Chapter 118
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 118
Chapter Title: Take It Off
The powerful impact made Justice's body sway. But she seemed more startled by the burning sensation on her cheek than the sudden pain.
She had been through countless battles,
but this was the first time she'd been slapped at the end of an emotional spat like this.
And what that signified was anything but simple.
It felt heavier than any punch.
Justice rubbed her stinging cheek and let out a hollow laugh, laced with a sigh.
"Ha... fine."
What she felt was unmistakably guilt and remorse. Even so, the vivid shock to her head naturally brought a surge of irritation.
That's just how humans are.
Even when they clearly understand the situational or contextual flow of emotions, if they think there's even a sliver of excuse for themselves, they get angry.
"Feel better now? If that's not enough, hit me again."
Justice's eyes sharpened a bit. The tension between them began to build.
"Hit me more! Huh? Why not just shoot me while you're at it? Do whatever you want. Did I do this just for myself? What am I supposed to do about the situation?!"
Justice thought she was holding back remarkably well right now.
Normally, she would have no choice but to capture and lock Crow away. But even the shame of the Hero Association's Director being swayed by some petty old grudge weighed on her.
That didn't mean she wasn't sorry, though. Crow's plight was heartbreaking, and seeing him so broken was painful.
"Can't we just keep it between you and me? Do you really have to turn the whole world upside down to feel better?"
Crow considered slapping her again but fought back the impulse. Instead, he unleashed a torrent of frustrated words.
"...Why? Can't I even say I'm innocent?"
His shoes were already on, but Crow stepped back inside the entryway to snap at her. His dirty footprints marred the clean wooden floor.
"Can't you just say sorry for once?"
Crow's eyes reddened. It wasn't born of simple sadness. It was utterly different from the quiet sobs he'd stifled in front of the bathroom mirror.
"Is that so hard...?"
Betrayal and frustration,
and despair.
It was the outpouring of grief toward the woman he'd trusted and relied on all this time.
Crow had nothing left now.
Even the Director and Justice, whom he'd believed had guided him, had abandoned him to sacrifice.
"Is it that hard...?"
Flashes of short scenes flickered through his mind.
He replayed the brief moments he'd spent with Justice—times when he'd acted spoiled or received her affection.
Love with an older woman naturally gave a man psychological stability and warmth.
"Ha... this is driving me insane."
But sometimes, it left the deepest wounds.
In their case, it went beyond a simple lover's bond, compounded by clashing values.
From a slight distance, though,
it could be seen as a tragedy rooted in the fundamental dynamic of a younger man and older woman.
Their old relationship
shattered
right here,
in this moment.
"That's not what I meant. When did I ever say I wasn't sorry?"
"That's not what you meant?"
There was no salvaging it. The already tattered bond between them severed completely.
"Then what is it? How's that any different from telling me to take all the blame and die alone?"
"What I'm saying is, even if you act like this, nothing changes in the end!"
Justice raised her voice,
but Crow's grew quieter by the second.
"I know you're wronged. I get it, but if you just do whatever the hell you want, how's that any different from what other villains do?!"
He saw no point in talking with her anymore. He'd wanted to hear her words one last time, but all that reached him was preaching about sacrifice.
"Did I frame you? Or inject drugs into your body? I didn't know! I didn't know! But you come to me, and all you have to say is this? You're innocent, so you'll wreck the world to prove it?"
Her voice made his teeth grind. He felt stupid for ever pinning any hope on her.
"I told you. Just leave it to me and hold on a little longer. Don't you remember? Did I ever say I wouldn't help you? But look what you brought. What the hell are you thinking? What, after hanging with other villains in prison, that's the only solution you could come up with?"
There were no flaws in Justice's logic or words.
If Crow just shouldered everything, it would surely resolve easily.
"Ha... fuck..."
Justice clawed at her hair and took a deep breath. Even after pouring out her heated emotions, her unease remained unchanged.
"...Crow, let's not do this. Let's think about it a little more."
Now her eyes reddened too.
It was rare to see Justice like this.
"Please! I'll fix it. I know. Okay? I know how hard it's been for you. So let me handle it. I'll prove your innocence."
It hadn't been a one-sided crush. Crow might have loved her a bit more, but that didn't make her love false.
"But the timing's bad right now. You get that, right...?"
Justice's trembling hands gripped Crow's shoulders. She loved him and desperately wanted to help him, but...
"Trust me a little. Okay...? We can go back to how things were. Just... wait a bit longer...?"
She didn't want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance.
Just a little more,
until she normalized the Association and the public's mockery died down...
If he could hold out until then,
maybe Justice and Crow could return to their old ways.
"Oh, yeah?"
Crow laughed emptily. He had no intention of waiting for her.
"Nah, don't think so. I'm releasing everything tonight."
"What?"
After venting his rage,
Justice tried to coax him again,
but Crow turned his fury on her instead.
"Wait...!"
Justice sensed the shift the moment Crow changed. She grabbed and restrained him firmly, realizing mere persuasion wouldn't cut it.
But Crow only made her more anxious.
"Why? Negotiations failed."
"No, Crow. You're misunderstanding... I'm trying to help you! Normally, I'd have to arrest you, but I'm begging you for time..."
She trailed off. More words wouldn't convince him.
"That's not how you beg."
Crow shook off her hand like swatting dust. He brushed away her grip on his shoulders with clear disgust.
"Why not just arrest me now?"
Justice swallowed hard, cautiously preparing her ability. Even against Crow, she never lost in hand-to-hand combat.
"...You brought this on your-"
"But if I'm not back in three hours, it'll probably auto-post all over the internet?"
Yet Crow's few words pinned her in place.
He hadn't actually asked Deoksoon or Lily for anything. But to Justice and Crow, the truth didn't matter.
"...You're serious-"
"Don't interrupt me."
He spat even more villainous threats, cornering her. Even though she unbeatable in a fight, in this bind, Crow held the upper hand.
"Want to see the Association and your reputation go to shit? Keep interrupting if you do."
His face twisted in disgust as he strode back into her house. The floor turned into a mess of dirt and sand.
"Ah, no... wait a sec..."
Justice panicked, no time to retract her words. Crow, like a completely different person from moments ago, pulled out a cigarette inside and lit up freely.
His trembling fingertips made even the cigarette ash shake. The extreme stress sharpened his drug withdrawal symptoms.
"Hoo..."
As he puffed away, leaving more footprints, he eventually beckoned Justice with a crooked finger.
While she hesitated and approached,
Crow jiggled his leg, trying to steady his emotions. It didn't seem to help much.
His eyes were still red,
and his hands kept shaking.
"Strip."
In that state,
Crow threatened Justice.
His mind had already calculated how much shock his fabricated lie about [releasing all the data] would cause her.
"Hey, you...!"
"Strip. Actually, forget it. I'm out."
"Wait! W-wait...!"
But Justice still couldn't grasp his sudden demand and could only falter.
She didn't understand the situation at all.
But Crow, with bloodshot, ruined eyes glistening with tears,
legs trembling, cigarette burning hastily,
made it crystal clear.
"Take it off, you fucking bitch."