Lesson 1

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“It’s a simple transaction. C-class, one year. B-class, ten years. A-class, thirty years.” 

And, continued the middle-aged man, introducing himself as the Director of Legal Affairs at the Hero Association. 

“For S-class, a reduction of a hundred years.”

He placed a thick stack of documents down and leaned back in his chair.

“How about it? For you, with 188 years still remaining, it must be a tempting offer.”

The Director, sliding his glasses back up his nose, clasped his hands together. His utterly relaxed demeanor exuded confidence that the deal would certainly be made.

However, beyond the transparent wall, the young man who heard the story seemed uninterested, resting his chin on his hand and merely observing the Director. 

Casually brushing back his shaggy hair, he spoke nonchalantly, “The number changed two days ago. It’s 187 years now.”

The Director’s fingertips twitched.

There was neither a clock nor a calendar, not even a window in the solitary cell—nothing to mark the passage of time except the three meals a day. How could he have been counting the years so meticulously?

Trying to hide his surprise, the Director nodded briefly. “Ah, is that so? My apologies.”

“No need to apologize. That’s not what’s important,” the young man responded indifferently, much to the Director’s dismay.

The Director, taken aback by the young man’s lukewarm response, asked again, “Why is that? Isn’t it an offer without room for hesitation?”

A total of 195 years of imprisonment.

Only 8 years have passed so far.

According to the special laws for villains, parole was impossible for the young man before him. No human would ever want to die old in such a dreadful solitary confinement.

Yet, the young man remained lethargic, or rather, seemed bored, merely blinking his eyes. The Director found his demeanor utterly baffling.

“Do you really intend to stay in this prison until you die of old age?”

Villain Jeong Ho-cheol.

It’s been over 10 years since that story.

In the past, the Director had seen Ho-cheol from a distance. During his villain days, Ho-cheol seemed like a being beyond human—an entity as sharp and dangerous as a freshly honed blade, an unpredictable time bomb, a ravenous beast. No description could fully capture his menacing essence.

However, now, beyond the wall, he was nothing more than an unemployed bum wasting away his days.

Ho-cheol yawned languidly, smacked his lips, and scratched his cheek.

“I’m not saying I’m not interested, but it feels off. Isn’t this a scam?”

“A scam?” the Director echoed, his eyebrows lifting in surprise.

“It’s embarrassing to say this, but considering what I’ve done… and you’re offering to let me out?”

Ho-cheol’s suspicion was natural.

There was no precedent, not even a villain comparable to him in the history of this country.

In fact, even the 200-year sentence was a reduced punishment, not revealing the unspeakable crimes he had committed. If those were disclosed, 200 years would be nothing. It might as well have been 500 years.

The Director stroked his chin as he replied. “It’s hard to explain in detail, but it’s adult circumstances.”

“That makes it even more suspicious, doesn’t it?”

Ho-cheol’s gaze grew more suspicious. Such statements were often merely disguises to hide sinister motives.

“If you’re planning to make me do something strange, forget it. I’ve stopped doing bad things.”

“I understand your concerns, but that’s not the case. It should be fine.”

“Really?”

“The times have changed.”

Ho-cheol looked skeptical but nodded for now.

“Well, since no newspapers come in here, I’ll have to take your word for it. But still.”

His chin rested on his hand, tilting further until it almost touched the table.

“There’s something else I don’t understand. It’s actually why I think you might be a fraud.”

He idly tugged at his ear. “You want me to babysit kids at an academy? And my sentence gets reduced based on the hero grades my class achieves?”

It was comedic to think that a villain would be tasked with instructing at a Hero Academy. And even more so that he was the main character of this comedy.

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

If he were an association member, and for whatever reason thought of using a villain, there were far simpler and easier ways.

“Wouldn’t it be easier for you if I just took down S-grade villains? Or if not, deploy me to block gates and collect monster heads.”

Even if Ho-cheol had a natural talent for teaching, it would take years to properly train academy newbies into full-fledged heroes.

For immediate results, it would be quicker and easier for Ho-cheol to take down the heads of S-grade villains.

“If you really cared about the citizens, you would have asked me to eliminate villains, not train heroes.”

For the first time since their conversation began, the Director shut his mouth. He sighed deeply and closed his eyes.

He hadn’t even considered such a dialogue.

He thought Ho-cheol would jump at the chance for a sentence reduction.

The possibility of the deal falling through was not easy to dismiss.

After weighing the information, he opened his eyes again.

“Alright. Let me explain it step by step. It’s impossible to deploy you for villain elimination or gate-blocking operations. Conditional release and sentence reductions are vehemently opposed by the purists in the association. If it weren’t for the emergency situation, such a judicial deal wouldn’t have happened.”

Ho-cheol’s half-closed eyes flickered. A hint of curiosity sparkled in his eyes, which had cleared a bit.

“Emergency situation.”

Now that sounded a bit more interesting.

Meanwhile, the Director took off his glasses and rubbed the wrinkles on his forehead. After smoothing out some of the lines, he continued.

“Even if you were deployed for villain elimination, public outcry would boil over at any civilian harm, demanding you be thrown back in jail.”

