---

The kidnappers and hostages seemed to have forgotten their roles.

Jo Se-hee and Hayan kept calling me, and before I knew it, an hour had passed since I reluctantly started playing along with them.

The aftermath of playing more excitedly than I expected left me feeling hungry.

“Can we eat first? I’m starving.”

“Yeah, you packed something tasty for your picnic, right? Share some with me too.”

“Yes, I packed a lot of delicious and healthy stuff, so let’s eat together.”

Jo Se-hee disappeared for a moment and came back with a mat.

Using her ability for something so trivial…

It was a glimpse of her charmingly ordinary side.

This is bad…

I’m starting to like Jo Se-hee more and more.

‘Is this what they call Stockholm Syndrome?’

Jo Se-hee is a kidnapper and a villain.

Snap out of it, Jeong Gyeoul!

I handed over the ginseng and sea cucumber kimbap I had prepared for Choi Jeong-min to Jo Se-hee.

“Kimbap? Classic and nice.”

“…The ingredients aren’t that classic though.”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“Nothing. Enjoy your meal. This is enough for me.”

Kang-woo handed over one box he had packed to me and gave the other two to Jo Se-hee.

As for Hayan…

I was curious about what was in her bulging bag.

Turns out, it was just a lunchbox.

When she took out a large 5-tier lunchbox, the bag was completely empty.

As expected of a rich girl, her lunchbox was on a different level.

It was packed to the brim with all sorts of things.

Probably made by her mom or something.

Kang-woo’s kimbap alone wouldn’t have been enough, so this was a relief.

Jeong Gyeoul’s body has the worst cost-performance ratio.

It feels like she needs to eat her own body weight to recharge.

Because of this, the Demon King’s household expenses are skyrocketing.

“Let’s eat.”

“Enjoy your meal, kids.”

“You enjoy yours too, sis.”

Where else in the world would you see kidnappers and hostages sitting together on a mat, sharing a lunchbox?

It was a very peaceful crime scene.

“Did you… make this kimbap yourself?”

“Our sisters made it…”

“It has some unique and interesting ingredients. The taste is… spectacular. I can taste the earth and the sea, flavors I’ve never experienced in kimbap before. Jeong Ha-yul is truly amazing.”

“You don’t have to force yourself. Just leave that and eat Hayan’s lunchbox with me.”

Even though I haven’t tried it yet, just picking out the ginseng and sea cucumber wouldn’t help—the strong aroma has already seeped into the other ingredients.

Out of conscience, I suggested giving up halfway, but…

As I ate, it didn’t seem so bad, so I kept going.

But her expression said otherwise.

‘…If you get sick, don’t blame me.’

Hayan, who had been cutely munching on her lunchbox, suddenly looked up as if she remembered something.

“What are we going to do after we finish eating?”

“Hmm? Should we play some more?”

Hayan’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Jo Se-hee.

Hayan has completely fallen for the kidnapper.

Stockholm Syndrome is truly terrifying.

Two hostages not fearing their kidnapper but instead developing a fondness for them.

“Before that, can I call Hayan’s sister for a bit?”

“Sure!”

Jo Se-hee revealed her true colors.

She’s definitely going to make a threatening call.

But… why is she asking the hostage for permission to make that call?

Hayan is calling Lee Ha-yoon using the Great Thief’s phone.

I’ve decided to just give up and accept it.

Where else would you see such a peaceful kidnapping scene?

A serious crime like child kidnapping has turned into a sitcom-like scene where both the victim and the perpetrator are happy.

I just sat back, munching on my food, and enjoyed the show.

But… the Association or Jeong Ha-yul…

Shouldn’t they be here by now?

How long are we supposed to keep playing here?

***

Only one person had predicted that the vicious villain who kidnapped two children would be playing at Starfield in Hanam.

But that opinion was dismissed as nonsense, and no one believed it.

“The media has caught wind of it. We’re trying to block it, but… it’s going to be hard to avoid coverage at this rate.”

“…Isn’t this actually a good thing? We can issue a warrant for Jo Se-hee and locate her through tips…”

“Are you kidding me? You want to announce that the youngest daughter of Taebaek Group and the Demon King Jeong Ha-yul’s sister have been kidnapped?”

“There’s no other way! We haven’t been able to locate Jo Se-hee for over an hour now!”

“The media is out of the question! We’re already getting hammered by the press because of Jeong Ha-yul every day. We can’t make this worse!”

While they were busy arguing over useless opinions…

The Hero Association’s lobby was swarmed with reporters.

Every broadcasting company, newspaper, and department had descended like a pack of wolves.

