That Beast-Like... ♡!! (1)
Yeonha.
The low voice pulled Yeonha from her thoughts. Colossus had already approached and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. His eyes were filled with concern. That calm, steadfast gaze made her body twist with a strange, squirming sensation.
“Y-yeah? What’s up?”
“Another villain report just came in. You wanna head out?”
“Sure… Since we’re already out, let’s catch one more before heading back.”
When she tapped the file shared on her phone, the newly reported villain’s information scrolled across the screen.
Ah, this guy. Yeonha nodded at the familiar face. Aside from his massive build, he was just an ordinary strength-type superhuman. And strength-types who hadn’t awakened any particularly special abilities were the easiest opponents for both Colossus and her HT Team.
“Didn’t we already lock this one up in the detention center?”
“Mm. He broke out. During the Eight Bomber incident.”
“Ah, I heard a lot of villains escaped back then. Okay, got it. We’ll just put him back in!”
Yeonha shrugged and dashed toward the scene, shouting over her shoulder.
“If you’re late, you get punished!!”
“…Mm.”
Colossus watched Yeonha hop from streetlight to streetlight and gave a small nod.
*
“Kyaaaaah!!”
A café street in Sangsu-dong. On this bright late-spring weekend afternoon, the normally lively street was filled with nothing but screams. Alarms blared from every corner, emergency lights flashed, and panicked citizens ran around shrieking.
Yeonha sat on the rooftop railing, sighing deeply as she looked down at the hulking man wrapped in steel chains and roaring like a beast.
“A hostage situation? Seriously?”
The muscular giant in a black leather suit clutched a woman who looked like a college student, glaring around as he bellowed.
“Get the hell back!! Everyone get back right now?!”
“Please save meeeee!!”
What does this guy even want? Yeonha clicked her tongue as she watched the shouting giant. Banks, government buildings, labs, power plants, shady corporations—villains usually had reasons for their terrorism. Even the ones who acted without reason tended to share some common traits. But no villain robbed a café at noon on a weekend. Especially not a B-class one.
“Hey there, Ocoid! Long time no see!”
“BOPAL RAAAAABBIT!!!”
The giant—Ocoid—scrunched his face into a fierce scowl and looked up at Yeonha, who was perched on the rooftop across the street. He ground his teeth and shouted.
“You damn rabbit bitch!! You came to get in my way again?!”
“You’re the one getting in the way right now. Why are you ruining these good citizens’ pleasant teatime?”
“Shut up!! I decided to turn over a new leaf and live clean!!”
“And this is what turning over a new leaf looks like?”
“This bitch rejected me!!”
“Huh?”
She hopped down to street level and stared at Ocoid. It was definitely a villain terror scene, but aside from some broken furniture and building debris, there were zero victims. Not even a single injured person!
“Wait, what?”
“I went on a blind date!! The second she saw my face she said something urgent came up and ran off!!”
“What?!”
This was the last thing she expected to hear while rushing in to stop a villain terror attack. Yeonha stared at them blankly for a moment. The woman held in the man’s grip must have noticed her gaze, because she suddenly screamed.
“I really do have an emergency!! It’s time to feed my dog Boppy at home!!”
“See that, Bopal Rabbit?! I’m being treated worse than a dog right noooow!!”
Only then did the situation finally click. Come to think of it, the Eight Bomber terror attack had happened ages ago. It was strange that a villain who escaped back then would suddenly start causing trouble now. Maybe he hadn’t been hiding like a dead rat all this time. Maybe he had actually tried to quit being a villain and live a normal life.
Of course, it was a touching story. If only it hadn’t ended like this.
“Hey, Ocoid. Calm down for a second.”
“Do I look like I can calm doooown?!”
“Well, if she doesn’t like you, what can you do? You have to meet someone who actually likes you…”
“Aaaaaagh!! No one has ever liked me!!”
“That’s not this woman’s fault!!”
When Yeonha yelled back, Ocoid sniffled and answered.
“Then… is it my fault?”
“No, that’s not it either. It’s just… taste? It’s a matter of taste.”
“Is there even a woman out there who would find me to her taste?”
