That’s How They Became Villains

# 5. A Perfect 100-Point Villain -2-

We’ll do anything for money!

-Detective Agency

“Wow, so the three of you are running a detective agency together!”

I said while looking at the business card handed to me by Han Cheol-ho, a man with a heroic appearance.

Then Han Cheol-ho, as if showing off his macho physique, shrugged his shoulders and added, “If you run into any trouble, don’t waste time worrying and come to us!”

“Ugh, that’s so cringeworthy…”

That was what Han Yu-jin, Cheol-ho’s sister, said.

I also thought it was cringeworthy, but I didn’t dare say it out loud. Even if he’s your brother, you have no filter.

I glanced at Last, who was still staring at me intently. I felt uncomfortable and shifted my gaze toward the window.

Han Cheol-ho and Han Yu-jin.

I couldn’t tell from just looking at their faces, but I recognized them from their distinctive bickering.

A-rank hero Han Cheol-ho and B-rank hero Han Yu-jin.

The prologue was about Last revealing his identity and being dragged to court while trying to protect these two.

If I had known this would happen, I should have read each chapter more carefully.

‘Let’s see…’

The older brother is an A-rank hero, and the younger sister is a B-rank hero…

‘This is tough…?’

If they were both B-rank, it might be manageable, but from A-rank, these guys start using special abilities.

There are definite affinities between abilities, and above all, I can’t remember what their abilities are because these bastards didn’t have much screen time.

And I can’t ask the status window with Last focusing on me like this.

‘What should I do? Should I try to find out?’

While the siblings were bickering and teasing each other, I cautiously began, “Excuse me…”

“Earlier, Jin Hyun mentioned something about a ‘vigilante group,’ so are you also running the detective agency business on the side?”

Then the two siblings, as if they had never been fighting, started answering with sparkling eyes.

“Ah~ It’s the opposite. The detective agency is our main business, and we do vigilante work on the side. The two of us are enhanced humans.”

‘The two of us’ must refer to the Han Cheol-ho and Han Yu-jin siblings.

As expected, Last is still hiding the fact that he’s an enhanced human.

“I see! So, have you received ranks from the Hero Corporation? You need a rank to have the authority for private enforcement, right?”

“Hehe, don’t be surprised when you hear this! This gorilla here is actually an A-rank.”

“Gasp! An A-rank?”

“That’s why we’ve been able to keep the detective agency running. Otherwise, they would have forced us to shut down long ago. You know how sensitive things are these days with those unidentified enhanced human rampage incidents.”

After that, they continued to answer all my questions sincerely, their eyes sparkling with each response.

These guys are more innocent than they look.

Is that why Last saved them even at the cost of revealing that he’s an enhanced human?

“Wow~ This is my first time seeing an A-rank! Come to think of it, I heard that from A-rank and up, you can handle some kind of special abilities? Is that right?”

“Ah~ About that. It’s different for each enhanced human, but in my brother’s case…”

“Han Yu-jin.”

At that moment, Last, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, interrupted.

‘Wh-what? Did I do something wrong?’

I was feeling nervous and watching Last’s reaction when he continued.

“Food’s here. Let’s talk while we eat.”

Then he helped the waiter, who was carrying plates in both hands, set the table.

I tried to calm my slightly shrunken courage and distributed the cutlery.

“Ah, thank you, unnie.”

“Little brother, why aren’t you, the youngest one here, helping with the cutlery?”

“What are you talking about? Why are you showing off just because unnie is being nice?”

Leaving the siblings to start fighting again, I handed cutlery to Last this time.

Last stared at the cutlery I was offering and then…

-Grab.

He deliberately took the cutlery directly from my hand, making sure our hands touched.

‘Damn…’

This is really scary when he does this without any change in expression.

And so began a meal where I was so tense I couldn’t even tell what was going into my mouth.

Maybe it’s because they’re enhanced humans? I felt somewhat full, but the food kept coming.

The mountain of empty plates was collected by the waiter whenever they piled up.

The waiter’s expression seemed to get worse each time they came.

‘Hang in there…’

At least you’ll get paid well.

“Damn…they should eat in moderation…”

That was when it happened.

A voice, whether it belonged to the waiter or someone else, brushed past my ear.

