[I missed you.]

Is he crazy? That’s what I blurted out when I heard his voice through the communicator.

It was impressive how he could shamelessly babble about being upset and missing me after doing such things.

Although he was more of a villain than a hero, Hee Won, whose job was to save people anyway, focused on interpreting what was inside that psycho villain’s head.

First of all, he obviously couldn’t believe that he had approached just to torment Na Eun, and yet there was nothing suspiciously out of place to suggest he had other motives.

In all the deductions Hee Won was making now, Han Jae Kyung’s behavior was bizarre.

Anyway, on the surface, Hee Won, who had been waiting in front for Na Eun after she safely finished her part-time job and left the academy, gave her a ride in his car ‘as usual’.

He had to make sure Han Jae Kyung didn’t notice that Hee Won knew all of this.

Of course, another team was already in charge of personal security for Na Eun’s mother Soo Hyun and protecting her nearby, but it would be stupid to rashly confront the madman with “Did you threaten Yoon Na Eun?” in a situation where you don’t know what crazy thing he might do.

In the car heading home, Hee Won, gripping the steering wheel, glanced at Na Eun sitting in the passenger seat.

Na Eun, who was half-lying down with the seat reclined as if she had fainted, felt his gaze and spoke with her eyes closed.

“Seung Joo and Sun Jin, they still don’t know about all this, right?”

Hee Won nodded in affirmation to her question.

If Kwon Seung Joo or Lee Sun Jin had heard about this whole series of events, they would have gone crazy, saying they would tear Han Jae Kyung to pieces right away.

Imagining how busy he would have been trying to stop that, he let out a low sigh.

Na Eun said she did well and asked to inform her friends as late as possible if possible.

Eventually, she rummaged through the bag she was carrying and pulled out a thick envelope of documents.

“As you said before, I’ve gotten all the documents related to the disposal of our assets. I got everything about stocks by talking to mom, but let me know if anything is missing.”

Although he didn’t understand the context, Hee Won received the envelope from Na Eun, who had gathered all the materials he had requested, and gave a small thank you.

After putting the envelope in the back seat and focusing on driving again, Na Eun, who had been staring at Hee Won’s side profile, asked.

“Was it those bad guys who ruined our family?”

“…”

“It seems so from the context.”

It was a circumstance that could be noticed sufficiently because she wasn’t a fool.

Hee Won knew that too, so he didn’t deny it. But deeper matters were facts he would hesitate to reveal even if they became certain, so he chose to hesitate and keep his mouth shut.

Not knowing Hee Won’s feelings, Na Eun continued speaking in a flat tone.

“But why did they go that far?”

Considering my usefulness alone, since I was friends with Seung Joo and Sun Jin, and memorized the password then, they could have just ruined me that day.

Na Eun tilted her head, not quite understanding why they had to make her father like that, take away their assets, and completely ruin them.

“There’s no reason they had to ruin our family.”

“…”

“Do you have any guesses?”

Na Eun no longer had much attachment to all that wealth that had disappeared like cotton candy dissolved in river water.

It was partly because she had adapted well enough to the current situation, and partly because she didn’t want to be tied to the past.

But she was wondering, unable to find any justification for the villains’ actions, why they had to torment Na Eun’s family to such an extent.

“If… I find the reason why they had to do that, should I tell you?”

Hee Won, who had been just driving, cautiously threw out the topic.

Na Eun smiled and answered to that question.

“No.”

“…”

“Bad guys did bad things. They should be punished, that’s all. I don’t particularly want to know the details of their reasons.”

She spoke with a slightly tired look, then suddenly, as if something had occurred to her, she threw out a new topic.

“As a fan of all heroes existing in reality and all kinds of virtual worlds, Seo Hee Won, what do you think about villains with backstories?”

Hee Won rolled his eyes at the rather abrupt question.

“Are you curious about the circumstances of bad guys?”

Hee Won had never considered the circumstances of not just bad guys, but even good people.

Having no experience of considering others from birth until now except for Na Eun, he simply shook his head.

Na Eun made a pleased face as if she had heard the right answer.

“Right. Why should we understand the circumstances of bad guys? I’m busy enough cheering for heroes who do good things.”

“So you’re on my side.”

He blurted it out without realizing and was surprised, so he closed his mouth. But Na Eun smiled, not surprised at all.

“Yes. I’m on your side.”

