Surviving as a Brainwashing Villain in a Hero World

Chapter 13

Early evening, at the Hero Alliance dormitory.

“Ji-Woo! Want to go get some dinner later?”

“Huh? Dinner?”

Do-Hwa, drying her wet hair with a dryer after her shower, asked Ji-Woo.

“What are we going to eat?”

“There’s a new meat place that opened in front. Let’s go there.”

With an excited face, Do-Hwa suggested to Ji-Woo that they go to the newly opened meat restaurant.

Ji-Woo, her eyes sparkling at the mention of meat, took off her headset.

“Let’s go. Right now.”

“You really do love it when the topic of meat comes up.”

After quickly changing into a loose hoodie and jeans,

Ji-Woo put on her sneakers with bouncy steps, excited to go.

“Oh! You’re already heading out?”

“Yeah? Why? We should go quickly so we don’t have to wait for a seat, right?”

Do-Hwa grabbed Ji-Woo, who was excitedly ready to dash out, and hesitated for a moment.

“Um… actually, we’re not just the two of us. I’ve got another friend joining us.”

“A friend? Who? Do you have any friends, sis?”

Ji-Woo tossed out the somewhat heavy question “Do you have friends?” as if it was nothing.

“What do you mean by that, Ji-Woo?”

Caught off guard by the piercing question, Do-Hwa bit her lips and widened her eyes.

It was indeed true that she didn’t have many friends.

However, the reason Do-Hwa was insisting on bringing Ji-Woo along with a friend was not just because Ji-Woo likes meat; there was another reason.

“He’s a senior I knew from high school. We recently reconnected by chance.”

“Oh? What time did you set the meetup for?”

“Huh? We can head out in about 30 minutes, I think.”

Normally, upon hearing that she was meeting a guy, one might ask if he was a boyfriend or someone she was seeing, but

Ji-Woo didn’t seem to care much, taking off her sneakers and picking up her game console again.

It’s not just because Ji-Woo, a gaming enthusiast, had no interest in romance or love affairs,

but fundamentally, she didn’t even consider the possibility of Do-Hwa being in a relationship.

“Does he know you’re a hero?”

“Of course not. You can’t tell anyone else, right?”

For heroes, keeping their identity secret is a basic principle.

No matter how close a friend they might be, heroes shouldn’t disclose their identity.

“So, should I just pretend to be your younger sister?”

“Yeah. Just in case, I told you.”

***

At a meat restaurant near the Hero Alliance headquarters.

It was just past 6 PM, but the smell of grilling meat was already wafting through the air.

“What? He’s not here yet?”

“Ah! There! Brother!”

The man Do-Hwa called ‘Brother’ came into view for Do-Hwa and Ji-Woo, who were waiting in front of the restaurant.

“Hey. It’s been a while!”

The man Do-Hwa addressed as ‘Brother’ was none other than Si-Yoon.

Do-Hwa had brought Ji-Woo along at Si-Yoon’s command,

with the intention of introducing Ji-Woo to Si-Yoon as ‘Dominator’s spy’.

Now, she was about to offer her roommate and colleague to her master.

“Uh… Hello.”

“Oh! This must be the… young sibling you know.”

Ji-Woo gave Si-Yoon an awkward greeting while looking up at him,

and Si-Yoon responded with a bright smile, bowing his head.

Ji-Woo’s height was 157 cm.

Not extremely short for a woman,

but compared to Si-Yoon’s tall stature of 184 cm, there was a head’s difference.

Si-Yoon’s action of looking down at her as if she were a child was not particularly pleasant for Ji-Woo, who was sensitive about her height.

“And your name is…?”

“What’s it to you?”

“Ji-Woo! Her name is Ji-Woo. She’s two years younger than me.”

Si-Yoon had introduced himself first with an apologetic expression,

but Ji-Woo turned her head away and walked into the meat restaurant by herself.

“How many in your party?”

“Three, please.”

The three of them were seated at a table with the guidance of an employee.

Si-Yoon picked up the menu to show it to both.

“What does Do-Hwa want to eat? And you, Ji-Woo?”

“I’d like something with less fat… Hehe.”

With a bright smile, Do-Hwa pointed at the relatively pricey sirloin.

Si-Yoon seemed slightly surprised by the price but didn’t show it.

“Well… I’ll have the same…”

Ji-Woo decided to choose the same as Do-Hwa.

For a moment, Si-Yoon felt dizzy at the not-so-easy price of the sirloin,

but he couldn’t lose such a big shot as an A-grade hero over a mere few hundred thousand won.

‘Ah… of all things, she wants to eat beef.

Well, I guess it’s been a while since I last greased my insides.’

“Excuse me! We’ll have three servings of sirloin. And please bring some stew and rice.”

“Only three servings?”

Ji-Woo grumbled with a voice full of dissatisfaction, questioning if that was all they were going to order.

Considering she was about to enjoy a portion priced at 40,000 won for just 150 grams, her attitude was quite audacious.

Si-Yoon felt the urge to give that purple-haired head a good smack.

“We can order more later if we want! Besides, you can’t eat that much, Ji-Woo.”

“Tch… Fine.”

Even from the perspective of an A-grade hero earning a lot, Do-Hwa knew it wasn’t exactly cheap, so she managed Ji-Woo with an awkward expression.

