The Villain’s Recipe - Chapter 18.1
All of them were ordinary people who had not awakened, but one of their family members was an esper. According to what he heard, Baek Seok-gyol’s mother was an esper and his father was a guide. During a period when the status of espers had not yet been established, the two of them struggled to close a gate and died. And Baek Seok-gyol, who became an orphan, was taken in by the doctor.
There were 18 people gathered. The number 18 did not change until the laboratory was destroyed later on. That was because whenever someone died, another child immediately filled the spot.
“18, I really love the number 18!”
The doctor used to say that. But despite saying things like that, he treated people recklessly, so out of the original 18 people, only 8 survived. Should that be called lucky? Or should it be called unlucky? One could say it was fortunate that they survived, but the suffering they endured in the meantime was too great for that.
Especially number 1. Baek Seok-gyol received the most suffering. The reason was singular. Because potential was visible.
“Perhaps superpowers might be passed down through bloodlines. Aren’t numerous diseases influenced by genetic factors?”
At that time, Baek Seok-gyol thought of only one thing.
I have to kill that bastard.
Becoming a laboratory rat trapped in a testing room and dying in vain was not his preference. To achieve that, he tried somehow to survive. And he survived and awakened.
“Hahaha, it finally succeeded!”
The stupid doctor. Baek Seok-gyol succeeded in awakening, but it was impossible to know whether that was the doctor’s research achievement. Because to know that, a lot of experiments would have to be repeated once more.
However, unfortunately for the doctor, the experiments could not continue. Because Baek Seok-gyol killed every living creature inside the laboratory. On that day, the only person belonging to the laboratory who survived was the doctor, who happened to be outside for a little while by good luck. Amidst that commotion, two more awakened.
They were Ma Jin-cheol, who possessed teleportation abilities, and Sui, who possessed healing abilities. They took care of the remaining five people and followed behind Baek Seok-gyol as he escaped the laboratory. And before long, a new villain group named ZERO was born in the world.
That was all Baek Seok-gyol had told Min-ha. He did not provide a detailed explanation of what had happened in between. Even so, Min-ha was able to learn many things from just that.
Instead of comforting Baek Seok-gyol with words, Min-ha rested his head against his chest and continued his guiding steadily.
‘It’s alright now.’
That kind of feeling arose. In reality, not everything was alright yet. The artificial esper laboratory had not been established purely by the doctor alone. To secretly build a facility of that scale in the country and bring in children required someone’s help. And corporations and the government were entangled in that. Although most of the people from back then had died or stepped down now, survivors from other laboratories still harbored those memories.
Even knowing that, Baek Seok-gyol was satisfied with the current situation. Because Min-ha had opened his heart to him, even if just a little. He had been forced by his relative to act as a villain’s guide. There was no way he had no thoughts about it. On the outside he acted normally, but inside he was filled with anxiety. The person who had given that warning to Baek Seok-gyol was Ma Jin-cheol.
“I figured the leader might not know. Your way of thinking isn’t exactly ordinary, after all. Since we managed to get a guide with such difficulty, wouldn’t it be best to win over his heart as well?”
Baek Seok-gyol agreed with Ma Jin-cheol’s words. The fact that he preferred Min-ha’s smiling face over seeing him freeze, panic, and suffer also played a part.
A leisurely time passed with their bodies pressed against each other. Then, around the time when the sunlight seeping in from outside vanished, Min-ha asked Baek Seok-gyol.
“Aren’t you hungry?”
“Not really.”
“What did you eat outside?”
“A protein bar.”
Min-ha had shoved it into Baek Seok-gyol’s pocket, telling him to eat at least that if he couldn’t have a meal.
“That’s not a meal.”