“…”

“Do you know what the seventh virtue that a civilian friend of a hero must have is?”

“What is it?”

What’s with the seventh one. Where did you throw away the first to sixth ones?

Although Na Eun was saying incomprehensible things, the man in love kindly asked what it was. Na Eun smiled and said.

“Strictly distinguishing between good and evil.”

Hee Won’s gaze turned towards her, and their eyes met.

“I always believe that justice wins.”

“…”

“So, fighting, Seo Hee Won.”

Please win. As she said that with a clear smile in her eyes, Hee Won suddenly remembered Na Eun’s cold voice he had heard through the communicator today.

Na Eun, who always treats others sincerely, doesn’t hurt others by pretending. Rather, she hurt sincerely.

So the merciless harsh words she spat out towards Han Jae Kyung today must have been her unwavering sincerity.

Hee Won, who had observed their romance that was once so sweet even in brief encounters, was momentarily overwhelmed by subtle emotions as he watched Na Eun, who was not shaken at all by the past.

Perhaps Na Eun wouldn’t be shaken or struggle if Han Jae Kyung died in front of her eyes.

She might pass by, giving a glance at the corpse with an infinitely bland expression.

The meaning of first love, which she once liked more than anyone, had long since faded.

The reason was that he was the enemy who had caused her father’s death, and because he was a villain.

Hee Won thought for the first time that he had done well to become a hero, not a villain.

It was always a tiresome night job and a livelihood, but at least it wasn’t a profession that would be pushed outside the line for Yoon Na Eun.

Rather, because he was engaged in a profession she admired, Na Eun was having such a friendly conversation with him.

Hee Won, who was actually closer to a villain if you consider his real personality, felt reassured by the fact that he was playing a ‘good role’ and for the first time felt grateful to his uncle who had forcibly dragged him to the center when he was young.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Ah, Na Eun!”

Just as she was about to leave the building after finishing her major lecture to attend the next liberal arts lecture, Na Eun stopped when she saw Seok Hoon running from the end of the corridor.

Except for his shoulders slightly lowered due to the heavy backpack he was carrying, the senior who always seemed bright as usual greeted her with a bright smile.

“Are you going to eat lunch now?”

“I’m going to a liberal arts lecture. Are you going to eat lunch, oppa?”

Na Eun smiled back and greeted him without reluctance, as he was one of the few good people in her department who looked after her.

Seok Hoon said he had to skip lunch and go to the library because of his graduation thesis, looking a bit gloomy, but soon carefully brought up the prepared business.

“Are you interested in doing office assistant part-time work at the department office?”

“Ah… Why suddenly?”

“I’m quitting at the end of this month. They need someone to work until the vacation after the exams are over, and because the hourly wage is high and the work is easy, many people want to do it. If you’re okay with it, I wanted to recommend you.”

Na Eun, who had been quietly listening to Seok Hoon’s story, looked up and stared at him.

Seok Hoon, as if his intentions had been discovered, smiled a bit awkwardly and scratched his head.

“You seem busy these days. It’s exam period, and I heard you’re doing a lot of part-time jobs… It would be good to make some money while doing an easier job at school and studying at the same time, right?”

“…”

“Was I being too nosy?”

He smiled sheepishly. Na Eun realized how much she had been acting like a crazy person all this time, seeing Seok Hoon’s reaction.

Even to Seok Hoon, she must have looked like someone obsessed with studying and part-time jobs.

A senior who was worried even from afar was trying to take care of her like this. Feeling grateful for the rare consideration, she smiled.

“I appreciate it, but it’s okay. I’m already doing a lot of work at the academy.”

When Na Eun politely refused while expressing her gratitude, Seok Hoon didn’t push further.

As he was about to retreat saying he understood, he suddenly remembered something and turned back to her, stopping his steps.

“Come to think of it, Seung Joo is very worried because she hasn’t been able to contact you lately. It might be good to give her a call when you have time?”

“… How do you know Seung Joo, senior?”

Na Eun’s eyes widened at the familiar name that came from her senior. Seok Hoon tilted his head as if he didn’t know.

“I met her at the praise gathering I go to every year a while ago. I remembered her face from the student night event… We even exchanged numbers then. Didn’t Seung Joo tell you?”

Na Eun looked down at the phone she was holding in her hand. Come to think of it, she seemed to have said something like that.

[I came to the service and met a senior from your school.]

