The Interview That Never Was
The hero name for The Paragon member ‘Jun’ was truly absurd. It neither emphasized his abilities nor reflected his identity. It was nothing more than a half-hearted name modeled after K-Pop idols. Yet when they heard that this very man would be commanding The Paragon—
“…What did you just say?”
They couldn’t help but protest.
“Did I hear that wrong? Him?”
Napalm, in particular, was incensed.
“That Asian guy who looks like he’d only be popular with homo gays and little girls is supposed to be in charge?”
She was one of the top-ranked heroes in the U.S. in both popularity and skill. Pax Corporation had recruited her precisely because of that popularity.
“At least I could understand if it was that bitch. You can tell Pax has been grooming her like a prized pet. But some frail-looking punk like him is supposed to lead?”
An unknown Asian who had seemingly crawled out of nowhere was suddenly handed command?
“I won’t allow it.”
Flames ignited in both of her hands as she shouted.
“…Hmm, is that so?”
Hajun smiled as he spoke. The vendors and executives merely watched the scene unfold without intervening. They were waiting to see whether Hajun truly deserved to lead… or whether he would die here or bow his head in submission.
Of course, Hajun already knew exactly how this would go.
“Well, fine. I figured you’d react this way.”
“What?”
“I can’t believe Pax keeps collecting these half-baked excuses for people.”
He stepped forward, closing the distance between them.
“What did you just say?”
“Calling me a homo gay to my face… Is that how a decent person behaves?”
“Ha! Fine. Let’s see if you even have the right to say that—”
Napalm thrust her flames forward to attack, but—
—BOOOOOOM———!!
“Oh dear. Looks like Pax property got broken again.”
“…?!”
He had dodged the attack with ease and now stood with his hands clasped behind his back, looking down at her arrogantly.
“…Lucky shot.”
Napalm adjusted her stance. She had heard that Korean heroes—or hunters, as they were called—possessed naturally superior physical abilities. They could enhance their bodies through something called a Status Window that others couldn’t see. Realizing this, she prepared an attack he couldn’t possibly block.
—Sssss…
Fire required an enormous amount of oxygen to burn. Her body had adapted to handle the flames, granting her lung capacity and oxygen demand dozens of times greater than an ordinary person’s. She drew in a deep breath—
“—Not a chance.”
The instant she inhaled to activate her power—
—Thud——!!
He closed the distance in a flash and struck her solar plexus.
“—Kuh…!?”
Then he grabbed her throat and lifted her into the air.
—CRASH——!
“—Aaaagh…?!!”
He slammed her into the floor.
“KRRRAAAAAAGH———!!”
His foot pressed down hard on her spine. Right. Just as I remembered. Due to the side effects of her flame powers, she suffered constant neural pain as if her entire body were burning. He was targeting her most sensitive pressure point without mercy.
“Feeling a little clearer now?”
In mere seconds, the unremarkable-looking hero had completely subdued Napalm.
“How does it feel to get beaten by a homo gay, Napalm?”
“…Hoh.”
Atlas watched with interest, but Eclipse’s eyes widened.
…There’s someone like that in this world?
The color was different. His soul was a pure, untainted white. While that wasn’t a perfect measure of character, it meant he was someone who firmly believed in and acted upon what he considered ‘right.’ The soul of the man called ‘Jun’ was… almost frighteningly pure.
Yet the one most deeply savoring the scene was someone else.
“Haa, haa…!”
Great America. Her gaze wasn’t on the screaming Napalm on the floor—it was fixed on Hajun, who stood mercilessly crushing her.
Strong.
His physical strength wasn’t overwhelmingly superior, but his brutality and thoroughness were absolute. As if this was exactly how one should handle people. As if those who sinned or insulted others deserved exactly this.
…He’s teaching me.
The arrogant Pax executives who had looked down on her like insects. The trash of The Paragon who had acted so high and mighty. In front of this man, they were all nothing more than subjects for education.
Ah, aah…
She looked like a newborn chick that had just seen its mother for the first time.
No. That’s not right.
