Being a Villain is My True Calling

Before the terrorism began.
I conducted a final check.

“Are you ready?”

“Yeah.”

At my question, she nodded and spun around in a full circle.

Donning a half-mask similar to mine and an oversized hooded zip-up covering her thighs.
Complemented by athletic running shoes and short shorts, prioritizing mobility, her overall appearance exuded a mischievous aura.

“From the moment terrorism commences, I shall address you as Polia.”

Nod

“And how should you address me?”

“Brother.”

“…Yes, you may call me Maker. Under no circumstances must you utter my real name.”

“Got it, brother.”

Ga-yeon nodded, meeting my gaze.
…I trust she understands properly?

While slightly apprehensive, she typically demonstrates keen intuition, so I believe she will conduct herself accordingly.

“Polia.”

Regaining my focus, I addressed her.
Then, adopting a solemn expression, I knelt to meet her at eye level and spoke.

“We are about to engage in an act of terrorism.”

“……”

“We intend to take hostages and issue demands.”

Nod

“There may be many who direct frightened expressions towards you. Are you not afraid?”

“I’ve seen plenty of ugly faces, so I’ll be fine.”

My question pertained to whether she could avoid triggering any trauma.
As the main instigator of this terrorism, if her mental state falters, she may be unable to properly utilize her abilities.

Polia extended her arm, grasping my hand and placing it atop her head.

“And this will suffice.”

She spoke, gazing at me with a faint smile.

‘Is she implying my presence will reassure her? Quite touching, I must admit.’

I chuckled softly, affectionately stroking her head.

“Shall we proceed, then?”

“Yeah.”

As I extended my hand, Polia firmly grasped it.

Woooong-

She activated her ability.

During the somewhat sluggish lunch hour.

“Haaam…”

“Feeling sleepy?”

The bespectacled woman nodded in response to her short-haired friend’s inquiry.

“Uh-huh…”

“Well, you did spend 8 hours on a train to reach District C, so it’s understandable. Hey, want to catch a quick nap?”

“That won’t do. It could start at any moment.”

The woman blinked her drowsy eyes, gazing at her friend.
She had worked so hard for this day.

Securing tickets that sold out within seconds, enduring hours of queuing to claim a seat amidst the 25,000 attendees.

‘No matter how exhausted I am, I can’t miss out on fully enjoying this!’

“Ah, that’s right, you’re an avid Red Heroes fan, aren’t you?”

“Of course! Our brothers are so handsome!”

“…I think they’re rather greasy-looking, but whatever.”

“What did you say?!”

The Red Heroes.
The idol-turned-hero team this woman was obsessively enamored with.
The very protagonists performing at this massive concert dome today.

And he dared to call them… greasy?

“Give me back my ticket, you bitch!”

“When did I ever take it from you?”

Scoffing at her churlish attitude, the woman momentarily sighed.

‘Our brothers are so handsome and kindhearted, how could you call them greasy? Honestly, the nerve of some people.’

“…Still, this place is ridiculously spacious.”

Her friend, having seemingly forgotten their brief squabble, craned her neck to survey their surroundings.
In response, the woman cleared her throat and adjusted her glasses.

“Indeed, it’s the largest concert venue in the nation, capable of accommodating 25,000 people? Just imagine how impressive our brothers must be…”

“Yeah, but what if a villain shows up in a place like this?”

Casually dismissing her attempt to boast, her friend continued gawking around.
The woman snickered at her remark.

“If a villain appears, our brothers will simply thrash them, don’t you remember? Our brothers are heroes!”

“I suppose. Hopefully, there won’t be any issues, then.”

The Red Heroes averaged a C-rank.
While considered underwhelming as heroes, the smitten woman held a different perspective.

‘Our brothers are simply holding back to protect their fans. If truly pressed, they would undoubtedly rise to the occasion.’

She firmly believed that if their fans were ever in peril, the Red Heroes would unhesitatingly put themselves at risk to safeguard them.

At least, until she genuinely encountered a villain on this very day.

“Greetings, citizens.”

Announcing the commencement of terrorism, Polia instantly grounded herself and used her earth manipulation to seal every entrance to the dome.

-Maker, communication room secured, success.

-Control room, success.

-Here too…

The organization members had also successfully occupied their designated positions.

‘Quite seamless.’

Satisfied by the reports over the communications, I addressed the citizens once more.

“Some of you may already be aware, but my name is Maker. I am an executive of Eclipse.”

My introduction elicited a steadily growing murmur of concern.

Tap tap

Keeeeeeee-

As the disturbance escalated, I deliberately tapped the microphone, redirecting their attention.

“”……””

Once silence had fallen and all eyes were upon me again, I continued with a smile.

“You will all serve as my hostages. In other words, you shall be the heroes’ ransom.”

“”……””

“As long as you obediently follow my instructions, not a single one of you will be harmed.”

With those words, I gestured towards Polia, prompting her to activate her abilities.

Kuguguuung-

“Kyah!”

“Aaaahh!”

“Wha, what’s this?!”

