I Became a Villain’s Hero

Chapter 43: Once in a Lifetime Opportunity (5)

TL/Editor: Raei

Schedule: 5/week, Mon-Fri

Illustrations: Here

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Song Soo-yeon cautiously accepted the ticket.

She didn't know what to say.

Honestly, from the moment she realized what the gift was, her desire to give it to Jung-gyeom completely disappeared.

It was all because of the previous day.

Spending the day at the amusement park with Jung-gyeom, she learned how happy and special it felt to have fun together, and the kind of bond it built.

And yesterday, Jung-gyeom had hugged Solace.

Song Soo-yeon couldn't fathom what hidden desires Solace might have had through that.

Especially since Solace had come over so early in the morning.

She couldnt bear the thought of Solace spending time with him.

They were becoming friends much faster than she had with Jung-gyeom.

...She became afraid of the future.

Especially when she remembered how Jung-gyeom had often been teary eyed in front of Solace.

"......"

Thinking about it made her heart feel constricted again.

Every instance of Jung-gyeom crying in front of Solace brought her an unpleasant feeling.

Song Soo-yeon asked curtly.

"Why are there only two tickets?"

"Huh?"

"What about mine?"

Song Soo-yeon changed her approach.

If Solace had approached Jung-gyeom with some intention, she just had to insert herself awkwardly in between.

She wanted to rip the tickets apart, but she knew she couldnt.

It was too obvious.

Jung-gyeom and Solace would figure it out with just a few questions to each other.

"Oh, those are for you and oppa."

However, Song Soo-yeon's concerns melted away like snow at Solace's next words.

".......What?"

She was dumbfounded.

She looked at the slightly crumpled ticket in her fist.

".....For me and Mister?"

"No, Soo-yeon. Why would I leave you out?"

Solace said with her usual bright smile.

"Do you think I'm that bad?"

"........"

"You really don't like heroes, do you?"

Solace pulled down her mask, temporarily returning to her civilian identity as Min-Bom.

With another sunny smile, she said,

"Soo-yeon, if you don't like me as a hero, just think of me as the ordinary Min-Bom. You know my face, right?"

Looking at her harmless face, Song Soo-yeon began to feel guilty.

She was ashamed of herself.

Looking back, it wasnt just love she hadnt learned, but also about giving others the benefit of the doubt.

Like everyone else, she had assumed Solace had malicious intentions.

She had been unnecessarily harsh with Solace, still reeling from the shock of the previous day.

Song Soo-yeon knew it was time to apologize.

It was embarrassing and went against her honest feelings, but it was definitely the moment to apologize.

".....I'm sorry."

Song Soo-yeon apologized quietly.

Min-Bom waved her hand, still smiling, and comforted Song Soo-yeon instead.

"No, Soo-yeon. I understand if it felt like I was ignoring you. I should have explained more clearly."

"...."

"Thanks for apologizing so quickly."

Then, without any hesitation, Solace pulled up her hero costume to cover her mouth and nose.

She began to prepare to leave.

"Well, I've accomplished what I came for, so I'll be going now. Soo-yeon, can you make sure to give this to oppa?"

Song Soo-yeon nodded.

"...Yes."

"Don't look so glum. I'm really okay."

"Yes."

"Okay. See you next time."

Solace turned around.

Song Soo-yeon looked down at the ticket in her hand again.

The ticket that had just brought a sticky feeling to her heart was now transforming into a sense of anticipation.

She might not know much about baseball, but she knew spending time with Jung-gyeom made her happy.

And this ticket was a pass to spend time with him.

Would it be like yesterday, getting to play together with him?

Her heart began to beat faster.

"Ah, Soo-yeon?"

Solace, who was walking away, called out to Song Soo-yeon.

Song Soo-yeon took her eyes off the ticket and looked at Solace.

There stood Solace, with a different air about her, her ears redder than usual.

She blinked her eyes, stuttering as she spoke.

