Being a Villain is My True Calling

Just what…
Just what had transpired to lead to this situation?

“…Haaaah!!!”

Kung!

“Kuhwik.”

Despite her wearied state, the woman charged forward, only to be sent reeling by the villain’s pipe strike.

‘I can’t falter here…’

Expelling ragged breaths, the woman rose once more, lifting her gaze.
There she saw the innocent-looking hostages.

“Save meee~!”

Among them, a young girl trembled uncontrollably, tears streaming as she pleaded for rescue.

“…Hurry! I can’t free the hostages!!”

“Eu, euhaha! Dekkogago sipmyeo dekkoga bohiji!!”

The woman launched another futile assault against the villains.

“Be careful!!”

Puhwahk!

Her attacks lacked the potency to subdue the villains, and she was swiftly repelled by their counterattack.

“I’m, I’m alright!!”

The male hostage regarded her with anxious eyes, his concerned cries only adding to her distress.

Ughh.
That gaze compelled her to rise once more.

‘I came to rescue them, yet they worry for me instead…’

Her own weakness left her utterly disgusted.

“Ppari, oji aneuhmyeo da juggeosssda!!”

“Inji deuru noero parayaji!!”

The young man and girl among the hostages trained trembling gazes upon her.
Their terrified expressions caused her teeth to gnash instinctively.

And the remaining hostage had long since perished.
Reduced to mere skin and bones through some unspeakable method.

“…Ruthless bastards!! Is this how you treat those deemed expendable, leaving only bones behind?!!”

“…? Ah, no-”

“Uwaah! You scum!! What did that person do to deserve such a grotesque fate?!!”

“Grotesque…”

Had she arrived sooner, this wouldn’t have transpired.
If only she had been stronger.

Though tears welled in her eyes, the woman promptly blinked them away, glaring defiantly at the villains before her.

“Yae, saraah, saraindeuh…”

“Mundap muryong!! Ddwijyeora!!!”

Consumed by righteous fury, the woman charged recklessly once more, only to –

Bbahk!

“Kuhehk!”

…be sent flying by the villain’s vicious kick.

‘Oh, no…’

Her mind grew hazy, vision blurring.

She hadn’t rescued them yet…
Yet she lacked the strength to rise again.

“Hey you brats!! What are you doing?! You’re supposed to let her win a little!”

“Ha,hadiema…yae neomu jobap saekkindeuh…”

…Was she hallucinating from blood loss? Voices seemed to echo faintly.

“Just take a few hits and go down! We need to infiltrate their base somehow!!”

“Eotteokhae jal…”

“You idiots!! Just die already! How many hours did I scream to keep you alive?!! Big bro! Old man Alpha!! Just dispose of these clowns!! Huh?!”

Now visions began to manifest, hazy mirages of the girl bravely confronting the villains while shouting.
Despite her delirious state, the sight elicited an amused chuckle.

‘Haha, surely the hostages wouldn’t behave like that…’

After all, they had been tearfully pleading mere moments ago.

“While they may seem like mere grunts, allowing their demise could prove problematic…”

The man who had previously exuded concern and guilt now regarded her with cold indifference.

“…It seems I was too restrained. I should have left at least a limb or two shattered.”

“Hi,hieuk…”

The supposedly deceased skeletal man spoke coherently and moved with natural ease.

“Well then, let’s ponder our next course of action.”

He even conferred with the villains, as if deep in thought.
There was no doubt her mental faculties had become compromised.

‘Ah.’

The murmuring voices of the hostages and villains intermingled.
As much as she wished to observe further, her eyelids grew unbearably heavy.

‘I suppose rushing in alone was ill-advised…’

To fail so laughably on her first mission, after the boss had entrusted her with it and the secretary had offered mentorship – she felt utterly disgraced.

‘Secretary…’

Was it a mere illusion? His hazy figure seemed to manifest within her narrowing vision.
But the encroaching darkness rapidly overwhelmed her senses.

‘I’m sorry…’

And so, an expendable grunt of the Vigilantes breathed her last, her name unworthy of recollection.

“Tch, these newbies these days.”

“Huhggyaak!!”

She would immediately regain consciousness a few hours later.

“Wh,where is this…?”

“You’re awake?”

The familiar dwelling of the Vigilantes.
A place pervaded by an aroma akin to ancient trees, one she could never replicate in her wildest dreams.

“What’s, going on…?”

For a fleeting moment, she doubted if it had all been a mere dream.

“Ahahahahaha!”

“…???”

But the sight of her boss jovially laughing alongside the former hostage promptly obliterated any such notion.

“……”

The middle-aged man chuckled heartily as he repeatedly patted my back.

Just what circumstances had precipitated this situation?
The sequence of events traced back a few hours prior.

“Would you mind elaborating further, Mr. Akaoni?”

“You are…”

“The term ‘Vigilante Secretary’ lacks flair, so consider me the Vice-Boss instead.”

When the Vigilante grunt had fallen and this man subsequently appeared, introducing himself as their secretary, I’ll admit I was momentarily apprehensive.

“Akaoni, eh…so you’re quite familiar with me?”

“We make it a point to maintain vigilance over promising talents. And you seem to have taken quite an interest in us as well, Mr. Akaoni.”

Evidently, unlike the fallen grunt, the secretary had discerned my deliberate actions to attract their attention.

“Well, what now? Did our plan just get screwed?”