“Just wait. Calm down. You weren’t always like this. Remember the last conversation we had? That passionate declaration you made while smashing the Han River Bridge, shouting that you’d bring the whole world to its knees.”
“The world… Yeah. That’s right…”
Ocoid lowered his head, then lifted it again. His expression looked like he had come to some anxious, terrible decision. Only then did Yeonha realize her mistake and quickly cover her mouth.
“A world that doesn’t like me. Yeah. This world is wrong. I have to destroy it…”
“No no no no no. That’s a misunderstanding. You—you’re popular. That woman is the weird one.”
“Liar!!! You’re lying to me again!! Aaaaaagh!!”
Ocoid shook the hostage violently with one hand as he roared. The poor civilian woman had already passed out at some point; she hung limply, foaming at the mouth.
“Aaaah, stop shaking her! Calm down! Do you want to go back to the detention center?!”
“Since you’re here, I’m obviously going to get arrested again. There’s no avoiding the detention center!!”
“No! Mm. Mm-hmm. I’ll take it into consideration. There are no victims, and… well, this is basically an emotional issue, right? Let’s solve this rationally.”
As long as she could deal with the hostage, Ocoid would go down in one hit. It had been that way before, and it would be the same now. She could just kick his head hard enough to knock him out and throw him back in the detention center. But with a hostage—especially a civilian—one she couldn’t move carelessly. From C-class onward, her movements made them flinch, but at B-class they actually reacted. And if she made this slender woman flinch even once while she was in those huge hands, she would clearly get crushed.
First, she had to calm him down. She approached slowly with her palms open, keeping her expression as harmless as possible.
“Okay, calm down, Ocoid. I’ll set you up on a blind date!”
“…A blind date?”
Ocoid’s body froze at those words. What a simple guy. Yeonha smirked and took another step closer.
“Look. Yeah. If you let this slide nicely, I’ll talk to the Association for you. I’ll tell them you’ve reformed, that you’re a sincere superhuman who’s been trying to live honestly. I’ll get them to send you to community service instead of back to the detention center. Sound good? You can live in society, go on blind dates, get a girlfriend, have a sweet little lovey-dovey life. Doesn’t that sound nice?”
“Blind date… You’re not lying, right…?”
“Why would I lie about something like this? Think about it. If I really wanted to beat you up, do you think you could last? I’m saying all this for your sake. So come on, put her down and let’s talk. Rationally.”
Yeonha stood close enough to dash in with a single step, hands open wide as she smiled. Ocoid swallowed hard, then slowly began lowering the woman—only to suddenly stop.
“Hm?”
“Wait.”
“Why…?”
When Yeonha’s eyes darted around nervously, Ocoid narrowed his eyes and looked down at her.
“There’s no way anyone would like me. You’re just planning to attack the second I release the hostage, right?”
“N-no, what are you talking about?! You’re such an attractive person!! Have some confidence!!”
“Liiiiies!! I can see you’re lying right now!! What’s attractive about me?!”
Why is he throwing a tantrum all of a sudden?! Yeonha hurriedly spoke up.
“You—you’re tall! And your muscles are impressive! That’s good! There are actually quite a few women who like that type, you know? And… um… personality…? You have a unique look! If you do something with those chains and leather pants, there’s definitely potential!!”
“Mmm…!!”
“And look. Manliness!! Yeah, you could appeal with your manliness. That bad-ass— I mean. Um. The tough-guy style! Macho men are popular these days!”
“Mmmmm!!!”
At least take a shower before going on a blind date. Yeonha barely managed to swallow the words rising in her throat. The sticky smell of sweat and pure male musk was overwhelming. Up close, he really was huge. Colossus was in the 180s, so this guy had to be at least two handspans taller. She nodded as she watched Ocoid’s grip gradually loosen. Finally, completely convinced, Ocoid smiled brightly and set the woman down. The hostage staggered, then collapsed in a heap…
“You son of a—!!!”
—KWAaaaaang!!
Before the freed hostage could even touch the ground, in that split second Yeonha shot forward like a bullet and slammed her foot into Ocoid’s head! An S-class strike. Before he could even blink, three consecutive kicks landed. Ocoid was sent flying helplessly and rolled across the floor.
