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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: An Unsettling Premonition
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Previously.
After the meeting with Stardus, Shadow Walker, and the Association President concluded.
Isolde Lee, also known as Icicle, returned to her office and fell into thought.
".....A sigh escaped her."
As if accustomed, she tilted the wine bottle on her desk and poured herself a glass.
After taking a sip of the violet liquid, she recalled the events that had just transpired.
'.....Shadow Walker defended Egoistic, right in front of Stardus.'
It was a strange thing to say, even to herself.
Yet, it had actually happened.
'....But why?'
Shadow Walker's words were clear.
Stardus had almost deduced that the monster hadn't been defeated by her, but by someone else – specifically, Egoistic.
Shadow Walker had refuted this. He claimed he'd been there and seen no one nearby.
"....A lie."
But it had to be a lie.
Because she herself had heard from Egoistic that he had sniped from the rooftop of a nearby building that day.
In other words, if Shadow Walker had truly looked around that day, he would have seen Egoistic, making his statement a lie.
And if he hadn't looked around, he wouldn't have known, yet he still lied about no one being there. Either way, it was a lie.
Ultimately, Shadow Walker's words could only be a lie, no matter how you looked at it.
".....So, why would he lie like that?"
Isolde murmured, caressing her wine glass.
Shadow Walker. What purpose did his lie serve? What was he thinking...?
"....."
Isolde Lee.
At a young age, she had already taken control of the entire Yoosung Group and was now steadily expanding her influence over South Korea – a woman who could confidently boast of her innate talent and political acumen.
Of course, her plan to dominate South Korea had been faltering lately, but regardless...
As someone with the keenest intuition in South Korea, she quickly arrived at the truth.
".....Egoistic has contacted Shadow Walker."
Yes.
This was the most probable truth.
"....."
Why, when he had her?
For a moment, she felt a pang of resentment at the thought, but she quickly quelled it by taking another sip of wine.
...Right. He had initially approached her, so it wasn't strange for him to contact other A-rank heroes. He'd never said he wouldn't interfere with anyone else, only Stardus.
"....A sigh escaped her lips."
Isolde sighed.
...What was this feeling?
Yes, it was unease, anxiety.
The anxiety of potentially losing Egoistic.
In truth,
Egoistic didn't trust her.
And so,
In the CEO's office on the top floor of Yoosung Group's headquarters, South Korea's premier corporation.
In that space, where warm sunlight streamed in from behind her,
Isolde, dressed in a business suit, ran a hand through her sky-blue hair, lost in thought.
Isolde. It had been quite some time since she'd started meeting Egoistic regularly.
In fact, when they met, they spent more time chatting about various things than discussing business. Things like how things were going lately, whether they felt good or tired... trivial matters one might discuss with a friend.
And as those moments accumulated,
Isolde gradually realized that she unconsciously looked forward to the time she spent with Dayin.
Her life was constantly battered by company affairs and slander, but only when she met him could she forget all that and converse with a pure, genuine smile. He was one of the few people who treated her as a human being, rather than as someone special or of high status, unlike others.
And strangely enough, though she didn't know why,
she felt that he, Dayin, understood her the most. Though she didn't know why.
And then, what about his abilities?
'....Honestly, if it weren't for Dayin, Korea would have collapsed multiple times over by now.'
In Isolde's view, the current state of South Korea was highly anomalous.
In recent years, there had been a sudden surge of massive, unmanageable terrorist attacks, seemingly exploding one after another. Each of them was the kind of terror that could almost bring South Korea to the brink of ruin.
Egoistic had managed to stop most of them, so when you looked closely, everything had turned out well.
But conversely, that also meant that without Egoistic, it could all crumble like a sandcastle at any moment.
"....That cannot happen."
In other words,
Egoistic was an irreplaceable, precious existence.
Both to Isolde personally and to South Korea as a whole.
The only problem was...
'...Why doesn't he trust me that much?'
That was it.
When he had first approached her, he had been incredibly cautious.
It had taken months to learn his real name, and more months to see his face.
She still didn't even know where he lived. Yet, he knew where she lived.
'...It's almost as if he thinks I might betray him...'
He exuded an unmistakable aura of wariness towards her.
That point deeply frustrated Isolde.
No, why on earth would she betray him? Considering what she had received from him so far, and what lay ahead, she had absolutely no intention of doing so. No matter what he did. Especially since Isolde herself wasn't exactly a moral person, that was even more true.
Given all that, Isolde had intended to be with him for life.
So why, then, was he so wary of her?
He had even collapsed from overexertion, yet she couldn't even visit him because she didn't know his home address – that was her reality.
'...Had he heard some slander about her?'
Lost in such thoughts, she grew depressed again, and soon poured more wine into her glass, gulping it down.
