CHAPTER 29: NEWS

I woke up to find myself lying on my bed, my entire upper body bandaged from the shoulder down to my ribs.

A dull ache pulsed beneath the layers of gauze. I slowly pushed myself upright, and a wave of dizziness washed over me.

"How long... was I out?"

My voice came out hoarse and dry.

I swung my legs off the bed and steadied myself. My steps were slow, heavy, but manageable.

I walked toward the door, turned the knob, and stepped into the hallway.

As I reached the living room, I immediately spotted Kim Gae-in and So-ah standing stiffly in front of the couch, their expressions tense—almost frightened.

"What are you two doing?"

The moment I spoke, both of them snapped their heads toward me.

Their eyes widened, and in the next second—

"Oppa! You’re awake!"

So-ah rushed toward me, practically vibrating with relief.

Hearing her voice, Min-seo peeked out from the kitchen, her eyes widening.

"Oppa!"

Before I could even react, she wrapped her arms around me from behind.

"H-hey— easy..."

"O-oh! Sorry, Oppa," she mumbled, quickly letting go. "I got too excited because you finally woke up."

Kim Gae-in stepped closer, examining my face with narrowed eyes.

"Oppa, what exactly happened? You’ve never been injured that badly before."

A short while later, I sat on the living room couch, surrounded by the three girls.

Their faces were filled with worry, curiosity, frustration—everything all at once.

I let out a quiet breath and explained everything that had happened inside the factory.

When I finished, So-ah’s eyes widened.

"What!? Lightnova was there too!?"

"Yeah... honestly, if she hadn’t been there, I might’ve died."

"But we were here too! You should’ve brought us."

Min-seo puffed her cheeks, clearly displeased.

"I know... that was my mistake."

Min-seo huffed and looked away.

Kim Gae-in crossed her arms.

"But Oppa... if Lightnova was there, and you were already weakened, shouldn’t she have caught you? Or brought you to the association?"

"Oh... that part?"

I paused, blinking.

Yeah. I don’t know either."

It was true—if Lightnova truly wanted to capture me, she practically had a golden opportunity.

Yet... she didn’t.

Why?

What was she thinking at that moment?

Before I could dive deeper into my thoughts, Lee Donghyun and Lee Mira emerged from the kitchen, arms full of plates stacked with food.

"Dinner is ready!" Mira announced cheerfully.

Donghyun placed a plate—no, a mountain—of food in front of me.

"Uh... this is too much."

Donghyun raised an eyebrow.

"You were unconscious for two days, bro. You need to recharge."

My eyes widened.

"What? Two days!?"

"Yes, Oppa," So-ah mumbled softly. "You were unconscious for two whole days. We were really worried..."

I fell silent.

Two days...

I hadn’t expected that at all.

*Meanwhile, at the Association — Ji-hye’s Side*

Ji-hye sat on the chair in her small office, hands clasped together as she stared blankly at her desk.

’I still... don’t remember what happened yesterday. When I woke up, the monster was already defeated.’

Her brows furrowed.

No matter how hard she tried, the memory slipped from her grasp.

All she remembered was a brief moment of dizziness... and then nothing.

She lifted her hands and examined them silently.

Then she clenched them into fists.

"But... for some reason, I feel stronger."

Suddenly, Na Yerin placed a hand on Ji-hye’s shoulder.

Ji-hye jolted in surprise.

"H-hey! You scared me."

Yerin tilted her head.

"Huh? I just touched your shoulder."

"I was deep in thought. You surprised me."

Yerin chuckled softly, nodding with understanding.

"Oh? So you were thinking about your boyfriend?"

"W-what!?" Ji-hye’s face turned bright red instantly.

"I told you—I don’t have a boyfriend!"

"Oh? Is that so?"

Yerin smiled teasingly.

"If you say so~"

Ji-hye pouted, but before she could argue back, Yerin continued.

"Anyway, what about the mission the director gave you?"

"I investigated the place. It was an illegal experimental facility. There were many monsters inside, all of them stronger than the ones we usually face."

Yerin folded her arms.

"And you defeated all of them?"

Ji-hye scratched her cheek awkwardly.

"...Yes. Somehow."

"After all that... do you feel stronger?"

Ji-hye hesitated, then nodded.

"...I do."

Yerin smiled sweetly.

"Then that means you’re beginning to unlock your true potential. Keep going, Ji-hye. You’ll only grow stronger from here."

Then she walked away.

Ji-hye’s eyes lingered on her retreating figure.

Yerin was right.

The more she fought, the more she grew.

