The Villain's Sister - Chapter 101

2 a.m.

A person appeared in the middle of the emergency room in a burst of magic.

The trace of magic was a thick fog that Red Shadow could make out.

That alone was enough to draw attention.

Johan didn’t care whether people were watching him or not. He just searched for a doctor.

“She has a fever. Fifteen minutes ago it was 39.4 degrees, but now it’s 39.6. I gave her fever medicine twenty minutes ago, and, ah, it’s been seven hours since the fever started. Please, whatever you can, hurry….”

His eyes met Giselle’s.

Her eyes, so exhausted that they barely held any strength, brought the fear swelling under his throat up like bile.

There was no way Giselle could die from a fever like this, but he had already lost her once before.

Back then, she’d been a nameless girl, and when the one who’d saved him died….

Johan let out a groan of pain without realizing it.

“…Please.”

He held Giselle’s dry hand. He should’ve asked for permission, but he couldn’t.

He traced the small curve of her nail with his fingertip and stroked the back of her hand.

When Giselle finally fell asleep from exhaustion, he pressed his face into her palm.

‘I should’ve forced her to eat even if she didn’t want to.’

I should’ve made more of her favorite dishes, more variety.

I should’ve bought her more of the snacks she liked.

He felt so small. The smallest things came back to haunt him as regrets.

What was the point of tearing through the night and fighting villains?

Just seeing Giselle in pain made it feel like his entire life was collapsing.

Johan watched as the nurse inserted an IV needle into Giselle’s other hand.

“Guardian, the patient’s fever will go down soon. Don’t worry too much.”

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Maybe because it was so quiet at this hour, he could hear the faint sound of the IV dripping.

Please don’t be in pain. Please….

Johan checked the thermometer every ten minutes.

Her fever was falling slowly but steadily, and he no longer had to force himself to hold onto what little patience he had left.

4:30 a.m.

The area outside the emergency room started to grow noisy.

The reporters had arrived.

“You can’t come in here! I said you can’t!”

“Security! Call security!”

“We heard Red Shadow appeared! Who’s the woman with him?”

“Is she injured? What’s their relationship?”

“Do you know the woman’s name?”

Click, click, click!

The sharp sound of shutters and the flashing lights breaking through the emergency room curtains.

Johan’s first instinct was to check if Giselle had woken up.

Giselle’s eyes opened weakly.

Johan clenched his teeth, overcome with the urge to wipe out every last one of them.

Tap. Giselle grabbed Johan’s hand.

“The noise woke you up.”

“Johan. Let’s go home.”

“After the IV is done.”

It would take a little longer for the IV to finish.

And the prescription medicine hadn’t even been prepared yet.

Click, flash!

Giselle flinched, her face sensitive and tight with irritation.

The more she tried to hold his hand to stop him, the closer he came to his breaking point.

“They said Red Shadow looked different today. Is that true?”

Would ripping their mouths open put an end to this noise?

Johan thought of rougher ways to handle it than usual.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Click, click, click!

Footsteps drew closer. Light flickered through the thin curtain.

“No.”

Giselle shook her head.

Whoever opened that curtain would end up flat on that hospital bed.

“I said you can’t come in here!”

“Patients aren’t the only ones allowed. Who’s in there?”

“I can’t tell you that. It’s confidential. Leave now! Security’s been called!”

“Which bed? We’ll just do a short interview.”

“What do you think you’re doing in a hospital?!”

Tap. Thud. Tap. Thud.

The reporters pulled back each curtain one by one.

It wasn’t just anyone—it was Red Shadow.

Every journalist on Mist Island had gathered.

From the Daily Issue, the Mist Island Times, and M.C. Today to CBC, IN CITY, PBW, and more.

“The patient inside, it’s a woman.”

A junior reporter from Mist Island Times reported to his boss that a witness had seen Red Shadow appear.

Daniel Humphrey, who had recently been transferred to the social affairs department after publishing photos of Tristan and Giselle Moltke, checked the number of hospital beds left.

‘Three left.’

What kind of hero was Red Shadow?

Private and secretive, ruthless enough to be called the Executioner of Evil, wearing high-end suits and shoes that hinted at a wealthy background—all of it made him an antihero shrouded in mystery.

And now that man had brought in a woman?

Dressed casually, wearing a cap pulled so low you could barely recognize him?

‘A scoop. If I can get a solid statement, I’ll be promoted for sure.’

He knew how dangerous Red Shadow was, but this was the kind of chance that only came once in a journalist’s lifetime. He had no choice but to risk it.

Daniel Humphrey grabbed the hospital curtain before anyone else.

At that moment.

