Your True Feelings (2)

I bolted upright, propping myself up on my elbows. What came into view was the tidy scene of a hospital room. Bright sunlight poured through the window, suggesting it was midday.

"…A dream."

I muttered a quiet curse and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠let out a sigh. Talk about a nightmare. Dreaming of the time I was Marionette's puppet, of all things. It must be burned deep into my brain. I'd been dragged around like a marionette for years, so maybe it was weirder if it wasn't stuck there.

But I didn't want to run into her even in my dreams. One encounter in this life was plenty. Not only had I spared her life, I'd even freed her from the fate of becoming a monster. That was mercy overflowing already. She was probably living comfortably as a civilian now. I didn't even care what she was up to.

With my mind settled, I finally checked my body. My head was clear, and there wasn't a single scratch on my skin. Even fresh out of bed, my body felt light enough to take flight at any moment. It was like something beyond mere healing had swept through me. Judging by the surroundings, this had to be Yoram Academy's infirmary... Had they carried me here unconscious? If so, I knew exactly whose touch this was.

There was only one person in all of Korea who could pull off a recovery this perfect.

The saint, Snow White.

The moment I came to, the familiar alert chimed in my ears. What jumped out immediately was the dramatically dropped body degradation rate. The spike that had shot up in one go had stabilized in an instant.

As expected, the saint's Authority did the trick.

To her, it was probably just using her power on a new patient. But as long as I kept a connection to the saint, at least my body wouldn't crumble away into some pathetic death.

She must have stopped by while I was out cold. A shame—I'd wanted to catch a glimpse of her in person at least once.

"But…"

On the flip side, the Thirst hadn't budged an inch from before. If anything, it'd ticked up another 1% from just lying here wasting time in this room.

If body degradation was the physical side effect of the artificial superhuman surgery, then Thirst was the mental one. In other words, it was the same category as Marionette's memory loss.

I remembered even the pre-regression Doctor could only halt the physical breakdown—he never found a way to ease the mental side effects. Otherwise, Marionette wouldn't have gone completely insane.

I'd wondered if the saint's Authority might make a difference… but it looked like even that didn't touch the mental side.

"Well, can't be helped."

It wasn't a big deal anyway. My operations would continue, and the world was overflowing with villains I could kill to slake the Thirst. Though who knew what would happen once they were all gone…

"What's that supposed to mean, 'can't be helped'?"

"Huh?"

I'd been about to brush off the alert when a petulant voice cut in. I turned toward the door.

Her long black hair fluttered lightly in the breeze. Those red eyes still brimmed with an arrogance bordering on elegance. Han Sua leaned crookedly against the wall, glaring daggers at me.

"Han Sua."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"…What, too frail for a guy?"

Was that supposed to be a greeting? Same old personality.

"Dunno. Guess someone hit me too hard."

"Tch."

Han Sua clicked her tongue like I'd struck a nerve. It was less her fault and more me using my body too roughly… but maybe a little teasing wouldn't hurt.

"Y-you're the one who told me to hit you full force…!"

"Don't remember saying to beat me half to death. Is that how heroes treat innocent civilians?"

"Innocent civilian my ass…! Don't you have any shame? How can you say that so shamelessly…!"

Watching her stamp her feet in frustration lifted my spirits. Guess I really was a villain at heart, getting a kick out of something so wicked.

Enough playing around, though.

"How long was I out?"

"…Two days."

"What?"

I blinked wide-eyed. I'd figured at most a day.

…This is bad.

What was I supposed to tell Yuha? She'd already made a huge fuss over a fractured leg. Two days unconscious? I'd be in for it.

As I groaned inwardly, Han Sua added an excuse like it mattered.

"I-I'm just saying, she kept coming to visit. But she got blocked every time…"

"…What're you talking about? Blocked? The door's not even locked. If you're making excuses, at least make 'em good…"

"…It's true."

Han Sua shot back primly. What a ridiculous excuse. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Not like I'd invited visitors anyway.

An awkward silence settled in. I grabbed the remote and cranked up the TV volume. Even after two days, every channel was still buzzing about the attack.

The anchor's voice made me clench my fist instinctively.

Perfect…!

Talk about cost-performance. One raid, and I'd skyrocketed several ranks? Sure, it meant the incident was a big deal, but still.

