Being a Villain is My True Calling

Swooosh…
Amidst the pouring rain.

“Haah…”

Letting out a small sigh, she gazed at her own hands.

“I’m still not quite accustomed to long-range transmutation forms.”

The mana consumption was significant, and manipulating each individual particle was no easy feat.

“It’s fortunate it was raining, otherwise I couldn’t have contained even half of what I did…”

Drip…drip…

Looking around, Ice Queen surveyed her frozen surroundings.
The entire street had been encased in ice.

“[You, you bitch…!!]”

And trapped within that massive ice crystal, a man had his lower body and one arm frozen, spewing curses.

“[If it weren’t for you…!! Dammit!!!]”

With bulging neck veins, the man glared threateningly at Ice Queen.
After observing him briefly, Ice Queen activated her translation device to address him.

“What exactly is your grievance?”

“[You ruined our terror attack, that’s what!!]”

“Is a hero stopping villains considered wrong?”

“[Don’t delude yourselves with that ‘hero’ label, you vile monsters.]”

His twisted grin and mocking tone clearly conveyed his animosity toward Ice Queen, or rather, heroes in general.

“[Spewing fire from your hands, creating ice…how is that human? You’re monsters.]”

More precisely, his contempt seemed directed at ability users themselves.

‘…An anti-ability user group, huh.’

A fringe group seldom seen even in modern society where the ability user ratio was around 40%.
They simply didn’t view ability users as human beings.

“It’s been decades since anti-discrimination laws against ability users were enacted, yet people like you still exist.”

“[Those toothless laws? Even with them, you monsters remain the same.]”

In their eyes, ability users were nothing but monsters.
Heroes or villains, it made no difference.

“[We just can’t stand the sight of your kind pretending to be human.]”

The villain’s sneering expression conveyed his disgust and repulsion.
He then twisted his mouth into a sardonic smirk as he regarded Ice Queen mockingly.

“[And you’re just the same, sweetheart. Just luckily born with a pretty ability and a pretty face, that’s all.]”

What if your pretty mug got all mangled and disfigured~would people still adore you then? You think?
Snickering derisively, the villain eyed Ice Queen up and down.

“[Must be nice being so luckily born. No struggles, no worries in life.]”

“So, could you clarify your point exactly?”

“[…Huh?]”

However, Ice Queen maintained an impassive expression, utterly unfazed by his denigrating taunts.

Step step.
She then casually closed the distance between them.

“Instead of just rambling insults, state your grievances plainly.”

Glak.
In an instant, Ice Queen had seized the villain by the throat.
Lowering her voice, she interrogated him further.

“Is that your reason, then? Your hatred of ability users?”

“[Kuheck…!]”

“If so, why did you kill those civilians? What crimes did those powerless people commit against you?”

“[Kughh…]”

The stench of charred flesh and acrid smoke permeated the air.
Scattered along the streets were various dismembered body parts.

Someone clutched a rectangular device with one hand, melting into a puddle.
A small child appeared to be embracing their presumed parent.
Others still clung together in tight embraces.

“……”

Ice Queen hadn’t prevented the terror attack preemptively.
At best, she had only mitigated the worst outcome, arriving far too late.

“[Huhh…huhh…you couldn’t possibly understand us.]”
“Understand?”
“[Yeah…this was a necessary sacrifice for our cause…it’s only natural, right?]”

“Ha.”
Energy rippled around Ice Queen’s form.

“You killed people. Understand people who commit murder? What understanding could there be?”

Glak aaak…
Ice Queen tightened her choking grip on his throat.

“[Kughh…gheeckk…!!]”

“What did those people do wrong? Did they harm you in any way? They did nothing, some weren’t even ability users.”

“[Kughh…hughh…kughh!!]”

Allowing him a brief respite to draw breath, she soon cut off his airway once more.

“A ‘necessary sacrifice for your cause’? Killing innocents is a ‘sacrifice’? Do you think spouting such ludicrous justifications would make it acceptable?”

Revolting.
It was utterly revolting.

The man before her, shedding tears and trembling pitifully.
His pathetic, sniveling state filled her with such nauseating revulsion that she could barely contain herself.

Drip…drip…
A frigid aura gradually enveloped the villain.

“Do you even know how many lives your twisted ideology has claimed?”

Beeeep-

The familiar ringing in Ice Queen’s ears.
Yet the subsequent voice sounded rather dissonant.

‘You’re not going to kill this one too, are you?’

A tender tone, yet laced with an undercurrent of disdain directed at her.

‘Imprisonment, not execution. What a laughable notion.’

“……”

Imprisonment.
All criminals were destined for prison sentences.

Capital punishment was non-existent. In this ever-destructive world of collapsing buildings and rampant casualties, a strong labor force was an invaluable necessity.