“If you open that curtain, everyone here will die.”

The chilling voice pierced through his eardrums.

It wasn’t the rough tone of a villain, yet goosebumps shot up his arms.

There was a sinister aura around Red Shadow, the kind only found in people who had lived their lives soaked in blood.

‘Gulp.’

His hand froze on the curtain.

As he swallowed dryly, countless images of Red Shadow’s executions flashed through his mind like a film reel.

Daniel shot a glance at the broadcasting station reporter beside him.

It was a silent question. What should we do?

None of the reporters dared to open or let go of the curtain. They only exchanged nervous looks.

Then a voice came from inside.

“Water. Please give me some water.”

“Lie down. No, I’ll help you sit up.”

According to his senior colleagues in the social affairs department, Red Shadow’s defining trait was arrogance.

But this tone… it was polite. Incredibly polite. Even gentle.

Daniel wasn’t the only one stunned.

The veteran reporters from the social affairs department exchanged startled glances, confirming they hadn’t misheard.

They brushed it off as some sort of mass hallucination.

But when the next exchange followed

“Are you still cold?”

“A little.”

“Once the IV finishes, we’ll need to check your temperature again.”

“Let’s just go home. I don’t want to stay here.”

“Wait a little longer. Ten minutes and the IV will be done. The prescription hasn’t been filled yet either.”

“Johan….”

“Your fever’s close to forty degrees. If you get sick again after we go home…. You should lie back down. Not for your sake, but for mine.”

“….”

“Please. You can act stubborn in the morning if you want, but not now.”

A soft sigh came from the woman, followed by the sound of her lying back down.

The pleading tone, the familiarity in their words, the undeniable emotion underneath… it was obvious they were living together, or something very close to it.

The reporters were stunned.

“I’ll ask the nurse when the medication will be ready. We’ll be home in ten minutes, so get some rest for now.”

“But—”

“Don’t worry about what’s happening outside. I’ll handle it.”

The shadow of Red Shadow on the curtain brushed over the woman’s head.

Even though they couldn’t see his face, there was so much tenderness in the rough gesture of the shadowed hand that it was impossible not to notice.

The Red Shadow before them wasn’t the villain-hunting antihero, but an ordinary man in love.

Swish.

Flick, tap.

The curtain opened and closed briefly.

Wearing a cap pulled deep over his head and a mask that covered up to his eyes, Red Shadow was dressed in a simple knit sweater and cotton pants.

With sharp eyes, he scanned the emergency room packed with reporters swarming like locusts.

Without a single word, he made their shoulders hunch and their breathing halt just with his gaze. A man with blood on his hands could only grow rougher, yet he managed to deliver a warning without disturbing the sick woman.

His gaze wasn’t fixed on their faces, but on their beating hearts.

As if to say, he could drive a bullet through them at any moment.

Even when Red Shadow—no, Johan—walked past them toward the nurse, no one dared to touch the curtain.

All they could hear was the tired sound of breathing from beyond it.

***

When I opened my eyes after being told to rest for a bit, I was back in the apartment.

Johan had fallen asleep with his face resting on the bed.

His breathing sounded weary, yet the sleeping face looked boyish, making it hard to look away.

Seeing him like this, I realized his eyebrows were really beautiful—thick, even, and perfectly suited to him.

From the space between his brows, down his tall nose, and along the smooth lines below.

That such a beautiful man was chasing after me saying he liked me, and all I could say was no.

‘It’s exhausting….’

There’s only so many times I can keep pretending I hate him.

I can’t bring myself to tell him it’s okay to follow me, but I also want to be honest and say I don’t hate him either.

Ah, no, that’s not honesty.

If I were to act truly sincere….

‘I remember everything.’

Then I’d have to admit that he entered my inner world to save me.

“My hatred could never be directed at you.”

Looking back, that was the greatest confession Red Shadow could have made.

Even though my body felt heavy from being unwell, my heart floated lightly, as if wrapped in soft clouds, drifting like a feather through the air.

My fingertips brushed his hair. I ran my fingers through each strand.

His bangs, untouched since we came here, fell naturally over his forehead. Because of their faint wave, they gave off a deep, gentle atmosphere.

And beneath them lay a smooth forehead and those eyebrows.

I reached out and brushed along his eyes. I knew how those deep eyes beneath the brows would change when they looked at me.

That subtle glow within them, mixed with the chill of their unique color, was like a clear blue sky emerging after a storm.

“I’m sorry.”

You risked your life because of me, yet there’s nothing I can do for you.

Staying like this only fills my head with useless thoughts.

As I tried to pull my hand away to get up—

Tap.

A large hand grabbed mine.