The Villain’s Recipe - Chapter 27.2
When Min-ha boarded the helicopter, people sat on both sides of him. They were Kim Mi-yeong and a large-built man.
“Lift off!”
As the helicopter rose into the air, a loud roar echoed from afar. Swallowing down the sound that tried to burst out, Min-ha watched as entire chunks of the mountain were carved away.
“Whaou.”
Kim Mi-yeong rounded her lips and let out an exclamation.
“No matter if it’s a clash between S-ranks, this is too much.”
Kang Sa-hyeok was desperately trying to block Baek Seok-gyol’s power, but it didn’t look easy. Min-ha belatedly thought of the grandmother and grandfather back in Gamheung-ri.
“Gamheung-ri, what about the people of Gamheung-ri!”
At his panicked question, Kim Mi-yeong nodded as if telling him to rest assured.
“We have already evacuated them.”
“Where to?”
“They departed first, so they should have arrived at the safehouse by now. I will let you meet them later, so don’t worry.”
Her resolute way of speaking was enough to make even a stranger harbor trust. Yet Min-ha could not entirely find relief in those words.
‘What if it’s a lie?’
The distrust that Baek Seok-gyol and the members of ZERO held toward the government and the Management Bureau was also influencing Min-ha. They acted righteous on the outside, but were these people truly justice? Min-ha felt like he was going crazy with anxiety. Above all, it was because he had a pretty good idea of whose power was trailing behind them while carving away the mountain.
“If I…If I go back, things will get better.”
That was why Min-ha tried to persuade Kim Mi-yeong.
“Then he won’t use his power anymore.”
Though he managed to force those words out, Kim Mi-yeong did not budge at all.
“I know.”
“Pardon?”
“It is only natural for this kind of thing to happen if you snatch a guide away from an esper. That holds true no matter how much of a villain the opponent is. But even so, we cannot send Lee Min-ha back.”
“Why?”
“Because Lee Min-ha is also a victim. Weren’t you dragged away by your uncle, Lee In-su?”
That was correct. It was correct, but in that place, Min-ha had felt genuine affection just as he had in Gamheung-ri.
“The positive feelings you currently hold toward the villains, those are all gaslighting. They are feelings that people who get kidnapped and dragged away tend to have.”
No, they weren’t. They really weren’t. Min-ha tried to make excuses somehow, but no words came to mind. In the end, he parted his lips a few times before closing them. Seeing him, Kim Mi-yeong shrugged her shoulders and picked up the wireless radio.
“Activate the jamming device.”
-Understood!
They had carefully laid a trap in Gamheung-ri for this operation. Other people had said there was no way Baek Seok-gyol or Lee Min-ha would appear in Gamheung-ri, but Kang Sa-hyeok had pushed for it. Even though no distinct results came out when the seers clung to it, he proceeded with it by asking them to trust him just this once.
Amidst such a complex situation, the Bureau Chief had handed Kim Mi-yeong a teleportation jamming device, goodness knows where he had even brought it from.
“Where did you get this from?”
“There is a research institute sponsored by the former Bureau Chief. They said it’s a prototype made there. So make sure to retrieve it properly after use.”
“Is it effective?”
“They said it was effective in tests.”
And as it turned out, that seemed to be true. Ma Jin-cheol had been unable to approach their vicinity. Now the best-case scenario would be for Baek Seok-gyol to go berserk and die. For that purpose, they had also dispatched another esper to assist Kang Sa-hyeok.
What if Baek Seok-gyol avoided going berserk? It still didn’t matter. Escaping from this situation was fine too. Having consumed that much power, even someone as formidable as Baek Seok-gyol would have to hole up in his hideout for a while. Since a guide suited for him was right here, healing his wounds wouldn’t be easy either.
For once, things were going smoothly.
❖ ❖ ❖
As Min-ha vanished, Baek Seok-gyol’s hand slashed through empty air. The moment he realized that, his reason snapped.
“Lee Min-ha!”
The power that erupted as if going berserk blew up the surroundings. Even Mr. Jang’s house, which he had managed to protect with what little reason he had left, vanished without a trace. The surroundings were destroyed and wiped out as though everything he had done until now had just been child’s play.