“Grrrrrr…!!”
“This bastard, this bastard!!”
—Bam! Bam!!
Yeonha stomped on the fallen Ocoid, then whipped out the superhuman-only handcuffs and snapped them onto his wrists.
“You tricked me, Bopal Raaaaabbit!!”
“Shut your mouth, you idiot. People have different tastes, okay? You throw a terror attack just because you got rejected once? And you call yourself B-class? You’d be so proud to get arrested and sent to the detention center over something this pathetic!”
“Aaaaaagh!! This world really is wrong!!”
“You’re the one who’s wrong!! If you’re going to live honestly, then do it all the way! Why harass a poor civilian?!”
Once he was neutralized, Yeonha dusted off her hands and stepped down from his body. Ocoid staggered to his feet, sat down heavily, shook his dazed head, and then burst into loud sobs.
“Huh?”
“I… I just wanted to be loved too… I wanted to go on normal dates and…”
“H-hey, don’t cry… Why are you like this all of a sudden?”
“No one… likes me…!! Uwaaaaa…!!”
He really wasn’t like this before. Yeonha stared at Ocoid with a blank face. A height taller than Colossus and muscles twice as wide. The kind of body that screamed I’m a strength-type superhuman~. The rookie villain who had proudly shouted “I’ll bring the whole world to its knees!!” while smashing the Han River Bridge had changed completely after one trip to the detention center…
Just what the hell is the detention center to these villains…? Yeonha made a firm mental note to never, ever let herself get locked up there.
“Anyway… um. You have a prior escape record… so the punishment will probably be increased…”
“Liar… You’re a liar…”
“No, listen… Yeah. I’ll put in a good word with the Association… Mm-hmm. Wait, why do I feel sorry? I don’t get this. Why am I the only one who doesn’t get it?”
Why does catching a terrorist leave such a bad aftertaste? Yeonha grumbled and started to stand up, then froze.
There was something stick-shaped bulging from the pocket of Ocoid’s leather pants. Judging by the size, it could be a firearm, a blunt weapon, or even a knife. If it was a weapon he had kept hidden until the very last moment…
‘He saw me arrive at the scene and already expected to be caught?’
He couldn’t possibly have thought he could beat Bopal Rabbit in a fight. So he pretended to surrender quietly, then planned to use that weapon inside the transport vehicle heading to the detention center. The escort team would let their guard down thinking he was neutralized, only to get hit from behind. Had he even planned his next prison break already…?
Then was all that sobbing just an act…?
Yeonha stared at the sniffling Ocoid and frowned deeply.
“Hey. What’s that thing in your pocket?”
“Sniff, uwaaaa… Hic. My pocket…?”
“Yeah, whatever you’re hiding in your pocket. Is it a gun?”
Ocoid tilted his head stupidly. Even though it was obviously exposed, he was still playing dumb!! Yeonha stomped over to him. He flinched, not understanding why she was suddenly angry.
“Take it out!”
“W-what?! I don’t put anything in my pants pockets because it’s uncomfortable!”
“Then what the hell is—!”
Yeonha yelled and shoved her hand into the terrified Ocoid’s pants pocket—then froze solid.
“Uh…? What the…?”
“....”
A soft, elastic rod twitched in her hand through the pocket. Wondering what it was, she moved her hand a little. At the touch of her slender, delicate fingers, the rod trembled and gradually grew harder… Harder?
“This can’t be… No way, no way, no way…!”
“It does look a bit like a… dangerous weapon.”
Ocoid had stopped crying and was nodding with a proud expression. Only then did Yeonha realize what she was holding. She shrieked at the top of her lungs and slammed her fist into his head with all her strength.
*
Five minutes after the Sangsu-dong terror incident broke out, it was suppressed. That evening, when the news aired about S-class hero Bopal Rabbit resolving a B-class villain’s hostage situation with zero victims or casualties, a small tabloid published an article titled “B-class villain Ocoid claims he was sexually assaulted during arrest—shocking.” The story was immediately buried under a storm of public backlash.