I Became The Villain The Hero Is Obsessed With

Ep 249 – Sunset

I, Egostic, am a Class A villain in South Korea, and I’m the number one target that heroes are most wary of. Yet here I was, in front of a hero, sweating nervously.

“You… Youuu…”

“Are you… alright?”

“Do you think I’m alright…?”

“H-Haha…”

We stood on the rooftop of a building somewhere. Stardus, exhausted, leaned against the wall, looking up at me with eyes brimming with tears.

…I felt a sense of guilt that was gnawing at my heart.

“Of course, I have my own reasons…”

I might appear like a wicked instructor who’s making a hapless hero run laps, but I had my reasons, too. If I hadn’t pushed her so hard to improve her flying abilities, she’d regret it later, crying about how she should have put in more effort. The sweat I shed today could save a life tomorrow. It was that critical, especially with the impending disaster.

If I explained it to her like this, she would probably understand, and she’d be willing to fly a few more laps right away. But I couldn’t do that. This had to be seen as a crisis for her to be vigilant. If I started to explain everything, would it be training or disaster control? Besides, I had to act like a sinister villain; I could never! Explain this was the only way.

So, I, the villain who had turned all crimes upside down and was making the perfectly fine hero go to the opposite side of Seoul to stop a missile, decided to be the villain.

After all, a protagonist shines when there’s an antagonist. Haha…

“Haa, haa, haa…”

“…”

Of course, that was a show. I was genuinely sorry, especially given the current situation where she was so exhausted and almost on the verge of crying.

Thankfully, she was too tired to come running toward me.

Anyway, I cleared my throat again and tried to steer the conversation.

“Uhm… But you did really well flying and stopping them, didn’t you? Honestly, I was quite surprised. It was a great performance from my worthy adversary.”

“…Haa. Well, maybe. Haa, haa. Yeah. Do I have to be thankful for this?”

Such compliments from me? She seemed somewhat taken aback by my words but still replied while catching her breath. Her mouth curled upward slightly, probably due to her mood.

I was about to say a few more words, but I decided to drop it and simply offered an apology. It felt easier and would help lighten the mood.

“Ahem. I apologize. I pushed you too hard, Stardus, and it saddens me to see you struggling. The duty of an archenemy is to challenge the hero, and I’m sorry.”

I slightly turned my head as I spoke. It might not be common for a villain to apologize to a hero, but who knows? Among archenemies, there might be moments for it.

In any case, she was free to accept or reject my apology. In fact, it might be taken as a provocation and fit right into my concept of being the villain.

As I contemplated this, waiting for Stardus’s reaction,

“Pfft…”

I suddenly heard her clear laughter from in front of me. I turned my head, surprised. She stood by the wall, her hand on her abdomen, chuckling heartily.

“Seriously, haha. It’s ridiculous. Who apologizes for going too far in terrorizing a hero?”

“Haha. Well, our relationship isn’t typical for a hero and a villain, is it?”

“Seriously, it’s ridiculous…”

“Hahaha…”

How amusing was it to make her laugh until tears welled up in her eyes? I wasn’t sure, but she continued laughing, wiping her tears away.

And the curve of her lips?

Certainly, it seemed like she was smiling more than before.

…I don’t know what exactly happened, but it appeared to be resolved.

I breathed a sigh of relief while thinking about that. Regardless, the atmosphere improved significantly after her laughter compared to before. Maybe it was just because the sun was setting, casting the sky in a warm orange hue. Haha.

“Ahem…”

Continuing these thoughts, I unintentionally turned my head in a somewhat awkward and ticklish feeling. I gazed at the sky.

On the rooftop of the building, the vast sky was beautifully painted in warm orange hues as the sun began to set. The sun, half-hidden beyond the mountains, burned with a crimson light, dyeing the sky red.

“A gift…?”

She tilted her head while reaching out to take the object.

Still not quite sure what it was, she examined it.

I nodded as she looked at it.

“It’s a communication device.”

“A communication device…?”

She continued to examine it, resembling a walkie-talkie and earpiece, appearing to be puzzled by my words.

After clearing my throat again, I continued with the explanation.

“Yes, besides me, there are many villains in South Korea, right? Not all of them are as socially active as me or pick fights in their own territory. Especially among those, the worst ones are usually taken care of by me.”

“Yeah, but what’s your point?”

“…Some of them are quite challenging for me to handle. They know everything, from my residence to my weaknesses. Those villains are the ones I’d appreciate your assistance with. I’ll cooperate.”

I handle those who steal my aggro, and Stardus can take care of the other villains, so it’s a win-win situation.

While I added this, Stardus’s gaze remained fixed on the communication device.

“So, you’re going to contact me with this?”

“Yes, if anything comes up, I’ll send a message. When that happens, the red light here will flash. After that, press the button, and you’ll hear my voice. Just think of it as a means of communication.”

“A means of communication…”

Stardus gazed at the communication device I handed her under the reddening sky.

…The reason I gave her this device today is that there’s a villain I need to defeat soon. One we, the members of the EgoStream, can never handle. Stardus might be able to do it, but she doesn’t know how to defeat him.

To deal with that villain, communication with Stardus was essential. I could hack my way into it, but this was more reliable and safe. The crucial point was that it looked like an ordinary iPhone.

So, if she refused to accept it, it would be a big problem. If we don’t catch that villain before the Wolgwanggyo disaster, things will get really bad.

And a little while later, all of my concerns faded away.

“Uh, yeah. I wasn’t planning on taking it, but just in case, I’ll accept it! Got it?”

She turned her head and raised her fist while her cheeks turned slightly red saying that.

…Thank goodness.

“Thank you.”

I replied with a grin.

…Her cheeks seemed a bit redder than before.

After a few more exchanges, I smoothly escaped through teleportation.

I promised to contact her in a few days.

…It ended on a warmer note than I expected.

***

After Egostic’s extensive missile terror attack, South Korea’s broadcasts focused exclusively on the event. But there was something different from the usual.

[As you can see, Stardus’ speed and frequency are steadily increasing. In the end, she’s almost doubled her initial performance, which is an exceptionally high speed even on a global scale…]

The media talked more about Stardus rather than Egostic on that day.

[Perhaps Stardus’ abilities have not yet reached 100%, experts believe. In addition, there are opinions among some of the citizens that Egostic planned the terror attack to grow Stardus…]

“As expected, South Korea’s pride, Stardus! Hahaha!”

When the people who witnessed Stardus’ actions that day praised her, she didn’t pay much attention to being at the center of the controversy regarding whether Egostic had planned the terror attack with Stardus’ growth in mind. Instead, she lay on her bed, holding the communication device that Egostic had given her, and gazed at it from below.

“A private means of communication that allows me to talk to Egostic without meeting in person…”

“Finally…”

She muttered to herself from the cool bed. Despite being exhausted from using her powers all day, she couldn’t help but wear a warm smile. It was a summer night.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!