I’m Not That Villain

86 – Finding the Way (1)

Teresa opened her eyes.

Precisely in the morning.

“…Umm…?”

She raised a hand. But it promptly bumped against a wall.

As she wondered why it had bumped, Teresa suddenly remembered.

The narrow space between the bed where she currently was.

To know the above of a man.

A glance.

She looks directly above. There, a man, deep in slumber, leaned against the wall, huddled in an awkward position.

Gazing at him, Teresa slowly rose. Morning wasn’t usually this refreshing…

And yet, somehow, it was.

Exceedingly so.

Teresa checked her phone.

8:12 AM.

It was precisely morning, pointing its accusatory finger.

“……..”

…Come to think of it, yesterday, I definitely…

Watched a drama and… fell asleep around 12…

“……..?”

Sleeping at the proper time.

Waking at the proper time.

Without waking even once in between.

Teresa blinked. She twisted her body, half-leaning, and looked up at him, still asleep.

If anything had changed, it was the narrow space and his presence. But she’d mimicked this cramped crevice several times before.

And yet, she’d always woken.

Clutching her trembling heart, desperately switching on every light around her.

“…….”

But now. Now it is different.

Theresa stared, quite fixedly, at his face. Then, *tuk*, she tapped his nose.

Just as he had done to her yesterday.

And yet, still he did not awaken. He merely creased his brow slightly, continuing to nod and doze.

He must have stayed up very late indeed.

Quietly, Theresa switched on the television. She checked the last time it had been turned off.

A drama series that had been playing, on loop, incessantly.

It must have ended around…

4:30, perhaps.

“…….”

Until that hour I mentioned, he stayed awake even while I slept?

For a stranger, whose name he doesn’t even know?

That is truly…

“Foolish, isn’t it.”

Theresa chuckled, quietly. It would have been right to let him sleep, ordinarily…

But he had tasks to attend to today.

“Excuse me.”

“…Ugh… ugh’bub…?!”

His eyes opened, vacant and clouded, then he started, jolting upright. He grabbed frantically for his phone, tripped on the bedclothes, and tumbled right over.

“W-what time is it…?!”

“Eight o’clock. If we get ready and leave, around nine. We should arrive before noon.”

She spoke the words she had never uttered even once before.

“Good morning.”

. . .

Sleepy.

So terribly sleepy.

I yawned, stretching languidly. My body, though quickly washed, still felt sluggish.

Perhaps it was from sleeping in such an awkward position. Or perhaps from staying up so late.

My bones cracked and popped, a chorus within me. She, who had been watching over me, reached out and tugged my arm, pulling it straight.

Almost as if to embrace me.

Pointing boldly to herself.

“Sleep a little more.”

She took my head and placed it directly on her shoulder.

Ah. So soft. And why was her skin so yielding?

A pleasant scent, too, lingered in the air. If I had my way, I’d lean on her a little longer, but…

Eventually, I subtly straightened up.

“It’s alright.”

I was tired, yes, but it didn’t affect my ability to move. Rather, this was a moment to steel myself, to tense my muscles.

Scarlett’s voice echoed in my ear, traveling through my in-ear device.

With a barrage of words that made my ears ache, like a storm unleashed, she poured out her grievances.

“Master. When we return this time, you must guarantee my free time!”

“…Why…”

“I need to develop a bio-mechanical body as soon as possible. I won’t just stand by and watch any longer. I have to take matters into my own hands…!”

“Yes, yes. Let’s do that…”

Soothing the fussing Scarlet, I entered the store that we had tracked through the certificate.

The store owner, after verifying the certificate, nodded to us.

“It’s certainly one we issued.”

“Can you tell me who the issuer was?”

“…Considering you have the certificate, of course, we can provide that information.”

With a slightly suspicious gaze, the information of the owner who purchased this luxury item was printed out.

After printing out that information separately, we moved on again. After finding the address written on the paper…

We could confirm his death. From a resident of a public housing complex next to a grand mansion.

“So, was that bag stolen by killing him after all?”

“……”

Then it was nothing more than robbery.

That she, that Seol Yewon, had been killing people and extorting money all this time to steal funds?

I was silent, unable to reconcile myself with such an incongruous truth.

…First. First, even so.

We need to find her. That is the priority.

“The trail goes cold here.”

“So it seems.”

Alas, we couldn’t unearth any information about the woman we sought within the mansion. He had been dead for ages, and all his possessions long since liquidated.

Yet, one thing we could glean.

The perception of him held by those around him.

“Just a rich, old windbag.”

“A pathetic b*stard. Good riddance.”

“His personality was vile. So bad you’d want to strangle him.”

“If he hadn’t been born to a wealthy father, he’d have starved in the streets, you know?”

An unappealing character, to be sure.

A man who, as if rebelling against this very notion, adorned himself head-to-toe in luxury brands.

Could this unpleasant disposition be mere coincidence?

Just then, the woman beside me had her phone begin to ring.

“They’ve found her, it seems.”

“…Really?!”

“To be more precise, a visual of her was discovered on camera.”

“What camera?”

She held out her phone to me.

Only a single video resided within.

“It seems a shot of her entering the enforcement agency’s interior was taken during the turf war in the Jung-gu district. The face and clothing are mostly obscured, so nothing is certain… but a hint of her distinctive hair color is visible, at least.”

“…?”

A hat pulled low, obscuring. The figure crossing the road with hasty steps, its back view leaving me uncertain if it’s truly her.

Moving with a speed that makes it difficult to capture on camera.

