I Became The Villain The Hero Is Obsessed With - Chapter 37
Chapter 37 – The Calm Before the Storm
It was already evening. How time flies.
After spending an exciting day in Busan, we entered the hotel to get some sleep.
It was the most expensive 5-star hotel in Busan: ‘The Signature’ Hotel.
Personally, as a patriot, I was not thrilled that such an iconic hotel in Busan had an English name. Why not use Korean? We have a good Korean word for ‘Signature,’ which is ‘사인.’ (TN: Pronounced “sign,” it, ironically, comes from the English verb “sign.”)
On second thought, ‘사인’ isn’t a Korean word either. Well, is ‘Signature’ even used in that context here? I don’t know; let’s just go in.
The interior lobby was quite large and luxurious. It seemed like a space that could easily accommodate hundreds of people. Ms Su-bin stayed to watch our luggage while Seo-eun and I headed to the front desk for check-in. Seo-eun had made the reservation, so she came along.
“Welcome. May I have the name of the person who made the reservation?”
“Ah, it should be under Han Seo-eun.”
“Yes, I found you. Here is the key for your room, 2708.”
“Is it just one room?”
“Yes, you only made a reservation for one room.”
“Ah, okay…”
Holding a single key card, I trudged back to the lobby and asked Seo-eun, who was next to me.
“Seo-eun, why did you only book one room?”
Avoiding my questioning gaze, Seo-eun replied,
“Well, it’s a way to save money, isn’t it?”
“Why do we need to save money? If you combine yours and mine, what we have tonnes of is money.”
“Ah! The bed is super king-size; just come and sleep!”
“Seo-eun, you’re saying there’s only one bed?”
As I looked at Seo-eun in disbelief, Ms Su-bin, who was next to us, came over and hugged Seo-eun.
“It’ll be nice for the three of us to sleep together after a long time. Hehe, I’m looking forward to it.”
“Uh, we’ve never actually slept together before, the three of us.”
Ignoring my words, the two swiftly headed towards the elevator. There goes my authority as their guardian.
***
“Wow, the room is really spacious!”
As soon as Seo-eun entered the hotel room, she started running around, exclaiming in awe. It was nice to see her so lively and bright-eyed, considering she was usually glued to her computer screen. Students really should go out and play, yes.
“Wow, the bathtub is as big as a hot spring.”
Ms Su-bin, who had gone into the bathroom, also opened her eyes wide in amazement. So, this was what a 5-star hotel was like?
This was the largest and most spacious hotel room I had ever stayed in. The furniture seemed to be made of high-quality wood, giving me the feeling that if I accidentally set it on fire, I’d have to pay millions of won. I should definitely not play with fire in this hotel. Ah, well, I shouldn’t really play with fire anywhere, right?
“The night view is amazing.”
I said this as I pulled back the curtain. It was exactly as I said. Maybe because we were on a high floor, but the night view of downtown Busan was breathtaking. I could even see the waves crashing in the distant night sea.
“Yawn… wow, the TV is huge.”
I marvelled at the TV in the bedroom. Even the TV at our base wasn’t this big. Should I get a new one?
But amidst all this, there really was only one bed. Of course, the size was enormous, almost like four beds put together, but did we really have to book a room with just one bed?
I spoke first to the others, who were busy unpacking their luggage.
“Let’s unpack, take a shower, hang out for a bit, and then go to sleep.”
I was tired after walking around all day.
***
And so we all took showers and laid down on the bed.
Seo-eun lay in the middle, with Ms Su-bin and me on either side. We decided to relax and watch TV. While I was flipping through channels to find something interesting, Seo-eun, who was looking at her phone next to me, spoke up.
“Oppa, can you get me some water?”
Huh? What did she say?
“Water.”
Seo-eun repeated it as if it were nothing. Seo-eun, do you not have hands or feet?
“Seo-eun… to think you would order me around like this. I must have raised you wrong. I should have been stricter. Oh my, oh my.”
As I jokingly wailed, Seo-eun, looking flustered, waved her hands and said,
“No, it’s not like that! You have telekinesis, right? Can’t you just use that to get it? Isn’t it just a flick of the wrist?”
Ah, is that what she meant? I thought Seo-eun had become a spoiled child.
“Sorry, Seo-eun, but you’ll have to get up and get it yourself.”
“Fine…”
“No, the reason is that I have to conserve my energy.”
“Energy? What do you mean?”
“Um, did I not explain this? Let’s see… you know, in RPG games, there’s something like MP, right? The gauge that wizards have to fill to use magic?”
“Oh, that? The blue bar under the HP?”
“Right, that. My telekinesis is like that. If I use it too often, it becomes as weak as a claw machine, but if I don’t use it and focus, it becomes stronger. So, I have to conserve my energy for emergencies.”
