THE VILAIN
: Strange Villains
W. Gpeum
- WARNING!The author thinks of and portrays the protagonist as a rather immoral person.
Five years, a long time, but for Jungkook, it wasn't necessarily so. In that long period, from fifteen to twenty, Jungkook encountered all sorts of dirty truths he'd never known. He became interested in things he never would have cared about before meeting the girl, things he never would have. He didn't hesitate to confront that dirty and sordid side of himself. It was because of the girl who had etched herself deeply into his mind.
“I see. Right after helping the young master escape, he set fire to the laboratory and ran away….”
"……."
"Do you know where the woman went after that? Please tell me anything you remember, no matter how trivial."
“…No. That kid just… ran away. I don’t know where he went.”
"Is that so? Then do you happen to remember what that woman's name was?"
"This is Kim Ji-won."
"Well, that's most likely a fake name. Did you ever tell them your real name or anything?"
“…No, I never did that.”
"I don't know," Jungkook shook his head. It was a lie. Perhaps even this lie was being told because of the girl, Jungkook thought. He didn't want to see the girl, Kim Ji-won, Han Yeo-ju, all caught up here. Why? The girl burned down the lab, killed someone he held dear without a second thought, and even spoke of the boy as if he were useless. He felt the urge to blurt out that the girl's real name was Han Yeo-ju, that she was in cahoots with the man disguised as the lab director, and that the two of them had conspired to set the lab on fire and commit this terrible act. But Jungkook didn't. He had a feeling that it just wasn't right.
That said, Jungkook had no intention of quietly cocooning himself in a corner of the room, brooding over the girl like an ignorant child. Just as the female protagonist, who seemed like an innocent seventeen-year-old to the adults, wasn't actually like that, Jungkook wasn't the naive, ignorant child she thought. At fifteen, he was old enough to judge for himself what was right and what was wrong. Furthermore, he knew what he should do from now on. Jungkook unfolded the piece of paper the girl had thrown him, hidden in the sole of his shoe, and stared at the red stamps clearly marked "SECRET." Jungkook turned the page without hesitation, confronted by the red marks that seemed to ask if he could truly handle the truth. His stomach churned. Fighting back the nausea, Jungkook slowly read the words.
Transaction details: 30 children under 10 years old / 3 other than the desired daycare center / Special notes: Symptoms of Esper blooming…
'Ability Extraction Experiment: Successfully extracting the abilities of 12 deceased Espers, developing a storage method, and transplanting them…'
'Ability Development Researcher: Seong Hyeon-ji / 28 years old / Korea University Biotechnology…'
Director of the Esper Ability Development Research Institute: Jeon Ji-hwan
Jungkook covered his mouth. Nausea welled up. Powers, and the transplantation of powers. And the countless test subjects used in those experiments, and the name of the doctor who cared for him, and… his own power. Jungkook pulled out his power. Sharp, blue swords appeared in mid-air. The power of a swordsman. A power transplanted into me, an ordinary person. … Can this power be called mine? Tears flowed down his face. Faced with the fact that his power was stolen and implanted, the power he had once been so proud of felt horrifying. It was disgusting. Jungkook cried, retching. For a long time.
It was only natural that Jeongguk had changed considerably since that day. For example, he, who had previously been interested only in the espers' abilities, began to show interest in their welfare and the situation at the center. Jeongguk turned his gaze away from the always brightly lit Esper Management Bureau. Towards the shadows of the Center, already rotten and leaking filth. Little by little, Jeongguk became interested in everything about the Esper Management Bureau. It was also natural that he learned things about his father, the director of the Bureau, that he had never known. For example, how his father, whom he had always believed to be pure and upright, had engaged in filthy deeds behind the scenes. Jeongguk endured the world he had known crumbling apart. If it was something he had to face someday, it was better to face it sooner rather than later.
As the director's son, Jeong-guk's position made everything within his grasp, even if it meant extracting information from the center. Occasionally, there were those who questioned his need for this information. At such times, Jeong-guk would flash a girlish smile. He would mimic the innocent smile of a child: eyes narrowing, lips curled prettily, and teeth bared in a bright grin.
"He said that to become a great director like his father, you need to know a lot. So I think I know more than anyone else. That's why I need this information!"
Then, most people would let their guard down, their expressions filled with wonder. Reading the material in his hands, Jeong-guk kept thinking: How insignificant must children's innocence be to adults, to be able to so easily dismiss even the slightest suspicion?
The older he got, the more he delved into the sordid underbelly of the Center and his father, the more often he found himself thinking of the girl. Did you leave the Center because you were fed up with this filth? Jungkook thought as he found the record of a girl who had run away from the Center at the age of fourteen. Jungkook had spent a long time reading it. It was the record of a mere fourteen-year-old girl. Unlike other espers, who had run away from the Center before even receiving proper training, the record was limited to three or four pages. Despite the few records remaining, Jungkook read and reread them. A wish sprouted within him. He wanted to create a center for the girl. So she wouldn't even think about running away. Jungkook knew it was crazy, so he wrapped it up with a plausible justification. He no longer wanted to ignore espers in the same situation as the girl. He wanted to create a center for espers. That became Jungkook's stated goal.
The rest was easy. Jungkook, while perhaps as naive as the girl had thought, was actually quite intelligent. He knew full well that showing his teeth and rebelling against his father now would only lead to his expulsion. So Jungkook bowed his head. He couldn't stray from his role as a dutiful son until he gained strength. The center, already strained by the espers' constant escape, would soon collapse. Jungkook waited. He knew his father well, so he mustered up his patience. He wanted to be remembered as a great director. That was why he couldn't hold onto the crumbling center until the very end.
Esper Management Bureau Director Jeon Ji-hwan nominates Jeon Jeong-guk as next director.
