Saving My Favorite in a Doomed World

Episode 10

 

Bae Deokho.

 

He pretended to be surprised, but in fact,

 

‘…I don’t know who this is.’

 

The problem was, it wasn’t that he didn’t know at all, but that he vaguely didn’t recognize him.

 

Hmm. It was a name he had heard a lot somewhere. He had no idea about his abilities, and his fashion sense was even worse.

 

Even though Cha Jaeha had chosen him, Jaeha didn’t spare him a glance and waited for the match to start with his eyes closed.

 

However, he somehow seemed angry.

 

‘Jaeha is scary when he gets mad.’

 

For reference, although Cha Jaeha was handsome, he did not have a gentle impression. No wonder he earned nicknames like ‘The Mouth of Good and Evil’ and ‘Cha Jaeha and the Vicious Gang’ from Ha Cheongwon.

 

….Well, to begin with, the SH1 Unit itself had quite the personalities.

 

When Hwashin turned his gaze, Mueum was sitting there with his arms crossed. In contrast to Cha Jaeha, he had a face like a gentle puppy.

 

“…What is it?”

 

“Hahaha, nothing.”

 

His personality was quite unique. All the kids in the SH1 Unit had this kind of vibe.

 

Then someone might ask ‘Why would anyone like such a foul-tempered guy?’ Dragon had asked him that before.

 

Whenever that happened, Hwashin answered, “The kid is kind.”

 

Cha Jaeha was the epitome of a hero who strictly adhered to the value of ‘saving people’.

He saved and sacrificed for others without reward. He never broke down, and always kept his word.

 

All with his own strength.

 

He had some stubborn aspects, but that didn’t mean his actions were stupid. If a wall appeared, he would somehow break through it. If someone told him to give up, he would curse at them to give up themselves while being the first to jump into the flames.

 

If this wasn’t kindness, then what else could it be? Even if his words were a bit harsh, Cha Jaeha was, after all, ‘a kind kid.’ Therefore, even his somewhat abrasive personality could be embraced with affection for the protagonist.

 

Yes, that was how scary affection was. Old people knew this well.

 

“But it’s strange.”

 

“What is?”

 

Mueum leaned forward and continued.

 

“Choosing Bae Deokho. I don’t understand why he picked someone like that. That guy pretended he couldn’t save a child he could have saved just to be more sensational on TV. Crying during interviews, creating sympathy. He denies it, but among heroes, it’s a widespread rumor. They say he abandoned a child to become a star. If such a guy has a match with Cha Jaeha, he’ll brag about it everywhere.”

 

Ah, right. Now that he thought about it, the name ‘Bae Deokho’ was somewhere in Yoo Hwashin’s memory. It was a case reported to the Civil Affairs Departement by parents, asking ‘Is a hero’s primary duty to appear on TV?’.

 

“I also want to be famous, but that’s not right.”

 

Mueum uncharacteristically showed his anger on his face.

 

“…The child was very young.”

 

The headphones he held tightly cracked. This kid. Maybe because he was an S-rank, even a slight loss of emotional control made his ability leak out.

 

“Mueum, weren’t those headphones new?”

 

“I can buy new ones.”

 

“Hahaha, kids these days are so cool.”

 

Meanwhile, Bae Deokho on the arena was dreaming of a dazzling future. Although there were bad rumors among heroes that he didn’t fail to save the child by mistake, it was impossible to prove it anyway. Now, if he pretended to cry a bit for the child on TV and even had a match with the famous hero Cha Jaeha. Whether he won or lost.

 

‘My fame is guaranteed.’

 

The corner of his mouth twitched. It was impossible for him to beat Cha Jaeha anyway. He’d just use his wind ability to float for a while and then declare defeat.

 

Before the match started, Bae Deokho extended his hand to Cha Jaeha first.

 

“Let’s do our best.”

 

Cha Jaeha stared at the outstretched hand for a moment before grasping it. Bae Deokho’s face contorted for an instant. He had requested a light handshake, but what he got in return was a heavy display of strength.

 

***

 

Thud.

 

What did it mean to be a good person? The definition might vary, but Elric—Yoo Hwashin—thought that at least he himself was not one.

 

After all, he had lived for over a hundred years with the motto, ‘As long as I’m happy, it’s fine, and if someone gets in my way, I’ll turn them into a star in the sky.’

 

Saving or helping someone wasn’t particularly important to him. Even if he did save someone, they must have been extremely important to him. Like Dragon, whom he had known for a long time, or his favorite characters from books. At the very least, it wasn’t a complete stranger.

 

Thud.

 

So at this point, let’s look at the protagonist Cha Jaeha, who helped others without expecting anything in return.

 

Thud.

 

Of course, seeing Cha Jaeha beating someone up, one might think this place was a living hell, and that guy was no less than a devil.

 

Thud. A dull sound fills the stadium. Mueum pointed to Bae Deokho with his finger.

 

“Isn’t he going to die?”

 

“No way~, if that happened, our Cha Jaeha would be eliminated, and we can’t have that.”

 

Normally, the response here would be something like, ‘No, you should be worried about that person,’ but not with Mueum.

 

Jeong Mueum also thought that bastard deserved to be beaten. Although the question was out of concern, Mueum had asked in a flat, dry voice, and now lowered his finger.

 

“Looks like Cha Jaeha really called him out just to beat him up. He’s been at it all day.”

 

Bae Deokho, with his short hair standing on end, was dangling in a half-dead state, his collar tightly gripped. His right eye was so squeezed by the swollen flesh that he could no longer see ahead.

 

Cha Jaeha muttered quietly.

 

“Say it again.”

 

Eek. Bae Deokho’s shoulders jumped in surprise, then his lips, like two lines of gimbap, moved slowly.