The last time I used it was a few months ago to deal with a crook, so it felt pretty strong now. Patience is a virtue!
“Ah, I get it now. I thought you just used it whenever… I’ll go get it.”
With that, Seo-eun trudged off towards the hotel mini-fridge. I guess I’ll flip through some more channels in the meantime.
Variety shows, news…
I just turned on the news. Honestly, in this world, the news is more entertaining than variety shows. How can it not be fun when the news talks about B-class villains and people with fire powers?
As I turned on the news, pictures of a blonde woman and a woman with long sky-blue hair appeared. Ah, the one on the left was Stardus, and the one on the right was that woman, the Northern Ice Witch.
The anchor’s voice flowed from the news.
[After the report on Shadow Walker’s coma, concerns about national security among the citizens have not ceased. In response, A-class heroes from the Association, Stardus and Icicle, have come forward to clarify. They announced that they would be on 24-hour emergency standby. As usual, Stardus will be responsible for Seoul and the surrounding areas, while Icicle will cover Gyeongsangbuk-do, Gyeongsangnam-do, and Busan.]
Well, Stardus had always been in charge of Seoul, and the Northern Ice Witch, or rather, Icicle, as she was officially known, had been in charge of Busan. So, this announcement basically meant they’d be working 24/7. Poor things…
The Northern Ice Witch was still not commonly referred to as such; she was officially known as Icicle in the news. Well, she got that nickname after freezing North Korea, so it made sense.
While I was briefly reminiscing about the original story, the anchor continued.
[In response to citizens questioning, “How can just two people cover all of South Korea?” the Association has controversially advised, “To prepare for danger, keep a baseball bat next to your bed,” causing national outrage.]
The Association is still doing that, huh? Well, they had always been like that, so it was not surprising. My memory of the Association’s president was that he was a bit off anyway. But it did make me wonder about the state of public safety. Should I prepare something too?
“Oppa, are you watching the news again? You really act like an old man at times like this.”
Seo-eun suddenly returned to the bedroom with sharp words. No, it’s unfair. This might be everyday life for you, but for me, it’s like watching a movie.
“Huh? But that’s not water; it’s cola. Where did you get that?”
“Cola? It was in the minibar.”
I almost screamed.
“Seo-eun! How could you drink that? Do you know how expensive the snacks and drinks in the hotel minibar are? That can of cola probably costs 5,000 won!”
When I said this, Seo-eun shrugged her shoulders.
“So what if it’s 5,000 won or 50,000 won? We have a lot of money.”
I was momentarily at a loss for words at Seo-eun’s comment. Right, we do have a lot of money, don’t we? Between the money I had made using my knowledge of the original story and the money Seo-eun had earned, we had quite a lot. But I guess I’ve lived like a commoner for so long that I forgot.
“Anyway, oppa, this hotel itself is expensive. It’s probably the most expensive property in Busan. It’s the only 5-star hotel here.”
“Alright, drink up. Just make sure to brush your teeth afterwards.”
“God, I’m not a child anymore.”
Seo-eun puffed up her cheeks in protest. Ah, you do look like a child right now…
Ms Su-bin just watched us and quietly smiled.
*
“Yawn… I’m getting sleepy. Let’s all go to bed.”
We all brushed our teeth, turned off the lights, and lay down. The bed was so big that it wasn’t uncomfortable, but sharing a blanket was a bit awkward.
I heard Ms Su-bin snoring softly from the other side. She fell asleep as soon as she laid down.
As I kept my eyes closed to sleep, Seo-eun, who was lying next to me, softly muttered.
“I had fun today…”
“Hmm? What was the most fun for you?”
“I liked seeing the ocean, and the market was fun too… It would be nice to go out like this sometimes.”
“Sure, let’s go out more often.”
If we could, that would be. First, I had to complete all the terrorist plans and Stardus growth projects in my head…
“Let’s sleep now so we can have fun tomorrow.”
“Okay…”
Seo-eun yawned once more, buried her face in the pillow, and lay down. I should sleep soon, too.
The hotel was so quiet that I’d probably fall asleep quickly.
And just like that, I fell into a deep sleep a few minutes later. The sun will be up when I wake up tomorrow, right?
***
However, late at night, the moon still illuminated the dark city inside the hotel.
Thud.
Thud, thud, thud.
Heavy footsteps echoed from all directions.
Bang.
There was a sound of something exploding from somewhere.
Aaaaaaah, crash.
Now, there were screams and the sound of something breaking.
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang.
That was the sound of pounding on our door, causing noise between floors.
“FBI OPEN UP!”
And finally, there was a loud shout from outside our door.
“What the fuck…”
I muttered, waking up from my sleep.
Why is this happening to me?