“[Kughh…gheckk!! Kkuheck…!]”

“……”

Rehabilitation was another underlying purpose.
The hope that they would reflect upon their wrongdoings and strive to become better people – a profound mercy.
But.

Could someone like this truly be reformed through mere imprisonment?

Drip…drip…

“[Kughh…s,sorry…spare me…]”

Unnoticed amidst her ruminations, an icy rapier had materialized in Ice Queen’s grasp.
And as that rapier drew inexorably toward the villain’s throat…

Tap.

“[Enough.]”

A grizzled, middle-aged hero stayed her hand.

“[That’s enough, Ice Queen. The chatter has gone on too long.]”

“…Victor…sir.”

He had taken the lead during this terror incident.
But why was he obstructing her now? A fleeting puzzlement.

“[Dispel that weapon in your hand as well.]”
“…Ah.”

As if a fog had lifted from her mind, clarity swiftly returned.

‘What was I about to do just now?’

Ice Queen recoiled at the sight of the rapier in her grasp.
She promptly dismissed the weapon, lowering her head in shame.

“My apologies.”

“[Mind yourself going forward, Ice Queen. You’re still too green for such behavior.]”

Some time later, at the Russian Heroes Association headquarters.
Having powered down to her black-haired civilian form, Seo Yun-hee was admonished by Victor.

“[I can understand your sentiments, I too have faced many I wished to execute outright.]”

“……”

“[But in the end, it was my own psyche that eroded first.]”

Removing his coat and ruffling his hair, Victor let out a wry chuckle as Yun-hee sweated nervously before him.

“[My ramblings have gone on too long. Just an old man’s unsolicited meddling.]”

“O,old man?! You are hardly…”

“[In any case, that’s enough for today. It’s getting late, so return home and rest up.]”

At his brusque dismissal, Yun-hee flailed her hands in startled protest.
Cutting off her attempted objection, Victor firmly issued his directive for her to retire.

“Haah…”

Upon returning to her room, as soon as Yun-hee closed the door behind her, she let out a deep sigh and flopped onto the bed.

“What was I about to do back there…?”

Unable to restrain her fleeting rage, she had nearly harmed someone.
If Victor hadn’t intervened and stopped her then…

“That was a close call…”

Ice Queen gazed blankly at her left hand.

‘Why did I get so angry?’

And she pondered her own pathetic behavior in bewilderment.

He was just an ordinary villain.
All that professed conviction was merely a facade, with no real interest beyond harming others.

A run-of-the-mill villain, the kind found anywhere.
Yet she had actually listened to his hypocritical drivel, genuinely enraged by it.

‘My name is Maker. I’m an executive of Eclipse.’

…Could it be because of that person’s contrasting demeanor?

“…That’s an illogical assumption. Too far a stretch.”

Raking her hands through her increasingly tousled hair, Yun-hee tried to sort out her troubled thoughts.

Woooong-

As she lay sprawled across the bed, her phone suddenly vibrated with an incoming call.
The displayed name was rather familiar.

“Hello?”

Hi unnie! Not ‘hi lover’, unnie’s friend Lily!

Accompanied by a bubbly, playful giggle, that mischievous voice alone brought an unbidden smile to Yun-hee’s face, dispelling her prior brooding completely.

“Long time no speak, Lily.”

Yeah, long time!

She was Lily Lewis, one of Yun-hee’s few acquaintances who also happened to be an American hero.

“How’s the exchange program going over there?”

I’m not part of this one! But there are lots of foreign heroes visiting!

“Well, the last time you came to Korea. So I’m sure some of ours went over there too, how are they doing?”

Umm… Lily paused contemplatively.

It’s a bit frustrating! It wasn’t like this when I was there!

“Phut.”

Yun-hee couldn’t help but laugh at Lily’s cantankerous grumbling that followed.

It was so fun teaming up with you, unnie!

“Like it matters whether it was fun or not.”

But still! Searching for people without proper ID numbers and all that?

‘Come to think of it, that was around when Lily visited through the exchange program.’

Yun-hee marveled at how much time had truly passed.

So how have you been doing lately, unnie? Keeping well?

“Me? Well, I’m…”

Just as Yun-hee was about to casually respond to Lily’s inquiry, she was abruptly cut off by her exclamation:

I saw what you were up to, unnie!

“…?”

You getting all tangled up in those tentacles…!

“Stop right there.”

It looked fun…!

“I said stop.”

That mischievous, playful tone.
Yun-hee hadn’t expected her misgiving to actually be on point.

‘Just where did she see that from?!’

“Haah…”

Her mind thrown into turmoil once more, Yun-hee could only let out another deep sigh.