The Thug Hides the Villainess

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024 – The Three are Troublemakers but the Strongest #2

Yu Yeoreum is invincible.

Kidnapping him meant inevitable death.

In other words, Seoga-eul in the basement was clearly planning to use Yu Yeoreum’s hand to kill me. But the man’s stubbornness kicked in.

What’s Yu Yeoreum, anyway?

Surely any person has at least one weakness, right? So I waited for the moment when Yu Yeoreum would be the most off guard.

Shooooom, paaah-!

I launched myself toward Yu Yeoreum’s back like a spring, fully coiled to the limit.

“Nam-jin Kick!”

“Hey! What, what the heck!”

“Yeoreum! Be careful! That crazy guy—.”

“Yiek…!”

Everyone was trembling in shock, but my body was already in a state that couldn’t turn back, like an arrow shot.

It was the full expansion of my “Leap” that reached rank two.

With such a rapid ambush, even someone like Yu Yeoreum wouldn’t be able to dodge. Just as I thought I’d thoroughly grasp his weakness—

Swish—.

In that split second, Yu Yeoreum’s white pupils turned towards me, and he lifted his arms to guard.

Is he reacting to my speed in this dark underground passage?

Bam—!

When I finally collided with Yu Yeoreum, I was taken aback.

It felt like I had kicked a metal pillar.

At the same moment, Yu Yeoreum gripped my leg that had kicked out and threw me down onto the filthy sewer floor, then pounded his fist onto my chest.

Bam—!

It hurt.

I gasped for breath.

“Just lie down. If you try to attack again, it won’t end like this.”

“Yeoreum, are you okay?”

“What’s with that crazy bastard all of a sudden?”

“Man, those D-class kids are a total mess…!”

“That monster ahead is ours!”

As Yu Yeoreum and his group splashed away into the distance, I couldn’t move a single finger. It felt less like getting punched and more like being hit by a train.

I realized from that fight.

No matter how strong I thought I was, to kidnap someone like that, I’d need at least five lives.

So if I had five lives, it meant I’d be able to kidnap Yu Yeoreum.

“…Really impressive. Is that the class representative of F class? I never imagined Nam-jin wouldn’t even be a match.”

“I’ve only heard of it, but seeing those hit visions firing from his eyes is shocking.”

“If I’m right… at this point, there wouldn’t be anyone among the active explorers who could match him. I heard that one concept is at level five. Ah, I’m sorry, I’ve been talking too much…”

“Whatever it is, the door has been breached! My fortune-telling was correct, huh? How about it? My ‘Misfortune’ has reached rank two! Hey! Hanam-jin! What are you doing! Get up already! We need to go!”

It was the impressions of Geum Tae-seong, Choi Chang-sik, O Deok-soon, and Baek-Yeoul in order. Maybe because there were so many people, even a single comment echoed loudly in the sewer.

For the record, the number of our group for “No Leftover Day” totals precisely five, including me.

Five.

Five lives.

I truly am a math genius!

With the arrival of such a magnificent answer, I experienced a miracle where my aching body involuntarily rose.

“Let’s go! We can’t lose the monster! Hahaha!”

“Hey! What’s wrong with you? Did you hit your head or something?”

“Yeoul, that’s not accurate. Our friend has always been a bit off, hasn’t he?”

*

“Hey, die already.”

A single lightbulb flickered overhead in the basement.

Lying in the cold, damp space, Seoga-eul thought of the male student who would suffer.

Seoga-eul had presented a condition like a commission: “Kidnap Yu Yeoreum.” The male student seemed unaware of how foolish and stupid that request was, but Seoga-eul knew it meant ‘death.’

In other words, Seoga-eul intended to use Yu Yeoreum’s help to kill the male student.

She felt she needed to tear apart the male student who had trapped her in a place like this and made her taste ‘humiliation.’

“Go ahead, try all you want. Can you really kidnap Yu Yeoreum?”

Snicker. Hahaha—

Thinking of the male student who would die at the hands of Yu Yeoreum made her laugh on its own. It had been so long since she laughed without being conscious of others.

However, that laughter didn’t last long.

“Yu Yeoreum….”

The moment she thought of that burnt-skinned face, Seoga-eul’s expression darkened fiercely.

If someone had seen this face, they would take several steps back in fright. No one would imagine that Seoga-eul, the princess of Seo Nam Group, could wear such an expression.

