The Villain's Sister - Chapter 108

“…Hope was all I had. Just like Sunshine devoured your life, the city devoured my hope.”

Tristan’s gray eyes were like the mist of dawn over the city, and just meeting them stirred something strange in him.

The foggy harbor, the sea breeze, the salty smell. And the sun rising beyond the horizon.

He wanted to be able to pray that blessings would follow the one who saved him, that her future would be bright.

Like the morning that drives away the darkness.

“Thinking about it now, I guess it was anger.”

“There’s no one in this cursed city without a story.”

An empty mug clattered into the sink.

Tristan erased his complicated expression and said confidently, “But that doesn’t make it an excuse.”

“Ha. You’re still such an irritating bastard. Is righteousness your religion now?”

“Yeah. That’s why I’ll clean up the underground organizations within a year and quit this job. After that, I’ll contact Giselle. Tell her I’m unemployed and ask her to hang out.”

Tristan smirked, lifting one corner of his mouth.

Johan narrowed his eyes and grabbed the suit hanging over the chair. Talking any longer would only piss him off.

Even when the guy was wearing a helmet, he was annoying. Seeing his bare face made it ten times worse.

Maybe it was because he could clearly see the things he didn’t have.

“What? You scared of me?”

By nature, Tristan Lindbergh was a cheerful, energetic guy.

Just being around him changed the mood.

Even Giselle, who was always cautious, treated him playfully like an old friend.

“I’ll move you near the house. Go back.”

“No. If you’re staying here, I’m staying too.”

“Bullshit.”

“No one knows Giselle’s at that house. Being alone for a day won’t be dangerous. My mother just passed away, and I’ve got inheritance papers to handle, so just stay put for a day.”

Tristan left Johan where he was and went upstairs.

Johan felt a headache coming on.

***

The darkest hour before dawn.

Tristan’s house was utterly still.

The ticking of the clock’s second hand kept Johan from sleeping, so he got up from the couch and removed the batteries.

Still, sleep wouldn’t come.

The overwhelming quiet scraped at his nerves.

When he put the batteries back in, tick, tick, the sound burrowed into his head again.

“This is insane.”

Johan grabbed his head and slumped onto the couch.

He knew well that the noise wasn’t the problem.

His nerves were raw because of the disappointment of realizing Giselle had been deceiving him, and the reason he couldn’t sleep was because, even through the feeling of betrayal, he still wanted to see her.

‘I hope she doesn’t get another fever.’

He’d been prescribed medicine, so there shouldn’t be any real issue, but he couldn’t stop thinking about her dinner, her safety, everything.

He hated himself for being such a fool, but being away from Giselle was worse.

Unable to bear it anymore, Johan decided to go see her for just a moment.

The mist wrapped around him.

He blinked once and found himself standing on the bedroom balcony, hidden behind closed blinds.

“…Giselle?”

She wasn’t in the room where she should’ve been.

“If you’ve thrown everything away, then I can throw you away too.”

Had she left while Tristan Lindbergh was gone, abandoning him to go somewhere far away?

Panicking, Johan rushed to the living room.

“Ah….”

Giselle was asleep on the living room sofa.

The light from the TV illuminated her through the darkness.

The tension left his body, and relief spread like ink dissolving in water.

‘Why’s she sleeping here?’

It would’ve been better if she slept inside.

He wanted to keep his distance from her, but being drawn to her was something he couldn’t resist.

Johan knelt down, lowering himself to her level.

He turned off the TV to focus on her soft breathing.

Long eyelashes, an elegant nose, plump lips.

Everything about Giselle was beautiful.

Her persistence, her sharp and sensitive temperament, her easy laughter over the smallest things, and even the loneliness she carried deep within that sometimes shone like the moon.

‘I hope you open your heart to me.’

Johan was an atheist, but at that moment, he sought out God.

He prayed for the courage to be honest with Giselle, and for compassion to rise within her.

He wished she’d change her mind about leaving him behind.

Though he longed for her affection, she lied to him just to avoid giving even the smallest piece of her heart.

So he didn’t ask for love. No, he believed he couldn’t.

Johan rested his face beside Giselle’s head.

Just looking at her made his chest ache.

Then the loneliness would sweep over him, making him feel like he could die.

But when their eyes met, that solitude would evaporate like morning dew under sunlight, replaced by a shy twisting warmth in his stomach.

And if she ever smiled at him… Johan would become the happiest man in the world with just one faint smile.

‘If I could have you, I’d give up my whole life.’

He’d gladly throw away his title. He could stop living behind a mask.

He’d even swear never to stain his hands with blood again.

Johan swallowed endless sighs and watched over Giselle through the long dawn.

***

Morning came.

Now it was Johan who had taken the sofa, while Tristan lay curled up on the floor under a blanket, looking like a homeless man sleeping under a newspaper.

‘When did he get here?’

She thought he must’ve gone to his room half-asleep, but it seemed one of them had carried the other.

Seeing Johan fast asleep made her heart stir.

Even after what she’d said, he came back.

She didn’t know what kind of face she was supposed to make when she saw him.

‘…I kind of want to poke his cheek.’

