Shovels and Secrets
Passing past Aila, Kang Hyuk immediately began searching the cemetery. The grave he was looking for belonged to the D-class hero, Dual Machine Gun.
"Hey! So who did you come here to see anyway?"
"..."
"Hey! Are you deaf?!"
When Kang Hyuk ignored her, Aila shrieked. But Kang Hyuk merely shot her an annoyed glance and continued his search. He had come here to fulfill Gwang-ui's request, not to make idle chitchat with her.
"Ha! Fine, keep ignoring me then!"
"Stop following me."
"Hmph, no way. I do what I want."
A surge of irritation welled up inside Kang Hyuk, but he decided to hold it in. Punishing Aila could wait until after he secured the corpse.
"...Oh."
About thirty minutes after he began scouring the cemetery...!
Kang Hyuk finally located Dual Machine Gun's grave. It was completely neglected, overgrown with wild weeds.
Good. Time to start digging.
Kang Hyuk pulled out the collapsible shovel he had prepared beforehand. Then, he began to dig into the grave with vigor.
Thud! Thwack! Thud!
"...Y-you crazy bastard! What on earth do you think you're doing?!"
As Kang Hyuk began digging up the grave, Aila, who had been tagging along behind him, gasped in sheer horror. What in the world was this man doing? She had assumed he came here to pay his respects to the deceased, just like her. Was that not the case?
Thud! Thwack! Thud! Thwack!
"..."
Aila stared at Kang Hyuk, her jaw hanging open. A man frantically digging up a grave in the dead of night...! It was like a scene straight out of a horror movie.
Gulp.
But a moment later, Aila unconsciously swallowed hard. Watching Kang Hyuk with his sleeves rolled up, sweating profusely as he worked, she found him strangely... masculine.
I-I've lost it! I've officially gone mad!
Aila slapped her own cheeks hard. She couldn't comprehend her own reaction. How could she, the infamous Witch of Seduction, feel this way about a mere man...!
Ugh... It's all because of that crazy bastard! Ever since he stole my first kiss, I keep having these bizarre thoughts...
Clutching her head, Aila glared at Kang Hyuk. But regardless of her inner turmoil, Kang Hyuk simply kept shoveling.
Thud! Thwack! Thwack...!
"...Whew."
About an hour later, Kang Hyuk finally succeeded in unearthing the coffin and let out a deep sigh. After killing five people, his stats had increased, granting him +2 Agility and +1 Strength. Even so, shoveling non-stop for an entire hour was still an exhausting task.
"Ugh, this is killing me."
"Hey! Why on earth are you doing something so insane?!"
"Huh? What, you're still here?"
When Kang Hyuk looked at her with genuine bewilderment, Aila felt utterly dumbfounded. Who was the one who should be bewildered here?!
Seriously, what is wrong with this guy?
She was so flabbergasted she could barely speak. But she had no intention of backing down. She wouldn't leave until she figured out what he was up to.
"I asked why you're doing this! Are you... a necromancer or something?"
"A necromancer?"
"You know, those freaks who control corpses!"
There were indeed some villains who manipulated dead bodies. The public generally referred to them as 'necromancers'.
"Do I look like a necromancer to you? If anything, you're the one who looks like one."
"W-why are you suddenly attacking my appearance?!"
"Tsk, tsk. Look at how much you cried—your eyeliner is completely smudged. You look exactly like a necromancer."
"Ugh...!"
As Kang Hyuk clicked his tongue, Aila clenched her fists in a fury. But there was absolutely nothing she could do to him. She could only rub at her smudged eyeliner in frustration.
"Just go home. Don't you have to work hard to pay me my monthly friend fee?"
"Ugh...! So you're going to hide your true motives until the very end?"
"Good grief. Why are you so obsessed with what I'm doing anyway?"
"Because you might end up digging up my dad's grave next!"
At her sharp cry, Kang Hyuk blinked. Hearing her concern, he finally understood why she had been badgering him so relentlessly.
"Sigh... Is that what you were worried about? Don't worry. I have no intention of digging up your father's grave."
"H-how am I supposed to believe that?"
"Actually, I came here at Gwang-ui's request. He asked me to transport the corpse of the D-class hero, Dual Machine Gun."
