A Very Expensive Friend
Judging by the quiet state of the train to Busan, it seemed highly unlikely that the Black Dragon Society thugs would return. Kang Hyuk stared at Aila, lost in thought. What should I do with her now? Would it be best to just kill her after all?
Aila was an F-class villain known by the alias the Witch of Seduction. It wasn't long ago that Kang Hyuk had actively tried to hunt her down. After all, killing even an F-class villain would grant him the experience points needed to level up, along with a decent reward.
However, back then, G-Force Man's interference had forced him to let her slip away, leaving him to postpone the hunt for another day. The bounty on her head was a total of 2.5 million won. If he killed her right here, he could claim both the experience points he needed and the 2.5 million won reward. On the other hand, if he let her live, he would arrive in Busan empty-handed.
"W-what? Why are you looking at me like that all of a sudden?"
"..."
"I-I'm warning you! Don't get any funny ideas! Do you have any idea who's backing me? If you lay a single finger on me, you're dead meat!"
Aila glared at Kang Hyuk, trying her best to sound intimidating. But despite her warning, Kang Hyuk didn't even blink. He knew all too well that she had absolutely no backing to speak of.
Hmm... killing her is definitely the most profitable move, but...
Kang Hyuk fingered the revolver inside his coat. After a brief moment of contemplation, he shook his head.
If I kill her here, it'll cause a massive scene. The Black Dragon Society thugs might even double back to this car. It'll be much cleaner to finish her off after we arrive in Busan.
Kang Hyuk solidified his decision. Objectively speaking, Aila possessed a stunning figure and an incredibly pretty face. She hadn't earned the title of the Witch of Seduction for nothing. Yet, Kang Hyuk felt absolutely no guilt about planning her demise. Five people had already met their ends by his hand, and more importantly, the Witch of Seduction was a wicked villain who preyed on innocent citizens. The number of men who had died under her thrall easily exceeded double digits. Why on earth should he feel any remorse for putting down a creature like her?
Of course, if Kang Hyuk were a licensed hero, he would have handed her over alive to the Public Security Bureau. But in his current state, he was a Bounty Hunter bound by the rules of Villain Mode, which required him to kill to level up. Given his circumstances, the most logical course of action was to execute the Witch of Seduction to claim both the experience points and the bounty.
I have to get stronger as quickly as possible. And I need to amass a fortune.
In this treacherous world, the only things he could truly rely on were his own strength and cold, hard cash. While things seemed relatively peaceful now, it wouldn't be long before this world plunged into absolute chaos—ravaged by world wars, massive riots, and the formation of the Villain Alliance. In short, his goal was to become as powerful and as wealthy as possible before the storm hit. Knowing what the future held, he had to operate with absolute efficiency. Letting a prime target like the Witch of Seduction walk away was completely out of the question.
"Y-you jerk! Say something! Why do you keep staring at me with those terrifying eyes?"
"Hmm..."
"I-I really do have a terrifying organization backing me! If you touch me, you won't get away with it! Do you hear me?"
When Kang Hyuk merely stared at her in silence, Aila threw out another warning. However, her bravado had completely crumbled. She wasn't a fool; she could clearly sense the chilling, murderous intent radiating from his eyes.
"H-hey..."
"Just shut up and stay quiet. Let's make it to Busan in one piece."
"And once we get to Busan? Are you going to let me go?"
"Of course. Why else do you think I'm heading to Busan? I'm a busy man. I don't have time to play games with you."
Kang Hyuk shrugged off her question, but Aila wasn't buying it. If he were telling the truth, he would have returned to his own seat long ago.
"Y-you're planning to kill me, aren't you? Just like you tried to do in that alleyway."
"..."
"Why? Why do you want to kill me so badly? What did I ever do to you?"
