At the mall
I was walking casually through the mall with Lee Donghyun and Lee Mira.
Today, I dressed in simple, casual clothes.
My goal was simple—to cheer them up so they wouldn't dwell too much on what happened yesterday.
"Big brother!! Look! I want that!!"
Mira pointed excitedly at an ice cream shop, tugging on Donghyun's sleeve.
Donghyun—who was completely broke—slowly turned to me, his eyes filled with desperate pleading.
"…Well… fine. Get whatever you want. I still have plenty of money."
With that, we headed straight into the ice cream shop.
It turned out to be ridiculously expensive.
What the hell—one vanilla ice cream costs as much as my weekly food budget…
Even though I had plenty of money now, my frugal habits hadn't disappeared.
A few minutes later
Mira happily licked her vanilla ice cream, her expression so adorable it made me want to pat her head.
As for Donghyun—
Well… he was eating ice cream too, but since he was a guy, I didn't feel the same urge.
"Huh? Why are you staring at me like that, bro?"
"No reason," I replied casually.
"You're just… pretty ugly."
"Wow. Coming from you?" he shot back.
"By the way—are you in a relationship yet? You're already twenty-three, you know. You should wake up and find a girlfriend."
Critical hit.
Damn it.
That sarcasm actually hurt.
I went silent, because… he wasn't wrong.
Suddenly, Mira ran over and hugged me tightly.
"Big brother! Don't bully Jinhoo!"
I smiled and gently stroked her brown hair.
"Haha, even your sister is defending me," I said smugly.
"Oh?" Donghyun scoffed.
"Fine. Then cook your own dinner tonight."
Damn it.
He's good at arguing.
And that was bad for me—because he was the one who usually cooked.
A few moments later
As we passed an electronics store, the TVs displayed breaking news.
Helpless?
What do they mean helpless?
I was the one who would've died if my bluff hadn't worked.
Looks like they're really determined to catch me.
Guess I'll have to be more careful next time.
I pulled out my phone and checked the trending posts online.
Trending Topics
Robbed a bank
Committed mass slaughter at an illegal facility owned by A-rank Villain Professor Teros
Sabotaged the Han-eul Building
Killed French S-rank Villain Andreo with one hand
Likes: 2,799
Dislikes: 18
Comments:
{Damn, this villain is cool and scary}
{Right?? I work at the Han-eul Building—pure terror LOL}
{How did he even get to Paris that fast? Did he take a plane?}
{Bro above me, are you blind? He literally teleports}
{Stop joking around. Indigo is a psychopath}
…Good.
The more they feared me, the better.
If they were scared enough, no one would dare challenge me.
Even though, honestly—
I was more afraid of the people who did fight me.
"We've been out for hours. Let's go home."
"Let's go!!"
"Alright."
Donghyun and Mira followed me toward the parking lot.
We bought a lot today—ice cream, food, clothes, and supplies.
As a frugal person…
My heart hurt.
*On Seoul Campus*
Ji-hye sat on a bench in the campus park, staring at the news on her phone.
What?
How did he get to France so fast?
Yesterday he was in Korea, attacking the Han-eul Building.
Is it teleportation?
Is his range really that insane?
She scrolled further.
S-rank… in just a few days?
That was ridiculous.
Even she—a genius—needed five months to reach S-rank.
Suddenly, Jin-ah appeared beside her.
"Ji-hye? What's wrong? You look so serious."
"Oh—nothing," Ji-hye replied quickly.
"I just realized I forgot my lunch. Guess I'll starve."
"What!? That's terrible!" Jin-ah said.
"Let's go eat fast food after class—my treat!"
"Really?"
"Of course! I got paid yesterday!"
With that, the two walked off together.
*In France — French Hero Association Branch*
Inside the Director's office.
"Madeleine, are you certain about what you said?" the Director asked.
"Of course I am… he told me himself. He knows my identity."
"Hm… so far, I'm the only one who knows that Oceanaria is the princess of France."
The Director scratched his chin.
"Or maybe you accidentally said it out loud while drunk?"
"Director," Madeleine replied flatly,
"I've never had alcohol in my life."
"Oh—right. Sorry."
Damn it… Indigo…
Madeleine clenched her fists.
He really is a monster.
No—more like a disguised grim reaper.
She had spent the entire night researching Indigo and his crimes.
The most terrifying part—
He had slaughtered hundreds.
Even if many were criminals… killing was still killing.
When Indigo appeared before her yesterday, she couldn't even look at his mask.
She had been terrified of Andreo—
yet Indigo killed him with one hand.
The more she learned, the more curious she became.
But fear stopped her from digging deeper.
Still, two questions haunted her.
How did he know my identity?
And why did he let me live?
With that power… he could've killed her effortlessly.
She didn't know—
That the person she feared so deeply…
Was afraid of her too.
Three days later
I yawned as I stepped out of my room and glanced at the calendar.
"Oh? Looks like it's her turn."
The "her" was Kim Gae-in.
In the webtoon, she was a villain who controlled wind.
Short black hair.
Beautiful—so beautiful that many villains had crushes on her.
Me?
Nope.
I planned to recruit her.
*Downtown Seoul*
People walked casually, unaware of what was about to happen.
At exactly 10 a.m.—
A massive tornado formed in the center of the city.
At first, people recorded it, thinking it was a strange weather event.
Then the tornado expanded violently.
Chaos erupted.
"HAHAHAHA! SO THIS IS WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE A VILLAIN!! THIS IS AMAZING!!"
A woman laughed from inside the tornado.
*Lightnova's POV*
Lightnova rushed toward the scene at light speed.
"Ji-hye, be careful. This is a new villain. We don't know her abilities,"
the Director warned through the earpiece.
Lightnova tried to break through the tornado—
But the light around it dimmed.
"Damn it!"
She fired a golden beam into the storm.
Instead of weakening it—
The light fused with the wind, making it even stronger.
Buildings began collapsing.
"…How do I fight this?"
"My long-range attacks don't work—and I can't get close!"
WHOOSH—
The tornado grew even larger.
If this continued, the damage would be catastrophic.
"Ahem."
A cough echoed nearby.
Lightnova turned—
And saw a man in a black suit, mask, cloak, and hat.
Indigo.
*Indigo's POV*
I stood on a rooftop, watching the massive tornado.
…Huh. Bigger than I expected.
Lightnova couldn't do anything, which made this tricky.
But that didn't mean it was impossible.
I teleported forward.
Wind tore at my cloak as I extended my hand.
Dark blue light formed a glowing ring around the tornado.
I stepped inside and sealed it.
*Kim Gae-in's POV*
Hahaha!
This is amazing!
I never imagined destruction could feel this good.
"…Hello. My name is Indigo Reign."
Huh!?
How did he get inside my tornado!?
"Before you ask," he continued calmly,
"join me. Become my partner."
"…What?"
This man was insane.
But—
He stood inside her tornado, unharmed.
That alone made him dangerous.
"What if I refuse?"
"Oh," his tone darkened.
"I'll kill you."
Pressure crushed her chest.
…This wasn't an invitation.
It was a threat.
"…Alright," she whispered.
"I'll join."
*Indigo's POV*
Nice.
That was fast.
"Good. Miss Kim Gae-in—take my hand."
"…How do you know my name?"
Ah. Right.
Bluff time.
"Let's just say my informant is top-tier."
She dispelled the tornado and grabbed my hand.
We teleported away.
*Lightnova's POV*
What…?
The tornado disappeared?
"And where did they go!?"
…Damn it.
He escaped—with a new ally.
This is bad.
I need to report this immediately.