"...Uh, about yesterday, tell oppa I said thanks."

Changing emotions so quickly wasn't easy, but Song Soo-yeon felt her heart sink, almost comically.

She knew what yesterday meant.

They had embraced each other like lovers, sharing warmth in the winter cold for a long time.

"...Yesterday?"

Song Soo-yeon pretended not to understand, hiding her own feelings.

Solace nodded.

"...Just say that much, oppa will understand."

And then Solace floated away into the air, as if she couldn't bear the embarrassment any longer.

Song Soo-yeon was left standing there, pondering how to process what she was feeling.

She couldn't tell if this sticky feeling was just an overreaction.

---

---

After a few days, Song Soo-yeon and Jung-gyeom, heavily clothed again, were heading to the baseball stadium.

She had long forgotten her negative emotions.

The fact that she could go out and have fun with Jung-gyeom again made her only happy.

And it wasn't just Song Soo-yeon who felt this way.

Jung-gyeom, too, had acquired some cheering sticks and had inflated them, holding them in his arms since leaving the one-room apartment.

"Mister, are you that excited?"

"Of course. It's going to be fun, right?"

"Do you like baseball?"

"Not particularly, but I know all the rules. I used to watch it alone to ease the loneliness."

Feeling a strange sense of pity, Song Soo-yeon looked at Jung-gyeom.

A small desire arose in her.

Just as he had done for her, she wanted to be the special person who could comfort his wounds.

Being by his side like this, maybe one day he too could shed his loneliness.

...Of course, she didnt mean to stick to him like glue.

Song Soo-yeon had learned a lot from the incident with Solace a few days ago.

She realized she lacked ease.

It was her first time learning about love, and not understanding how to handle these emotions, she tried to stay as close to him as possible.

She always sought his company, and even in her moments of rest, she thought of him while looking at his photos.

In bed, she tried to smell his scent and even dreamt of him.

But maybe that was too much.

The backlash of her feelings for him erupted.

Seeing Jung-gyeom hugging Solace had been unbearably hard.

Thinking back, it was just a hug.

Especially since a terror attack had occurred that day, perhaps Solace also had a tough experience.

It seemed she had tried too hard to protect her newly found treasure.

Searching the internet, she found many saying that interpreting a hug as love was a mistake.

Maybe it was the same for Solace and Jung-gyeom.

Moreover, being here at the baseball stadium was all thanks to Solaces ticket.

If she had liked Jung-gyeom, she wouldn't have given them the ticket.

Song Soo-yeon resolved to be more relaxed.

After all, if she truly loved Jung-gyeom, she had to move out of his house quickly.

To even do half of what Jung-gyeom had done for her, she needed to earn money, even if it meant taking part-time jobs like loading and unloading.

She shouldnt just cling to him without any independence.

"....Mister, Ive been thinking."

"About what?"

Although she didnt like the idea of being apart from Jung-gyeom on weekends... still believing it was the right thing to do, Song Soo-yeon spoke up.

"Im thinking of doing part-time jobs on the weekends. To earn some money."

".........."

Jung-gyeom looked at her in surprise, his smile fading, a look of astonishment on his face.

He blinked for a long time.

Amidst the crowd heading to the baseball stadium, they both stopped.

After a long thought, he nodded.

Slowly, his smile returned.

"....That's a good idea."

He said.

They both understood that it was healthier for their relationship.

With a warmer atmosphere, they entered the baseball stadium.

After submitting their tickets and climbing a few steps, a wide and green field came into view.

"Wow....so many people."

Jung-gyeom exclaimed.

As it was their first baseball game, Song Soo-yeon and Jung-gyeom looked around every corner like country people who had just come to the city, taking it all in.

As they looked around, something caught Song Soo-yeons eye.

Couples.

There were quite a few couples.

All of them were either arm-in-arm, holding hands, or playfully rubbing their faces against each other as they entered.

Now that she noticed, most of the pairs of men and women were couples.

