Chapter 70
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: The Hidden Villain: Doll Maker Soheeji (1)
"Ack! Look at me, spacing out like this! Just give me a second!"
The kidnapper who had introduced herself as Soheeji suddenly remembered something urgent and hurried out of the room.
Still nursing the lingering headache, I pressed my temples and collapsed backward onto the bed.
...
After she left, silence settled in.
Thankfully, the headache faded after a short while, giving me some quiet time alone to think.
'...This makes the second time already?'
To be kidnapped twice—something most people wouldn't even experience once in their lifetime.
Including the attempted murder, that made three, but had I committed some grave sin in my past life or what?
'I was just an ordinary college student, though.'
Not only kidnappings, but why did so many incidents keep piling up?
First, back when she was still going by Go Jin-yo, Seo-yeon had kidnapped me for the first time and nearly filmed an NTR video with me. Then No Face had almost nabbed me.
After that, Shin Jeong-hwa had come at me, Yang Ha-yoon had nearly drugged me, and Yoo Ha-yul had tried to smother me with money while proposing to be my sugar mama.
"And now another kidnapping to top it off?"
Two kidnappings, one attempted murder, one illegal drug incident, and a prostitution offer.
In the past year, I'd gone through five things most people wouldn't face in a lifetime.
"Things have been piling up ever since I got the Hypnosis skill."
Not 'with great power comes great responsibility.'
No, what followed was crime.
"But... I was too complacent."
As I reflected on my life like that, I started feeling pathetic.
"I should've just run."
Before the kidnapping, I'd relied solely on my Hypnosis skill to subdue her.
But it hadn't worked, and as you can see, this was the result.
If I'd bolted and screamed for help, maybe I wouldn't have gotten kidnapped, or the police or Heroes might have shown up by now?
"Haa."
I let out a deep sigh.
Maybe, without realizing it, I'd gotten addicted to playing the hero who delivers stern lessons to villains with Hypnosis.
The skill had always yielded great results, after all.
'Things had been going ridiculously well up until now.'
Starting with reforming Seo-yeon, I'd taken down No Face in one go and made her pay.
I'd even lamented that without Seo-yeon's help, someone like Shin Jeong-hwa could've been handled with Hypnosis anytime.
When Yang Ha-yoon called me to her private room, I'd used Hypnosis to uncover her secrets and reform her.
I'd reformed Ji-young's siblings' mother too, and most recently wrapped up that whole parental kidnapping mess.
"I got hooked on the overpowered protagonist game."
No matter what happened, Hypnosis would handle it easily.
So villains or whatever, come at me.
I'd hear about their lives, decide whether to reform or teach them a hard lesson.
"Even the novels I liked were overpowered protagonist stories."
It felt like being the protagonist in one of those, handling incidents solo and keeping it quiet.
That's why no one around me—except for the Shin Jeong-hwa incident—knew about what I'd been through.
No need to let them know, get bodyguards assigned, or receive expensive top-tier self-defense artifacts.
I had Hypnosis, and I wanted to keep it hidden, judging and reforming or punishing villains who approached oblivious.
'I should've realized it back with Yoo Ha-yul.'
That Hypnosis wasn't invincible.
That it was so unstable it could be blocked by something as trivial as an artifact.
'No excuses about it working once I hit level 3 or 4.'
Not even sure I could get there, so no declarations.
Once this mess was over, I needed to prepare separately, not rely solely on Hypnosis.
'Of course, assuming I get out of this alive.'
For now, with the kidnapper gone, this was my chance to escape.
Naturally, my smartphone wasn't in my pocket, and even the couple's ring I'd matched with Yu-ra noona was missing from my finger.
'She stripped me thoroughly.'
Next, I surveyed my surroundings.
First, the window. Luckily, it wasn't barred or locked, but it was way too high up.
"Window's a no-go."
At least ten stories. Even making a rope from bedsheets wouldn't reach the ground.
Giving up on the window, I looked outside. It was all mountains, and the building I was in sat isolated in the middle like some uninhabited island.
'Anywhere else?'
I tried the door next, but of course, it was locked.
I checked everywhere else, but no escape routes, so I quietly scanned the area.
"...No way, for real?"
Then, standing in front of the full-length mirror, I spotted the thin collar-like band around my neck and realized why the Hypnosis skill hadn't activated.
"A high-rank Awakener restraint device."
A special gadget that disrupts mana flow, preventing skill use.
That's why Hypnosis hadn't triggered earlier, and why the mana disruption had caused the headache.
"This... shouldn't even be something you can take out."
Given its potential for criminal misuse, it was strictly controlled by the government and Hero Association.
It even had a tracking function inside, so smuggling it out would get spotted immediately.
'No way she has connections in the Hero Association or government higher-ups?'
Right then, the kidnapper burst back into the room.
"Sorry for the wait! Had to dust myself off a bit."
She hadn't come empty-handed.
Strapped to her back was a massive wooden puppet as big as a real person, and she approached me smiling.
"Excuse me. Haa, I should've handled this while you were asleep, but your sleeping face was so cute I got distracted staring."
She reached out toward me.
A slight sting prickled my scalp, and in her hand were dozens of strands of my hair.
"Blood would be ideal, but that means wounding you. Healing takes too long, and I hate waiting forever."
