CH 67

C67: Secret Room

“….”

A conclusion came after careful consideration.

Leaving Stardus behind, who is still panicked, I quickly scanned the surroundings.

Professional villains analyze the situation coolly without being panicked even in times of crisis.

What’s the difference? Wouldn’t there be a hole to escape from somewhere?

Looking around the slope like that, I could soon find something different.

The clock hangs on the wall.

The electronic clock, which was turned on, has the lights on it to indicate the time.

[2 : 58.42]

[2 : 58.41]

[2 : 58.40]

…

The time keeps running on the clock.

Yes, all the secrets are solved!

“O-Oh?”

Stardus was still stuttering.

How can you be so panicked?

If you are a capable hero, you should look at the situation quickly, coolly, and objectively like me.

The Stardus I know didn’t do this.

She’s not this weak.

….Yeah, come to think of it, it was the Stardus who rolled around and became skillful later in the original.

The current Stardus are showing a silly side, perhaps because she hasn’t been through much.

But you can’t be like that.

“Stardus!”

“H-Huh?”

Looking at me with a shook expression, I turned my head and pointed at the clock.

“Do you see that? Seeing that time is running out, I think we’ll be able to get out after that time. So take it easy.”

“Huh? Oh, oh.”

Only then did Stardus look up.

Looking at the clock, she frowned and murmured.

“Three hours?”

“Yes, we just need to stay for three hours. Well, it’s not that long, so let’s wait. Come on.”

I sat down.

We will be locked up in here for about three hours, but I can’t stand it.

My legs hurt.

After sitting down, I asked Stardus to sit and wait but then…

Boom-.

Stardus hit the wall again.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“How do you know that the door is going to open or the bomb will explode in three hours?”

She kept banging her fist at the door. This place is going to collapse!

But no matter how hard she tried, the door wouldn’t budge.

Eventually, she gave up.

“Tsk…”

She rubbed her hands.

What the?

As I looked closely, blood was dripping from her fist.

Seriously, what the hell is she doing?

“No, how can you hit it so foolishly? Even though, your ability is suppressed.”

“…..”

“Gosh, come on. Try to stop the bleeding with this.”

I took out a bandage from the bag and threw it to her.

Seo-eun and Soobin gave it to me so that I can use it if I get injured, but I guess it’s used for this situation.

“….”

Stardus, who had received the bandage from me, was a little concerned. Soon, she began to cut a little and wrap it around her arm.

“…I won’t say thank you.”

“That’s not a thank you?”

“……”

She flinched slightly as if I had just hit the nail on the head.

I mean, I never thought she’d say thank you, but I didn’t expect it to come out like that.

…She’s not the type to talk to villains like that. Honestly, when I threw her the bandage, I was prepared for it to fly back to my face. I was a bit surprised to hear that.

What’s happening? Is her personality getting softer around this time?

I don’t think so. So she’s only giving me the special treatment?

Why? I don’t think there’s a particular reason.

A bandage flew into my face as the thought popped up in my mind.

That’s right.

“Oh! Gosh, I gave it to you because I was worried. What have I done so wrong? You just had to roll it back to me, it wouldn’t be stuck though?”

“….”

As I grumbled and glared like that, she slightly avoided my eyes. I guess she does feel sorry?

…But actually, there’s nothing to be sorry for a villain.

“Well, let’s just sit and wait. And I think it means that the door will open in 3 hours. Does your ‘hunch’ tell you anything?”

“…Hunch.”

She muttered when she heard me.

Yes, hunch. Your super-sense. It’s similar to the foresight

Actually, I don’t know what’s going to happen in three hours, so you should check it out.

After frowning for a while, she soon loosened her face.

Probably, she intuitively felt that it would open in three hours.

Phew, I’m glad. Well, Stardus’s super-sense isn’t fully developed yet, but… This is probably right.

So we sat still.

Stay still.

Without moving

In a small room, by ourselves.

Without saying anything to each other, in silence.

“….”

Wait.

This feels like hell, though?

***

So an hour passed without us saying anything to each other.

All I hear is each other’s silent breath.

Of course, I didn’t just sit back.

I took the snack out of the bag and ate it. It was good.

Stardus flinched for a moment when I put my hand in the bag, and breathed out as if she was slightly relieved when I just took out the snack.

Why? Is she nervous that I’m going to take out a gun from the inside?

…At least I won’t do that, so don’t worry.

Or shouldn’t she? If you’re relieved, you don’t feel threatened as a hero?

“Would you like some snacks?””

“…You’re talking nonsense.”

I asked because you looked hungry, but if you don’t like it, nevermind.

Since then, we have kept quiet and still. It’s so awkward.

And setting aside the awkwardness, I felt this after an hour… There’s a little lack of oxygen here. I’m out of breath. Is this the grief of the secret room?

The lack of oxygen is a big deal. If there is a lack of oxygen, it is highly likely that the brain will not be able to work and that it will not be able to make rational judgments. In other words, words may pop out without going through the brain.

