Chapter BONUS - Side Story: Return Of The Stars (1)

[[[Spoiler Warning]]]

This if-side story contains spoilers for the main story of "I Became the Villain That the Hero Is Obsessed With."

This side story contains all the core spoiler elements of the main story, including plot developments, twists, and endings. We strongly recommend that readers who haven't read the main story yet read it first before continuing with this side story.

* * *

Quite some time had passed since everything ended.

After the war against the Sun God where everyone's fate hung in the balance, the world had regained its peace.

This was no exception for Shin Ha-ru and Da-in, the heroes who saved Earth, and their companions.

Of course, even though they had achieved peace, there were times when regrets surfaced.

What if I had done things differently back then?

What if I had handled that situation better...

What if I had known his feelings from the beginning? Could something have changed?

Though these were things of the past, such meaningless hypotheticals occasionally crossed Shin Ha-ru's mind...

"Mmm..."

On a peaceful morning like any other, Stardus, Shin Ha-ru, stretched as she woke up from her bed with a drowsy look.

As soon as she opened her eyes, the first thing she looked for was.

"Da-in...?"

The presence that should have been lying next to her.

But strangely, today he wasn't by her side.

This rarely happened since she usually woke up before him.

'What's going on? Did Da-in wake up before me and leave today?'

That's right. I think we were supposed to do something together today... Maybe he's downstairs with everyone else?

"Yawn..."

Still half-asleep, she got up from her bed.

And only after finally standing up.

She noticed something strange.

"...?"

The place where she stood was an unfamiliar room.

It wasn't her bedroom where she had gone to sleep with Da-in last night.

A room that seemed like she'd never seen before... but that wasn't quite right.

As she blinked her eyes, trying to make sense of the situation, there was an oddly familiar feeling.

"What is this place...?"

Now that she looked at it...

'Isn't this the house I used to live in?'

"Why am I suddenly here...?"

Thinking this, she picked up her phone from the drawer next to the bed.

More precisely, her old model phone that she had replaced long ago.

...Why is this here too?

When she checked the time, what caught her eye wasn't the time but the date.

The month had suddenly changed, and the date was different too. It wasn't the day after yesterday.

"..."

Feeling confused, Shin Ha-ru moved forward.

What's going on? Was there a surprise party today? Is this a plan to surprise me?

Who would plan something like this? Seo-eun?

But I don't think I've ever talked about my old house...

With that strange feeling, she left the bedroom and went to the living room.

And there before her eyes was the scene of her old house, which felt like she hadn't seen in a long time.

Warm sunlight brightened the living room through the window, and on the desk was a vase of flowers she had arranged. The scene felt lived-in, as if she had been living there until yesterday, making her blink again.

A strange feeling came over her.

A sudden thought of "what if."

As if in a trance, she picked up the remote control on the desk and turned on the TV.

Flipping through meaningless broadcasts with the remote, when she reached a channel with news.

-This is the morning news. The newly emerging villain, Egostic, continues to be a hot topic!

-While netizens have mixed opinions about him, who killed A-class villains Enzodiac and Rhino without revealing his identity, the Hero Association...

"...What?"

In this incredibly shocking and unbelievable situation, her body froze.

Enzodiac, Rhino. Both names she hadn't heard in a very long time.

The first incidents that Egostic caused when he began his villain activities.

"No way, could it be...? No..."

With her mind growing hazy, Shin Ha-ru unlocked her phone again and checked the current year online.

Only then could she face this unbelievable truth.

"No... what is this...?"

She, one morning, had woken up to find.

That she had come to a past where she had neither met Egostic nor defeated the Sun God.

* * *

There's a saying about the five stages of accepting death.

Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.

It was easier to think that something similar happened to Shin Ha-ru.

"No. This must be a dream... Yes. Of course. Or maybe Seo-eun is playing a prank..."

Denial.

"Why... is this the Sun God's doing? Is he making one last desperate move?"

Anger.

"...Star God. I don't know what's happening, but I'm sorry... Please let me go back..."

Bargaining.

"Haha... So Da-in doesn't even remember me now...? Well, it's not the first time this has happened..."