“Look at that. How much are they going to eat?”

No, if I listened carefully, that wasn’t all.

“No wonder this place is doing well. Of course it would be, taking money from people like them.”

I had been too distracted to hear it before, but the voices had been there all along.

“Isn’t the woman next to them a normal person?”

“She’s not with them, I think she just joined their table? Look, those three are wearing the same clothes. Probably colleagues.”

“Sigh, if I had to choose between eating with enhanced humans or waiting, I’d rather wait.”

Was it because it had been a long time since I was exposed to pure human malice? Suddenly, I felt suffocated.

I took a sip of water and observed Last and the siblings’ expressions.

Surprisingly, there wasn’t a hint of shadow on their faces. It was as if they couldn’t hear the people’s spiteful comments.

There’s no way you can’t hear what I’m hearing.

“Heheh.”

The moment I reached that thought.

“Heheheh…”

Suddenly, I started to find this entire situation unbearably amusing.

“Huh? Unnie, why are you laughing all of a sudden while eating?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

I cut a piece of meat on my plate in half and looked around.

All those who had been noisily buzzing about fell silent when our eyes met.

“You don’t need a reason to laugh, do you?”

Right. There’s no need for reasons.

[All evil begins with a single step!]

[Mission: Earn 100 evil points]

[Reward: Point shop unlocked, 1 piece of future knowledge]

Whether it’s a good deed or a bad one, in the end there’s no need for reasons.

Thank you for giving me a justification not to hesitate.

“Excuse me, waiter.”

I raised my hand high to call over the distant waiter.

“Can I order a highball?”

It’s time to put the plan into action.

*

Cheongang Department Store, 21st floor terrace.

Han Cheol-ho approached Jin Hyun, who was momentarily lost in thought while looking at the sky.

“Hey, Hyun-ah. Why are you so stiff today? Did something bad happen?”

“…It’s nothing.”

As Jin Hyun said this, his eyes remained fixed on the dark night sky.

Han Cheol-ho, seemingly dissatisfied with Jin Hyun’s answer, exhaled heavily and patted his shoulder.

“Is there something you can’t talk about?”

Something he can’t talk about.

At those words, Jin Hyun, with his foolishly honest nature, froze.

“Tell me. Don’t struggle with it alone.”

Han Cheol-ho encouraged him with a concerned heart.

But how could he possibly tell him that he was actually a first-generation enhanced human without nanomachines implanted in his brain?

That his hometown was the very first enhanced human laboratory, now a distant memory and that there were other friends with him in that laboratory.

“…….

…That woman he met for the first time today.

What was her name? Chae Yu-ha?

How could he explain that the moment he saw that woman with the bright smile whose thoughts he couldn’t read, he felt at home?

How could he possibly talk about that?

“Hey!”

-Slap!

With the pain that swept over him, Jin Hyun’s consciousness returned to reality.

“That hurts, hyung.”

“Yes, I’m your hyung! Haah…you really.”

Han Cheol-ho sighed deeply and looked at Jin Hyun once more.

“I won’t say anything more, so don’t suffer alone too much. When your thoughts are organized, come inside. Got it?”

With those brief words, Han Cheol-ho left the terrace with a cigarette between his lips.

Jin Hyun rubbed his stinging back and stared at the space Han Cheol-ho had left.

A-rank hero Han Cheol-ho had always been like that.

When he took in Jin Hyun who was wandering after escaping from the research facility and created the detective agency as a reliable shelter.

When he gathered nonexistent money to save his dying sister by turning her into an enhanced human.

Hotheaded, unplanned, idle, thug—any expression would do.

That’s just how Han Cheol-ho lives.

Thinking this, Jin Hyun felt his complicated thoughts beginning to sort themselves out.

Yes, what good would worrying do?

Nothing would change anyway.

And if he was so curious, why not just ask directly?

‘Haven’t we met somewhere before?’

…That doesn’t seem right.

And so, as Jin Hyun was returning to the restaurant after organizing his thoughts.

“You damn bastards. I don’t care if you talk behind our backs or to our faces, but f*ck, you should at least treat us like humans, don’t you think?”

The restaurant was becoming a mess due to an enhanced human who was unusually consumed with anger.