Chapter 179 - Her Nightmare

After collapsing while pretending to be another villain to ambush Stardust without her knowing, I was now recuperating in a bedroom.

"Hmm... it's good."

I was sitting on a bed near a wide-open window with a clear view of the forest outside. I gently swirled my cup of black pearl milk tea.

The ice cubes clinked against each other. Feeling the cold ice against my fingertips, I took another sip through the straw. The sweet taste spread deliciously in my mouth.

"How is it? Tasty, right?"

"Yeah. It's nice having something sweet after so long."

I answered Choi Se-hee, who was asking me with a straw in her mouth.

Se-hee chuckled at my response. Sitting backward on a chair with her arms resting on the backrest and her chin propped up, she was looking at me. Then she slightly turned her gaze and asked with slightly furrowed brows.

"But seriously, Seo Ja-young, why are you lying here too?"

"Hmm... it's comfortable and nice here."

Something purple was rolling around hugging my blanket beside the bed.

This was my companion Seo Ja-young, who had settled here claiming it was more comfortable than the living room.

The bed I was currently lying on was in a treatment room that Han Seo-eun, Su-bin, and Eun-wol had created by renovating one of the rooms.

They couldn't stand seeing me getting injured so often, so they completely remodeled a room. They brought up fatigue maintenance equipment from the basement, made a window for better sunlight, and so on.

As a result, Seo Ja-young ended up using this place more than I did. Well, the bed was big enough for two people, so I just watched her like someone keeping a sloth as a pet.

While glancing at Seo Ja-young rolling around, I cautiously probed Choi Se-hee.

"I really think I'm fine now..."

"No. Rest until the end of this week."

Se-hee responded with a firm expression.

But I need to work...

Still, she was so adamant that I had no choice but to rest. ...Actually, after hearing from Seo Ja-young that Se-hee had been crying hysterically while I was unconscious, my conscience had been bothering me.

Anyway, I'd been spending my days peacefully resting. I calmed down Lee Seol-ah, who had been worried and angry, telling me never to do that again and that she would visit soon. I also observed Behemoth, who was half-broken from absorbing the impact in my place and was now being repaired in an experimental fluid under Seo-eun's care. I was resting well... though not entirely by choice.

"Mmm... I want pineapple..."

"Pineapple?"

"Pineapple pizza..."

"..."

Using Seo Ja-young's strange mutterings into the blanket as background noise, I fell into thought.

Now that my health was recovering, there were things I needed to consider.

"..."

Right. Stardust.

It was time to think about Stardust's abilities, which I had tried so hard to figure out even at the cost of ending up in this state.

I took another sip of milk tea and evaluated our previous battle.

...First of all, Stardust had definitely gotten stronger. Even more than I had expected.

I already knew that Stardust became stronger in crisis situations, but she was quite strong even accounting for that. After all, she managed to take me down in the end.

So what's my conclusion?

I'm going to let the next main event happen naturally—the incident fans call the "Devil's Castle Incident." In the original story, Stardust couldn't handle it, so I had planned to deal with it in advance to prevent the terror attack altogether. But after directly clashing with Stardust, I could see she was capable.

I expect Stardust will become quite strong after this incident, especially in battles against multiple opponents.

...Of course, I'm a bit anxious remembering how Stardust hit rock bottom in the original story, but the current Stardust is different, so it should be fine.

Anyway, that's that. I just need to wait patiently now.

Instead, I decided to recall something more important.

Stardust's reaction on the day I collapsed after being hit by her.

"..."

"Oh, suddenly a serious expression."

Hearing Seo Ja-young mumbling beside me, I recalled Stardust from that day.

'...No, this can't, this can't be happening...'

Right.

Stardust's reaction when I collapsed that day was somewhat strange.

I thought she would either be delighted and attack me more, or immediately rush to capture me, but surprisingly, she seemed very flustered when she saw me.

Why was she flustered? Not happy?

Well, she wouldn't be worried about a villain like me. Maybe she was just shocked because I was on the verge of death right in front of her? Because she needed to extract more information from me?

That seems most plausible.

...Though I suppose she could be flustered for such reasons too. Suddenly, a villain who had committed dozens of terror attacks and never been caught appears bleeding profusely right in front of her—that would be startling.

Well, it's probably not something to worry about too much.

I dismissed it lightly.

