The Villain's Sister - Chapter 19

— Deva! What on earth happened? That guy called three times since Wednesday evening! Are you seriously dating him?

“Maria, breathe. I can’t understand a word you’re saying.”

— He called three times! I made some excuses, but saying you were asleep four times in a row isn’t going to work! By the way, he says he’ll be waiting for you at Trofan Square today. Are you going to meet him?

“Hmm…”

— Why can’t you answer? Did you turn him down again after he confessed?

“That’s not it. I need to see you instead. I have so much to say. I miss you, Maria.”

— I heard Raphael pulled another stunt a few days ago. What happened? Are you under surveillance?

“Don’t come near my house for a while. I can’t come to yours either.”

— Are you hurt?

“I’m not hurt. But just in case. I’ll explain everything when we meet.”

Would it be safe in about ten days? Meeting Maria in the dressing room of the cabaret where she worked would be discreet enough.

As I sat on the sofa, lost in thought, I caught Johan’s gaze. He was looking at me as though I were a frog pinned to a dissecting tray. Normally, when our eyes met, it would be polite to exchange a smile, but Johan didn’t even make the bare minimum effort to appear friendly.

“How’s your condition?”

“Much better,” he replied.

“That’s a relief. We need to leave by two o’clock. Will that be alright?”

“Where are we going?”

“To the hospital.”

“Are you hurt?”

“It’s a visit.”

It was Saturday, so I needed to visit Linda. I was still angry at Tristan for leaving me hanging, but I wasn’t going to give up on our contractual relationship.

‘If I’m going to lie to Linda, I need to see this through properly.’

Some might call it hypocritical for someone living off dirty money to cling to a sense of conscience, but that’s precisely why I wanted to respond sincerely to someone’s kindness. In the end, it was nothing more than shallow atonement—dishonest and cowardly.

“I’d prefer if you didn’t come with me. I’m visiting someone who’s unwell, and I don’t want to bring unnecessary company.”

“Your safety is more important than your preferences.”

“Do you remember the policeman you saw a few days ago?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll be going with him. Wait nearby while I meet him, and pick me up when I’m done.”

“Do you really think Two Star would be fazed by a single policeman? That seems a bit naive.”

“And you’re just realizing that now?”

Johan frowned. His lips twitched as though he wanted to say something but settled back into place. He probably thought I was spouting nonsense.

Whatever Johan wanted from Raphael, I wouldn’t be surprised if he left me with a headshot once I was no longer useful. That’s why I needed to build a good rapport with him beforehand. Yet, our relationship remained dry and contentious.

“That’s how Raphael raised me. Kept me in the dark, just made me study. That’s how I graduated high school as valedictorian.”

“Ha.”

“Don’t laugh like that. If you’re laughing at me, fine, but if you’re laughing at Raphael, I won’t forgive you.”

Seven years ago, after Andrew nearly beat me to death, Raphael left the military on the spot. As soon as he returned home, he “beat” Andrew to death. Maybe it was because Andrew had almost killed his sister. Or perhaps it was an outlet for the abuse Raphael had endured himself.

Whatever the reason, Raphael killed Andrew. He didn’t see the act of killing his father as a problem.

The court didn’t share Raphael’s perspective.

Raphael was sentenced to 25 years for first-degree murder. Twenty-seven days after his imprisonment, he escaped. Together with a gang he met in prison, Raphael founded Death Adder.

As Death Adder grew, the gangsters who had joined him were all killed. Some ended up in graves, while others became fish food in the waters off Mist Island. In the end, Raphael successfully established himself as the ruler of Death Adder.

‘I wish he wouldn’t feel guilty about me… but he always does.’

Though it was dirty money, once we started raking it in, we no longer had to live like before. Andrew was dead, and poverty was no longer an issue. From that point on, Raphael tried to compensate me for everything.

He hired a housekeeper to do the chores and even bought me a luxury piano. He gave me an excessive allowance, more than enough to buy treats for my friends.

“The world isn’t fair anyway. Raphael is just trying to buy happiness with dirty money.”

Johan frowned, not just furrowing his brows but scowling outright. Even as an anti-hero, he was still a hero. He was someone who ignored the means to achieve his ends, but he hadn’t abandoned his sense of justice. To him, my words must have sounded insane.

“There are things in this world that are unavoidable.”

“Unavoidable? Selling your body, dealing drugs? What convenient excuses.”

“You don’t know how far misfortune can push someone. There are all kinds of rock bottoms in this world, and for some, morality and conscience lose meaning in the face of survival.”

Though his gaze seemed indifferent as always, it felt like he could pierce right through me, devouring me from the inside out.

“I know I’m making absurd excuses to justify Raphael. But…”

I locked eyes with Johan. A person’s eyes can say so much, often reaching beyond the limits of language into the realm of instinct. That’s why his gaze irritated me.

Just because you’ve faced some kind of misfortune doesn’t mean you can understand what my brother and I have endured.

In the face of poverty, violence, and starvation, concepts like morality and justice lose their value. We were the foundation of society’s underbelly—those who had to learn firsthand that the world is a battlefield and life is a history of struggle. The lowest of the low.

“I’ll side with Raphael, even if I have to twist reality to do it. So drop that arrogant gaze and get ready to leave.”

I brushed past Johan, who had an expression I couldn’t decipher—mocking, hateful, or maybe both—and headed upstairs.

After getting ready, I came back down and grabbed one of Raphael’s car keys. He had told me to stay close to home, but that was absurd given the state of things with the original storyline beginning.

Johan drove one of Raphael’s cars from his collection and started speaking.

“You trust a single policeman and think you can move around alone? You must not value your life. Or perhaps you don’t fear death.”

“Do you think I’ll die easily?”

“……”

“Do you think I’ll live long?”

“……”

“That’s why I’ll do as I please. After all, you don’t care about me—you only care about earning Raphael’s trust, not mine.”

At a red light, Johan turned his head to look at me. I kept my eyes fixed forward, refusing to meet his gaze. I didn’t want to know what kind of expression he was wearing.

“Until six o’clock.”

“Fine.”

We arrived at Trofan Square. Tristan was waiting by the fountain, arms crossed, lightly kicking the ground with the tip of his shoe. I quickly grabbed my bag and stepped out of the car.

I had spent so much time at home agonizing over how to deal with Tristan, but seeing him in person made all the complicated thoughts and feelings evaporate.

As my shadow stretched to his feet, Tristan lifted his head and looked at me.

“You look like you’ve been thinking a lot.”

“…I feel guilty. I’m sorry about what happened that day.”

“You were busy. The media’s been going wild for days over Death Adder and Two Star.”

“That’s one thing, but a promise is a promise.”

“Unrequited love must be hard. Even when I’m angry or upset, just hearing you say that makes me forgive you.”

“W-What are you talking about? Are you crazy?”

“I’ve made it so obvious. How could you not know?”

“Know what?”

His voice faltered, and his eyes quivered intensely.