Aila's voice trembled. Her ability allowed her to absorb the life force of anyone she maintained physical contact with for over a minute. Once the absorption began, it couldn't be stopped until the victim was drained to a husk, making it an incredibly lethal power. However, as Kang Hyuk had noted, her ability carried a fatal flaw: if the initial absorption attempt failed, she could never target that specific person again. This left Aila in a truly desperate position. She had absolutely no weapons left to defend herself against him. The combined duration of her two kisses with Kang Hyuk amounted to barely fifty seconds. Her window had closed, and her life-absorption ability was completely useless against him now.
"Why are you targeting me? Did I kill someone you knew?"
"No."
"Then why? Why on earth do you want me dead?"
"Hmm. Does one really need a reason to rid society of a pest?"
Aila bit her lip at his cold retort. Glaring at him, she spat back.
"Ha! A pest? Anyone else could say that, but not you! You killed a hero!"
"..."
"I'm not stupid. You don't have a single shred of justice in your body. Am I wrong?"
Her tone was icy, but Kang Hyuk merely shrugged.
"Sure, let's go with that."
"If it's not out of some sense of justice... r-right! Then it's money! Am I right?"
"..."
"I knew it. You're trying to kill me for money! Are you a bounty hunter? Yes... that has to be it!"
Taking his silence as confirmation, Aila's face lit up with a sudden spark of hope. She thought rapidly for a moment, then reached into her handbag and pulled out a thick paper envelope.
"Hmm? What's this?"
"What do you think? It's the price of my life. There's five million won in here."
"...!"
Kang Hyuk's eyes widened slightly. Swallowing hard, he pried open the envelope. Sure enough, it was stuffed with a hundred crisp 50,000-won bills.
"That's double the bounty on my head."
"...If I take this and kill you anyway, I'll make seven and a half million won."
"I told you, I'm not stupid. I'll transfer one million won to your account every single month. If you let me walk away alive, you'll basically have a lifetime pension of one million won a month. How does that sound?"
It was an incredibly tempting offer. He hadn't realized the Witch of Seduction was this loaded. Hearing her proposal made the bounty on her head look like pocket change.
"Hmm... why should I bother? It would be much easier to just kill you and take everything you have right now."
"And how exactly would you do that? If you kill me, you'll never get your hands on the money in my secret and alias accounts."
"..."
"All you have to do is let me go quietly once we arrive in Busan. You keep the five million won as a down payment, and I'll make sure one million won is deposited into your account every month. There's absolutely no downside for you."
Aila's anxious demeanor vanished, replaced by a smug, confident expression. Kang Hyuk stroked his chin, studying her.
"Are you really that rich? I find that hard to believe."
"I can show you my bank statements if you want. Besides, even if I didn't have that much saved up, I'm a named villain. Do you really think it's hard for someone like me to scrape together a million won a month?"
"Fair enough. But how do I know you'll keep your word once you're free? You could easily block me and disappear the moment you're out of my sight."
"I'll give you all my personal information. My home address, my phone number, even where my family lives! That should be enough to prove my sincerity, shouldn't it? If you still don't believe me after that, then I guess there's nothing more I can say..."
"Hmm..."
Kang Hyuk was genuinely torn. Sparing Aila meant forfeiting the experience points. But in exchange, his pockets would become significantly heavier.
...Besides, how much EXP could an F-class villain possibly give anyway?
After a brief silence, Kang Hyuk made up his mind and slipped the envelope containing the five million won into his coat. He would let her live. Sparing her and keeping her on a leash was far more lucrative in the long run than a one-time kill.
"Fine. We have a deal."
[Aila has agreed to pay a monthly Friend Fee of 1,000,000 KRW.]
"...Phew. Wise choice."
As Kang Hyuk nodded, Aila let out a long, shaky breath. Despite her confident front, she had been terrified that he might reject her offer and pull the trigger anyway.
"Great. I guess that makes us friends starting today."
"Ha! What kind of friend pays their friend a monthly subscription fee?"
"That's what we call a Friend Fee. Anyway, I look forward to our partnership, Aila."
Kang Hyuk extended his hand. Aila grimaced, but she reached out and took it. His hand was large, warm, and firm. For some inexplicable reason, the phantom sensation of his lips pressing against hers flashed through her mind.