That’s How They Became Villains

#22. Your Little Sister is Amazing

“You’re going to make an alliance?”

When Chae Yu-ha nodded, Nazha snorted with a disinterested expression while crossing her arms.

It was a gesture that seemed to say, “Why do you need anyone else when you have me?”

To this, Chae Yu-ha gently smiled and tried to persuade Nazha.

“Listen, sis. Everyone has a thing or two they’re not good at. Of course I trust you, but what if something unexpected happens?”

“Sawol, I don’t know what misunderstanding you have, but I do know that there are things I can’t do.”

“Hmm? Then why are you looking at me with such pouty eyes if you’re not upset?”

Nazha’s cheeks stretched as Chae Yu-ha pinched and pulled them.

But Nazha still snorted with a dissatisfied look and said:

“It’s just, you know.”

“What?”

“When you say ‘alliance,’ it feels like we’ll have to live like a family. I don’t want to get close with other people besides you guys.”

Oh my, this family-loving person, really.

Chae Yu-ha let out a deep sigh that came from the depths of her heart. Feeling that dismay head-on, Nazha bristled and jumped up and down.

“Sis, should I step outside for a moment then?”

“Eek…!! Where are you going?”

“You know, that brother and sister we owe a huge debt to. I’m going to them.”

“Why?”

“To convince you.”

Nazha tilted her head with an expression that showed she didn’t understand at all.

“Want to work on something together?”

When Chae Yu-ha nodded, Kim Seok-ho sighed with a “tsk” and stared down at her.

His whole body seemed to be expressing, “I absolutely hate this, why should I?”

“Think about it logically. Do you know how much humiliation I’ve suffered because of you? I still haven’t been able to tell my sister that the claim about my memory being erased is a lie.”

“Oh, then you can just tell her now.”

“Are you joking?”

“Come on, don’t get angry right away.”

Chae Yu-ha drew a smile with her lips and pushed Nazha, who had come with her, forward.

Nazha was simply tilting her head in confusion.

“How much time does your little sister have left?”

“You, you son of a…”

“Wait! Put your fist down. I absolutely don’t mean any harm? Think of it as an extension of my atonement that I’m implementing at my discretion.”

Sensing the urgency in Chae Yu-ha’s voice, Kim Seok-ho, after fuming, eventually said:

“Go on.”

“Your sister hasn’t received the enhanced human procedure yet, right? Of course, if she had become an enhanced human, she wouldn’t still be lying weakly on a hospital bed.”

“……”

“I wonder why? Let’s say a month ago it was because you thought Minos was a difficult place for enhanced humans to live. But the fact that she still hasn’t received the procedure…”

Chae Yu-ha rubbed her fingers together in a gesture signifying money.

“It’s because you lack this, right? I understand. Is the procedure quite expensive? You probably thought you could save up enough money in time by working hard at the restaurant, but now you’re unemployed, right? An ex-convict, right?”

“Did you come here to provoke me?”

“You still don’t get it? Oh dear, this won’t do. Nazha sis!! Our smart, reliable, and capable sis! Please answer for this stupid man.”

“Uh, umm?”

Nazha, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, was startled and turned to look at Chae Yu-ha.

“Sis, do you also think I came all this way just to provoke this man?”

“No, our Sawol…no, Yu-ha wouldn’t do that.”

“Then?”

Chae Yu-ha’s hands firmly gripped Nazha’s shoulders.

“What did I come here to say? Tell me.”

“…….”

Silence fell.

She wanted to retort, why should I have to guess that?

But the brilliant genius engineer Nazha couldn’t answer here that she didn’t know or wouldn’t solve it.

It was because of a competitive spirit, pride, or some kind of rebellious psychology that had needlessly activated.

“Don’t tell me, you want me to treat this slacker’s little sister?”

And Nazha reached the conclusion more easily than expected.

Chae Yu-ha clicked her tongue with a “tsk.”

“That’s right, as expected of our sis.”

“Wait, what does that…!!”

