THE VILAIN
: Strange Villains
W. Geuppeum
With a squeak, the zipper of his hoodie came up to his neck. Jimin shouldered his large backpack with a nonchalant expression. He even grabbed the heavy bag at his feet and looked around his room, which had suddenly become empty. What a pity. To think that would happen as he left this cramped dorm. Jimin let out a hollow laugh, feeling absurd at himself.
After Jimin, who hadn't come out of his room for a long time, finally opened the door and peeked his head out. "Jimin-ah," Jimin called, and he turned his head. I saw Hoseok peeking out, staring at me.
"…brother."
"Have you packed everything? Jungkook's already here. I heard Yoongi-hyung went down too."
Unlike Jimin, Hoseok was carrying two large suitcases, tightly packed. "Finally, we're escaping the dorm," Hoseok hummed, and Jimin quietly followed. Hoseok hummed, clearly excited about leaving the cramped dorm.
"Are you okay, hyung?"
"Huh?" Hoseok said and turned around. He saw Jimin's face, dead.
"They are fugitives."
Only then did Hoseok understand Jimin's meaning and let out an "Ah." "What am I-," Hoseok said, scratching the back of his neck.
"I don't really care. You and Yoongi-hyung seem to care, but I don't really feel sorry for the runaways."
"...How could that be? They're fugitives. They're Espers, betrayed the Center, abandoned the battlefield, and ran away."
"Jimin-ah,"
"If only I could just give it up right now. If it weren't for Jungkook's request... ...I wouldn't have been on the same team as the fugitives."
"Well, that's me too."
Betrayal is betrayal, Hoseok said. With a ding, the elevator opened. Hoseok easily carried two large suitcases into it and pressed the button for the first floor. The elevator doors slowly closed.
The most important thing in war was a comrade you could trust with your back. For Espers, who lived closer to the war than others, comrades were even more crucial. In a life-or-death situation, entrusting someone with your back meant risking your own life. Therefore, the idea of teaming up with the runaways who had betrayed the Center itself was a proposal that Jimin, who had been loyal to the Center, could not help but feel uncomfortable with. There was no evidence that those who had once betrayed the Center wouldn't betray their team again. To team up with someone he didn't trust, a proposal that would make even Hoseok, who wasn't simply loyal to the Center, feel uneasy.
"Just like you said, it's a favor from Jeongguk, so I'm going to give it a try. If the center had told me to do it, I would have run away too."
"……."
"You know, even if you can't trust the center, you can trust Jungkook."
“…I know,”
"Then you're just trusting Jungkook. I'm here, and Yoongi-hyung is here too. Jimin, five years will pass quickly anyway. Five years at most, two at short."
Hoseok was the first to pull himself out through the slowly opening door. He saw two familiar faces in the distance. Hoseok smiled as he finished taking out his suitcase.
"Jeon Jungkook assures me that he's not that bad of a person. He'll be better than you think."Jimin nodded reluctantly.
“Brother, I can’t… stay ignorant like I used to.”
"We need to change the center…, then…"
One day, unexpectedly, Jimin remembered what Jungkook had said while he was heavily intoxicated. "Yeah, that's just how Jungkook is. I can trust him this once." Thinking that, Jimin walked away. Jungkook smiled, saying, "Hyung." Even Yoongi, who had been showing his displeasure with the team transfer until yesterday, stood beside Jungkook with a somewhat relaxed expression. His steps toward the new dorm seemed a little lighter. Jimin thought. Maybe it's as good as Hoseok said.
'Kwaang-,'
"next,"
That's what I thought until I saw Han Yeo-ju's bright smile.
⚒
The situation was quickly resolved with Jeongguk's appearance. He'd already been severely beaten by a female protagonist, so there was no way he'd be so foolish as to rush in, citing pride. Furthermore, no one in the room was willing to risk their lives fighting, risking the disfavor of Jeon Jeongguk, the director's son.
"I told you to just endure it for one day."
"If it had been done in moderation, I would have endured it. They should die first and start a fight-, Aaak!!"
"You don't listen."
The female protagonist screamed as Jeongguk squeezed her ear, twisting it. His voice was calm, but he groaned so forcefully that the veins on the back of his hand bulged. It hurt so much that tears welled up in his eyes. After slapping Jeongguk's arm several times, the female protagonist finally released her ear, which was now red and red. Hoseok, who had been staring at her in disbelief, finally spoke. So...
"The power of healing, so to speak…,"
"Yeah, that's right, the healing ability."
Looking at the female protagonist, who was still rubbing her ear, Hoseok thought... Isn't that some kind of supernatural power? Judging from the way the other person was lying helplessly on the floor and the way he was brutally beating him, that seemed more plausible. As if they could see through Hoseok's thoughts, Seokjin and Namjoon, who were sitting on the sofa across from him, burst into laughter. The female protagonist made a pouting expression at Seokjin's words, "Our kid is a bit aggressive."
"I just used my powers in a variety of ways. It's not that difficult…"
Despite Yeoju's words, Hoseok still looked puzzled. "It's okay if you don't know," Yeoju said, quickly changing the subject as if she had no intention of satisfying Hoseok's curiosity.
"Anyway, the eight of us here are now a team, right?"
The female protagonist spoke while looking at the people sitting around a table in the middle on the 12th floor of the building.
