I Became a Villain’s Hero

Chapter 21: Graduation (3)

TL/Editor: Raei

Schedule: 4/week

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Song Soo-yeon's graduation ceremony was just a day away.

I wasn't the one graduating, nor was it my child's, yet my heart wouldn't settle.

Maybe it's because I know how important this day is to Song Soo-yeon?

Or maybe it was the nervousness that often accompanies change.

There was also a sense of pride.

I was happy to have guided Soo-yeon, who once seemed to be veering off track, all the way to her graduation ceremony.

Even though she would be leaving the store, I knew I had to keep in touch and look after her, but for now, it seemed like the immediate crisis was averted.

Despite her occasional sharpness, I couldn't deny that she had changed to some extent.

Otherwise, she might have already become a villain or awakened her powers.

Anyway, I was on my way home to prepare for tomorrow.

[Soo-yeon, I'll be going home for a bit. Don't be surprised when you come home from school and find me there.]

After sending her a message, I stood in front of my apartment.

I knocked, just in case she was inside.

Unlikely, but she might have skipped school.

-Knock, knock, knock.

"Are you there?"

Silence.

"Coming in."

Having checked, I opened the door.

As expected, no one was inside.

My tidy room welcomed me.

Though I had lent it to Song Soo-yeon, I often returned to this room.

My clothes were here, and I had to take care of my hygiene here too.

And every time, I realized that Soo-yeon was making an effort to keep the room clean.

I had never seen things scattered about on the floor.

The essentials she had bought were tucked away in a corner, not taking up much space.

It was as if she was always ready to leave at any moment.

I thought it was for the best and never brought it up.

There was a lot to do today.

I needed to think about what to wear tomorrow, prepare to buy flowers, and find a place to eat.

I didn't know why Soo-yeon had invited me to her graduation, but I wanted to provide for her what her parents couldn't.

It would hit my already tight budget, but this wasn't the time to save money.

Opportunities to buy happiness with money don't come often.

In the past, I thought money could always be exchanged for happiness, but my views changed after accumulating enough.

Too little money is obviously a problem, but now, as long as I can take care of basic needs, it's fine.

I figured I could manage until next month if I continued working part-time.

And maybe even longer if Song Soo-yeon started working somewhere else right away.

That was also the last thing I had to do today.

I needed to subtly suggest she start job hunting.

Of course, she probably already knew.

She might find another place even if I didn't say anything.

Now that she's old enough to sign a work contract.

"...Ah."

It's bittersweet.

The thought of her leaving, that is.

No matter how much she had insulted or mocked me, she was ultimately my only friend.

Even if she didn't care much about me, I had grown quite fond of her.

Goodbyes were not something I was accustomed to.

I shrugged my shoulders.

Well, it wasn't like this was the end of our relationship.

If she wanted to come to my shop and eat, I had planned to offer it for free.

So, there was no reason to feel sad.

Rather, it was something to be celebrated.

I steadied my heart.

---

---

[Soo-yeon, I'll be going home for a bit. Don't be surprised when you come home from school and find me there.]

Song Soo-yeon pondered for a moment upon receiving a text from Jung-gyeom.

Was there anything strange at home today?

Even though she cleaned the house every day, she always felt uneasy whenever he returned.

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Maybe it was because of the unspeakable things she did in that room.

Like looking at his pictures every night or practicing to express her honest feelings.

All of which would have been incredibly embarrassing if discovered.

Song Soo-yeon mentally went through a checklist to organize her thoughts.

.....It seemed there would be no problem.

She sighed and shifted her gaze to the homeroom teacher conducting the end-of-day routine at the podium.

"Good work this year, and come on time tomorrow. Tell your parents to use public transport if possible. The roads might be busy."

Song Soo-yeon half-listened.

She just wanted to go home quickly.

Even if it involved bickering, she wanted to be with Jung-gyeom.

The more she learned of his warmth, the more everything else seemed increasingly dismal, like a cesspool.

Even then, the bullies were snickering at her, and more than a couple of boys were eyeing her legs.

"Okay, that's it for today's homeroom. Don't go causing trouble just because we're ending early. Remember, you're still students, so be careful."

With those words, the class stirred into action.

Song Soo-yeon quickly grabbed her already packed bag and left the classroom.

"Hey...!"

Just then, someone grabbed her arm.

Turning around, she saw it was a male student.

Song Soo-yeon felt disgusted and shook off his hand.

She couldn't hide the distortion in her expression.

"Ah... sorry.."

The boy apologized, seeing Song Soo-yeon's startled reaction.

"Don't touch me like that."