By the way, I wonder what Stardust is doing right now. Is she stomping the ground in frustration for letting me slip away?

No, she might be sleeping soundly, satisfied that she got a good hit on me.

Those were the only thoughts I had.

***

After seeing Egostic collapse with blood spattered everywhere by her own hand, weakly smiling at the end.

Shin Ha-ru had been plagued by nightmares for a while.

...Of course, calling them nightmares was an exaggeration; they weren't particularly cruel or horrific dreams.

The content of the dreams was mostly about her past encounters with Egostic.

[Ms. Stardust. You can do it. Get up.]

Egostic earnestly encouraging her when she had given up.

[You owe me one now.]

Egostic smiling while bleeding after taking a hit in her place.

[Good work. Let me handle the rest.]

[...For my arch-enemy, I should do at least this much, shouldn't I?]

Egostic approaching from behind, patting her head and stepping forward when she was despairing in front of an unbeatable enemy.

The dreams simply showed scenes of her time with Egostic again.

Except.

[...]

They always ended with Egostic lying coldly collapsed, his stomach pierced by her, silently bleeding profusely.

On days when she had this dream, Ha-ru would always wake up gasping, her entire body drenched in sweat. Her heart pounding strongly.

Fortunately, the dreams completely disappeared after she received news that Egostic was alive.

And simultaneously, her condition fully recovered.

"Mmm..."

In her office that she hadn't visited for a while.

There, Ha-ru stretched under the warm sunlight.

...Egostic must be somewhere right now too.

Is he resting under the same sun, basking in the sunlight like me?

Lost in these unconscious thoughts, Ha-ru was startled by her own thinking.

...Why am I thinking about him again?

I must be crazy.

Since seeing the broadcast confirming Egostic's survival, Ha-ru had returned to normal but her mood had been fluctuating lately.

Specifically, because of her embarrassing behavior over the past five days.

"...Ugh. Why did I act like that?"

Unconsciously blushing, twirling her golden hair that sparkled in the sunlight with one hand, Ha-ru was thinking.

...No, Egostic wouldn't die from something like that.

He's someone who survived even after being pierced almost through the heart in that Han Group basement before. Of course he must have some kind of treatment facility at his base.

Upon hearing that Egostic was alive, she finally returned to her rational self.

And now, whenever she remembered herself from a few days ago, she would kick her blankets in frustration.

After seeing Egostic collapse bleeding by her hand, she had been acting strangely for a while, even by her own admission.

Blankly watching old videos of Egostic.

Muttering to herself at home, "...It can't be. He'll be fine."

One day, a tear inexplicably falling without reason.

Not even going to the Association.

"Ugh..."

Clutching her head in embarrassment, she decided to think positively.

...Well, at least there's one good thing.

The Director and staff think she didn't come to work because she was too tired from fighting Egostic and needed separate recuperation.

...The fact that she didn't go because she was thinking about Egostic is a secret she'll take to her grave.

"..."

Of course, even now... whenever she thought about Egostic collapsing and bleeding by her hand, she momentarily felt breathless and dizzy.

No matter how much she tried to rationalize it as just taking down a villain committing terrorism...

'...Egostic isn't just any villain...'

Such thoughts made her depressed.

It's not like she felt sorry for a villain, but... well, not exactly, but...

With these thoughts, she unknowingly paced back and forth again today.

That evening after staggering home.

She had another dream.

[Only you complete me.]

Egostic saying that to her.

[For my arch-enemy...]

Egostic smiling and calling her his arch-enemy.

[My hero, Stardust, you're weaker than I expected.]

Egostic proudly calling Stardust his hero during the broadcast.

Then, the scene changed.

Suddenly Egostic was in the arms of a woman with light blue hair, sneering at her.

[Ha. What kind of arch-enemy tries to kill a villain without even recognizing him?]

[Stardust, you are no longer my nemesis. My hero now is... this Icicle.]

[Hmm. Sorry, Ha-ru. That's how it is. I'll handle all Egostic-related terrorism from now on. Got it?]

Hahahahaha. Hohohohoho.

With the laughter of Egostic and Lee Seol-ah who was embracing him echoing all around.

Ha-ru woke up.

"Eek! Huff, huff."

...No. What kind of ridiculous dream is this?

Ha-ru clutched her throbbing head and unconsciously muttered to herself.