abcnovels
Chapter 108: The True Hero (3)
Chapter 108: The True Hero (3)
Chapter 108: The True Hero (3)
TL/Editor: raei
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After several challenging days of coming to grips with reality, Han Yoo-jung found herself holding a small urn in her hands.
Yoo-ra's smile and laughter, her pranks and praise, love and memories were all incinerated, now contained within this small urn.
Her sister, who had become so light.
She still couldn't believe it; tears wouldn't even come.
She couldn't believe that what was contained in this urn was her sister.
It felt like she would appear at any moment, calling out 'Unni' in her familiar way from somewhere.
She couldn't believe that she was dead. She didn't want to believe it.
She never thought she would be left alone like this.
The guilt of her sister dying in her stead was unbearably painful.
Her sister had pushed her away and was crushed by a massive sign in her stead.
The last words she had told Yoo-ra were that someone as scared as her could never become a hero.
Yoo-ra's last moment was more heroic than anyone else's
And that fact hurt Han Yoo-jung deeply.
Every time she came to her senses, the scenes before her eyes changed.
Sometimes, she found herself standing still inside her house, other times sitting in the columbarium.
Then there were times she woke up in the hospital, and at others, she found herself sitting in a park.
"...Here is the condolence money."
Once, she regained her senses at the Hero Association.
"...The settlement amount is listed below."
It was a whirlwind caused by Hero 'Cant' that had made the sign fall off the building.
Because her sister had been crushed by the sign, this meeting with the association was arranged.
The room was very small.
Only Han Yoo-jung, an association employee, and a lawyer were sitting in this small room.
Han Yoo-jung slowly came to her senses.
She quietly looked around the room.
Her lawyer, sitting beside her, advised.
"Han Yoo-jung, it might be better to accept this."
"What about Cant?"
But Han Yoo-jung asked without even looking at the documents.
"Excuse me?"
The association employee asked back.
Han Yoo-jung now stared directly at the employee and asked again.
"I havent even received an apology from Cant."
""
"...My sister died. Shouldn't he come to me and apologize...? Say sorry...?! Say that he made a mistake...!"
The association employee looked down, ashamed.
"I'm sorry. Cant is currently injured, so he is not able to come."
"I havent heard anything about Cant being injured."
"Regardless, Cant cant come now."
"Then leave. I wont do anything until Cant apologizes."
At that moment, the lawyer beside her pulled her arm.
And with a similarly pained expression, explained.
"Han Yoo-jung, settling would be better for you as well."
"My sister died, and you think this money-"
"-Going to court wont do any good."
"What?"
"Even if manslaughter charges applyonly a fine will result. Even that, from a hero's perspective, would be cheap."
"Can't we put him in jail-"
"-Its hard to hear, butit was an accident. Prison is unlikely. Moreover, given the nature of a heros job, incidents like these happen occasionally...and there hasn't been a case where someone went to jail for such an incident."
""
""
Han Yoo-jungs voice started to tremble with disbelief at the harsh reality.
"What"
But the lawyer, with a look of sympathy, continued to inform her of her cold reality.
"You can think of it as similar to doctors not going to prison for their mistakes. If it goes to trial, it will only drag on, and the compensation will be much less than this. I understand it feels unfair and heartbreaking...but ending it here is the best path for you, Yoo-jung."
---
---
When she came to her senses again, Han Yoo-jung had finished signing and stepped outside, with the 200 million won deposited as the price for her sister's life.
Her heart felt as if it had hardened, numb.
She couldn't feel any emotion.
She simply lived, going with the flow.
Afterward, with that money, Han Yoo-jung paid for her sister's overdue funeral expenses and placed her urn in a better location.
Even though there was a lot of money left over, she couldn't bring herself to touch it.
She tried to bury it deep in a closet and forget about it.
Han Yoo-jung couldn't face those days again.
She refused to remember.
It took days to return to normalcy, working and living as if nothing had happened.
Even as the money that should have been Yoo-ra's college tuition accumulated, she continued her life without a thought.
Then, very often, when she realized her sister wasn't there to greet her, a massive wave of sorrow would crash over her, and she would start to rationalize it alone.
It wasn't difficult.
A glance at the articles praising heroes was enough.
Accepting their heartwarming acts of kindness, she tried to accept that Yoo-ra's accident was just a stroke of bad luck.
It was hard, but she had to do it that way.
Doctors can't save everyone.
Cant was just trying to catch a villain.
It was just a mistake.
He must be suffering from guilt as well.