 

“Taking down a monster is more important than one kid’s life—”

 

One kid’s life. Cha Jaeha’s eyebrow twitched. One of his eyebrows shot up angrily. The fist that went up with it smashed into Bae Deokho’s face.

 

Thud.

 

“Again.”

 

“A-A kid’s life–”

 

As he opened his mouth, blood from his nosebleed seeped in.

 

Thud.

 

“Again.”

 

At this point, let it be said again: Cha Jaeha was kind. However, that kindness included beating up bad guys.

 

“One kid’s li—”

 

Thud.

 

It was a one-sided fight.

 

If Bae Deokho tried to end the match by admitting defeat, Cha Jaeha would immediately pull him by the collar and grip his neck. Then he would plant his fist somewhere, either in his stomach or his face.

 

He wasn’t using his abilities. He was beating him purely with his S-rank physical strength.

 

If this was before Unit 1 was formed, he might have been able to control himself to some extent.

 

‘Looks like it’s still hard for him to use fire on people.’

 

Cha Jaeha brushed up his hair back. He wasn’t even tired, so he didn’t sweat at all. He just wanted to hit more accurately.

 

By now, even the heroes couldn’t tell if this was a match or an attempt to kill someone. The staff from the Audit Department who was considering announcing Cha Jaeha’s victory took a step into the arena, but.

 

‘Oh, shit. …I’m going to get killed.’

 

As soon as he met Cha Jaeha’s beast-like gaze, he flinched and returned to his place.

 

Cha Jaeha threw Bae Deokho, who was coughing up blood, onto the cold floor. Bae Deokho looked up at the demon before him, trembling. It was fear, pure fear. How did he end up like this?

 

“Are you scared of me?”

 

Despite the bloody face in front of him, Cha Jaeha remained expressionless.

 

Bae Deokho bit his lip. He nodded slowly, his pride crushed. Cha Jaeha unclenched his blood-stained fist and shook it off.

 

“That child you abandoned must have been even more scared. Facing that huge monster alone.”

 

The blood he shook off fell onto Bae Deokho’s face with a splat. Cha Jaeha opened his mouth.

 

“A hero.”

 

He looked down at Bae Deokho again.

 

“Should prioritize saving civilians in any situation.”

 

He squatted down to make eye contact with Bae Deokho, who was sitting on the ground.

 

“It’s not our job to decide, judge, or calculate whose life to save.”

 

Hwashin, eavesdropping on their conversation from afar, clenched his fist slightly.

 

“A hero’s job is to save people. And we have to show it not through effort, but through results. That’s what our job is. If… we can’t do that.”

 

Cha Jaeha clenched his fist tightly. The veins on the back of his hand stood out clearly.

 

If we can’t do that.

 

He recalled his past. The burnt monster, house, photos, bodies. All he had left was the ability to kill people.

 

– This ability can prevent what happened to Cha Jaeha from happening on anyone else again.

 

Black and thick eyebrows crumpled. Instead of tears, angry eyes speak.

 

“If you can’t do that, what’s the point of having such an ability?”

 

Everything he said was righteous. Yet it was chilling.

 

Hero Cha Jaeha. S-rank.

 

A man who didn’t who didn’t go to gates with crowded places until he had a year of hero experience.

 

Instead, he went alone to S-rank gates and dealt with all the monsters before they could reach the city.

 

The internet was flooded with praise for him, and until now, his exploits could only be seen in government-released promotional videos for heroes. Cha Jaeha was more of a star than a celebrity to both heroes and the general public.

 

– Did you see the video the association released of Cha Jaeha today?

 

[Video]

 

ㄴ dk djfrnfalcuTsk

 

ㄴ You must have been in a hurry. You typed ‘his face is insane’ in English.ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

 

ㄴ His face is a national treasure. An S-rank hero with that face? Ah, Cha Jaeha. Please. Do an interview.ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ It’s a bit much to marry my future husband without knowing his details.

 

ㄴ Husband, you said;;ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Immersion prevention line—————-

 

ㄴ Cha Jaeha is a real hero. Thank you for being Korea’s hero.

 

ㄴ Honestly, if Cha Jaeha hadn’t dealt with those S-ranks gates in advance, a lot of people would’ve been hurt.

 

But Bae Deokho thought.

 

Was this a hero? Was this what you called a hero?

 

No, this was just a demon.

 

But it was already too late.

 

Thud.

 

One last hit.

 

Only then could Bae Deokho finally lose consciousness. Cha Jaeha didn’t frantically try to wake him up again.

 

Cha Jaeha grabbed one of Bae Deokho’s limp arms like picking up a discarded rag and dragged him to the edge of the arena. The staff member from the Audit Department quickly declared Cha Jaeha the winner, and Bae Deokho was carried out of the arena on a prepared stretcher.

 

This was the worst injury a hero had sustained since the hero whose joint was shattered in the first match.

 

As Cha Jaeha descended from the arena, his gaze caught a small ember between the cracks in the floor.

 

No way. Did he momentarily lose control of his power during the match? He quickly scanned the audience.

 

He should have been more careful.

 

Fortunately, most of the heroes gathered here were B-rank or higher. This level of ember probably wouldn’t cause sparks.

 

But there was one person. Someone below that rank.

 

His seat was in the front row, closest to the arena. The orange flame on his sleeve caught Cha Jaeha’s eye. The flame was already beyond his control. If it suddenly flared up in this situation—

 

“Damn it.”

 

Cha Jaeha, now pale, tried to approach him immediately but stopped in his tracks.

 

The man, Yoo Hwashin, flicked his fingers nonchalantly. Then the flame disappeared. His fire vanished instantly from the man’s sleeve.