Entangled Fates
"Sigh..."
"W-what's with that sigh?!"
"...Stop being a nuisance and just go. I know I said we'd see each other again, but this is a bit too soon!"
As Aila snapped back, Kang Hyuk waved his hand dismissively. He no longer had any intention of killing the Witch of Seduction. Was it a case of growing fond of a familiar face, or perhaps a strange kind of attachment born of conflict? Having crossed paths with her so many times, he had begun to view her differently from other villains. But that didn't mean he actually liked her. To Kang Hyuk, the Witch of Seduction was simply a persistent, annoying woman.
"You're currently being hunted by the Black Dragon Society. You're like a walking disaster magnet, you unlucky woman! Shoo, go away!"
"H-how can you look at a person like she's some kind of witch?"
"Be glad I don't treat you like trash. Besides, you are a witch."
Aila fell silent at Kang Hyuk's blunt retort. Pouting, she abruptly turned her head away.
"Ha! I'm not thrilled either, okay? You're the guy who tried to kill me. How could I possibly want to be near you?"
"Right, right. So go back to your own seat."
"This is my seat! If anyone's leaving, it should be you!"
"Fine. Then I'll go."
Kang Hyuk stood up. But after a brief moment of thought, he sat back down.
"What? I thought you were leaving."
"I changed my mind. Why should I move when I paid for this seat?"
Kang Hyuk closed his eyes. Aila stared at him, utterly dumbfounded.
"Stop staring. Pay up if you want to look."
"Ha!"
"Anyway, kid. You should really start figuring out how to stay alive. I told you back at the cemetery."
"Yeah, and I gave you my answer back then too. I can take care of myself, so mind your own business."
As Aila snapped back irritably, Kang Hyuk fell silent. Frankly, she had a point. One's survival was ultimately their own responsibility; relying on others was a fool's errand.
"Still, if you die, my monthly friend fee disappears. That's the only reason I'm bringing it up."
"Ha! So it really was just about the money?"
"What else? Why on earth would I worry about you otherwise?"
When Kang Hyuk shot back, Aila felt a sudden surge of irritation. Yet, at the same time, she couldn't quite comprehend her own emotions. There was absolutely no reason for her to get worked up over his words at this point.
W-wait, don't tell me I actually...?
Aila was struck with sudden dread. To be perfectly honest, looking at Kang Hyuk objectively, he was undeniably handsome. He was tall, well-built, and had a deep, pleasant voice. Any ordinary woman would have found it impossible not to fall for him.
But who was Aila? She was far from ordinary. She was an F-class villain, the Witch of Seduction, a wicked woman among wicked women who had drained the life out of countless men. Given her nature, it was only natural that she shouldn't harbor the fragile feelings of an ordinary girl. In short, the idea of her liking Kang Hyuk was utterly preposterous.
B-but no matter how I look at it, this feeling...
Aila felt her heart thumping wildly against her ribs. Just a fleeting glance at Kang Hyuk made her chest tighten and her pulse race. No matter how much she tried to deny it, this was unmistakably the feeling of being in love.
Ugh... this is so ridiculous... Why of all people did I have to fall for a guy like him?! He literally tried to kill me...!
Aila bit her lower lip. When she really thought about it, it was probably because Kang Hyuk had stolen her first kiss. And he had done it twice.
Her method of 'hunting' men had always been incredibly simple. She would sway her hips down a quiet, secluded alleyway, waiting for some man to succumb to his lust and try to force himself on her. The moment he did, she would absorb his essence. Before the man could even strip her of her clothes, he would be reduced to a shriveled, desiccated mummy. This meant that throughout her entire career of hunting men, she had never once allowed a man to truly touch her body. Naturally, her lips had remained completely untouched as well.
But this jerk just snatched them away! Twice, no less!
Aila glared at Kang Hyuk. But soon, she shook her head. At the time, Kang Hyuk's actions had been a desperate measure to keep them both safe from the Black Dragon Society. Even as selfish as she was, she couldn't logically blame him for that.
Sigh... This is a disaster! Now that I've fallen for him, what am I supposed to do? This guy is a complete lunatic who kills heroes and digs up their graves...!
Aila let out a heavy sigh. She didn't know Kang Hyuk's true identity, nor did she know his ultimate goal. But there was one thing she knew with absolute certainty: Kang Hyuk was a certified, grade-A psychopath of a villain.