I flipped channels, piecing together public perception of the event. The raid was pulled off by villains Stingray and his Half-Moon gang, who had a grudge against Peerless. But they were just the muscle. Witness accounts pointed to the newly emerged villain Marionette as the true mastermind. Motive unknown, but suspicions around Marionette and his Vengeance organization only grew by the day.

That about summed it up. Every bit of it was satisfying. I'd exceeded all my pre-planned goals.

"…You're more famous than you think, you know?"

Han Sua grumbled, still pouty. I nodded like it was obvious.

"Yeah. Just saw it."

"Not that."

"?"

She pointed at the TV. I turned, eyes widening.

"…Huh?"

The anchor's voice rolled on as clips flashed by. Interviewees heaped praise on someone.

My jaw dropped slightly. All that embarrassing praise was aimed at me.

I stared in bewilderment. Heroic actions? It was just me slipping out to create an opening. And now it was public like this?

"…Annoying."

"What is?"

"Everything. All of it."

"…"

Han Sua just glared and kept badmouthing me. What was her problem?

I ignored her gaze and changed the subject. I had something to discuss anyway.

"By the way, anything from Hwaryeon?"

Now that she'd chosen the hero path, Hwaryeon wouldn't let her live. They were a villainous corporation plotting world upheaval. But they weren't ready to reveal themselves yet—the heroes' power and scrutiny still held strong, even as corruption spread. That's why they'd pinned everything on her after her death in the previous timeline.

But this time, my interference had changed things. Marionette was an unexpected wildcard for them too.

Han Sua shook her head.

"…Nothing."

"They probably blamed it all on Marionette. The dead villains, the ruined plans. Right?"

"…"

Her uncomfortable silence was answer enough. No need to press her. As long as Hwaryeon didn't suspect her, she could stay embedded. From my perspective, she'd done me a huge favor.

"…Why'd you do it?"

Han Sua's voice carried a tangle of emotions. I answered casually.

"Do what?"

"You're… a villain."

She hesitated but pressed on.

"Weren't you tailing me to hatch some plot? So why kill Half-Moon's goons? Why save my life? And that whole act at the end…"

"Not saving you—using you. Let's get the words right."

I cut her off. Her lips pressed shut, and a hint of her usual sulkiness clouded her face.

…Did I come on too strong?

Old habits die hard. I'd treated her like the villain I knew from before.

"Anyway… sorry about all that. I thought you were a full-on villain."

I apologized to Han Sua. Her eyes went wide like a startled rabbit—clearly not what she'd expected.

But the real point started now.

"That said, I can't lift the hypnosis."

"Wha…?"

She flinched at the word "hypnosis."

"You're essential to me right now."

I just grinned and nodded.

"So, I'm not letting you go."

Baek Yuha trudged along with listless steps. She'd taken a brief break and was heading back to Kim Woojin's room. After two days of nonstop caregiving without sleep, exhaustion shadowed her face.

The nurses had insisted he was about to wake and she didn't need to push herself, but she couldn't just sit idle.

Even the villain raid on her internship office had been a breeze for her. At first, she'd dismissed it as rogue villains. But news of the Peerless office attack drained the color from her face.

Learning Kim Woojin was the only injured hostage, rushed to the hospital, felt like the sky collapsing.

And her aimless resentment turned to Han Sua.

"…Han Sua."

Baek Yuha murmured the name unbidden. It was rare for her to vent at someone who wasn't a villain.

Han Sua—the one who'd twisted her guts throughout the internship, then let Kim Woojin get hurt at the critical moment. And now she had the gall to show up for visits?

As Kim Woojin's one and only childhood friend, chasing her off was only natural.

Lost in those thoughts, she reached the room. Clear voices from inside made her beam like the sun.

Woojin…! You're awake…!

Two days of hardship melted away. She was convinced her devoted care had roused him.

But as she moved to fling open the door and rush in—

Another voice stopped her cold, face icing over.

It was unmistakably Han Sua's.

"…Hah."

She spat icily. Han Sua must have timed it for when she was gone. More vile than any villain.

This time, she'd give her a piece of her mind the second she walked in—

"…Huh?"

Kim Woojin's clear voice rang out. Baek Yuha froze like a statue on the spot.