VWO Ch14

Shin Jae-eon, who was staring at the villains chanting ‘Father’ with a fed-up look, checked the time on his phone and shook his head in surprise.

It was already well past eleven at night. Not sending a minor home at this hour was an absurd act for an adult who should be setting an example.

He dispersed the clustered villains, leaving only Jae-eon, Chairman, and Kang Se-jun on the rooftop. Fortunately, they were obedient.

Shin Jae-eon stood awkwardly and turned to look at Kang Se-jun. His ability, ‘the ability to awaken hatred,’ couldn’t be reversed once it was activated. In other words, once an ability was awakened, it couldn’t be taken back.

‘What ability did he awaken, anyway?’

There wasn’t any particular change visible. His drooping wings still replaced his arms, and outwardly, nothing had changed at all. Judging from his bewildered expression, he didn’t seem to have realized what his ability was yet.

Perhaps it was because there was no one to take revenge on. In the cases of Chairman and Enraidman, they had immediately used their abilities to complete their revenge.

“It’s late, so go home. And…”

Shin Jae-eon checked the time with a serious expression and sternly instructed.

“Don’t use your ability yet. I mean, don’t cause any trouble. Got it? But… if you meet the perpetrators, you can do as you please then.”

Was he still in a hazy dream? Kang Se-jun nodded with a relaxed face, still shedding tears.

“Yes… Father.”

Are you really okay? I’m really leaving, okay? Going home? Tomorrow’s Saturday, but because of the accident the newbie caused, I have to go to work tomorrow!

That newbie is probably sunk under the sea by now, but I have to clean up everything he was working on?

He felt uneasy, but since there was no sign of resistance, there was nothing more to say. And he was planning to keep Chairman and Fragmented Toy by his side for the next few days.

Shin Jae-eon believed that the two would immediately inform him if Kang Se-jun caused any trouble and went home.

Kang Se-jun wasn’t scared at all even when he was alone with Chairman now. He used to be so terrified of his grotesque appearance that his legs would tremble, but now he felt a deep sense of connection, to the point of feeling friendly.

He could see the withered skin through the black mesh that covered him. He must have suffered something terrible, just like him.

“Although it’s not time yet, the day will surely come when we gather again, brother.”

“…Yes.”

Chairman soothed him kindly and whispered, then opened the door, which directly connected to Se-jun’s house. Chairman patted Se-jun’s head a few times as he blankly looked around his dark room, and then concealed himself.

As if the joy and emotion he had felt just moments ago were a lie, the house was silent. He still couldn’t come to his senses.

Se-jun groped along the wall to turn on the light, trying to clear his dazed mind. As the bright room came into view, he gradually felt the reality, but he wasn’t afraid at all.

He went out of the room and saw that there was no one in the house. His parents were always busy with work and often couldn’t come home.

Se-jun took out water from the refrigerator and drank it, then went back into his room and lay down on the bed. Unlike yesterday, the blanket was fluffy and cozy. It was different from the past, when he had stayed up all night, afraid of the nightmare-like reality that awaited him tomorrow.

He fell asleep as soon as he closed his eyes, and he didn’t go to school when he woke up in the morning.

His phone kept lighting up from morning. Most of them were messages from the students who bullied him.

[Did he finally kill himself?]

[Oh, Junhyuk won the 10,000 won bet? LOLOLOLOL]

[Isn’t this chat dangerous then? LOLOLOLOLOLOL]

Another message stood out among the messages.

[S-Class Hero Wolfgang Autograph Session Winner☆

Kang Se-jun, you have won the random drawing for photo card purchasers.

Please come to OO Station at 8 PM today.]

Hero Wolfgang had been a strong mental support whenever he was bullied. He was the hero Kang Se-jun wanted to emulate.

He wanted to resemble his strong will, so he always repeated the words he had said. He wanted to one day escape the bullying, forgive them, and confidently walk his own path.

Se-jun, who had been sitting blankly on the bed without going to school, realized that he hadn’t eaten anything even though it was well past noon.

He got up and went out to the living room, where the still-cold atmosphere of the house came into view. As if possessed, Kang Se-jun stood in the center of the living room, and he heard the sound of the door opening with a clank.

Se-jun’s parents, who seemed to have worked a night shift together, were coming into the house as if they were now getting off work.

“…Ah.”

Se-jun’s parents frowned as if they had a headache when they saw their son standing blankly in the living room. His father, in particular, sighed deeply and began to speak to his son, whom he hadn’t seen in two full days, as if scolding him.

“Se-jun. I heard you didn’t go to school today.”

“……”

“And, I heard. The president came to our workplace to plead because you were overreacting to the kids playing around. Can’t you just be quiet? Why do you create conflict and can’t get along with the kids? Isn’t it because there’s something wrong with you that you’re being bullied?”