Everything was happening at breakneck speed. Those who sensed where the power was flowing automatically bowed to Jeongguk. Jeongguk accepted it all willingly, while simultaneously preparing to completely repel it. He built up his strength. Even if it was small, power was power. With everything ready before his eyes, Jeongguk thought, "It's time to bring the girl to the center."
Let's change the center, together.
"You don't like it?"
Jeongguk's eyes blinked. The girl trapped behind the bars stared intently at him. Her eyes, a faint green hue, were impassive. They looked much the same as they did in the lab. … What? Jeongguk asked. The girl's expression shifted to one of a bothersome fly.
"I told you I don't like it?"
"I have no intention of going to the center." Jeongguk shut his mouth at the words that were so damning. It was a polite refusal.
⚒
Espers possess special powers, supernatural abilities. Possessing abilities praised as divine gifts, many mistakenly assume they must be treated with utmost luxury at the Esper Administration Bureau. If that were true, the number of Espers escaping from the Bureau each year wouldn't exceed three digits. Of course, the Center wasn't such a merciful place. If only it were a place truly dedicated to suppressing Espers. While it was possible to use supernatural abilities within the prison, they couldn't exert influence beyond it. Just a glance at the prison bars, surrounded by maximized S-class nullification abilities, revealed that the Center was more perfectly prepared to control Espers than anywhere else.
"I told you to run away together, so why hold out for no reason?"
"I'll run away and leave you alone, okay?"
Yeo-ju clicked her tongue as she looked at Seok-jin's forehead, a sallow, unsightly hue. She wasn't just talking to Seok-jin, who had resisted to the end and was now groaning after getting hit on the head. She was also talking to Nam-joon, who was fortunately asleep on the prison floor, and Tae-hyung, who was locked in a separate cell after being discovered to be a guide. Nam-joon's supernatural power was space itself. He had briefly nearly fainted after forcibly breaking the barrier, but with Tae-hyung's secretly instilled guidance, it wouldn't have been difficult to escape the Center's clutches. He would have had to choose to abandon Yeo-ju, who was held captive by Jungkook. That's why Nam-joon didn't use his supernatural power. It would have been better to go to the Center with everyone than to abandon Yeo-ju. That was Nam-joon's decision in a short time, and everyone except Yeo-ju agreed with it. It was a maddening, exhilarating experience for Yeo-ju.
“I always thought I might end up stuck here someday, but it’s ten years sooner than I expected…”
"Arthur, there is no escape."
"I never even wished for it?"
Seokjin chuckled at the female protagonist's words, which were unusual for a female protagonist, as she lay sprawled on the floor. Her forehead, torn open by her resistance to trying to pry her out, was now covered in an ugly scab. A purplish bruise, likely from being struck by someone with extraordinary strength, also remained. The female protagonist stared intently at Seokjin's face. "Why?" Seokjin said curtly. It was because he found it burdensome that the female protagonist was only staring at his face.
"Should I treat your forehead?"
"Okay, who cares? Even if you treat him, it'll only end up tightening his own leash."
“It doesn’t matter anyway since the records will all remain.”
"Your abilities are different now than they were back then, Inma. There's no use in using our abilities here."
“…That’s true.”
"Okay, it's not like I'm dying, but it just hurts a little."
Yeoju nodded at Seokjin's words. After all, the healing power I possessed was one I'd be searching for with a burning eye at the Center. Seeing Seokjin's forehead healed so completely, he'd immediately bring Yeoju here and use her for all sorts of things. "I wouldn't want that either," Yeoju thought.
Now, Seokjin looked at Namjoon, who was snoring loudly, snoring loudly, as if he were dumbfounded. "He's really... different, isn't he?" Seokjin said, causing the female protagonist to burst into laughter. Perhaps it was the aftereffects of the barrier being forcibly broken, but even so, few could sleep so soundly on the prison floor. Seokjin observed Namjoon with a look of wonder, and his relaxed face became filled with anticipation. His lips tightened as he looked at the entrance to the prison where they were locked up. There was a presence.
The woman used to call him "Master." Though he didn't show it, Seokjin thought the term suited the fifteen-year-old boy quite well. It matched his ignorance, his unwavering faith in his father's words, his lack of concern for his surroundings. However, five short years seemed to be enough time for the Master to change. Seokjin thought, looking at Jeongguk, who stood alone, towering beyond the iron bars.
"Han Yeo-ju,"
The female protagonist, who had not even glanced at Jungkook, slowly blinked and turned her head. "Oh, you're the young master?" she asked, raising one corner of her mouth. Seokjin thought that Jungkook would find that quite annoying. It was indeed true, as Jungkook's brow furrowed slightly. Now, seeing the female protagonist yawning with her mouth wide open, Jungkook's expression hardened even further.
"Han Yeo-ju, an S-class esper. She belonged to the center from age 0 to 14, and her whereabouts are unknown after escaping. She possesses the ability to heal."
"……."
"Five years ago, a secret experiment was conducted that resulted in the development of the poison's supernatural powers. A similar experiment resulted in its manifestation as a guide. After the lab attack, it disappeared without a trace."
"……."
"Special note: The daughter of S-class Esper Han Ki-won and S-class Guide Kim Ji-won."
Even as the information poured out of Jungkook's mouth, Yeoju didn't react much. To begin with, that level of information was something Jungkook could easily have found out if he had wanted to. When we broke up, I even gave him the kind advice to look me up if he was curious. If he hadn't figured out even this much, I would have simply dismissed him as an incompetent piece of trash and cut him off completely. So? Yeoju stared at Jungkook with a hint of laughter in her eyes. "What business do you have with me?"
"Come into the center, Han Yeo-ju."
⚒