The ground shifted, rapidly erecting a cage-like structure.
Its circular shape surrounding us initially gave the illusion that we were the ones entrapped, but the reality was the opposite.

“I, it won’t open!”

“Let, let us out!!”

“Moooommm…”

“Is there anyone here with abilities? Powerful ones that could help?!”

The citizens rattled the bars created by Polia, but they remained utterly unyielding.

‘Well, she did say she wouldn’t harm anyone until the heroes arrive.’

Even I would likely harbor doubts and apprehension in such a sudden predicament.
No matter what assurances a villain who had just imprisoned you might offer, their trustworthiness would understandably be questioned.

“If you remain calm, I will refrain from any harmful actions. You have my word.”

“Wha, what do you want?!”

As I urged them to trust me, a trembling short-haired woman defiantly questioned me, despite her bespectacled companion attempting to dissuade her by tugging her sleeve.

‘Hmm.’

“Polia, could you kindly spatial translate to the location of the woman who just addressed me?”

“Sure.”

Woooong-

Grasping Polia’s extended hand, I relocated to the bars in front of her position.

“Kyaahh!”

Our abrupt appearance startled the short-haired woman, causing her to tumble backward.

“My apologies for alarming you. I simply felt a face-to-face conversation would be more appropriate for an exchange.”

“Y, yes…”

As I smiled and offered that apology, she gawked at me with a dumbfounded expression.

“In any case, to reiterate, I am requesting the heroes to present themselves here.”

“…Again, too?”

“Ah, so you’ve witnessed my previous acts of terrorism.”

“Yes…”

“By any chance, are you a fan of mine?”

I jested with a light chuckle.
I had heard recent reports of individuals either praising me or even excessively adoring me in the wake of the leaked footage depicting my elimination of villains.

A playful quip, contemplating the possibility of encountering one of my alleged fans.
Of course, having merely witnessed one of my acts hardly qualified someone as a ‘fan.’

And even if I did have fans, what were the odds of randomly encountering one during a terrorism incident?

“……”

The short-haired woman’s face gradually flushed in response to my jest.
…?

“…In any case, my desire is for the heroes to arrive.”

Opting to overlook the nascent awkwardness.

“This is being broadcast live, so they should be here shortly, should they not?”

I glanced towards Polia, who nodded while levitating cameras to capture the scene.

“…Me!”

At that moment, a bespectacled woman within the cage cheerfully called out to me.
Seemingly the same friend who had attempted to dissuade the short-haired woman earlier. What could this be about?
As I pondered, the woman rapidly continued.

“We have heroes! Our brothers! The Red Heroes are here!”

She announced gleefully.

“Bro, brothers… wha, what do we do about this?”

Inside the waiting room backstage.
The five men, each clad in red costumes, trembled anxiously.

“Why, why did it have to be on the day of our concert…”

Having lived as obscure, mediocre heroes for nearly 5 years.
Possessing only decent looks and minor talents.

“After we’ve come this far…”

They had often resorted to less-than-honorable means to make ends meet.
But they had persevered through those hardships, finally on the cusp of their breakthrough.

“What are we supposed to do about this…”

Until Maker appeared on stage, searching for them.

-The Red Heroes… are you perhaps here?

“Wha, what should we do?”

“What can we do…? We’re powerless here…”

While bearing the title of ‘heroes,’ their average rank was a mere C.
The team leader being a C+ was the peak of their capabilities.

“…That crazy bitch had to go and mention us…”

“! Bro…! Even so, they’re our fans!”

“So what if they’re fans? Are you willing to take a bullet for them? To have your ‘heroic death’ briefly mentioned in tomorrow’s news before being forgotten?”

“……”

“…Chen is right this time, Siyun. Recklessly confronting them would just be a senseless death.”

A momentary silence fell between them.

A senseless death.
None of the five present desired such a fate.

It was precisely to avoid that outcome that they had chosen this path, enduring mockery from other heroes.
However…

“…We should flee.”

“Huh…?”

“…There’s no other choice. None of us want to die, right?”

“That’s true, but…”

The youngest member tentatively glanced at the live broadcast of the stage.

“Then you can stay behind and try to save the fans, at the cost of your life.”

“…That’s…”

They dreaded death.
Even if the lives at stake belonged to the very fans who had adored them.

It wasn’t their own lives, nor those of anyone particularly close to them.
So they could coldly turn a blind eye and flee.

…* Nod*
Eventually, even the youngest agreed to follow their lead, and they prepared to escape.

Changing clothes to avoid detection, gathering cash and wallets.

“Those people have nothing to do with us, anyway.”

“Who even comes to our concerts?”

“I never asked for this kind of attention.”

“Let’s just get out of here quickly.”

“……”

And so, each man rationalized their actions, absolving themselves of any wrongdoing.
After changing their attire and finalizing their escape preparations, the moment they reached for the waiting room door…

Keeeeee-

“Oh, no.”

“This is 42. I’ve located the hero team, the Red Heroes.”

“We’re fucked-.”

Thump

A capable organization member had tracked them down, dashing their plans for escape.