Chapter 143: The Hero (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 143: The Hero (3)
Anna Gyeom felt a wave of bitterness as she watched the winter scenery flicker past the window.
Where exactly had her life started to go wrong?
When she first became a hero, she felt like she had the world at her feet. But the reality of being a hero was far from easy. While it looked glamorous and dazzling from the outside, once she actually stepped into that world, she felt nothing but her own limitations in the endless struggle against monsters.
The bar the public set for heroes was incredibly high, and seeing the geniuses who surged ahead of the rest made Anna Gyeom sink deeper into frustration. Climbing higher required monumental effort, and even a single mistake made it difficult to meet her basic quotas.
Because the work was dangerous, the pay was decent enough to live on, but it was certainly no rose-colored life. Between the constant training, the monsters she was sick of fighting, and the support missions for errors or disasters, she felt like she needed two bodies just to keep up.
Promising parties like Black Unicorn cleared dungeons at a pace that made people call them insane. The more they thrived, the more Anna felt like they lived in a completely different world.
She had nurtured her dreams since childhood by watching those radiant heroes on screen. That was why she had fought to get inside that screen herself. But even though they were both heroes, why did it feel like geniuses like those in Black Unicorn lived in a different dimension?
Anna Gyeom was consumed by self-loathing.
It was then that a request came from Hanseong Group, a major sponsor of her clan. It wasn't an official mission, but since Hanseong Group provided so much support to the clan—and had even given her party separate funding—it was difficult to refuse such a personal request.
If I were as successful as Black Unicorn, could I have ignored them?
As she pondered this, the details of the request left her stunned.
Jeong Yeon-woo. The leader of Black Unicorn.
The request was for her to go on the program Survival Hero and keep him in check. She didn't know what kind of relationship Han Byeong-su had with him, but she hated the idea of doing something so petty.
However, she was just an ordinary D-rank hero in a powerless clan. If she didn't comply, she would have to start looking for a new clan immediately.
Following Hanseong Group’s instructions, Anna Gyeom joined the show, but her heart grew heavier the more time she spent with him on the deserted island. Every time he called her "Noona" with that innocent smile, she found it hard to look him in the eye.
He shared the food he gathered with everyone, and when she made intentional mistakes, he didn't blame her; he comforted her.
How could they ask her to torment an angel like this? Anna Gyeom grew more depressed every time she sabotaged the game as requested.
When the program ended and they were on the yacht heading back, he hugged her and told her she had worked hard. In that moment, she felt a chill and wanted to run away. She felt hideous, knowing she wasn't nearly kind enough to deserve his gratitude.
She figured she would never see him again, but she sincerely hoped that only happiness would lie on Jeong Yeon-woo’s path.
Then, a few months later, another request came from Hanseong Group. This time, she even had to meet Han Byeong-su face-to-face.
He didn't give her the full details of the plan, but he handed her the passcode to Jeong Yeon-woo’s house and told her to just go inside for a moment.
"That is a criminal act. I refuse."
She was weak, but the short time she spent with Jeong Yeon-woo had changed her slightly. Anna Gyeom stood up, feeling a sense of pride as she delivered her firm refusal.
But that pride didn't last long.
"Are you out of your mind?"
The Clan Leader called her in and began to pressure her.
"It’s just stepping into a house and stepping back out. You can't even do that one thing?"
"It’s... breaking and entering..."
"Fine, breaking and entering. You're right. So what?"
"What do you mean, 'so what'?"
"They aren't asking you to kill someone or steal anything. They just want you to go in, stay for a bit, and leave. Hanseong Group will handle all the legal issues, so what are you worried about? Are you just chicken?"
The Clan Leader spoke as if she genuinely couldn't understand Anna Gyeom’s hesitation. Confused as to whether these were words a hero should even say, Anna refused again. The Clan Leader looked at her with pure exasperation.
"Ugh, seriously. What’s the point of supporting a talentless brat like you? Do you think heroes only do 'clean' work? Huh?! You think you're the only one who's pure and noble? If you're so damn noble, go be a hero on your own. Get out."
"Why? Why am I the one being insulted?"