Narin’s concerns echoed my own sentiments.
Regardless of their professed interest in me, witnessing such a scenario could potentially breed resentment.

After all, I had assaulted their subordinate, even if a mere grunt.

‘It would be troublesome if they became antagonistic without comprehending the full context.’

As I contemplated how to navigate this situation, bracing for potential conflict, that very moment –

“…Please follow me. The Boss wishes to see you.”

“Hmm?”

His subsequent words prompted a shift in my perspective.

“…I see.”

Narin and Alpha, along with the other ruffians, exchanged bewildered glances as if unable to make sense of the situation.

“You don’t wish to come?”

In response to the secretary’s inquiry, we followed him to the Vigilantes’ base.

“Heu, heongnimdeur…jeohineun… (Sirs… we…)”

“…Just go.”

“Ga, gamsahamida! Gamsahamida! (Thank you! Thank you!)”

We simply released the villains we had previously utilized, sending them on their way.

“…Big bro.”

“Hmm?”

As we trailed behind the secretary, Narin’s voice rang out, laced with apprehension.
She clung tightly to me, eyeing the secretary with suspicion.

“…Is this really okay? It’s not a trap, is it?”

“Hmm…”

Observing the secretary’s back, a particular facet of the Vigilantes resurfaced in my recollections.

‘And if my assumption proves correct…’

“It’ll be fine.”

Rather than taking offense, they were more likely to appreciate such antics.
After reassuring the uneasy Narin, we continued following the secretary’s lead for a while.

“We’ve arrived.”

We soon reached the Vigilantes’ base with ease.
Passing through the interior suffused with the aroma of ancient trees, we promptly encountered a particular individual.

“So you’re Akaoni?”

“Indeed, Black Wood.”

“Huhrr? You know me?”

Distorting his rugged features into an amused grin, the middle-aged man chuckled.
This was Black Wood, Alpha’s former sidekick and the current leader of the Vigilantes.

“How interesting, you know my name and thoroughly thrashed the intern we’ve been nurturing.”

“Hik!”

Narin swiftly retreated behind me, intimidated by Black Wood’s imposing aura.

“Th,this is really okay?”

“It’ll be fine.”

Reassuring the uncharacteristically timid Narin with a gentle pat on the head, I turned my gaze towards Black Wood.

‘If my assumption is correct, he surely must be…’

With an amused grin, I ventured a near-gamble.

“Though you cherish that intern dearly, your secretary’s patience might have worn a tad too thin.”

A nonchalant, offhand remark.

“……”

Momentary silence ensued.

“…Kuhuhuh, kuahahahahahah!!! What can I say, your intentions were as transparent as glass when testing my Vigilantes!!”

“Well, you did keep seeking me out, piquing my curiosity.”

Black Wood’s laughter naturally dissipated the lingering silence.
Fortunately, my gamble had paid off.

“Kuhuh! You madman! But that’s precisely why I like you!!”

Black Wood and I exchanged appreciative smiles.

Thus, our rapport with the Vigilantes grew dramatically warmer, and we were ushered into their guest reception area.

“So what’s the deal here?”

“Nothing major. My little deception simply took root appropriately.”

“Deception?”

“I portrayed our endangerment of that grunt and nearly inducing a near-death state as an intentional act rather than an accident.”

A form of test, in essence.

“But is that okay…?”

“I investigated you first, didn’t I? And from the secretary’s earlier remarks, it seems you realized I had conducted a background check on you as well.”

“Ah, so that’s why you mentioned our shared interest in them earlier.”

“Exactly. They likely surmised I was intentionally testing their caliber through retaliatory means. And given an elusive figure like myself suddenly manifesting, they likely expected I had an ulterior motive to convey.”

With a few additional insinuations directed at Black Wood, their assumptions solidified accordingly.

“But still, wouldn’t they normally be enraged by such retaliation? Why did they appreciate it instead?”

“He’s an unhinged madman who still upholds principles – the very type he adores.”

I briefly glanced towards Alpha, his hood firmly pulled down, concealing his features.

“Isn’t that right?”

“…I suppose so.”

“What’s that even mean…”

As Narin wore an expression of utter bemusement, that very moment –

Balkuk!!

“Make yourselves comfortable!”

Black Wood returned, carrying two wine glasses and a bottle of wine.

“So after evading me for months, just what audacious front is this elusive bastard putting up now?”

Plopping down on the opposite sofa, Black Wood set the wine glasses and bottle upon the table.

“If you’re here to join, I’ll gladly throw an extravagant induction ceremony. Kuhuk.”

“Unfortunately, I haven’t come seeking membership.”

“Tch, what a shame.”

Though grumbling outwardly, Black Wood seemed to have anticipated as much, reclining leisurely on the sofa as he regarded us.

“Then pray tell, what brings our promising talent Akaoni here?”

“I require a bit of assistance.”

“Assistance?”

Black Wood shot me a quizzical look, prompting an amused smile from me in return.

“I’d greatly appreciate it. It’s a task perhaps only you can accomplish.”

“…I’m uncertain of the details, but I suppose I’ll hear you out first.”

Ttak.
With a wordless snap of his fingers, Alpha promptly rose to his feet.

“……”

He lifted his hands towards his hood, briefly hesitating before ultimately removing it entirely.

“…Big bro?”

Immediately after, Black Wood’s eyes widened in shock.