Even if the citizens didn’t think so, the purists who would cling to political or ethical issues were plentiful.

If it’s just that bad, it’s still manageable. Those people are the kind who would go further and provoke Ho-cheol first just to cause trouble.

“Also, the gate-blocking operations are no different. Even if we were to deploy you purely for strategic purposes, in situations where massive profits are tied between corporations and the government, no one would welcome your presence. If you were deployed, the association’s donations would be halved… no, they might vanish entirely.”

“I see. The association is weaker than I thought.”

“But the academy is different. At least within the academy, we have complete control over internal matters, and there’s no risk of any noise leaking to the outside.”

“It sounds like the higher-ups, worried about their approval ratings, chose the best possible option instead of the optimal one.”

Ho-cheol waved his hand dismissively in a mocking gesture.

“Understood. But here’s the thing. Forget the public and politicians for a moment—will the heroes even allow me to get out?”

It was a perfectly reasonable question. The Director responded without hesitation.

“That won’t be a problem. Only a small number of heroes know your face and real name. Convincing them will suffice. Oh, and naturally, your public identity will be that of a C-grade villain selected as a pilot case for the villain rehabilitation project.”

A C-grade villain.

That level could be easily subdued by ordinary people with a gun or a car. Neither the academy nor the media would be overly concerned.

Ho-cheol nodded slightly but then tilted his head as a question suddenly came to mind.

“But among the few heroes you have to convince, isn’t Tae-yang one of them?”

An S-grade hero.

Tae-yang. A name that comes up without hesitation when discussing the strongest hero.

“That guy’s quite stringent.”

Strength wasn’t the only issue. His firm sense of justice was such that he advocated for the introduction of the death penalty for villains. Naturally, he would be the example of such a death sentence, and if he vehemently opposed his own release, wouldn’t that be too much of a burden for even politicians to handle?

“Um. That’s…”

The director started to say something but then fell silent.

Ho-cheol’s question was not the kind that could be easily answered. It wasn’t that he didn’t know; it was one of the biggest taboos in modern hero society.

But Ho-cheol could find out anyway. It might be better to confess the truth beforehand and build some trust, however slight, than to hide it.

After all, as long as they didn’t find out his real purpose, that was enough.

The director sighed as if in resignation.

“He’s retired.”

“Really? He might be old but should still be in his prime. Did he get injured?”

Ho-cheol chuckled lightly.

It was a ridiculous question, even coming from him.

A monster capable of erasing a city from the map if he so wished. It was unimaginable that such a strong man could get hurt.

Maybe it was marriage.

“No. He turned into a villain.”

“Uh?”

Ho-cheol was the first to utter something foolish.

He relaxed his chin-propped posture and leaned forward.

His attitude was markedly different from before.

“The grumpy old man who always talked about justice? So, they caught him?”

“Yes. They barely managed to capture him with four S-class and several A-class heroes. Two of the S-class heroes even retired due to severe injuries.”

Ho-cheol tapped the desk lightly, impressed.

“Things are finally starting to come together.”

In this country, there are fewer than 20 S-class heroes. Now, three of them have simultaneously retired. It was more than just a crisis.

An S-class hero wasn’t just a measure of national security but a representation of national power itself, akin to the country’s dignity.

The director emphasized in a serious tone,

“For your information, this is top secret. It’s been announced that they all stopped public activities for a top-secret mission.”

Ho-cheol twisted the corner of his mouth in a sneer.

“Even a hero past his prime is used like this? It’s ruthless.”

Even if they had retired, the mere spread of such rumors could suppress the activities of villains.

Ho-cheol waved his hand dismissively at the still-serious Director.

“Don’t worry, I’m not loose-lipped. I was wondering why they would drag someone like me into this, but it seems all the decent heroes are being pulled back into action.”

The director averted his gaze and coughed awkwardly.

A symbol of peace.

An invincible hero.

His mere existence had reduced the crime rate by more than 10%.

Currently, the Hero Association was experiencing the worst manpower shortage in its history.

“Really, you should have told me from the beginning.”

“Indeed, that would have been better.”

“This is certainly getting interesting.”

Ho-cheol stood up from his seat.

“Then let’s proceed as you suggested. When does it start?”

“All the procedures are completed.”

The director picked up the document he had initially shaken.

“Just sign this document, and it will take effect immediately.”

“Good, let’s see it right away.”

“Wait a moment. We left all communicators outside when we came in. I’ll call the guard outside to pass the documents.”

“Do we really need to do that?”

Ho-cheol stretched and stood up, then raised his index finger to the transparent barrier separating him and the director.

Cooooook

“Instead of a handshake, shall we do an E.T.?”

The director said, half-smiling.

However, he was shocked by the absurd situation unfolding before his eyes and abruptly stood up. Ho-cheol’s index finger slowly but surely penetrated the wall.

“Wait! What are you doing!”

Crackle!

The wall, which would not be scratched by bullets or grenades, could not stop a single finger.

Within seconds, his index finger had completely penetrated the 10 cm thick wall. Ho-cheol did not stop there; he drew his finger downwards.

Down, left, up, and then right, his hand drew a perfect square with a sharp noise.