She’d only ever seen him neat and composed, so seeing him this relaxed was strange.

Still, he looked good in casual clothes.

Leaning against the back of the sofa, Johan looked like a prince straight out of a fairy tale like Cinderella.

His eyes, nose, lips, and jawline….

Everything about his face was sharp yet refined, exuding a kind of grace that ordinary people couldn’t imitate.

Whenever his upper-class accent slipped out, she was reminded again that they lived in completely different worlds.

‘He’s not someone who fits with me.’

Cinderella might’ve been covered in ashes, but she was still a count’s daughter.

At least they shared the same accent and class.

So being cowardly toward Johan had to be the right decision, for both of them.

With that conviction firm in her heart, she headed to the bathroom.

“Hey, wake him up nicely!”

“Quite the list of demands for a guest.”

“Showing off just because you’ve got a house now?”

While she was finishing her bleaching and washing up, she could hear the two of them arguing outside.

“You two sure sound cozy for the morning.”

Sitting across from Tristan, I started eating the leftover cold pizza too.

Last night, Red Shadow had exposed Big Bear’s VIP organ trafficking records, and chaos had erupted.

Thanks to that, the gossip show Morning Issue was once again busy stirring things up about heroes.

― Even though revealing Big Bear’s ledger could endanger himself by involving the central government, Red Shadow still did it. What a heroic choice!

― Sure, it’s a blow to the villains, but it’s also an act that ignored Mist Island’s state authority. Because of it, federal agents have been deployed to catch Big Bear. In the end, it just proves he’ll do anything to achieve his goal.

“So, the man himself, what do you think about that?”

“I need to eat, then buy groceries.”

“No interest, huh? I didn’t think you even ate pizza.”

Johan glanced at me sideways and replied, “I’m trying to get used to eating it from now on.”

I avoided his gaze and focused on the food.

It frustrated me how I was always so aware of Johan.

― To oppress Mist Island’s symbol of justice! At least not to Black Pistols. Mayor Maggie Giomatti has a duty to protect him.

“How does it feel to be a symbol of justice?”

Tristan’s face turned red, and he reached for his cola.

Johan’s lips curved into a crooked smile.

Watching the two of them bicker back and forth, breakfast came to an end.

Before leaving the house, Johan checked the grocery list one last time.

“Is there anything else you need?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Well, if there’s anything, we can buy it once we get to Hellpipe City, so it’s fine to pack light.”

Johan frowned slightly as he spoke to me, “Going alone would be suicide. I’ll never abandon you, nor will I leave you.”

“….”

“I’ve already decided not to expect anything when I come back to this house, so it’s fine. If you find someone like me disgusting, then hate me all you want. It doesn’t matter.”

Quietly watching me, he added, “I told you, didn’t I? I don’t think my hatred could never be directed at you.”

Black Pistols was a hero in anyone’s eyes.

He had never been tainted by evil, and his unwavering pursuit of justice alone proved who he was.

He didn’t need to prove his title; his path already did.

But Red Shadow was different.

By nature, he was a villain.

A villain who stained his own hands with blood in the name of justice.

The reason Red Shadow was called an antihero was because, to citizens who longed to see evil punished, he looked like a twisted kind of hero.

That’s why, the moment he valued something other than justice, Red Shadow would become the most heinous murderer in the world.

If his hands were already stained with blood anyway, I’d rather Johan be called an antihero than a murderer.

‘He’s a soldier I saved.’

People called Johan a villain hunter, but ironically, I saw hope in him.

“Was the new life you were given happy?”

“It was meaningful.”

That was why, even though I remembered what happened in the dream, I pretended not to.

In that dream, we had burned with unnecessary heat and crossed into each other’s space.

And if he became a murderer, then I, the one who saved him….

“Doesn’t the blood on your hands feel heavy?”

“My feelings for you weigh heavier than that.”

It was a heavy love, one that left no room for joy.

Yet strangely, to my eyes, it looked so beautiful.

Because no one else could ever love me as much as he did.

“You’re stubborn.”

Suppressing a sigh that welled up from deep within, I asked him, “What’s your favorite color?”

“Purple.”

“Purple? Same as me.”

I went into my room and brought back a bracelet made of string, then handed it to him.

I’d bought them in several colors, so there happened to be a purple one too.

“The scarf wasn’t from me but from Linda, but I felt bad giving a gift only to Tristan.”

Johan stared down at the bracelet, dazed.

It was only made of a few strings, but anyone looking at his expression might think it was embedded with jewels.

The way he fidgeted with it was overly cautious, as if it were something precious.

Seeing how awkwardly but sincerely he treated it, it made me think he’d never been given a gift before.

A shy smile hung at the corners of his lips, usually so tightly closed.

Without taking his eyes off the bracelet, he said in a slightly overwhelmed voice, “I’ll treasure it.”

The look in his eyes was dazzling. If joy could take form, it would shine just like that.

And that was why I felt like dying.

Because in the end, this was nothing more than a way to run away and abandon him.

‘What a terrible woman I am.’

Not that there’s a place for me in heaven anyway….

The taste of blood filled my mouth as I bit down hard.