After nearly emptying the bottle by herself, she finally felt tipsy.
"....."
Isolde, her cheeks flushed, gazed at her phone for a moment.
Right. If she kept going like this, she'd fall behind.
Even if it meant making a rash move, she needed to confront him.
She was drunk anyway, so if things didn't go well, she could always dismiss it as drunken nonsense.
Having made that decision, she called Dayin.
***
The call with Dayin went surprisingly well.
Perhaps her uncharacteristic emotional outburst, even shedding a few tears, had paid off.
Isolde finally managed to secure an invitation to his home.
....Of course, recalling the process still made her blush.
But the result was good, so perhaps it was worth it.
As she stepped into what felt like a remote mountain valley, her first impression was this:
".....Wow."
His house was incredibly. Incredibly large.
A grand mansion that could easily accommodate dozens of people.
Isolde's own home wasn't small, but his wooden mansion, with its antique charm, exuded an inexplicable sense of grandeur. Like a castle.
Then the door opened.
A woman greeted Isolde.
"Hello. You must be Ms. Isolde Lee, right?"
"Ah... Yes. Hello."
"Hello. I'm Lee Soobin."
Lee Soobin, the woman who greeted her with a benevolent smile.
Isolde, smiling and returning the greeting, was utterly flustered internally.
...What? Why was this woman at his house?
Ah, she must be here to nurse him, right? That must be it.
However, her assumption was completely shattered after she stepped inside.
"....Hello."
"....."
"Haha, hello?"
Numerous women greeted her as she walked towards the room where he was reportedly resting.
There was an orange-haired woman who seemed to eye her with displeasure, a silver-haired girl with a wary gaze, and even a woman in what looked like a shrine maiden's outfit, wearing an inscrutable smile.
All of them were villains affiliated with Ego Stream.
And just from encountering them in the living room, exchanging brief greetings, and passing by, she could tell.
Those clothes, that relaxed atmosphere, that sense of everyday life.
They weren't just visiting.
They lived here.
She was plunged into extreme confusion.
...Why? Why were multiple women and a man living together in one house? Was there a reason for it?
Lost in such thoughts,
she opened the door and came face to face with Dayin, who was lying in bed.
"Hello, Dayin."
"Oh... Isolde, hello. You came very quickly, didn't you...?"
He seemed slightly surprised to see her, having arrived the very next day after their call.
Watching him push aside the laptop he'd been using on his bed and greet her, she found herself smiling as she replied,
"Yes. It's my first time visiting your home, Dayin, so of course I had to come quickly."
She said, and smiled.
...
Ah.
I shouldn't have said that right now.
Isolde, you didn't come here to say something like that. You came to visit Dayin, who's sick.
...Still.
Perhaps she could ask just one thing.
Maintaining her smile,
Isolde opened her mouth and asked the reclining Dayin,
"....By the way, as I walked to your room, I noticed there are many other women in the house. Are you all living together?"
"...Haha. It just sort of happened."
At her question, he awkwardly averted his gaze.
He seemed embarrassed too... Inwardly, she had hoped he would deny it.
"...."
"...Uh, Isolde, it suddenly feels a bit chilly? Haha."
Well, that's something.
***
"Madam President, welcome back. Did you have a good visit?"
"...Could you bring me a bottle of '56 wine?"
"Yes, Madam."
Receiving the bottle from her secretary, Isolde sat in her office, poured a glass of wine, and quietly drank.
"....."
She had many conversations with Dayin today.
But in truth, all of that was irrelevant; the only information she gained was one thing:
Dayin and the Ego Stream members had an extremely strong bond.
So strong that Isolde herself would find it difficult to contend with.
"....Right, nothing in this world is easy."
Dayin had been her target for a long time now.
Only now did she realize: he was actually more suited to be a hero than a villain.
But he couldn't be entangled with those villains.
"....."
Isolde, recalling the female members who had looked at her with wary eyes, brought the wine to her lips again.
Right.
So that's how it is.
Isolde, her brain already pickled with alcohol, began to think irrationally.
...Egoistic, he was obsessed with Stardus, wasn't he?
Yes. He suits being a hero.
But she alone was insufficient. The opponents were multiple villain members.
What should she do?
'Right... he said he was going on a trip next, didn't he?'
"....."
As she thought this,
Isolde found herself unconsciously staring at Shin Haru's contact information.
An alliance, an alliance.
After all, Stardus didn't know Egoistic's true identity, and there was also his perception-hindering ability.
"....."
Isolde, who had been silent, let out a sly smile.
Yes.
Let's do that.
***
"Ugh... I have a bad feeling about this. Is something going to happen on this trip too, just like last time?"
"Oppa. Don't say such ominous things."
"But what can I do? I just have a chilling feeling."