Yeoju, Seokjin, Namjoon, and Taehyung were huddled together on the sofa, and Yoongi, Jimin, and Hoseok were sitting on the floor across from them with grumpy expressions. Even Jungkook was sitting in the middle of the two groups. The atmosphere was so cold that Jungkook sighed, not being able to call them a 'team'. No one responded to Yeoju's words, which tried to lighten the mood. Of course, Yeoju also quickly turned her attention elsewhere. Jungkook took out a bundle of documents. Since he had given up on lightening the mood, he planned to deliver what he had to, or deliver it quickly. "First," Jungkook said. Seven pairs of eyes, each lost in their own world, turned to Jungkook.
"Since we're here, it would be best to quickly decide on the things that need to be decided. I've compiled the precautions and team member information in the documents I've distributed, so please be sure to read them at least once."
"It felt somehow thick."
"Jungkook, you've worked hard~~"
"…Official team activities will begin next week. The team name has been decided as BTS. There is no room for negotiation regarding the team name."
Jungkook glanced at Yeoju and spoke. Regardless, Yeoju frowned, staring at the thick stack of documents in front of her. Yoongi, who was taking everything in, only crumpled his expression. Yoongi's expression was filled with displeasure as he mulled over the familiar name, BTS. But he didn't bother adding any more complaints. After all, Jungkook had already hammered the nail in, saying there was no room for negotiation. Yoongi knew that keeping his mouth shut and quietly passing by was a far better option than nitpicking and making a fuss.
"Except for what's on the documents, there's really not much else to decide right now. The only thing that's urgent is the team leader position. ...I've already thought about it a bit. If there's no objection, I'm thinking of appointing the team leader according to my own opinion. Is that okay with you all?"
Jungkook continued calmly. Some nodded nonchalantly at Jungkook's words, while others frowned, displeased. However, since he was the one who had formed this team, he reluctantly nodded, saying, "Let's just get into it." Yeoju was the same. She recalled the conversation she had with Jungkook not long ago. If he had taken my advice, he would have no choice but to claim himself as team leader. He had to. But for some reason, the more she pondered Jungkook's words, the more the thought, "No way..." took hold in Yeoju's mind. No way, was he just going to push through? Before Yeoju could continue her thoughts, Jungkook spoke again.
"I think it's right for me to take on the role of leading the team as a whole. First of all, each team member has a different personality, and I'm the only one who has something in common with them."
"Is it a mistake?" Yeo-ju thought. Jungkook's words were tantamount to saying he would take over as team leader. The few who had been secretly anxious about this, including Jimin and Yoongi, looked relieved. However, Jungkook's words didn't end there.
“And… …I’m thinking of creating another position called Vice-President.”
“…Vice-Chief?”
"Yes, I would like Han Yeo-ju to take that position."
"…what?"
The female protagonist's expression was blank. The others were the same. "Vice-team leader"? Esper "teams" typically consisted of no more than ten Espers and Guides. This meant a relatively small team. Unlike a military unit with dozens or hundreds of members, the title of "Vice-team leader" was merely a nominal title for a small, elite Esper team. Yoongi couldn't help but question Jungkook's absurd choice, knowing this better than anyone.
"Vice-team leader?"
"Yes, Deputy Manager."
"...Why is that necessary? Even if it is, why do we have to put him in that position? If you want to be convinced, give me an explanation that will convince me."
"I'm going to do it now. So don't stop me like that, hyung."
Yoongi fell silent at Jungkook's words. He quickly hid his excitement and gave Yoongi a look that suggested he give it a try. Jungkook sighed softly. Even though it was just the beginning, he couldn't help but feel it wouldn't be easy. It wasn't just Yoongi, but also Yeoju, who had been staring at him since his name was mentioned as deputy team leader. He'd never expected her to accept it easily, but when even she showed no signs of being convinced, Jungkook felt momentarily lost. Still, he had to do it. Yeoju was a vital addition to the team he'd built in his head.
"…To put it simply, I'm not qualified to be team leader. To elaborate, it's because I can't grow this team with just my abilities. To be more honest, the person I was originally supposed to be team leader for was Han Yeo-ju."
Yoongi's gaze sharpened once more. Jimin, too, was showing signs of displeasure. Even the female protagonist, the one directly involved, gave him a look that said, "That won't do." The rest, as it were, seemed to be indifferent to the outcome. Seokjin, Namjoon, and Taehyung were all like that, but even Hoseok's calm reaction surprised him, and Jungkook spoke again.
"I admit I was mistaken. I realized, albeit belatedly, that in many ways, I was better off as team leader than Han Yeo-ju, so I created the position of vice-team leader. The reason is simple: Han Yeo-ju was needed to supplement the team's fighting power. It's a kind of instructor role, you could say."
"……."
"As team leader, I wish I could take responsibility for my team members' training, but I don't have that ability. That's why I was thinking of enlisting the help of my assistant team leader in training, and Han Yeo-ju is the perfect fit for that."
“…Why?”
"It's simple. Because Han Yeo-ju is a fugitive."
"……."
"Because she's a fugitive, Han Yeo-ju is stronger than us."
Jeongguk's gaze turned straight ahead. I met the gaze that had been piercing me. Those who followed Jeongguk's gaze naturally had no choice but to face Yeoju. Her face was unfazed.
⚒