It was such a simple sentence, but it clearly contained the key point.

Since meeting Han Jae Kyung, she had been out of her mind and hadn’t even properly read that message, let alone replied.

Secretly reflecting on how uninterested she had been in her surroundings lately, Na Eun was smiling awkwardly when it happened.

Yoon Na Eun, a voice calling her name, now quite familiar, was heard from the other side.

Seok Hoon tactfully quickly left his place.

Saying let’s see each other next time when there’s a chance, he had already gone far away with slightly quick steps. Na Eun’s expression became a bit empty at Seok Hoon’s retreating figure.

Hee Won, who had come to pick her up at her department building, looked at her as if asking what was going on.

With a heavy bag full of major textbooks on her shoulder, Na Eun complained.

“Don’t you ever think about getting less handsome?”

“I was born handsome, so it’s hopeless.”

Na Eun strongly resisted the urge to raise her middle finger at the answer that came out as smooth as water.

If he were just average-looking, he wouldn’t stand out so much and there would be fewer rumors, but wherever they went, due to his tall stature and celebrity-like appearance, just being with Hee Won on campus constantly led to misunderstandings about whether he was her boyfriend.

It was a misunderstanding she had received occasionally before, but recently, because they were constantly together on campus except during lecture times, it had long been stamped in the surroundings that they were already in a relationship.

There weren’t enough close people to explain to each one that it wasn’t true.

Since at some point they even started sitting together in liberal arts lectures that they used to attend separately, thanks to Hee Won’s invisible junior, if she had only had many friends, they would have been treated as an official campus couple among them.

As they were going to attend the liberal arts lecture together, Na Eun grumbled.

“I’ve never had a boyfriend throughout my college life except for Han Jae Kyung, why do I have to receive such misunderstandings with you?”

While admiring Na Eun’s strength for now casually mentioning Han Jae Kyung’s name, Hee Won smiled without showing it.

“If you don’t want to be misunderstood, get a real boyfriend.”

The person you were talking about earlier seemed nice. He spoke nonchalantly, not revealing his crumbling inner feelings. But Na Eun answered bluntly.

“How can I think about dating anyone now? I have to study, work part-time, and endure being threatened by some villain. And Seok Hoon oppa is a good person, so it’s even more impossible now.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m in danger.”

“…”

Hee Won closed his mouth.

“When I’m really safe, then I’ll look for a good person. Ah, but why is it so cold today?”

Not noticing Hee Won’s slightly darkened face, she shrank from the chilly weather and grasped the shoulder strap of the bag she was carrying.

Although she was wearing a thick cardigan, the season rushing towards winter wasn’t enough with just that.

Hee Won teased her with an old man-like remark, saying why did she come out dressed so thinly, and that if she went around cold trusting in her youth, she would regret it later. He grinned as he lifted his outer garment, making the joke he always did.

“If you’re cold, want me to take it off?”

“…”

Na Eun, who always raised her middle finger to this kind of joke, looked at Hee Won intently without answering, her shoulders wrapped in both hands.

Hee Won flinched at her expression, which was different from usual with no reaction. The answer that came from her was unexpected.

“Okay. Let me borrow it for a bit.”

“…”

This time, it was Hee Won who was taken aback.

“Is it okay?”

“What? Ah, it’s fine. In my dating philosophy, borrowing clothes from someone you’re not even dating is really crossing the line, but do I have a boyfriend now, do I have anything? Besides, you must have lent clothes to over thirty women in your life. What’s the big deal if I’m one of them? Ah, whatever, whatever.”

The tone was a bit resigned, but it seemed that being cold enough to shiver played a part.

Adding to the solid trust she had built up towards him so far, Na Eun lowered her guard.

As she urged him to take it off quickly since she had decided anyway, Hee Won took off his outer garment with a slightly dazed expression.

The hoodie he had worn lightly was so oversized on Na Eun when she put it on that it looked like she was wearing her dad’s clothes.

As he watched her trying to close the zipper because she was cold, but having trouble because the sleeves were too long, Hee Won sighed and zipped it up for her.

“This will make rumors about us dating spread even more.”

“I don’t care. Whatever happens to me.”

I’m going to go crazy now.

Na Eun, who had decided to no longer hide and release the stress she had received, pouted as if she had made a great resolution.

Thinking that he must be properly crazy to find even that look cute, Hee Won let out a hollow laugh.