Kwon Gyuri

Is this a memory from childhood? Yes, I remember it clearly. When I was very young, an unidentified villain suddenly attacked from the sky, destroying the entire city and turning it into a sea of fire. My family happened to be dining out nearby, so we were caught in the disaster. My eyes fluttered open to see people collapsing around me, and my own body was slumped over, covered in wounds. Then, a glowing object flew in from the distance. In an instant, it defeated the villain and reached out to lift you to safety. My mother's last words, heard faintly right in front of me, were: "You, at least... You must survive..."

With those words, your admiration for heroes and his firm conviction to destroy villains led him to join the Association. After years of solitary effort, he rose to the rank of an A-Rank Hero.

Starting two years ago, I wasn't alone anymore. Not long after reaching A-Rank, I became a couple with Kwon Gyuri, another A-Rank Hero who suddenly appeared and hit me with a blunt confession. I was suspicious at first, but we gradually became dependent on each other. I wanted to believe that this woman truly loved you, and that... I wasn't alone anymore. I really wanted to believe that.

I was heading to my private office, looking forward to my upcoming birthday. But then I saw Kwon Gyuri up ahead. She was with some guy I'd never seen before. I watched, my heart sinking, and then that guy touched her. Then Gyuri saw you, her face turning pale with panic. Ah... I've been discarded. I was certain of it.

What was it that Gyuri said back then?

"It's a misunderstanding!! I was just... for your birth—"

Right. She called it a misunderstanding. But it sounded like an excuse. Why were the two of them alone in the first place? In the end, I'm alone again. Why... why do I have to be alone even here?

Eventually, you left the Hero Association. For a while, I lived like a wreck at home. Then, a sense of futility washed over me. My admiration for heroes had long since vanished. Why should I live like a wreck because of Kwon Gyuri's betrayal? It didn't matter anymore. I just needed a stimulus to destroy everything and relieve this crushing loneliness.

And so, I fell into darkness. The power I had used for years for others, for justice, and... to protect Kwon Gyuri, was now used to harm others, destroy the city, and fight heroes.

Years have passed since that incident, and I thought I'd forgotten, but the memory is still as vivid as if it happened yesterday. That makes me hate it even more. I wanted to sweep everything away and forget. Just then, someone approached from ahead. I wanted to believe it was a lie, but Kwon Gyuri had been deployed. she approached with a look of utter disbelief.

"This is... a lie, right..? You.. You don't do things like this.."

Tears streaming down her face, she pleads.

"Please come back.. It's all my fault.. Please.."