Fortunately or unfortunately, there was only Seoga-eul in this place.

Thus, she didn’t have to hide her true feelings.

“What a dog-like bitch.”

Seoga-eul hated Yu Yeoreum.

From the first meeting, she had a gut feeling that she couldn’t befriend that girl.

She disliked that Yu Yeoreum stood out more than herself, and her calm demeanor, as if she were at peace with everything, seemed like a way of boasting about being superior while pretending to be humble.

Seoga-eul had a personality that couldn’t tolerate anyone being above her, so she hated Yu Yeoreum, but she didn’t particularly plan to do anything about her.

To be precise, it wouldn’t be right to say she could do anything.

Seoga-eul remembered the ‘duel’ they had during special classes.

That day, Seoga-eul had suffered her first defeat and realized just how hard the ground was.

The humiliation of having all attention and focus stolen from her.

It made her think that maybe she wasn’t the ‘protagonist’ of this world after all.

In that sense, Seoga-eul felt a small sympathy for the male student named Hanam-jin. If he was forced to feel a thorough ‘wall’ from Yu Yeoreum, it might break his heart.

For adolescents who consider themselves the ‘protagonists’ of life, despair is more harmful than poison.

So in absolute terms, kidnapping Yu Yeoreum was impossible.

Seoga-eul thought that way as she closed her eyes.

Grrr—

I’m hungry.

People become more sensitive when they are hungry.

At that moment, Seoga-eul heard a sound.

Ding-dong—

The sound of a doorbell.

It was from next door.

—Ha—Jin, there—

She also heard a voice.

It was the voice of a man in his 40s.

Seoga-eul thought it was a perfect opportunity to escape.

She opened her mouth wide and—

*

“Ah, damn, I feel like I got hit by a train. Is my chest okay? Huh? It’s not full of holes and turned into a donut, is it?”

I took my shirt off to show everyone my chest. Baek-Yeoul and O Deok-soon quickly turned their heads away, embarrassed to see a man’s torso, but Tae-seong diligently examined my chest.

Swish, swish, swish—

Really thorough with the check-up.

As our group’s ‘healer,’ his sense of responsibility was remarkable.

“It doesn’t look like you’re hurt? Amazing. I thought at least a bone would have been cracked.”

“The floor’s wet, so it’s easier to slip. Therefore, there’s less power behind the punch.”

Just a moment ago, I thought walking through this wet sewer was the worst, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

Soon, there’s laughter from Bum-bum.

“Misfortune turned into fortune! Then it’s because of me, right? Say it!”

Bum-bum’s personality changed after dyeing his hair pink. I seriously started to wonder if the pink dye had invaded his brain and caused some mutation.

Anyway. The important part is that I got a taste of Yu Yeoreum’s skills, even if just a fragment.

It was a truly overwhelming skill gap.

If I were a typical kidnapper, I would feel despair here and shout, “End of the Yu Yeoreum kidnapping! Story over!” but I am a man who never gives up.

For the sake of ‘softness.’

To smack Seoga-eul, who believes without a doubt that I will fail—

What if I actually succeeded in kidnapping Yu Yeoreum and made him Seoga-eul’s roommate?

The distorted expression on Seoga-eul’s face would be absolutely fantastic.

Seeing that would make me feel so good that my tailbone might tingle.

Even without that, I had a feeling of “This might just work.” Because Yu Yeoreum’s attack had no ‘killing intent.’

I knew his punch wouldn’t kill me, meaning there was no need to be scared.

Rather, I’d be more afraid of a drug-crazed knife-wielding thug.

I’ve experienced it, and I know you should never fight crazy people.

In that sense—

“Guys, let’s defeat Yu Yeoreum’s team in this practical. We hit him once, so we should return the favor, right?”

I thought that boosting our team’s morale had to come first.

If we can at least rank first in this group task, all five lives will unite, allowing us to execute the ‘kidnapping operation.’

In other words, this group task could be seen as a rehearsal for future big events. With that declaration, Choi Chang-sik was impressed.

“To not lose your spirit even after fighting a monster that fires beams from its eyes? My friend, your unyielding heart is the strongest I know. Honestly, I thought you’d give up on this practical as it is.”

Give up? Why do that?