Since things had already come to this, Kang Hyuk decided to just lay it all out. It wasn't exactly a state secret anyway.
"G-Gwang-ui...? Do you mean the B-class villain, Gwang-ui?"
"Yeah."
"My god...! How do you even know him?"
"Why wouldn't I? Look, just go! I'm busy!"
Kang Hyuk waved his hand dismissively. But Aila still showed no signs of leaving. She stared at him intently before asking,
"Who... what are you, really?"
"A bounty hunter."
"A bounty hunter who kills heroes and digs up their corpses for Gwang-ui? No matter how I look at it, you're a villain through and through."
Kang Hyuk frowned at her retort. Come to think of it, she had a point. Have I already become a full-fledged villain?
Well... whatever. It doesn't matter if they call me a villain. As long as I get stronger than everyone else.
And make a ton of money, too!
Kang Hyuk shrugged. In truth, he didn't care either way.
"Fine, fine. I'm a villain. So stop annoying me and get lost. Or do you want to become my experience points right here?"
Kang Hyuk finally drew his revolver. He had no intention of chatting with her any longer. Honestly, he had already been incredibly patient with her.
"Aila. We might be 'friends,' but I won't tolerate you interfering with my work. I need to pack up this corpse and get moving. Got it?"
Kang Hyuk gestured with the barrel of his gun. Aila bit her lower lip before finally nodding reluctantly.
"F-fine. I get it. I'll stop bothering you, okay?"
"Should've said so from the start..."
Kang Hyuk shot her a glare, then opened the coffin lid to secure the corpse. Since it was quite old, there wasn't much of a foul odor. He wondered if Gwang-ui could actually make a chimera out of such a desiccated corpse, but he quickly brushed the thought aside. It didn't matter to him. All he had to do was complete the job.
"...Whew!"
A moment later, after transferring the body into the special duffel bag Gwang-ui had provided, Kang Hyuk wiped the sweat from his brow. Once he returned to the hotel, his primary objective in Busan would be complete.
"Alright, Aila. See you around."
"W-wait a minute!"
"What now?"
When Kang Hyuk's eyebrow twitched, Aila flinched. But she quickly recovered her composure and spoke up.
"About what happened earlier... don't tell anyone."
"Huh? What happened earlier?"
"That... that I was crying."
Aila's face flushed bright red. Kang Hyuk stared at her for a moment before nodding readily.
"Sure."
"R-really?"
"Why wouldn't I? Why on earth would I spread rumors about the Witch of Seduction crying in front of her father's grave? Do I look like I have that much free time? Huh? Do I?"
As Kang Hyuk leaned in close, Aila's face grew even redder, and she pulled her head back. She glared at him for a second before continuing,
"F-fine, I'll trust you then."
"Tsk, tsk. Stop worrying about useless things and focus on staying alive for a long time. That's the only way you can keep paying me every month."
"Hmph... You don't have to tell me. I'm going to survive longer than anyone else. I won't die until I've drained the essence of every single man in this world."
"Whoa..."
Kang Hyuk stared blankly at Aila, who was spouting words worthy of a true villainess. For a split second, he contemplated whether he should kill her right here for the sake of all mankind, but he quickly abandoned the thought. It was none of his business anyway.
"Hmm... Still, try not to kill innocent men if you can help it."
"Ha! As if innocent men actually exist in this world."
"Well, you've got a point there... But still, don't kill the good ones. If you're going to kill, kill the bad guys."
At Kang Hyuk's words, Aila's expression went blank. Who was this man, really? One moment he seemed like a villain, and the next, he was overflowing with a hero-like sense of justice...!
"...You don't need to worry about that. Every single guy I've killed so far was a bad guy anyway."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because every guy I've killed was trying to rape me."
"..."
Kang Hyuk stared at her, momentarily speechless. It felt like he was uncovering various hidden facets of the Witch of Seduction today. What if he had succeeded in killing her back then? If he had, he would have gone to his grave never knowing about her past or her family.
Interesting. I guess not all villains are cut from the same cloth.
"Anyway, see you later."
"...Yeah."
As Kang Hyuk waved, Aila nodded hesitantly. It had been a very long day.