Depression.

And then.

"...Let's assess the situation first."

Acceptance.

After spending several sleepless nights in confusion, she eventually regained her composure.

...Though she still felt the empty space where Egostic should be, anyway.

A second chance at life that came unexpectedly after the happy ending.

Da-in used to call this regression, didn't he? Anyway, having become a regressor overnight, she first checked her physical condition.

Well...

"My power... is still the same."

The living room sofa.

Sitting there with her fist clenched, Shin Ha-ru murmured as she looked at her fist glowing brighter than ever before.

This was the most important point right now.

Her power remained exactly as it was after defeating the Sun God and absorbing the Star God's power, continuing to evolve and grow stronger. This meant her power was identical to her pre-regression strength.

In other words... the villains of this time period could be taken down with just one of her fingers.

"Even the Sun God...?"

Since she had already defeated the Sun God once before regression.

After the Sun God's death, she had grown even stronger, so the Sun God would likely fall after just a few punches.

So, to summarize...

"At least I won't have to struggle to prevent the apocalypse again..."

To use an analogy from games Da-in enjoyed playing, it was like being level 100 and coming to a level 1 area.

If things flowed according to the original future, the situation would be much easier.

...And she could reduce the damage caused by villains much more.

Thinking about it that way, this regression wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but...

"The problem is... Da-in."

As she murmured his name, she unconsciously bit her lip with hollow eyes.

Having their relationship reset was too painful for her. Even now, one reason she couldn't sleep was because seeing Da-in's absence beside her in bed broke her heart.

Had Da-in completely forgotten her? Probably. There had been no news from him so far. If the Da-in she knew had also regressed, he would have sent some kind of message.

This meant that only Shin Ha-ru herself remembered their relationship.

When she thought that far, she felt like she was going crazy, but...

"No... Think positively."

Ha-ru grabbed her forehead and murmured.

One positive thing! At least she had come to a past where Da-in existed.

What if she had fallen into some parallel world without Da-in? Thinking about it that way, it was fortunate amid misfortune.

And secondly...! Come to think of it, wasn't their relationship difficult to establish? After all, she had kept trying to distance herself from him because she thought Da-in was a villain...!

"It's different now...!"

She tried hard to think positively.

And as she thought that way, she actually started to become more positive.

Yes. When she thought about it, couldn't this regression be an opportunity to save people she couldn't save before and have a smoother relationship with Da-in?

Now that she knew all the truth, unlike in the past when she only pushed Da-in away, she could approach him first.

Could they even connect much faster than before?

'Actually, Da-in said he liked me the most from before...!'

His favorite, was it? Anyway, doesn't this mean they both have feelings for each other from the start?

"Great!"

Having thought that far, Ha-ru jumped up.

...Though she still had dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep, and her head was a bit dizzy, making her wonder if she was thinking straight.

Anyway, having finally found a sense of purpose, she returned to being a brightly shining hero and shouted.

The goal for this time around!

Save the world faster! And...

"I'll seduce Egostic myself!"

Having declared that, she raised her fist high and strengthened her resolve.

Even if another regression happened. Even if she fortunately returned to the future someday.

For now, in this timeline... beating all the other women in Da-in's life...

'Now, I'll stand above all the female characters.'

She firmly vowed.

Stardus's time attack to seduce Egostic had just begun...!

* * *

And so time passed.

And finally, that moment arrived!

"Ms. Stardus! Turn on the broadcast now!"

"Yes. I'm already watching it."

"That villain, the one who assassinated Rhino last time, has hijacked the broadcast to...! Oh... Ah, you're already watching it?"

-Hello, citizens. I am the villain Egostic. Nice to meet you all!

At the Hero Association headquarters.

Already changed into her hero suit and watching the broadcast in her office, Stardus.

Looking at the familiar masked man on the screen, she quietly smiled.

...Finally here?

"Agent. I'm heading out right now."

"Oh, yes... understood."

Leaving only those words behind, she immediately opened the window and flew away without looking back.

Only the muttering of "She's incredibly fast..." from the association employee suddenly left alone behind remained in the empty room.