…And of course, I’m in big trouble. There are some secrets I’m hiding.

So I decided to shut my mouth and stay still. If you don’t do anything, you might just get by.

At first, I twisted my body because it was so awkward, but as time passed, I got used to this. I had the urge to take out the phone in the bag and try to use it for a while, but I endured it because my identity could have been exposed. We can’t teleport here, so we can’t run away.

As I got used to her soft breathing now, I was zoning out thinking, “I just need to stay like this for another hour.”

No, and as time goes by, the two of us are trapped in a small room, so I don’t think we can breathe well. Those HanEun fuckers didn’t even put an oxygen generator in the secret room? What the hell are they?

Thanks to them, my head is getting dazed. It’s like I’m on drugs. No, it’s exactly like I’m drunk. Oxygen is so important.

Hey, it’s a relief that we were locked up for 3 hours. If we went further, we would have been in big trouble.

Suddenly, she opened her mouth.

“…Mapo Bridge.”

“What?”

I stared blankly at the ceiling, and when I heard her, I lowered my head again.

Standing in a position with her knees together and her hands wrapped around her legs, she muttered, looking down without looking at me.

“On Mapo Bridge, did you stop the car from falling?”

She slightly murmured the question.

You’re going to ask me this all of a sudden?

Looking closely at her, her eyes were already slightly closed.

Wait, is she sleeping? I don’t think so though.

Oh, maybe she’s a little dizzy right now, too.

….She’s physically competent, but she’s floundering since we lack oxygen.

Oh, her ability also got suppressed, right?

I was drumming and playing with my head which wasn’t working, she asked me one more time.

“…The car, did you stop it?”

The car? Why would I stop a car? If the car stops, is it a manual car?

Oh, is she talking about Mapo Bridge? The one that looks like it’s falling. The one I stopped a little bit?

…She means that she’s seen it?

I never stopped. Anyway, I didn’t.

“I didn’t stop anything. Because I’m a person who always runs forward.”

“What are you talking about…?”

She murmured the words, then asked another question.

“Then why did you ask me to save the plane?”

“Didn’t I tell you back then? To become a villain, I need a hero, an enemy who stands up to me. I’m not just a villain just because I’m doing terrorism. Only when I have an opponent to stop, do I become a villain. So that’s why.”

“…..”

The answer got her mouth shut.

Well, in fact, that’s just the reverse of what the hero says is made by the villain. I don’t know, I’m dizzy, so I answered it roughly.

My head is starting to hurt, so I want her to be quiet.

She opened her mouth once more.

“Then, the collapse of Mapo Bridge… Did you smash it down knowing that the monster was coming up this time?”

Wait, even she’s asking me this.

I feel like I’ve heard it from almost everyone once. Oh, gosh.

Anyway, as usual, just as I was about to look at her to answer it as a coincidence.

I made eye contact with her.

She bowed her head again as soon as she met my eyes.

But  I just saw it clearly.

She looked at me with sharp eyes, as if to find out all my secrets.

“……”

Come to my senses.

Are you saying that all the mumbling and murmuring words so far were acting? To keep me off guard?

Shin Haru, what a scary woman. You’re like a viper

When I regained consciousness, I swallowed my saliva.

Yeah. Now that I think about it, something was wrong.

Why did she readily accept to form an alliance with me in the first place?

Now that I’ve seen it, isn’t it to find out more about me, to steal information?

I got goosebumps for a moment.

Stardus, Shin Haru! How far did you draw the big picture?

Wait, what was she asking so far?

Is it me who stopped dropping the car?

Why did I ask her to save the plane?

She asked me if I smash the Mapo Bridge because I knew there was going to be a black monster.

When I reached that point, my face stiffened.

Putting together the questions she asked me.

Are you doubting me if I’m a villain?

Maybe not. It’s just my delusion of grandeur and maybe my misunderstanding.

I think so intuitively, but I don’t have a super-sense to match the truth like Stardus.

Even so, this is a crisis.

In the first place, I was always qualified for a villain’s fundamental power as a person who imitates a fake villain.

My identity should not be caught.

In fact, the terrorism was all for her, and I just want to save the world

So what do I do?

Yes, this is rather an opportunity.

Since we’re together like this, I can totally get rid of the misunderstanding.

Makes her doubt me and recognizes me as an absolute evil villain!

To do so, rather go to the regular method.

I giggled, covering the face of the mask with my hand.

“Hahahahahaha!”

When I burst out laughing, she doubted.

Oh Stardus, Stardus.

A true villain shakes the opponent’s spirit and puts things in his hands.

In that sense, going wild can be a tactic.

Now, let’s turn the table.

“I’m going to tell you… Yes, that’s right.”

I smiled, looked her in the eye, and opened my mouth.

“I knew in advance that the disaster would happen.”

“On purpose, I smashed the bridge knowing about it.”

She’s shocked at my sudden confession.

Yeah. You didn’t think I’d be so cool about it.

Let’s keep going, let’s clench my teeth for this.

“So what?”

“What do you want me to do?”

So what.