Anna Gyeom tried to argue back, but her words didn't stand a chance against the Clan Leader. Soon, she found herself on the verge of being kicked out. She was being cursed at and expelled simply because she refused a personal request.
It was absurd, but Anna Gyeom knew her future would be bleak if she left the clan right now.
"...Thank you for everything you've done for me until now."
Even so, she did not break her resolve.
Whether it was because of Jeong Yeon-woo or a desire to change her pathetic self, Anna Gyeom didn't know. She was simply keeping the vow she made after seeing the bewildered expressions on the faces of the hardworking Jeong Yeon-woo and Eom Soo-hyun after her sabotage: she would never do something like that again.
As she was packing her things to leave the clan, a woman in her 40s approached her and held out a business card. Anna didn't know much about the corporate world, but she knew that the title of "Division Head" was quite high.
The woman from Hanseong Group, dressed in a sharp suit, led Anna Gyeom to the clan’s conference room, saying they should talk. Although the clan and Hanseong Group were separate entities, the Division Head used the conference room as freely as if it were her own office.
She wasn't aggressive like the Clan Leader, nor was she arrogant like Han Byeong-su. She simply stated the facts calmly.
Anna Gyeom’s older sister had fallen into gambling debt. Having even touched private loans, her sister was in a dangerous situation if the debt wasn't paid immediately. Hanseong Group had reportedly bought up all of her sister's liabilities.
Anna Gyeom had never heard that her family was in debt. For the skeptical Anna, the Division Head showed her documents and told her to call and verify for herself.
Staring at the expressionless Division Head, Anna immediately called her sister and asked about the gambling debt. After an initial denial, her sister finally confessed under Anna’s questioning.
Feeling as if the sky were falling, Anna Gyeom screamed and argued with her sister for a long time before hanging up. The Division Head, who had waited patiently until the call ended, watched her silently.
"The debt is entirely my sister's. It has nothing to do with me."
"Yes, I see. Then we shall collect the debt from Hero Anna Gyeom’s sister."
The Division Head nodded and stood up to leave. Seeing her back down so easily, Anna felt a surge of dread and bolted upright.
"If you do anything strange to my sister, I won't let it slide. Do you think it's okay to do illegal things just because you're Hanseong Group?"
The Division Head, who was turning to leave the conference room, paused and looked back with a smile. It was the first time she had shown any emotion, but her smile was utterly grotesque.
"It seemed okay to me."
"..."
"Or would you like to try and stop us, Hero Anna Gyeom?"
It was impossible for a D-rank hero who had just been kicked out of her clan to go up against Hanseong Group. Looking into the Division Head’s snake-like eyes, Anna Gyeom felt goosebumps break out over her skin.
She couldn't understand why she, a hero, was being overwhelmed by an ordinary person, so she began to circulate her mana.
"Is that... a threat?"
As the objects around Anna Gyeom began to tremble, the Division Head spoke calmly.
"..."
As their eyes met, Anna Gyeom’s momentum withered away. The mana that had been surging as if ready to kill vanished instantly, leaving only a pathetic woman staring down at the floor.
"...I'll... do it..."
"A wise decision."
From that point on, Anna Gyeom became Hanseong Group’s toy. Having become an obedient dog, she did whatever they told her to do, which led her here.
However, she had no idea how serious the situation outside was or what had happened to Jeong Yeon-woo. After being instructed to let Park Cheong-woo hit her, she had been staying at that villa.
It was as if she were under house arrest; she couldn't contact anyone, and with no TV or computer, she had no way of knowing what was happening in the world. When she asked the people who were supposedly her "bodyguards"—but were actually her jailers—they only told her to stay quiet.
Then, suddenly, they told her they were moving locations and hurriedly put her in a car.
The car, which had been traveling in silence, stopped halfway up a mountain. It was a rugged path that was difficult for a vehicle to even enter.
Told to get out, Anna Gyeom stepped outside. Watching the snow fall from the bare branches, her heart felt strangely calm. She walked away from the car toward a place where there was no path.
Then, the Hanseong Group guard walking ahead of her turned around.
"Nothing personal."
"I figured as much..."