Kim Seok-ho glared at Nazha, who was in Chae Yu-ha’s arms. He knew she was extraordinary since seeing her on the train, but she knows how to perform the enhanced human procedure?

“What, man.”

“…Ugh.”

Kim Seok-ho turned his eyes away, perhaps recalling the past disaster. It was quite a sight to see the child who had been smiling cheerfully while talking with Chae Yu-ha now frowning as if she had seen something disgusting when their eyes met.

“I’ve been thinking it was strange since I first saw you, but who exactly are you?”

“Huh? Ah, I’m this kind of person.”

Nazha took out a business card and handed it over as if passing something to someone dirty.

Kim Seok-ho, upon seeing the card, froze in place like he was nailed down and tried hard to maintain his composure.

On it were clearly written the words “Research Director of Cheongang, Nanomachine Management.”

This was tantamount to publicly confessing that she was the root of the enhanced human hatred that had spread throughout the city.

How could she be acquainted with such a woman? And they seemed quite close, calling each other sister and all.

Kim Seok-ho glanced at Chae Yu-ha.

Chae Yu-ha was still wearing a smile that made it impossible to read her thoughts.

“This makes me even more doubtful. Did you think showing me this would make me think, ‘Ah, that’s right,’ and entrust my sister to you?”

“Do I look like such a bad person to you?”

“Then?”

“I’m really hurt. I’m not a villain. I’m just someone who has a clearer dream than others.”

As if she wouldn’t speak any longer, Chae Yu-ha extended her hand to Kim Seok-ho.

“So what will you do? I’ll save your sister, so will you work with us? Or will you watch your sister die alone?”

“…Give me time to think.”

“Aish, there’s no such thing. Right now, take my hand and stamp the agreement. You’re not desperate enough, right? What if the electricity being supplied to the hospital is cut off? Shall we see what happens?”

“…….”

In the face of the threat involving his sister’s life, Kim Seok-ho finally gave in and took Chae Yu-ha’s hand. Then he whispered in her ear:

“Don’t ever let anything happen to my sister. If things go wrong, I’ll expose your ugly side to the whole world and commit suicide.”

“Yes, yes~ Thank you. Don’t worry, that won’t happen.”

The contract was established.

“If I just close my eyes and open them…can I really meet my brother…?”

“Of course, Seolhwa. Think about what you’ll say to your brother when you wake up.”

“Hehe…I’m so happy.”

A high school-aged girl smiled faintly and closed her eyes with that smiling face.

Nazha, with a somewhat dissatisfied look, stretched Seolhwa’s cheeks.

It was unclear where the value in such an action lay.

However, she couldn’t neglect the task she had agreed to take on. Nazha rolled up her sleeves and prepared for the procedure.

“Then, I leave it to you, sis.”

Seeing her solemn demeanor that even conveyed a sense of professionalism, Chae Yu-ha trusted Nazha and left the laboratory.

The procedure took about six hours.

Outside the lab were Kim Seok-ho and Chae Yu-ha, who had been called because it was almost over.

“Phew, it’s so tiring doing this after so long.”

Nazha, covered in sweat, came out while wiping her face with the sleeve of her gown.

“You can go in now. All vital sign stabilization is complete.”

Kim Seok-ho gulped in response.

Heat was emanating from the slightly open lab door but his feet wouldn’t move.

Even though the perception of city dwellers was improving, enhanced humans were still objects of fear.

Had he perhaps made an irreversible mistake for his sister?

In the future, when his sister would be dispatched for ground exploration like their parents, would he be able to maintain his composure?

“Why are you trembling like that? If you’re not going in, I’ll go in first.”

There was a slapping sound of flesh hitting flesh. Chae Yu-ha had hit Kim Seok-ho’s back.

Then she opened the door before Kim Seok-ho and entered.

“Hey, wait…!!”

Not to be outdone, Kim Seok-ho followed Chae Yu-ha into the lab.

White light blinded him momentarily. Although the lab’s lighting wasn’t that bright, that’s how Kim Seok-ho perceived it.