“What about drinks? Since it’s a weekday tomorrow, alcohol might not be the best idea?”

“Just one bottle? Shall we share a bottle of soju?”

“Does sis drink alcohol?”

At the suggestion to share a bottle of soju among three,

Ji-Woo asked Do-Hwa in surprise if she actually drank.

Ji-Woo’s surprise at Do-Hwa’s suggestion to drink was quite natural.

They had lived together for years, and she had never seen Do-Hwa drink.

Even when a tasty highball was newly released and she suggested they try it together,

Do-Hwa, the diligent hero, had refused, saying alcohol was unacceptable.

‘She’s really acting strange lately. Saying she wants to learn gaming and now drinking.’

Although she didn’t care about Do-Hwa meeting a man,

Ji-Woo couldn’t hide her suspicion at Do-Hwa’s recent unusual behavior.

“Here’s your meat! Please don’t overcook it; just sear it lightly and enjoy.”

“Oh! Thank you. And can we have a bottle of Green Apple here, with three glasses, please?”

“Wow…”

But as soon as the meat arrived, displaying its marbling,

any previous suspicions vanished in an instant.

“Ji-Woo, you really seem to like meat.”

“Uh… No, not really?”

Si-Yoon noticed Ji-Woo admiring the meat’s marbling with full sincerity.

Ji-Woo turned her head away, pretending not to care.

Despite usually not even finishing half a bowl of rice,

The glistening beef was irresistible even for her.

– Sizzle-

The sirloin started to cook slowly on the hot iron plate, making a sizzling sound.

The tickling sound as soon as it touched the surface and the rising smoke made the watchers drool.

“Beef gets tough if you cook it too long, so you can eat it right away.”

Flipping it gently, making sure each side was evenly cooked with the movements of the tongs.

And the rich, savory smell that wafted out during this process.

Ji-Woo forgot about thinking Si-Yoon was a strange man who looked down on her,

Do-Hwa, forgetting that she was acting as a spy, admired the cooking beef.

And a short while later.

Perfectly cooked beef was neatly placed on the small plates in front of both of them.

“Enjoy your meal. And Ji-Woo, please eat well too.”

“We’ll eat well!”

“I’ll… eat well.”

Ji-Woo and Do-Hwa put the well-cooked sirloin into their mouths without any sauce.

“Wow! This is really delicious, isn’t it? Brother, you should try some quickly!”

“Oh…!!!”

The luxurious beef fat melted in their mouths, disappearing in an instant.

The two, with wide eyes, were pleasantly surprised and savored the richness slowly.

“If it’s not enough, we can order more, so eat slowly.”

Si-Yoon ate the beef with an indifferent reaction, as if it was nothing special.

‘Ha… indeed, expensive meat is delicious. Ah…’

…but inwardly, he was greatly satisfied.

“So… Si-Yoon… brother, what do you do for a living?”

“Oh, I run a small shop nearby.”

Si-Yoon introduced himself as running a small business in the vicinity while hiding his true identity.

It’s true in a sense since his hideout was styled like a quiet bar,

so, strictly speaking, he wasn’t entirely wrong.

Of course, Ji-Woo couldn’t imagine that the place was where she would soon go, a place for nefarious activities.

‘She was so hostile before… why the sudden change?’

Si-Yoon seemed somewhat surprised by Ji-Woo’s sudden approach.

He couldn’t understand why her attitude changed after eating just a few pieces of beef.

However, the reason for her change in behavior did indeed affect him.

‘He bought such delicious food… he must be a good person. Hehe…’

Initially upset about tall Si-Yoon looking down on her small stature,

she now started to feel fond of him for buying them beef.

Whether to call this pure or simply foolish was up for debate.

Si-Yoon decided to consider it a silver lining.

“Wow… Brother, your hand is really big.”

“Huh? My hand? Yeah, I guess it’s on the larger side.”

With a few drinks in them, Do-Hwa started to play with Si-Yoon’s hand, seemingly fascinated by the large, thick man’s hand.

[Applying body control to target: ‘Ignition’ Yoon Do-Hwa.]

But this too was part of a plan Si-Yoon had set for Do-Hwa to follow.

To imprint his ability on Ji-Woo as well,

Si-Yoon’s hand needed to make direct contact with Ji-Woo’s body.

“Wow… it’s really big. It seems even bigger than my dad’s.”

“Haha… this is quite embarrassing. What’s so good about rough hands like these?”

…Si-Yoon said, while subtly touching both of their hands.

‘Last time might have been by chance, but if I focus on the fingertips…’

He concentrated on his fingertips.

Recalling the softness of the chest he felt when he accidentally imprinted Do-Hwa a few days ago,

he gently brushed over Ji-Woo’s palm.

– Shhhuuu-

“Ah! If I touch too much… it might be rude…?”

“Huh? No, it’s fine! If you’re curious, feel free to keep touching.”

A small diamond-shaped imprint appeared on Ji-Woo’s palm.

It glowed faintly red before disappearing as if nothing happened.

Ji-Woo, unaware of the dreadful truth of the beef now in her hands,

thought of him merely as a kind brother who bought her beef, smiling foolishly.

Si-Yoon looked at her with a satisfied smile.

[Status: Imprint Stage 1 (Infiltration Rate 0%)]