Yoo-ra, who aspired to be a hero, would probably tell her to understand as well.
But as time passed, as the reality that Yoo-ra truly wasn't by her side anymore gradually sank in, rationalizing became increasingly difficult.
Tears that hadn't flowed started to leak.
Night after night, she cried.
How could she have known that her sister, who she was protecting in place of their parents, would leave her side in such a vain manner?
"Why did you save me"
She gritted her teeth, crying.
"You should have livedwhy did you save me"
The guilt was inescapable to the very end.
---
---
Five years passed.
Han Yoo-jung turned 25.
Now, Yoo-ra was buried deep in her heart, no longer causing pain.
She became accustomed to living alone.
Sometimes...no, she missed her sister daily, but now she could hide those feelings.
She had forgiven Cant too.
Afterward, he became a hero who performed brilliantly, saving countless lives.
If Han Yoo-jung had gotten her wish, and Cant had really gone to prison, then all those people wouldn't have been saved.
So, Han Yoo-jung decided to let go of the matter with Cant.
She tried to live believing it was just an unfortunate event.
However, one day, there was news that Cant would appear on a talk show.
There were also calls for audience members to participate in the show.
At that moment, Han Yoo-jung felt a fire burning in her chest that she didn't know was there before.
She felt the anger she thought she had extinguished flare up massively.
Maybe she hadn't forgiven him after all.
When she came to her senses, she had secured a spot in the audience.
The filming day was on a weekday, or maybe Cant's popularity was just so-so because there were more seats available than she had expected.
On the day of the broadcast, Han Yoo-jung stared at the stage Cant would appear on, trying to calm her pounding heart.
She couldn't understand why she was trembling.
She couldn't understand why the injustice of Yoo-ra's death felt fresh again.
Emotions she thought she had forgotten, that she thought she had moved past, returned.
As she trembled, a man sitting next to her spoke.
"Are you okay?"
""
An ordinary appearance.
Tall and muscular.
He looked a couple of years younger than her.
Han Yoo-jung glanced at him and then turned her attention away.
She didn't have the luxury to pay him any mind.
"I'm fine."
And then she looked back at the stage.
Soon, the MC took the stage, and the recording began.
---
---
For a while, the MC and Cant exchanged words.
Cant was just as he was on that day.
Blue suit.
Mask covering his nose and mouth.
Various accessories.
Before she knew it, Han Yoo-jung's hands were trembling.
The person who killed her sister was right there.
"Hyaaaaah."
But the man sitting next to her kept yawning.
Whether it was annoyance or something else, every bit of his behavior irritated her.
On closer inspection, he didn't seem to be in the best condition either.
Bored eyes and a face devoid of thought.
It felt strongly like he just had time to kill and ended up here.
The MC spoke. Han Yoo-jung focused on the stage again.
"Anyway, Cant. Let's take some questions from the audience now. Anyone with a question, please raise your hand."
Han Yoo-jung quickly raised her hand.
Having come this far, she had questions she wanted Cant to answer.
But the opportunity passed her by.
A woman far away asked instead.
"Cant, what's your ideal type?"
Laughter erupted.
It was a warm atmosphere.
Only Han Yoo-jung did not laugh.
Cant answered.
"I'd like to meet a kind woman who I can get along with well."
Next question.
Again, it wasn't Han Yoo-jung.
"Cant, what do you think is important as a hero?"
"Having a heart that cares for the citizens."
As he continued to answer, the disconnect between the audience and Han Yoo-jung grew.
She was the only one who couldn't laugh.
Her anger continued to build, her breathing became so rapid that her head spun.
Then, the MC pointed to Han Yoo-jung.
""
A microphone was passed to her. Han Yoo-jung held it and looked towards the stage.
""
A hush fell over the crowd. The laughter died down.
Though she had longed for this moment, facing it felt like her heart would burst.
She was facing Cant on a talk show, someone she hadn't met even after Yoo-ra's death.
Cant looked quietly at Han Yoo-jung.
Han Yoo-jung, finally, asked.
"5 years ago, an accident occurred because of the power you used, causing a sign to fall and crush my sister. Can you explain what happened that day?"
The once warm atmosphere turned icy.
Both the MC and Cant's faces darkened.
"Hmm."
Only the man next to her let out a quiet sigh.
Broadcast staff began to move about noisily.
But Han Yoo-jung was determined to stay until she heard an answer.
She wanted only one thing.
To hear the apology she hadn't received then.
She could understand. Heroes can make mistakes.
They try to protect people, so she wanted to understand.
But still, an apology was needed.