And then, a fleeting moment. Just a fleeting moment…

A glimpse of sky-blue hair escapes from beneath the hood.

“What do you think?”

“……”

I returned the phone to her.

“…Get out of here.”

“Hmph.”

“It seems like it’s going to get dangerous from now on.”

“I told you,”

She chuckled, a soft puff of air.

“That I’d be helpful. And that help, hasn’t finished yet, you know?”

. . .

Executor Baek San pulled back the curtain, checking the outside.

“…….”

There are almost no people on the street. This place is on the outskirts, even for Jung-gu.

Since the last war, many have returned to Jung-gu, but still, empty spaces are more numerous.

Besides…

It wasn’t as if the execution force had retreated entirely from the start, so in a way, the outcome was only to be expected.

“…Haa.”

The execution force stationed in Jung-gu had, of course, retreated. Utterly defeated by the overwhelming disparity in experience with abilities-based combat, coupled with their meticulously organized urban warfare.

But did that mean they’d fled Seoul altogether? No. Absolutely not.

The execution force, only halfway withdrawn, had crossed over to where the massive organization, White Hand, resided, and were currently regrouping. This time, with greater certainty, sharpening their blades with the intent to make up for their previous inadequacies.

The government was actively exploiting the adage that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. They’d return to hostilities with White Hand once all this was over, but…

That was a story for another day.

It seemed White Hand had judged there was no need to concern themselves with it right now. Perhaps they’d decided that crushing Hundred Eyes, who had thoroughly tarnished their image, was more important than a war that might only come to pass in the future.

The important thing was that the war wasn’t over with just this one incident. The reason they’d painstakingly preserved their forces and withdrawn from Jung-gu, Seoul, was for a re-invasion. Furthermore, that fact was subtly, yet completely, spreading as a rumor throughout Seoul…

It was only natural that civilians weren’t returning to Jung-gu, Seoul. Why return to a district where war might break out at any moment? There was nothing to gain.

Hence, the abundance of empty houses. And by actively utilizing them, one could accomplish things like this.

Baeksan drew the curtains shut again. He tore open a bottle of mineral water from the refrigerator of this house he had no connection to, and downed it in one gulp.

Thud.

The lid of the basement trapdoor opened.

Yui, pale as a ghost, emerged from within, gasping for air.

“S-Senior… how much longer… do we have to do this…?”

How much longer.

There was only one answer.

“Until they spill the information.”

“Ah, but…this…this isn’t humane…”

“Those aren’t words you get to say, not after illegally occupying a completely empty house.”

“Ah, but sunbae…there, there might be other ways…”

“Is torture the only method we’ve considered?”

Baeksan placed a cigarette in his mouth.

“We’ve done everything we could. Since that initial clash, we’ve asked every question imaginable. But it is the other side that refuses to answer.”

“…….”

“Yui-hubae. This isn’t some childish game. We can’t just let them go because they won’t talk. From the very start, they’re criminals. Serial killers who’ve slaughtered countless people who left malicious comments on Black Mirror.”

“…E-Even so…”

I understand.

For someone who entered this profession with only the idealized image of an Enforcer, this shocking scene is something they’re bound to experience at least once.

But what can be done? It’s unavoidable for an Enforcer.

Saving people? Only doing what is right? Living a life without shame?

All of it far removed from what an Enforcer is.

From the start, neither Enforcers nor Fixers are knights of justice. Even if they are called heroes as nicknames or whatever…

In the end, they’re just dogs.

Dogs of the government.

What is it that a dog does? When its master barks, it barks, and when it’s told to retrieve something, it fetches a bone.

Even if it means doing things they don’t want to in the process…

To retrieve when ordered is what an Enforcer is.

Of course, there was the freedom to rebel. But Baek-san had no such thoughts.

The one they’d caught was a criminal. No different than a pile of filth. For monsters who weren’t even human, who wielded their power as they pleased, a beating was the best medicine.

Even if he wasn’t an Enforcer, he would have done the same.

For justice.

“Clear your mind. They’re just criminals after all. Think of it as dealing with an unruly beast. And this one is especially stubborn. Incredible endurance and a will to endure pain that far surpasses the average offender. You can’t break him with words.”

“……..”

“So, this is the only option left. Beat him until he breaks. Ceaselessly. Fortunately, the subject also possesses a degree of regenerative ability, so there’s no need to worry about death. Create an opening with constant pain, then exploit that gap. Our task is to find the location of Heukgyeong…Viper, that is. Don’t forget why we’re here. Yoo-i.”

“…Yes…Senior…”

Her reply still wavered. Baek-san lit a cigarette, brushing past her.

The task was simple.

To probe the b*stard’s body again.

With his ability, ‘Space Distortion’, he sharpened the tip of his specialized equipment. Adjusted to pierce even the toughest skin, he stood before the woman confined in the basement.

Everything splattered around was blood and flesh. Leaking from the woman, bound by thick chains.

Seeing the blood and pus mixing, dripping from her wounds, made even him feel nauseous.

But what could he do?

A job was a job. The one before him was just a murderer.

It was a job someone had to do.

Moreover, Viper, the artisan of Heukgyeong, was too dangerous to be left alone. So…

He had to catch him here, no matter what. Not just because it was his job, but for society.

“…To avoid the worst, someone has to wallow in the filth…”

Baeksan manipulated the specialized tool clutched in his hand.

Blood splattered.

“It begins anew. If you have words, then utter them. If so, I shall grant you an end. An end to this suffering.”