Light was a power that thrived under pressure—perhaps more than any other ability.

But what was that strange blackout she experienced?

She couldn’t shake off the uneasiness crawling beneath her skin.

Hours later, after finishing her tasks, Ji-hye grabbed her things and headed downstairs.

When the elevator doors opened onto the lobby, dozens of heroes stood around, chatting, resting, or preparing for their next mission.

The moment they noticed her, their expressions softened.

Some smiled, others bowed respectfully.

Ji-hye returned their smiles one by one, waving politely.

Every day, her fanbase grew larger.

People now called her the Goddess of Light—not only for her power, but also for her beauty.

Even the receptionists bowed slightly as she passed.

By the time she reached her car, she let out a small sigh of exhaustion.

Later, at home, she collapsed onto her couch.

"Hah... what a tiring day."

She grabbed the remote and turned on the TV.

[Lightnova has been officially given the title Goddess of Light by the public, after her recent success in eliminating numerous villains.]

Ji-hye smiled faintly.

Her popularity had skyrocketed.

But then—

[Breaking news: The South Korean villain, Indigo Reign, has been ranked the 100th most dangerous villain in the world.]

Ji-hye’s smile faded.

’Dangerous...? If anything, he protected me. He saved me from dying.’

She had no idea that Indigo never intended to harm her—because to him, Lightnova was the one who saved the world.

*Meanwhile, in Eun-bi’s Office*

Eun-bi sat at her desk, rubbing her temples.

’Ugh... this is so draining. I miss Yoo Jinhoo...’

She needed a break.

She opened her laptop and checked the news.

[Indigo Reign has been ranked the 100th most dangerous villain in the world.]

"Oh? Who would’ve thought he reached top 100 already."

She took a sip of her coffee.

’Who’d imagine that the world’s 100th most dangerous villain... is my personal assistant?’

She chuckled quietly.

*Back to Yoo Jinhoo*

The same breaking news echoed from the TV.

[Villain Indigo Reign—ranked the 100th most dangerous villain in the world.]

I felt my eye twitch.

"What the hell...? Why are they so eager to go after me?"

"Oppa!"

Lee Mira approached, holding a medium-sized box.

"I found this at the front door. Do you know what it is?"

"No idea. Give it to me."

She handed it over, and I opened the lid.

Inside were several plush dolls—miniature versions of me. Indigo Reign plushes.

"...Huh. Cute."

Mira’s eyes sparkled.

I handed her one.

"Here, you can have one."

"Yay! Thank you!"

She hugged the plushie tightly.

As I searched deeper inside the box, I found a letter.

I unfolded it:

"To Yoo Jinhoo, my personal assistant—

Congratulations on reaching rank 100.

I’m proud of your progress.

Here’s a little gift.

—Eun-bi."

I exhaled softly.

"She’s... surprisingly nice lately."

"Who’s it from, Bang?" Mira asked while cuddling the plushie.

"Just a friend. Nothing important."

The front door opened, and Min-seo, Kim Gae-in, and So-ah entered with grocery bags.

"Oh? What’s that, Oppa?"

"It’s so cute!"

Before long, each of them grabbed a plushie.

"This one looks just like you, Oppa—just a cuter version," Min-seo teased.

"It’s from a friend," I said again. "You guys can keep them."

They were delighted.

Kim Gae-in hugged hers.

"The material feels so nice... whoever made this is a pro."

"Yeah... it’s really comfortable," So-ah murmured, snuggling hers.

But then I noticed Min-seo.

"...Min-seo? What are you doing?"

She was pressing her lips onto the plushie.

She turned to me with a bright smile.

"Since it looks just like you, Oppa... I felt like kissing it~"

...This girl was insane.

After all that, I returned to my room to plan again.

I sat down on my study chair and opened my personal notebook.

My next target is an SS-rank Hero—Jacqueline.

She’s one of the heroes who will eventually betray the Hero Association and join the Villains.

Her abilities are body enlargement and strength enhancement, a combination that makes her extremely dangerous to the heroes.

I have to kill her tomorrow.

"But... how am I supposed to kill her?"

Hmm... that’s the tricky part. Her powers are seriously annoying, and elemental attacks might not work well on her.

"Should I just use Yaroslav’s skill on her? If I do that, I can expand my own strength and fight her head-on..."

Hmm. That could work.

Alright. It’s decided. I’ll kill her tomorrow—and make her regret everything.

After finishing my plan to kill Jacqueline,

I took a relaxed sip of the tea on my desk.

"Ah... Lee Donghyun’s tea really is the best."