“Stop pushing!”

“Who’s pushing me from behind! I’m Lee Jeong-seon from KBC! How dare you push me!”

“Kim Bit-na from Hero Daily here.”

“…That crazy dog?”

“Calling someone a crazy dog? Defaming someone in public like that? Did your arm just touch my chest? Should I add sexual harassment to the list?”

“I’m sorry…”

Jeong Ha-yul’s professional stalker.

Kim Bit-na was also at the Association.

At first, she tried to follow Jeong Ha-yul directly but realized she couldn’t keep up with her speed.

So she decided to camp out at the Association, which seemed the most promising.

Many reporters had the same idea as Kim Bit-na.

The spacious lobby of the Association was packed to the brim.

“Is there no official statement from the Association?”

“You issued a Level 1 emergency but are ignoring the public? That doesn’t make sense!”

“The public has the right to know! What’s the reason for all this?”

“Where is Jeong Ha-yul right now?”

The committee members and employees were frantically searching for Jo Se-hee.

Except for a few A-Class heroes, most Association members were on standby, unaware of the details.

The employees who couldn’t explain the situation were going crazy.

And those who knew the details were under even more stress.

Jeong Ha-yul was calling every five minutes, demanding answers.

The Association President was pressuring them to find her quickly.

Meanwhile, the media was closing in.

Because of this incident, Jeong Ha-yul decided to stop referring to the Association staff as “bald.”

Only the Association President, Team Leader Jeong Ho-min, and a few employees had been called “bald,” but…

Soon after, more than half of the Hero Association employees started complaining about hair loss.

Employees who were about to go bald were running around in a panic.

“Did you hear about the lobby situation? There’s no room to stand.”

“…Some heroes who were mobilized must have leaked it. The news has already spread nationwide.”

“People are already panic-buying at supermarkets.”

“Reports of Jeong Ha-yul going berserk are coming in from all over the city.”

“The Blue House hotline keeps calling… What should we do?”

“Just ignore it and say there’s a communication error or something!”

“…The VIP called personally.”

“Damn… I don’t know. You handle it.”

“What? What do you mean… Where are you going! Hey! You crazy boss!”

It felt like the chaos you’d see five minutes before the end of the world.

“Jo Se-hee posted on Instagram!”

The PR team leader, who had been diligently monitoring SNS despite being ignored by the higher-ups, had done it.

“What? Where?”

“Well… according to the tag… Starfield.”

…?

All eyes turned to the team leader who had first suggested Starfield.

“…I, uh, thought it might be there…”

The senior team leader who had dismissed him earlier coughed awkwardly, but sharp glares were directed at him.

Even though no one had stopped him at the time, the senior team leader was now taking all the blame.

“Ahem! Didn’t you all agree with my opinion earlier?”

“Contact Hero Jeong Ha-yul immediately and deploy all heroes on standby at the Association.”

“Should we tell them to capture Jo Se-hee?”

“What are you talking about? Of course, tell them to stop Jeong Ha-yul. Tell them to move quickly before Hanam gets wiped off the map.”

There was no time to listen to the senior team leader’s excuses.

The Association President quickly issued orders.

***

I’m exhausted now.

It’s been an hour and a half.

Even though we were just playing around, it’s tiring.

We were sitting on a bench outside, taking a break after playing at Sports Goblin.

“That was fun, right, kids?”

“Yes, sis! Let’s play again next time!”

“Well, your sister sounded like she wanted to kill me when we talked earlier.”

I saw her walking back with a satisfied smile after finishing the call with Lee Ha-yoon.

She must have already secured what she needed, whether through her minions or accomplices.

The Great Thief had achieved her goal in a peaceful manner, without anyone getting hurt.

“…My sister? I’ll talk to her!”

“Really? If Hayan says so, I’ll come back anytime to play with you.”

She had even completely won over Lee Ha-yoon.

“Jo Se-hee!”

A thunderous voice echoed from somewhere.

Something was flying toward us, kicking up dust with a loud noise.

“Oh no, the Demon King is here. Gyeoul, fighting! I believe in you, sis!”

“…Me? What! Why?”

“She looks really angry. Handle it well!”

The A-Class hero, the Great Thief Jo Se-hee, hid behind the back of an 8-year-old girl.

“Jo Se-hee! Get out here right now!”

Damn it. You caused all this trouble, and now…

Honestly, even if I wanted to cover for you…

This seems a bit too much.

Anyone who has faced Jeong Ha-yul flying toward them with a look that could bring about the end of humanity would understand.

That’s not something a human can handle.

It’s literally… the face of a Demon King.

 

---