What the hell was she talking about?
She placed one strand of my hair onto the wooden puppet she'd just brought.
Like clay, as she pressed it down, the hair slowly sank into the puppet.
"It'll be ready soon."
"What the...?"
Right then, a familiar ringtone blared.
She rummaged in her pocket and pulled out my smartphone.
"Want to take it?"
"I'd appreciate that."
"Kidding."
That bitch...
I hadn't really expected her to hand it over.
'But actually, perfect!'
The screen showed Yu-ra noona's name.
If I didn't pick up, noona—who'd sense something was wrong—would spring into action.
If she answered? I'd scream bloody murder about whatever this woman tried.
"Hmm, almost done now. Oh, but first..."
She clapped, and the black-suited women who kidnapped me entered, bound me, and gagged me.
The gag was so thick I couldn't make a sound even screaming—no vibration escaped.
'Guessing she plans to take the call?'
She'd use voice modulation tech.
Or have a skill for it.
Noona would know it wasn't me.
'So if I just hold out a bit...'
But then.
Something unbelievable happened before my eyes.
"Here."
"Yes, Mistress."
The wooden puppet that had been lying on the floor until moments ago stood up as a person.
"You know the lock pattern?"
"I remember that much."
"Good. Was worried since it's just hair."
And it was me!
Another naked version of myself unlocked the phone's pattern with ease.
Even using just the thumb in that habitual way—exactly like me.
"Yu-ra noona? What's up?"
-Jun-hyuk, you okay right now?
"Yeah, just finished washing up and about to sleep."
The voice was identical.
Even the way it spoke to Yu-ra noona.
-Something felt off with you.
"Noona, come on. Nothing's wrong, don't worry. But noona! You haven't come to the cafe much lately, have you? I wait every day, but you never show.
-Ugh! W-Well...
It was like a doppelganger, but not.
Throughout the call with Yu-ra noona, the other me chattered happily, but its eyes held no emotion.
'So that's it?'
The reason Hypnosis hadn't worked on the suited women wasn't artifacts.
Hypnosis only works on living people.
The other me in front of me.
The ones holding me.
They weren't human.
They were dolls.
"See you tomorrow for sure!"
-Yeah! Got it! But Jun-hyuk, really nothing's up?
"Told you, nothing."
-...Okay. Goodnight then.
Not just ordinary dolls.
Ones so lifelike they fooled even Yu-ra noona.
The doll handed the phone back to Soheeji after the call, but she refused.
"You use it. Why give it to me? Pretend to be Jun-hyuk until I give further orders. Got it?"
"Yes. Then clothes..."
"I prepared some separately, but hmm, better make sure."
She smiled at me.
"Jun-hyuk? Want to undress yourself? Or should I do it?"
Maybe my second life ended here.
"Either's fine with me."
＊＊＊
"Well, goodnight."
...
Leaving the defiant, silent Yoo Jun-hyuk behind, Soheeji stepped out.
She practically skipped to her office, like a collector who'd finally obtained a long-coveted treasure.
"Eheheh, finally found you. Haa, this is too good!"
Better than expected.
The face, the body—even that part I'd seen when he undressed himself—all perfect.
With this new addition to her Yoo Jun-hyuk collection, she started planning ahead.
"I like that he doesn't whine like that last guy, but I wanna see him scared too."
Scribbling plans in her notebook with a pen, she frowned at one word she'd written reflexively.
[Torture]
"No good."
She immediately scratched it out.
"I want to preserve him perfectly. Even a wound takes forever to heal."
She kept jotting words, then recalled the person the fake Yoo Jun-hyuk had spoken to and wrote a name.
[Choi Yu-ra?]
"The caller ID said 'Yu-ra noona.' Is it that Choi Yu-ra I know?"
Come to think of it, there was that rumor in the underworld.
Choi Yu-ra's boyfriend runs a cafe, and you absolutely shouldn't go near it.
If she'd been tighter with the underworld, she'd know the exact location, but as an outsider even there, she didn't.
"I'll figure it out step by step! If he's really Choi Yu-ra's boyfriend, even better?"
Other villains would release Yoo Jun-hyuk and flee without a second thought.
But she declared she'd never get caught, not worried—in fact, thrilled.
"Heheh, it's been so long since I felt this excited."
She kept scribbling.
Sometimes words.
Sometimes future plans.
"Eheheh."
Now, outfits.
"What clothes would suit him best? Cosplay feels too limiting."
Like a girl deep in doll play.
While she stayed up all night like that, 'Yoo Jun-hyuk' woke up.
"Yawn."
He woke in his usual home as if nothing happened, had a light breakfast like always.
Headed to the cafe like always.
"Good morning, everyone."
"Good morning, boss!"
Greeted the arriving staff like always.
"Caramel mocha's up."
Served drinks to customers with a smile like always.
"Oh, really? That happened, huh."
Chatted and laughed with regulars like always.
"Jun-hyuk!"
And...
"Noona, long time no see?"
"Y-Yeah."
Met Choi Yu-ra.
"But Jun-hyuk, sorry to bring this up out of nowhere..."
With his usual smiling face.
"You, really okay? Nothing happened?"
While gazing at her—not smiling, unlike usual.