This Villain is Soft - Chapter 74



Only Noblemtl

Episode 74

Haon, who was led to Area 2 by Nova’s hand, looked around with anxious eyes.

“Villains who attempted to assassinate me came to Area 1, so is it really okay for them to come to Area 2?”

“I’m here with you, honey. And as the new boss of District 1, shouldn’t you take some risks and experience the big event in Old Town first-hand?”

“Is that so?”

“Of course. After seeing the event in District 2 today, I might think again about the event in District 1.”

Nova boasted and led Haon inside the 2nd district.

Hanra’s subordinates who discovered the two people flinched and were busy contacting someone.

When Haon found out and didn’t know what to do, Nova wrapped her arm around his shoulder as if to say it was okay.

“Don’t worry, honey. It’s been over a month now, so he’s probably done with the liver tests. He just keeps muttering instead of pointing his gun.”

It was as he said. Although Halla’s gang members followed him at a certain distance, they did not seem to have any intention of provoking or threatening him.

Haon checked his phone with relief.

‘I wonder if you’re not going to contact me today either.’

Two days had passed since the last inspection, but Joo-yeol had not come to the lab or contacted us.

Even if you’re angry at me and don’t want to look at me, if you have a problem that you can’t solve to the point of giving you a headache, can’t you ask for help?

‘You’re having a hard time because of Halo, right? I’m more than ready to help.’

I thought about contacting him first, but decided to wait for now. Since Joo-yeol was always waiting for me at An-ga, I thought it was my turn this time.

“uh?”

Ha-on, who suddenly felt a sense of discomfort, froze as soon as he came out of his thoughts.

“Why is the atmosphere… … .”

The old town was generally dark and dreary, but not to this extent.

It felt much more sinister and gruesome than the last time I came to District 2 to visit Solmae’s clinic.

At that moment, a piece of paper suddenly appeared in front of Haon.

“Come play here!”

The girl who looked younger than Bunny only recognized Eunhaon belatedly after she handed him the flyer and turned pale.

“Ouch! Sorry, sorry… … !”

“No! I’ll take the flyer. Thanks.”

Haon received a couple of flyers from the surprised and pale child.

“It’s past 10 o’clock and you’re working part-time? Are you helping out at your parents’ store?”

And then he looked at the flyer with a puzzled expression.

What was clearly visible on the flyers advertising the club event was unlicensed alcohol and cigarettes.

“… …Why is that kid handing out things like this?”

It was known that such things were secretly distributed in the old town in the past, but they were not openly advertised by making flyers about them.

And they do it using children too.

“It wasn’t just Rusty… who made the kids do dangerous things?”

When Haon asked with a pale face, Nova shrugged her shoulders.

“Halo has been gone for a long time. There is no longer any order in the old city.”

“How can that be… …!”

Squeak─.

At that moment, a van with black film on both windows stopped on the shoulder.

“Get down quickly! Come out tomorrow and stand in line without being late!”

A man opened the back door and a bunch of sleepy, sullen children came out.

The van had a sticker that said ‘○○ Manufacturing’ on it. It was a vehicle that traveled to and from the industrial complex.

Some of the children knocked on the door of a shop with its windows covered, and through the slightly open crack of the door, they could see the children busy with their side jobs.

Rustle. The leaflet crumpled in Haon’s hands.

Nova whispered, holding her trembling hand.

“It’s not something you do by force. On the surface.”

“… … That’s ridiculous.”

“If you suddenly raise the security deposit and the rent, the kids will have no choice but to look for work on their own. Then the gangs will pretend they can’t win and just take advantage of the cheap labor.”

As soon as Halo disappeared, Halla and Rusty exploited the children’s labor as if they had been waiting for it.

Gambling halls and arenas sprang up everywhere, and it was children who took the tickets and cleaned the premises.

The illegal activities that had been spreading secretly were also put on fire, and the children were forced to witness all kinds of horrific scenes.

“That’s too much. It’s not like the gang is short on money.”

Ha-on, who was holding back nausea due to his miserable state of mind, bit his lip when he found a familiar child.

The kid who came out of the club and dozed off into the alley was the kid who had come to visit the academy in District 1 not long after it was built.

“Is it really possible for people from other districts to take the class?”

I still vividly remember the way he asked with a voice filled with anticipation.

Somehow, the academy that was built in the community center building was full, so we moved to a different building, but the number of students remained the same.