Song Soo-yeon replied, suppressing her anger.

She wanted to curse him, but causing a scene wouldnt have done any good.

She already knew why he had grabbed her.

The thoughts were clear in her mind.

I touched Soo-yeon... I want to touch her more...

She clenched her teeth.

As expected, there was no stopping these annoying flies.

He said,

"Soo-yeon."

Just the sound of her name in his mouth was enough to infuriate her.

He continued speaking.

"I actually like you-"

"Sorry, but I don't even know who you are. Don't call me by my name so casually. And I'm not interested in dating. I'm leaving."

She briskly left after saying only what she needed to.

She had to leave quickly before the onlookers formed a large circle around them.

It was a lesson learned from several past experiences.

All she thought about was the need to leave the school quickly.

However, Song Soo-yeon faced many difficulties in getting out of the school.

The boy who confessed to her was not the only one.

"You might not know me, but actually-"

"I like you. I'll make you happy. From now on-"

"Can I, can I get your number?"

Perhaps because it was the day before the graduation ceremony, there were too many boys confessing their feelings.

Some approached her with innocent faces, some with determined expressions, and some in a delinquent manner, but their intentions were uniformly impure.

She yearned for Jung-gyeom's pure heart in that moment.

No matter how sharply she rejected every confession, the school was gradually turning into chaos.

Each time she turned down the boys' confessions, the jealousy of the girls grew.

Not just their gazes, but their overt hostility also began to surface.

The girls couldn't contain their anger as the boys they loved confessed to Song Soo-yeon.

Song Soo-yeon snorted in disdain.

'Is it my fault that you liked such guys?'

In the past, she would have just walked away without a word.

But today was different.

It was her last day, and her heart had grown much stronger, especially because of Jung-gyeom.

Song Soo-yeon lifted her head.

She gave a glance to the girls who were glaring at her with hostility.

"..........."

She couldn't understand them.

If they had someone they liked, why didn't they confess and seize the opportunity instead of sitting around in ugly jealousy after the fact?

She averted her gaze.

Song Soo-yeon walked past the envious female students.

...Or, she tried to.

The crowd blocking her way grew larger.

The chaos intensified with the mix of people.

And at the center of it all was Song Soo-yeon.

"Ah!"

Suddenly, someone stepped on her foot.

When she looked up, a female student gave her a spiteful smile and disappeared into the crowd.

"........"

Initially, she was too shocked to speak or react.

"...Ah."

Song Soo-yeon looked down at her shoes.

She felt a surge of rage, so intense it seemed her sanity might snap.

The shoes she was wearing were a treasure given to her by Jung-gyeom.

And now, they were marked with a filthy footprint.

But that was just the beginning.

Someone hit her on the back, and another pulled her bag.

Being harassed by unknown people amidst the crowd, a fear inside Song Soo-yeon began to resurface.

It felt like the final act of harassment from the girls, much like the barrage of confessions from the boys.

However, the fear did not last long.

Soo-yeon!

With a burst of bright light, the rising tension subsided.

Everyone fell silent and looked towards the direction of the light.

In the sky was Solace.

She floated down slowly, coming to stand beside Song Soo-yeon.

The entire school became quiet.

........

A small space formed around Song Soo-yeon.

No one dared to defy Solace's charisma.

Some scared girls even ran away.

Although Solace was bright and lively, no one forgot that she was a hero who captured villains.

Solace shouted.

Soo-yeon! I have something to talk to you about, can you spare some time?

It seemed more like a message meant for others to hear rather than for Solace herself.

While Song Soo-yeon stood there dazed, Solace guided her through the crowd.

Like the parting of the Red Sea, a path opened up.

Solace walked that path, spreading her radiant energy all around.

All evil seemed to disappear with her arrival.

The harassment had ended.

Song Soo-yeon thought to herself.

What would have happened if Solace hadn't been there?

No, if Jung-gyeom hadn't caused a stir at the Hero Association, would Solace have been able to save her now?

......Really, everywhere she went, Jung-gyeom's influence helped her.

Once again, she felt grateful to Jung-gyeom.

---

---

"Soo-yeon, are you okay?"

Solace led her to a small classroom where they could be alone.

In this private space, Solace treated her with the same familiarity as she had promised before.

"....I'm okay, thank you."

Solace waved her hand dismissively.

"You don't have to thank me. It's part of my job. Besides, I really wanted to talk to you about something."

Song Soo-yeon could sense the underlying consideration in Solaces actions.

It seemed as though she was deliberately avoiding talking about the harassment, preferring to pretend it didnt happen.

From the start, the claim that she had something to discuss with Song Soo-yeon was probably a lie.