Looking at the weapon in his hand, Anna Gyeom spoke calmly. Surrounded by Awakened individuals more skilled than herself, she seemed to have resigned herself to the fact that there was no way out.
Since she didn't resist, the guard approached her with a slightly uncomfortable expression. Just as it seemed she was quietly giving up on life, Anna Gyeom’s hand moved.
She threw a handful of dirt—which she had been clutching—into the guard's eyes and ran without looking back.
She wanted to live.
Not wanting to die like this, Anna Gyeom ran with all her might, but wearing mana-suppressing handcuffs made her no different from an ordinary person. Before she could take more than a few steps, another guard blocked her path, and four guards slowly closed in on her from all sides.
"You're being a nuisance."
The guard who had been caught off guard by the dirt approached irritably. Anna Gyeom picked up a stone from the ground and tried to resist. The guard tilted his head slightly to dodge the stone and raised his sword high.
"Everyone struggles at the end because they don't want to die. Like pathetic bugs."
Looking up at the sword and the guard’s eyes full of contempt, Anna Gyeom squeezed her eyes shut.
Why was Jeong Yeon-woo’s face the one appearing in her mind at a time like this?
Though it was a crime, his house, which she had briefly visited, had been so clean. Sitting on his neatly made bed and stroking the blanket, she felt as if he might strike up a conversation with her at any moment.
"Hello. Everyone seems quite busy."
Yes, a bright voice just like that—
Anna Gyeom opened her eyes in shock and looked toward the source of the voice. Not only her, but the guards also turned their heads in confusion.
Jeong Yeon-woo, holding a large rifle, gave Anna Gyeom a bright smile and a greeting.
"It’s been a while, Gyeom Noona."
Thump!
Simultaneously with his greeting, a dull sound erupted from his gun, and a round canister landed right in front of Anna Gyeom. Anna Gyeom liked guns as much as any other woman but didn't know the specifics; instead, a guard screamed out the answer.
"Tear gas!"
While the guards covered their mouths, several more tear gas canisters were fired. The guard in front of Anna Gyeom grimaced and swung his sword.
"Can't have that. I worked really hard to get here."
Before anyone knew it, Jeong Yeon-woo had closed the distance. He stepped between them and deflected the guard's sword with his bare hands. Seeing him parry the blow so cleanly, Anna Gyeom almost mistook it for a skill.
The guard tried to retreat in panic, but Jeong Yeon-woo was faster. He grabbed her wrist and slammed a fist into her jaw.
"Guh—!"
Though she wasn't knocked unconscious, the guard stumbled back several steps. When she looked up, all she saw was her own sword. Having had it snatched away without even feeling it, the guard retreated with the sword embedded in her shoulder as smoke filled the area.
Thump, thump!
Jeong Yeon-woo, who had fired more tear gas into the air, placed a gas mask over the coughing Anna Gyeom’s face. He was wearing a mask too, so only his eyes were visible, but they were curved in a pleasant, smiling shape.
"It’s been a while. Let’s talk in a bit. Just wait a moment."
Click—
Jeong Yeon-woo, who had somehow unlocked her handcuffs, disappeared into the smoke. Anna Gyeom stared blankly after him. She worried that a sword might fly out from the smoke where she couldn't see an inch ahead.
No, more than that, she was worried about the vanished Jeong Yeon-woo. No matter how successful he was, he was still a C-rank hero. Moreover, as a supporter, there was no way he could handle five powerful Awakened individuals.
Thinking she should help now that her handcuffs were off, Anna Gyeom tried to stand up, but someone pressed down on her shoulder. She hadn't felt a single trace of their presence, which sent a shiver down her spine, but then she heard Jeong Yeon-woo’s soft voice behind her.
"No. Please stay still."
The touch on her shoulder vanished, and Anna Gyeom waited, frozen in place. A moment later, the smoke cleared, and Jeong Yeon-woo was the only one standing.
When his eyes met Anna Gyeom’s stunned gaze, he shrugged as if it were no big deal and took off his gas mask.
"It was really hard to find you, Noona. It’s been a long time."
As he brushed back his sweat-soaked hair, Jeong Yeon-woo’s voice was as energetic as if his surroundings had nothing to do with him.