Suddenly, Song Soo-yeons heart started to race.

Being conscious of it made her even more nervous.

Song Soo-yeon watched Jung-gyeom excitedly looking around the stadium.

Did he notice this trend too?

Was he conscious of it?

Her gaze kept drifting to his rugged hands.

How would it feel to hold that hand?

To walk through the baseball stadium holding hands, what would that feel like?

Song Soo-yeon shook her head.

It wasnt something she could do.

She decided not to even imagine it, since she couldnt do it anyway.

They found their seats.

It was only then that Jung-gyeom took out the cheer sticks he had been carrying in his arms and banged them together a few times, making noise.

Then he looked at Song Soo-yeon and smiled contentedly.

Song Soo-yeon had to swallow a childlike giggle inside, finding his excited demeanor cute.

...Why are you so excited?

Song Soo-yeon faintly hid her own happiness.

Jung-gyeom answered with a laugh.

Im happy to be at the baseball stadium with a friend. And..

And?

Song Soo-yeon urged him to continue with a smile.

And, its a gift from Sol...no, from Bom.

.......

Hearing his answer, Song Soo-yeon struggled to keep her lips from turning down.

She reminded herself of the mindset she had been thinking of earlier.

Right.

It's nothing major.

It's natural to be happy about a gift from an acquaintance.

Song Soo-yeon asked.

Mister, youd be this happy if I gave you a gift too, right?

Of course.

Jung-gyeom answered without hesitation.

Satisfied with his answer, Song Soo-yeon shook off the uncomfortable feeling.

After all, there was no point in feeling competitive with Solace, who wasnt even here.

In fact, it was pointless to set herself against Solace at all.

She needed to ease her mind.

In other words... it was she, not Solace, who was on a... date with him.

Date.

Even though she was the one who thought of the word, it made her heart flutter again.

She took a deep breath to manage her heartbeat before her cheeks turned red.

Oh, looks like the game is starting.

Jung-gyeom pointed to the mound.

Like everyone around them, he banged his cheer sticks together to add to the atmosphere.

A gentle cheer song was also playing.

The announcers voice boomed through the speakers.

...Let's proceed with the ceremonial first pitch. We have a special guest. Please come out!

...First pitch?

As Song Soo-yeon murmured, a brilliant light flashed in the sky.

The spectators in the stadium all stood up and looked upwards.

There was only one person who could produce such light.

Song Soo-yeon frowned and looked up at the sky.

Sure enough, Solace was there.

Her growing popularity was evident.

Children and adults alike cheered.

Its Solace!

I love you!!

Solace! Thanks for saving us last time!

She waved at us!

Jung-gyeom was no different.

"Wow! So beautiful!"

Joining in with the crowd, he shouted clichd compliments towards the sky.

Song Soo-yeon swallowed hard and looked at Jung-gyeom.

Again, unpleasant feelings began to surface.

Just then, Jung-gyeom leaned over and gently nudged her with his elbow.

"Soo-yeon, cheer for her quickly!"

"...Ah. Yes."

Pushed by his insistence, she began to clap.

...Why hadnt she thought of it?

Now that she considered it, it was obvious.

From the moment she received the tickets, she should have anticipated that Solace would be the ceremonial pitcher.

Song Soo-yeon took a deep breath.

...Again, she tried to lighten her heart.

These feelings werent Solaces fault.

It was her own fault for not being at ease.

........But some things were unavoidable.

If she had more, perhaps she wouldnt have reacted so sensitively.

But since Jung-gyeom was all she had, no matter how much she tried, she couldn't shake off these sticky feelings.

Song Soo-yeon looked up at the sky.

Solace was descending gracefully, waving kindly to the people.

"....Beautiful."

To match Jung-gyeom, Song Soo-yeon muttered a compliment under her breath.

......But honestly, she thought she was more beautiful.

Comforting herself with that thought, she tried harder to suppress her emotions.

I'm prettier, so it'll be okay.