She thought it was just a method chosen to naturally extract her from the crowd.

Solace looked out the window.

Many students hadn't gone home yet.

Seeing this, Solace made a suggestion.

"Can you spare some time? How about we chat for a while?"

Song Soo-yeon had the same thought.

If she left now, she would likely face a similar situation as before.

By sitting down, she responded to the invitation.

Solace sat next to Song Soo-yeon with a bright smile.

"Soo-yeon, today was rough, but....I've noticed your expression has been really great lately."

".....Really?"

Song Soo-yeon hadn't expected Solace to start such a relaxed conversation.

She thought they would discuss family matters, college, or other serious adult topics to pass the time.

"Really. I was so happy to see your expression looking more relaxed."

Song Soo-yeon quickly adapted to the mood and politely shifted the credit to Solace.

"...Thanks to you. The bullying at school has decreased."

"Is that so? That makes me really proud. Hehe."

"........."

"But isn't there something else? You've been rushing off somewhere after school ends. It seemed like something happy happened?"

Solace spoke naturally with a bright smile.

Under her sunny disposition, Song Soo-yeon's mood softened as well.

She also felt a bit embarrassed.

If she had been wearing a happy expression recently... it must have been all because of Jung-gyeom.

She hadnt realized her happiness was so evident on her face.

It was somewhat embarrassing.

"Let me guess."

"Huh?"

Solace, with only her eyes showing, made a playful expression.

"Soo-yeon has a boyfriend, doesn't she?"

At that absurd comment, Song Soo-yeon froze for a long time.

"Did I hit the nail on the head?"

Solace chuckled.

Song Soo-yeon was even more flustered because she hadn't expected such a joke from her.

A boyfriend?

Soo-yeon repeated the word in her mind.

When her initial shock subsided, she said,

"......No, thats not it."

Her voice was icily cold, chilling the atmosphere.

Even Solace's warmth couldn't hold back the growing chill.

She continued quickly.

"....Didnt you see why I was being harassed earlier? Because of this thing called love, all those boys confessed to me, and because of this love, I was bullied by the girls."

"...Oh... Oh?"

"My whole life Ive suffered because of it. Do you think I would want to fall in love?"

"Oh, no, Soo-yeon.. I didnt mean-"

"-I hate love. I wont do that. Its not because I have a boyfriend that Ive been feeling better lately."

Song Soo-yeon declared to Solace.

Solace looked momentarily flustered, then gently reached out to hold Song Soo-yeons arm.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didnt realize I was touching a sore spot. I had no idea."

Seeing Solace so apologetic, Song Soo-yeon felt a sense of guilt.

After all, Solace had rescued her from the crowd and had prevented months of harassment.

For her sake, Song Soo-yeon added,

"......It's just... I made a friend. Thats all."

"Oh, I see, I see. I was too forward, wasnt I? Sorry for making you uncomfortable."

"....No, its okay. Im sorry for getting angry all of a sudden too."

"No, it's fine. You can feel that way. In fact, it's okay not to experience something like love. I havent really been in love myself either."

And with that, Solace awkwardly scratched the back of her head with a sheepish smile.

Song Soo-yeon looked out the window again.

The number of people had noticeably decreased compared to before.

The atmosphere had been ruined, so Song Soo-yeon stood up from her seat.

".....I'll be going now. Thank you for today."

"Oh, you're leaving? Okay."

Song Soo-yeon tucked her chair in and turned around.

She checked her phone to see if there were any messages from Jung-gyeom.

Just as she was about to leave the classroom, Solace called out.

"Soo-yeon!"

Song Soo-yeon slowly turned to face Solace.

"Are you... coming to the graduation ceremony tomorrow?"

"....I wont stay away just because of this."

"I see... Okay. Then, see you tomorrow."

"......Yes."

"Oh, will your acquaintances be coming too?"

Solace's question stopped Song Soo-yeon as she was about to turn away again.

Her parents weren't coming, but Jung-gyeom had agreed to be there.

She didn't know the intention behind the question, but she just wanted to answer quickly and leave.

".....Yes."

"Then... Well..."

But Solace's questions didnt end there.

The atmosphere was becoming strange.

Solaces usual composure was gone, and she fidgeted with her arms as if embarrassed.

Her eyes wandered for a long time.

Solace turned her head, twirling her hair around her finger and asked nonchalantly.

"Then... maybe, is an oppa you know also coming...?"

"........What?"

It was a question that sounded odd no matter how one heard it.

Yet at that question, Soo-yeon felt a strange and powerful unease, as if her heart had flipped over.