The ‘president’ he was talking about was the father of the student who bullied Se-jun the most severely.

He was also an A-Class hero, but he was also the president of a factory. People said that he was A-Class even in terms of personality, as he was highly respected and consistently did volunteer work, so no one doubted him. Not even Kang Se-jun’s parents believed their son.

Every word his father said pierced Se-jun’s heart like a dagger.

Se-jun’s mother, who had been watching the two with worried eyes from the side, also shook her head and added a word.

“Your mom and dad are already having a hard time… can’t you at least be quiet…”

Bang!

Who are these people? They look like my parents, but! Why don’t I feel anything?

Kang Se-jun eventually couldn’t mentally endure the attitude of his family, who were driving him into a corner, and exploded. The sharp feathers that came out of his arms were shot towards his parents.

He couldn’t stop because he hadn’t properly learned how to control his ability, which he had awakened not long ago. Fortunately, the feathers didn’t directly hit them and flew at an angle, so his parents only lost consciousness as they were thrown back and hit the wall, but they weren’t seriously injured.

Kang Se-jun ran out as he was.

Even while running, Kang Se-jun desperately tried to hold back the laughter that was about to burst out. He desperately suppressed the will to kill his parents. In fact, it wasn’t a result of his conscience or rational judgment.

“Don’t use your ability yet. I mean, don’t cause any trouble.”

It was because his ‘true, great Father’ had said so. Kang Se-jun was just following orders because he was Father’s loyal subordinate and son. If it hadn’t been for those words, the house might have been covered in blood by now.

He was running like crazy and wandering around the streets with a blank face when he bumped into someone. A man grabbed Kang Se-jun’s shoulders, which were staggering, with force. He also had wings on his arms, just like Kang Se-jun.

“…Ah!”

Surprisingly, it was S-Class Hero Wolfgang. He was a tall, handsome man with brown hair and black eyes. He wasn’t the kind of hero who would heartlessly leave a staggering citizen like a corpse. Besides, since he was also a harpy, he was just being a little nosy.

“Are you okay? Student, you look like you’re in pain…”

“Wolfgang, you’re going to be late for the autograph session.”

Another man next to Wolfgang urged him anxiously. He was also a harpy, and he was Red Wing, Wolfgang’s sidekick, whose wings were red.

He was the hero Se-jun respected next to Wolfgang. Wolfgang smiled handsomely and said to his sidekick, who had an anxious face.

“But the citizen is in trouble. Student. If you have any difficulties or hardships, tell me. I’ll help you.”

“…Kids from my school are bullying me.”

At Se-jun’s words, Wolfgang and Red Wings exchanged glances and gave awkward smiles.

“Oh… I’m sorry. I can’t interfere in matters between peers. But try to resolve anything through conversation. Surely, if you communicate, those friends will understand you.”

Wolfgang, giving a thumbs up and flashing his gums in a wide smile, was truly a handsome man to behold.

Perhaps with his excellent eyesight, he even spotted the Shin Jae-eon MD Kang Se-jun had attached to his pants. Wolfgang gave an embarrassed smile and patted Se-jun’s shoulder.

“Are you a fan of mine? You can definitely become a great hero. There are many ways to become a hero, even if you’re not a gifted one.”

After uttering a few more words of encouragement, Se-jun’s hero turned his back and walked away busily. Blankly staring at his retreating figure, Kang Se-jun stood awkwardly in front of the station, lost in thought.

Just then, someone roughly grabbed his shoulder. Forced to turn around and look up, Se-jun saw the students who had been bullying him, wearing malicious smiles as they put their arms around his shoulders.

“This bastard isn’t dead yet. Hey, give me ten thousand won, you fucker.”

“Ah, you shitty bastard… I’m going to kill you now.”

As one student snickered from behind and held out his hand, another student took ten thousand won from his wallet. One laughed, and the other glared fiercely at Se-jun as they exchanged the money.

Soon, they familiarly surrounded Se-jun and dragged him to the public restroom. As delinquent students flooded into the public restroom in the park, far from the station, the people inside cautiously made their excuses and left.

“What’s wrong with this bastard? He’s spaced out?”

“Looks like he’s scared. Hey, open the lid.”

Peeing sounds echoed throughout the restroom. But the sound of flushing the toilet was not heard. They chuckled and dragged Se-jun to the stall with the toilet.

Suddenly, laughter burst out.

“What, is this bastard crazy?”

One of the students holding Se-jun noticed something was wrong and wore a bewildered expression. At that moment, his wrist, which was gripping Se-jun’s neck, fell to the floor. Small feather knives filled the restroom and began to target the students.

“What! Run away! Aaaagh!”

Screams echoed in the restroom for a while before abruptly stopping. Se-jun, soaked in blood, emerged, and people surrounded the restroom, buzzing with chatter.