when she'd first recognized my identity, snatched me up, and pressed me for answers.

"Doesn't justice that holds hands with power and refuses to act have a little too little shame to go around condemning evil?"

I walked right past her and left. Even then, Eun Seol remained rooted to the spot.

Left alone, Eun Seol stood for a long time, turning Lee Yechan's—Kid G's—words over and over in her mind.

Justice that colludes with power and refuses to act.

She herself could confidently say she had never colluded with power and that she always took action. But could the Union say the same? That was a question she couldn't answer.

In reality, the Union worked in close cooperation with the government, exchanging various forms of support. That wasn't even a secret.

And yet, regarding the Cheonok Logistics temporary-worker firings—and all the previous scandals involving the corporations Kid G had hit—both the government and the Union had remained completely silent.

Then, the moment a real controversy finally threatened to blow up, public opinion reversed as if by magic, and the current shifted toward blaming the victims instead.

Eun Seol felt profound confusion. For the first time, she asked herself:

Am I... really doing the right thing...?

The more she thought about it, the more doubt crept in about whether her path was correct. And every time it did, her mood grew worse.

Then, after afternoon classes ended.

A single text message arrived on her phone, and every trace of her gloomy mood vanished in an instant.

The moment class finished, she immediately released her power, unfurled her wings, and shot into the sky at full speed.

After flying for some time, she spotted a hospital helipad on the outskirts of the city and gradually lowered her altitude.

Arriving at one of the most famous major general hospitals in the country, she found several hospital staff already waiting to receive her.

"Welcome, Valkyrie. You're here for visitation, correct?"

"Yes! Can I go in right now?"

"Perfect timing. She's in her room, so we'll guide you there."

Following the staff to a hospital room, she saw a girl with long black hair much like her own, lying back against a raised hospital bed in a patient gown.

The one difference between them: a black blindfold covered the girl's eyes.

"Eunhwa!"

Eun Seol called her younger sister's name with joy. Eunhwa recognized her sister's voice and turned her head in that direction.

"Unni!"

As Eunhwa pushed herself upright, Eun Seol hurried over and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Huuuh... thank goodness. You made it here safely again. How's your body? Are they saying there's any improvement? You're not in any more pain, right? Can you get better? Do you have to go back again? Ah! Did you eat dinner? Is there anything you want? Should Unni go buy it for you?"

"U-Unni. Slow down. You're going to choke."

"Valkyrie, I understand you're happy to see your sister, but please don't overstimulate her."

"Hahk— s-sorry! N-Nurses. How is Eunhwa's condition?"

"There's no particular improvement, but she hasn't deteriorated either. However, because of the medication from the care facility, if she stays in a general ward for too long..."

"Ah... so Eunhwa has to go back to the facility again?"

When the nurses nodded, Eun Seol's expression turned bitter.

For this one moment, the cursed fact that her sister couldn't see her face was almost a mercy.

"Is there... no chance her sight will return? Does she need major surgery? Or is it a money problem? I can figure that out somehow, so if we could just put it on credit once..."

Then her sister, Eunhwa, took her hand.

"Unni, it's okay. Everyone's said from the start it's not a money problem. Even if I can't see, the people at the facility take such good care of me. After surgery they check everything one by one and look after me every day."

"Still... getting surgery that often can't be good for you..."

"But I came back fine, didn't I? That means my body's getting healthier little by little. Mmm... I have to go back tomorrow, though."

"You wouldn't believe how stubborn she is about absolutely having to come for Unni's visitation day. Technically this isn't even allowed..."

"Really? Thank you, Eunhwa. Unni feels so much stronger because of you."

"Hehe, good. Ah, and I heard after I got here. Unni's gotten pretty famous lately, right? I'm jealous. When my eyes get better I need to look up every newspaper and article Unni's been in."

"Ah, that's a little embarrassing..."

"And when I meet my friends I have to brag that Valkyrie is my unni. And go around with Unni and treat her whenever she gets hurt fighting villains..."

Still holding her sister's hand tightly, Eun Seol quietly asked one question.

"Eunhwa. Do you really not know who the villain that got you caught up in this was? You didn't see them at all?"

"...Unni, you're asking that again. And do you know your voice gets really low every time you ask that question? It's scary to listen to."

Eun Seol, who hadn't realized her voice had dropped into something rough and dark, sucked in a sharp breath at her sister's observation and carefully reset her tone.

"W-Was it? M-Maybe Unni's throat is dry so my voice got weird. Ahaha..."

"I told you. I was just unlucky and it was an accident, and I couldn't even tell if anyone was there."

"Yeah, I know... I just wondered, just in case..."

"I'm alive like this, and that's what matters, right? I'm working really hard at rehab, so I'll recover soon enough! Unni, don't worry too much and just keep doing what Unni needs to do!"

"Yeah..."

Eun Seol swallowed the sound of her crying as much as she could and gently stroked her blind sister's cheek.

After talking with her sister for a long time and finally leaving the room when visitation ended, Eun Seol made a silent vow once more.

The villain who had done this to her sister—regardless of whether she was the hero Valkyrie or simply Eunhwa's older sister Eun Seol—she would have her revenge, even if it meant committing murder.