If I’d given up on all sorts of life, would I have met Seoga-eul in that shanty that day? Would I have gotten a second chance?

“Life remains uncertain until the very end. Until you’re nailed to the coffin! So don’t feel disheartened by the tall walls!”

You really shouldn’t despair.

You will have important jobs ahead with me.

First, it’d be best to help them forget their fear and dread of Yu Yeoreum.

If we come first in this practical, wouldn’t it make them feel lighter, thinking, “Yu Yeoreum isn’t anything special!”

Just as I was thinking that while continuing to follow Yu Yeoreum’s group through the sewer, a strange monster suddenly appeared instead of Yu Yeoreum’s team.

“A monster! Nam-jin! It’s a monster!”

“It doesn’t look strong! But the points should still be 2 million!”

“…An irregular-shaped monster… concept of ‘droplet’? Or maybe….”

“What do you think?! Isn’t my spitting power of finding paths amazing? Isn’t it incredible?”

It certainly felt incredible.

Does ‘fate’ truly exist in this world?

—Gyu-yiing.

While looking at the baseball-sized blue gooey monster, tears involuntarily streamed down my face.

“Ying-ing….”

It was Ying-ing.

My friend Ying-ing! My emergency rations! My family!

To meet him in a place like this! Just as I was about to reach out in excitement—

Zzzziiiiiing-!

A harsh heat ray flew from behind me and scorched Ying-ing.

—Grrrr…!!!

In an instant, Ying-ing suffered severe injuries. The intense heat partly melted his body.

Just as I felt my hair standing on end, the summer team that had appeared unexpectedly shouted.

“Monster! Yeoreum! We’re going to lose points to the other team!”

“Y-Yeoreum?”

“Yeoreum!”

“Yeoreum!”

Turning my head, Yu Yeoreum, whose eyes shone white, stepped towards us.

His gaze was fixed on Ying-ing, who was sprawled out and suffering on the ground.

“All monsters must die. All of them.”

Yu Yeoreum muttered with a chilling voice, cold as ice.

His eyes were filled with killing intent, as if he were about to unleash beams of death, and they looked like the stare of a drug addict.

Zzzziiiiing-.

At that moment, Yu Yeoreum’s heat ray pointed at Ying-ing.

However, the blue slime Ying-ing didn’t evaporate when scorched by the heat ray. When I regained my senses, I was now holding Ying-ing.

“What are you doing, Hanam-jin. Are you not planning to kill that monster?”

Yu Yeoreum asked me.

Unlike his usual cynical and indifferent tone, he was imbued with resolute will.

“Nam-jin! What are you doing! We have to kill it before Yu Yeoreum does!”

“It’s worth 2 million points!”

“Yeoreum! He’s going to take it!”

“We have to take it down first!”

“We must defeat that monster…!”

In this chaotic situation, I looked at Ying-ing, who was in my arms.

—Gyu-yiing….

What if I said here, “This guy is a good monster, so we should spare him!”

Everyone would look at me like a freak (怪人) and show faces of disbelief. They would definitely snatch Ying-ing from my arms and either trample him or melt him with heat ray.

Honestly, I didn’t want to see that scene.

If everyone killed Ying-ing, I could never like them from that moment on.

Here lies the question.

When I don’t want to lose either my newly formed friends or my old friend Ying-ing—

What is the most correct action for “freak” Hanam-jin to take?

Answer.

“I will show you why I am called a ‘freak’ from now on.”

I opened my mouth wide.

Realizing my intent, Geum Tae-seong’s eyes widened in shock.

“Wait a minute! Hey! Nam-jin!”

“Stop! What are you trying to do! You! My friend!”

I shoved Ying-ing’s plump body straight into my throat.

Glug—.

For some reason, Ying-ing tasted like grapes.

“Now, is that settled? The monster is wuuuk—our ‘No Leftover Day’ has been taken down by me, Hanam-jin! Now the points are ours. If you’re unhappy, go ahead and roast that proud hit vision in my belly.”

“You….”

“Name: Yu Yeoreum

Status: 《Admiration》 – Purely admiring your incredibly unique way of dealing with the monster.”

“That crazy bastard. He just ate a monster!”

“Why are those D-class kids like this?”

“What does this mean for our points… Did we just lose them…?”

My stomach felt something thrashing around, but I managed to hold it down.

Ying-ing, just hold on for about two hours in my belly!