She wanted a sincere apology for that incident.
Even if it was just words, Han Yoo-jung desperately wanted that apology.
Cant slowly began to speak.
"....I regret the accident. It was unfortunate timing and location for her to be there. If the villain had been just a bit to the side. If the sign had been just a bit sturdier, the accident wouldn't have happened. It's something that should never happen again."
""
But Han Yoo-jung was at a loss for words to Cant's response.
It was as if he was implying he was not at fault in any way.
The tone suggested it was Yoo-ra's fault for being there.
The apology never came.
Han Yoo-jung clenched her teeth and spoke again.
"That's not what I wanted to hear."
""
"You haven't apologized to me. Apologize. I still haven't heard you say... that you're sorry."
Only then could Han Yoo-jung understand.
Why she had rationalized all this time. Why she had tried to forgive Cant.
Because there was no other way.
That was all the powerless her could do.
She didn't have the power to seek revenge on the hero Cant, nor did she have the means to draw in reporters and escalate the situation.
Her enemy wasn't just Cant.
As long as the Hero Association stood behind Cant, Han Yoo-jung was powerless.
It was the same now.
She couldn't do anything. That's why she wanted an apology.
She needed some form of victory, no matter how small.
It seemed like the only way to lessen the injustice.
She wanted to hear Cant admit his wrongdoing.
Cant slowly responded.
"...If trying to catch a villain is wrong, then I apologize."
At that answer, Han Yoo-jung felt her heart grow cold again.
"......"
How could he say something like that?
He skillfully avoided a genuine apology. Is saying sorry that difficult?
Was Yoo-ra's life worth less than his pride?
A tear of frustration rolled down her cheek.
She felt she couldn't face her sister.
How could she face her if they met again in the far future?
She had done nothing for her sister.
Han Yoo-jung resolved, blaming her powerlessness, that even if it killed her, she would kill Cant.
A blade would kill him just the same.
She didn't know how she would do it, but only by killing him could her heart-
"-As*hole."
Someone next to her spoke.
The man who had been yawning, who was sitting beside her, stood up.
"How is that an apology?"
The MC asked the man.
"Are you her boyfriend?"
But the man ignored the question and continued.
"Heroes...this is why they're annoying. Would you have said the same if you were powerless? Relying on your strength and acting like you're superior, you're no different from a gang."
The audience began to murmur.
Cant straightened up and responded.
"...I will tolerate this insult to heroes only this time."
"What are you going to do if you don't? Solve it with power again? Im not wrong. Just kneel and apologize properly."
The man didnt back down.
Fearless in the face of a hero.
Cant's expression tightened slightly as he warned.
"Let's stop. Are you okay with being suspected as a villain?"
There was a hint of a threat in his tone.
The man laughed scornfully.
As he raised his hand, something rose up into it.
Cant also quickly stood up.
As the two prepared for combat, chaos ensued among the people.
Some ran away, others screamed.
But Han Yoo-jung quietly watched the man standing up to Cant.
Standing up not just to Cant, but to the Association as well.
"If criticizing a hero makes me a villain"
He said.
"Then I guess Im a villain."
And then he dropped what was in his hand.
It was a dice.
The number showing was 5.
Villain Dice made his appearance.
---
---
Han Yoo-jung was holed up in her room, browsing through numerous articles.
Dice's debut was nothing short of shocking.
Not only Cant but also the numerous heroes who came to support him were defeated by Dice.
No one could stop him.
She had never imagined that the man who had been yawning beside her, asking if she was okay, could be so formidable.
Eight heroes sustained minor injuries, and one was seriously injured.
Naturally, the one with serious injuries was Cant.
His left leg's nerve was severed, his right ankle was amputated.
He was blinded in his left eye, and his right arm suffered compound fractures.
It was said he could never return as a hero again.
Reading those articles, a breeze flowed through Han Yoo-jung's heart.
It felt as though something blocked had been cleared.
And she felt once again that her thoughts were right.
She had only rationalized her situation because she was powerless.
Seeing Cant suffer so brutally brought her an indescribable relief.
Dice did not even cover his face.
Unlike other villains, he did not hide behind a mask.
Han Yoo-jung replayed the conversation captured on camera between him and the new hero, 'Solace,' several times.
Solace asked,
"Why did you do this?"
Dice paused before answering.
"Just because."
He even showed a slight smile.
But Han Yoo-jung knew.
Though Dice might have had his own reasons, her conversation with Cant had been the catalyst.
For hours, Han Yoo-jung absorbed everything about Dice into her memory.