She quickly came to her senses. He was a plunderer. He had stolen her position. He had taken what should have been hers. Making them kneel and ruling over them was supposed to be her role—the pride of Pax Corporation. Remembering this, she ground her teeth.
—Grind…
She glared at Hajun with hatred.
“Well, I think that’s enough for now.”
Hajun released Napalm, who lay coughing on the floor, unable to even think of counterattacking.
“Cough, cough…! Khh……!!”
“Now then, let’s have a proper talk.”
With that, he had successfully proven himself.
. . .
Truthfully, I didn’t particularly enjoy violence. Even when dealing with villains, I usually tried talking first. But sometimes there were bugs that words simply couldn’t reach. Great America and Napalm were exactly that type.
It’s a mental illness born from innate power and ‘weakness,’ in a way.
And in cases like this, violence was the answer. Who in the world would bother talking to a wall? That was why I had made the most rational and efficient choice.
““….””
I didn’t mind the silence. The one who broke it was, naturally, Bender.
“Jun, Great America, Napalm, Eclipse, Atlas. The team formed by these five heroes is The Paragon.”
The same line I had heard in my previous life.
“Pax Corporation has been America’s number one hero company from the past to the present. However, with rival companies closing in, we’ve decided to form a new team that will rise above them all.”
Next should have been Great America’s introduction, according to my memories, but—
“And I will be the one commanding this team.”
“….”
I cut Bender off and spoke.
“That woman over there is Great America. She’s going to become America’s greatest hero.”
“…Yes. That’s correct.”
It was a declaration of dominance to the heroes present. In my previous life, Great America had said those words while standing over the kneeling members—including me. But—
From the very beginning, you have to keep a tight grip on the leash.
Unfortunately for her, that position was now mine to inherit.
“Ah, of course, for advertising, broadcasts, and other promotional events, I’ll follow Bender’s opinions. My role is limited to on-site command, internal team cohesion, and tactical guidance.”
After I finished, Bender spoke with clear displeasure.
“…May I speak now?”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“Haa… First, we’ll be holding a group interview in front of the media outlets we’ve already summoned.”
Ah, right. That had happened.
“The time is… yes. One hour from now. The interview will take place at the company’s main entrance in one hour, so make sure you’re fully prepared.”
“…An interview in one hour? We weren’t told anything about this beforehand.”
Napalm, still rubbing her sore waist, asked Bender bluntly. Already irritated, Bender replied in a sharp tone.
“Why do you think I paid that much money to hire you? Fulfill your contract properly.”
“…Yeah, yeah. Gotta listen to the one paying the bills.”
Napalm grumbled, but Atlas showed a hint of anticipation.
“An interview, huh. It’s been a while.”
Eclipse looked skeptical.
“Well, if it’s an interview, I suppose Great America and Jun will handle it well enough. Great America was supposed to be the leader, and Jun… seems to have a way with words.”
Great America, who had been listening up to that point, finally spoke.
“…Jun. Are you going to act just as arrogant during the interview too?”
She stared at me with eyes full of hatred and contempt.
“Hmm.”
I pretended to think, resting my chin on my hand in silence, then answered honestly.
“Not really. I don’t plan on it.”
I didn’t particularly care about impressing the press, so I simply shared my thoughts.
…Or rather, to be more precise—
“Besides, there won’t be an interview anyway.”
The interview wasn’t going to happen.
“…What?”
“Hey, Jun. Are you out of your mind?”
Bender, interpreting my words as a refusal to participate, protested loudly. I ignored him and glanced at the watch on my wrist.
In my previous life, I had checked the time because I wanted to get out of here quickly. Thanks to that, I remember the exact timing. Lucky me.
Finally, when the minute and second hands aligned at 1:13—
“?!”
“W-What…?!”
The alarm in the conference room blared violently.
“H-How did you know…?!”
“…Hah.”
Listening to the familiar alert, I left the stunned room behind and walked out leisurely.
“Well then, everyone, get ready to deploy.”
Like I said—there wasn’t going to be an interview.