"Hey, Aila."
"W-what?!"
"Why do you keep staring at me like that? Have you never seen a handsome guy before?"
"...Ha!"
When Kang Hyuk teased her, Aila whipped her head away. Yet, despite herself, her eyes kept drifting back to him. She simply couldn't help wanting to look at him.
Ah...! I've got it bad! I'm completely out of my mind! I've lost it!
Aila slapped her own cheeks hard enough to make a sharp cracking sound. Kang Hyuk watched her, looking at her as if she were a certified lunatic.
"Aila! You've finally lost your mind!"
"Shut up!"
"But seriously, running into each other like this... it almost feels like fate."
"F-fate?"
"We've crossed paths by chance so many times already. And now, we're even sitting right next to each other...!"
Kang Hyuk spoke in a light, casual tone. But the moment Aila heard his words, a sudden jolt of electricity ran down her spine. Fate...! Yes. Perhaps this really was fate.
"Why the sudden silence? Are we just going to ignore each other until we reach Seoul?"
"N-no! Since we're already sitting together, why don't we just... talk?"
"Talk?"
"Y-yeah. Honestly, we barely know anything about each other. And who knows? We might end up seeing each other for a lot longer than we think..."
"...Hmm."
Kang Hyuk stroked his chin at Aila's suggestion. She actually had a point. They had crossed paths coincidentally far too many times for it to be mere chance. There was no telling how many more times they would run into each other in the future.
"Fine. Let me start then. I actually had a few things I was curious about."
"L-like what?"
"First of all, I'm curious about what made you become a villain. Did you go through some kind of major traumatic event?"
Kang Hyuk's question was sharp and heavy right from the start. But Aila answered him honestly. Since they had agreed to open up, she saw no reason to hide the truth.
"...I see."
A moment later, after listening to her entire explanation, Kang Hyuk nodded quietly. As he had suspected, Aila's descent into villainy stemmed from a deep-seated resentment toward men. Back in her school days, she had almost been raped by a male classmate. Following that traumatic incident, she developed an intense hatred for men. Eventually, she began absorbing their essence to survive, earning her the moniker 'Witch of Seduction.'
"Hmph... Honestly, it's not entirely out of revenge. Absorbing a man's essence keeps me young."
"You really are a wicked woman... Well, your skin does look remarkably firm! So, does your father's death have nothing to do with you becoming a villain?"
"I wouldn't say it has nothing to do with it. My dad passed away from cancer when I was in middle school. If he had been around, that classmate wouldn't have looked down on me and tried to rape me, right? Of course, that might be a bit of a stretch."
Though she admitted it was a stretch, Kang Hyuk could tell that Aila had harbored a deep sense of resentment over her father's absence, even if she didn't explicitly voice it.
"So, is that all you wanted to know?"
"For now."
"Then it's my turn to ask. Who on earth are you really?"
Kang Hyuk fell silent at her pointed question. His identity... To Kang Hyuk, he was simply a human being struggling desperately to survive in this world. In the near future, this world would be plunged into absolute chaos. To avoid being swallowed by that impending doom, he needed to grow stronger by any means necessary.
"Phew... Well, my identity...!"
"..."
"I am Kang Hyuk, a simple bounty hunter..."
"...Are you kidding me? You know that's not what I'm asking."
Aila retorted coldly. But for Kang Hyuk, it was incredibly awkward to answer her question. He could hardly tell her the truth—that he was someone who had possessed a character inside a video game.
"Tsk... Just think of me as a bounty hunter who's closer to a villain."
"Closer to a villain?"
"Yeah. I hunt villains for a living, but I don't really lose sleep over killing heroes either."
Kang Hyuk shrugged. Aila stared at him blankly. It was a seemingly nonchalant answer, yet for some reason, she found him incredibly cool. She really had fallen for him hard, hook, line, and sinker.
"That aside, what do you plan to do from now on? You've clearly painted a massive target on your back with the Black Dragon Society..."
"Don't worry. I have a plan."
"What kind of plan?"
"Well, it's..."
From then on, Kang Hyuk and Aila continued to chat, their conversation flowing naturally. By the time the train pulled into Seoul Station, the distance between them had shrunk considerably.