I thought it was because there was no promotion, but I was completely mistaken.

In the old town, there were quite a few houses where children lived together without guardians, and most of them survived from day to day by working hard.

Bunny would have been one of them.

‘They are all children living in the same old city, but some of them have the freedom to choose what they want to learn, while others… … .’

Haon lowered his gaze and asked.

“Is this only happening in areas 2 and 4?”

“Not yet. Twoshot has found a new way to make money, so he’s leaving the kids alone, so I don’t know what’s going to happen to District 3. At least District 5, which Weaver manages, is the same.”

“It could get worse, right?”

“What can I do? Until a boss who treats the people of his district like human beings appears, we have to live like this.”

Nova added with a grin.

“Aren’t you glad that Zone 1 is getting brighter day by day thanks to you?”

Haon wasn’t happy at all. He felt as if his chest was completely blocked.

The purpose was not to select and protect the residents of District 1.

I ended up taking over District 1 by accident, but I just thought that since I was already in this position, I should take responsibility for it.

So that I can hand it over to someone who can protect people someday.

“Just stop.”

“The cocktail show is just around the corner?”

“I’m fine. I’m tired… … .”

Since I only went back and forth between Zone 1 and the research lab, I had no idea what was going on in the other zones.

The atmosphere in the old town was becoming more and more ominous by the day. Except for District 1.

Nova smiled with satisfaction behind Haon as he walked listlessly outside of Area 2.

* * *

“Awakening District: Human experiment on immortality using water.”

“Blood fusion experiment between Awakened and Non-Awakened.”

“Experiment on the relationship between awakened people under the age of 13 and radiation.”

“Tsk.”

Joo-yeol threw a wad of paper into the trash can and rubbed his pounding head.

I’ve been digging through the archives for days, trying to find anything that has even the slightest connection to the human experimentation group that Halo claimed was destroyed.

Except for the experiments conducted by pharmaceutical companies that were legal, they were all disgusting.

I was going crazy seeing this every day and not making any progress in tracking Halo.

I volunteered for missions to other regions without thinking, in case Halo had escaped to another area.

After finishing work, it was natural to search the area like a swarm.

He was at his limit both physically and mentally, and eventually headquarters decided not to assign him to any more missions in other places.

Joo-yeol closed his heavy eyes, sighing, as fatigue built up inside him.

Ironically, what has allowed me to endure until now was not anger or a sense of responsibility.

Eunhaon tried not to think about her younger brother’s work because she thought it would make her mind go crazy.

It was thanks to Eunha-on, whom I met once a week. You could say that the ridiculous mechanical hamster that Ha-on made to protect me also played a part.

‘What on earth made you think that all of a sudden… … .’

Joo-yeol felt Ha-on’s slender arm wrapped tightly around his waist.

“If there’s anything I can do to help, let me know.”

“It’s so hard not being able to say hello or talk to you.”

I vividly remembered the face that looked up at me with shining eyes as if it had noticed me. I felt a burning sensation come back to me.

Anyway, it was still an entity that always went against expectations.

As the days went by, District 1 became cleaner and I thought I would meet Nova again, so I thought her face would naturally get better.

When Ha-on actually faced her head on, his expression was bright but he looked tired, and it was hard to tell if he was really dating Nova.

I wonder what kind of wind was blowing that made such a ticklish sound.

“You are the only being in this universe. You have nothing to do with ‘that guy.’ I know that now.”

‘Knowing means knowing what you know.’

Juyeol, who was chewing on Haon’s words, stopped pouring the headache medicine into his mouth.

Tadak, tadak, Haon’s voice covered the hallucination of the house burning.

“I’m not worried about ‘Juyeol’ right now, I’m worried about you. The cosmic heat of this dimension.”

He put down the medicine bottle, took out the USB, and held it. It felt warm, even though it couldn’t be.

Even though my heart was pounding, I felt my headache slowly going away.

I felt like I was sitting at Anga’s dining table.

It felt like at any moment Eunhaon, holding a paper bag in her arms, would open the door, come in, call out, “Jooyeol-ah!” and laugh brightly.

‘… … No integrity, no fear, no pride.’

Joo-yeol covered his eyes with the back of his hand that was holding the USB.

“Because the lab is always open.”

And the moment he heard Haon’s voice once more, he couldn’t stand it any longer and left the dorm.