“Brother…?”

His vision returned to normal.

There, Seok-ho’s sister Seolhwa was standing on the ground.

“Ah…”

Seeing his sister standing on her two legs, having come down from the hospital bed was a sight he hadn’t seen in over ten years.

“Seolhwa…”

“Brother…can you recognize me?”

“Of course… how… how could I not recognize you…?. Are you okay now…? Standing like that…”

“…Yes. There’s no pain anywhere in my body now.”

The two figures overlapped with a rush.

Kim Seok-ho looked up at the ceiling, trying hard to hold back the tears that were threatening to flow. It felt like his ten years of effort had not been in vain.

A full ten years. That’s how long he had been living while taking care of his sick sister. On days when work was too hard, there were times when she felt like a burden.

But she’s the only blood relative left in the world. How could she not be precious?

“Thank you…thank you, sis Yu-ha.”

But, huh?

Kim Seok-ho suddenly came back to reality.

“For healing my body, thank you…for restoring my brother’s memory, thank you…”

What is this all about?

Kim Seok-ho’s gaze, which had been fixed on the ceiling, fell on Chae Yu-ha beside him.

At that moment, as if Chae Yu-ha had known Kim Seok-ho would look at her, she smiled wickedly and said:

“No need to thank me. I just did what I had to do.”

She began whispering the devil’s temptation to the crying Kim Seolhwa.

“No, you deserve more gratitude, sis.”

“Really? Then your brother and I are planning to do something together, would you like to join us?”

Wait, what is this?

“Can someone like me be of help to you?”

No, Seolhwa!

“Of course, what could our Seolhwa possibly lack?”

Don’t talk to that crazy woman!

“Thank you…for saying that.”

It’s all lies! I actually never lost my memory.

I just…couldn’t tell you because I was blinded by a momentary desire for revenge.

But Kim Seok-ho couldn’t say anything in this situation.

Every word that came to mind would only return to him as a sharp arrow.

‘What, do you have a problem?’

Chae Yu-ha’s half-closed eyes seemed to be saying that.

‘Isn’t everything ending well?’

Can one really say that?

At that moment, a certain scene flashed through Kim Seok-ho’s mind.

‘They might be villains who destroy your daily life. But they could also be heroes who protect your daily life.’ Indeed it was so. For Kim Seok-ho, Chae Yu-ha was a villain who had destroyed his daily life, and a hero who had protected it. Kim Seok-ho thought he understood Chae Yu-ha as a being but it was a misconception. Kim Seok-ho could no longer fathom Chae Yu-ha’s inner thoughts.

He merely held his sister in his arms more tightly.

For now…his sister seemed happy and he should be satisfied with that.

Meanwhile, Nazha, who was catching her breath outside the lab:

“Hehehe, was it because of this? Was this why you were so fixated on those guys?”

Nazha, who had tasted a fragment of Seolhwa’s unique ability, was laughing sinisterly.

Words that Chae Yu-ha had spoken in the past played like a panorama in her head.

‘Sis, did you know?’

‘Hm? What?’

‘They say that an enhanced human’s ability is manifested by the belief they held in their final moment as a human.’

‘…Sawol. Do you really believe such rumors?’

‘Why not? It’s romantic.’

‘There’s no romance in a thesis that can’t be proven.’

‘Wow, that was really unromantic just now.’

There’s no value in a thesis that can’t be proven but if it can be proven, the story changes.

A woman who spent more than ten years alone on a hospital bed awakened healing abilities.

It was an experimental result that couldn’t be ignored.

“…Sawol.”

But on the other hand, she also thought:

Why did Chae Yu-ha, who had also spent a long time in a hospital bed, awaken the ability to see the future?

Is it actually a different ability? Or perhaps the ability of revenge? Is there a possibility that Yu-ha is mistaken about her own ability? While contemplating various hypotheses, Nazha entrusted her body to the soft sofa. She was too tired now to think deeply about this matter.