Lastly, by lightly touching the center of the square, a hole appeared in the wall.

Whirr!

The ceiling lights turned bright red, and a sharp siren blared. Simultaneously, shouts of a level one security breach were heard from afar.

Ho-cheol, the cause of the incident, nonchalantly reached through the hole to grab the documents.

Looking at the director, who stood in a half-seated, half-standing awkward position, he scoffed.

“Why are you so shocked? Did you really think you could keep me confined?”

“How… How is this possible?”

The director was beyond astonished.

Of course, given Ho-cheol’s abilities, breaking through that wall should have been no trouble in the past. However, the handcuffs he wore were supposed to suppress his powers.

Yet he had breached the wall so effortlessly…

He realized it belatedly.

Ho-cheol hadn’t failed to escape. He just hadn’t bothered to.

A prison hundreds of meters underwater, guarded by hundreds of armed wardens, handcuffs that suppress abilities, doors that could stop missiles, and a security system deemed invincible. None could contain Ho-cheol.

It was the worst-case scenario he had feared.

Yet, for some reason, the director couldn’t feel any sense of crisis. Ho-cheol, sitting at the desk reading the documents, seemed too peaceful. Furthermore, he felt a sense of dissonance greater than mere anxiety.

Why had Ho-cheol, who had been so composed all this while, caused such a scene just to read the documents more quickly?

“Is that so…”

The director slumped down where he stood.

This was a kind of message from Ho-cheol. If he could do this, so could others with similar skills.

The director resolved to change Tae-yang’s confinement area as soon as he returned.

However, one question still lingered.

“Why haven’t you escaped until now?”

Ho-cheol, while reading the documents, replied nonchalantly,

“Just.”

He licked his fingertip and turned the page quickly, checking the contents.

“It seems like there’s no trickery in the contract. After all, what would I do if I got caught?”

The director clenched his fist. He spoke again, more seriously, “Don’t beat around the bush. I need to hear the reason.”

“Do you? Then I guess I have to tell you.”

Ho-cheol answered briefly, without even looking at him.

“Because that would be wrong.”

Such a simple and obvious reason.

Among the various reasons the director had anticipated, he hadn’t expected this answer. He was left speechless.

Before long, having finished checking all the documents, Ho-cheol looked up at the director again.

“I’d like to sign it right away. Do you have a pen?”

It was a basic rule during villain visits not to hand over anything that could be used as a weapon.

However, the director readily pulled out a pen from his pocket and handed it over.

“Thank you.”

Ho-cheol immediately wrote his name in the signature field.

Bang!

Less than a minute later, heavily armed guards rushed in. They broke through the door and aimed their guns at Ho-cheol, but he calmly continued signing his name in the blank space.

“Director, are you okay! Team 1, protect the director and subdue the escapee! If he resists, shoo……………!”

But before the security team could pull their triggers, the director raised his hand to stop them.

“That’s enough.”

“What? But this situation…”

The director crossed his arms and addressed the head of security, “This entire situation was intended by me. He pointed out a vulnerability in this facility, and at my request, he personally proved it. So everyone back off. I’ll explain the situation in detail when I visit the director myself.”

“……Alright, understood.”

The head of security hesitated, clearly troubled, but eventually sighed and backed off.

After all, he was a public servant, and he lacked the courage to disobey the orders of a far superior official.

Once the security team had left, and Ho-cheol had apparently finished signing, he pushed the pen and documents back.

“You’re not completely oblivious, huh? There, the signature is done. Can I leave now?”

The director shook his head as if bewildered.

“Sorry, but you can’t leave immediately. There’s a release procedure to follow.”

Ho-cheol scratched the back of his head.

“Can’t you just push it through with your authority instead of acting like a bureaucrat?”

Of course, that wasn’t possible.

***

Four more days passed.

Rumble!

The chained iron gate, several meters high, unlocked and swung open. Ho-cheol walked out from between its massive doors.

“Hmm.”

He looked up at the sky. Bright sunlight poured down from the sun overhead.

“I didn’t expect to see the sun alive again.”

He closed his eyes and tilted his head back, enjoying the pleasant warmth as he soaked in the vitamin D for the first time in a long while.

About 30 minutes passed. Once he regained his composure, he looked around.

“Isn’t there supposed to be someone to meet me?”

He was told there would be someone to pick him up at the time of his release. But as far as he could see, not even a mouse was in sight.

How long had he been squatting by the roadside?

Vroom—

From a distance, a car with heavy tinted windows raced towards him and skidded to a stop in front of him.

The window rolled down, and the woman holding the steering wheel pushed up her sunglasses to meet Ho-cheol’s eyes.

“Hey, sorry. There was more traffic than I expected. Ah, you are Jung Ho-cheol, right? Released today?”

“Are you the monitor assigned by the association to keep an eye on me?”

The woman nodded. Her shoulder-length brown hair swayed lightly.

“Yes. I’m Han So-hee, associate from Legal Affairs Team 3. And rather than calling it a monitoring role, how about partner? Sounds better, don’t you think? Anyway.”

She pulled out a business card from her pocket and handed it to him.

“Pleased to meet you?”

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