Chapter 96: Beneath the Same Moon

After experiencing that nightmare, Jinhoo slowly lowered his hand from his forehead and turned his gaze toward the window.

The sky outside was still dark.

The night had not yet given way to dawn.

The world beyond the glass looked silent, almost frozen in time.

He rose from his chair, the faint creaking of wood echoing softly in the quiet room, and walked out.

A few moments later.

He stepped out of the elevator and exited the hotel.

The night air greeted him with a cool breeze.

He looked at the peaceful and quiet darkness stretching across the empty streets. The earlier noise from the plaza had completely faded, leaving only the distant hum of the wind and the occasional rustle of leaves.

He leaned against the hotel wall.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small cigarette pack.

He took one cigarette and lit it using the lighter he had bought during his journey here.

The flame flickered briefly before the tip glowed orange.

He inhaled slowly.

Smoke curled upward into the night sky.

“So peaceful… I wish my old world had been like this…”

he muttered quietly.

For a moment, he fell into thought.

He couldn’t understand why misfortune always seemed to follow him.

Before arriving in this world or after, it didn’t matter. Bad luck always found its way to him.

As if fate itself enjoyed testing him.

Right at that moment, the hotel door opened.

Jinhoo’s eyes shifted to the side.

Ji-hye.

She looked toward him, her eyes widening slightly when she recognized him.

“You… the man from earlier.”

Jinhoo didn’t answer. He simply took another drag from his cigarette.

Smoke drifted lazily between them.

Then he opened his mouth.

“What are you doing out this late?”

“Ah… I just wanted to get some fresh air. But it seems there’s someone polluting it here…”

Ji-hye replied sarcastically.

Hearing that, Jinhoo glanced at his cigarette.

He smiled faintly.

Without hesitation, he flicked the still-burning cigarette to the ground and crushed it under his shoe until the ember died.

“There. You can enjoy your fresh air now.”

he said calmly before turning toward the entrance.

“Wait.”

Ji-hye called out.

“Stay here. I’d like someone to talk to.”

“Ah… I see… Alright…”

He stopped mid-step and returned to his spot by the wall.

Ji-hye leaned against the wall as well, her hands resting behind her back.

For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.

The moonlight illuminated their silhouettes softly.

Ji-hye finally broke the silence.

“You’re a Hero, right?”

she asked while looking up at the sky.

“A-ah… Yes… I’m a Hero from Russia.”

“So that’s it… No wonder your power feels rather unusual.”

Jinhoo didn’t respond. He simply stared at the moon hanging high above them.

The silver glow reminded him of cold nights in forests far away.

“Hey… why do you think the world is so unfair?”

“… I… I don’t know.”

“… The world has always given me difficult trials. When I was little, I was abandoned along with my hyung… We never knew who our parents were. We didn’t know their faces, their names, anything. We lived in drainage tunnels, doing everything we could just to survive in this cruel world.”

Jinhoo listened carefully.

He already knew this story.

But hearing it directly from her mouth felt different.

“I’ve never felt parental love. So I don’t know how to love or care properly.”

Ji-hye inhaled slowly, then exhaled before continuing.

“Fortunately, we were blessed. An agent from the Hero Association found us and recruited us. We both became Heroes.”

Jinhoo remained silent.

He knew this part too.

“But… one day, my hyung was assigned to protect a foreign agent at the airport. A villain came and destroyed everything.”

’Barcher…’

Jinhoo thought calmly.

“My hyung died protecting that agent… I was angry. Furious. Sad. But I didn’t know what to do…”

“…”

“Years after his death, I finally learned who the villain was. Barcher. An S-rank villain from Korea. I did everything I could to gather information about him. When I became strong enough, I planned to avenge my hyung. But…”

“But? What happened?”

Jinhoo asked quietly.

“Someone beat me to it. Another villain killed him first.”

Jinhoo’s eyes widened slightly.

He knew exactly who that villain was.

It was him.

“He was Indigo. My rival… and the most annoying person in my life.”

Hearing that, Jinhoo suppressed a laugh.

“But even though he’s annoying… for some reason, I feel like he’s always pushed me to grow stronger.”

“Oh? And what do you think of him?”

Jinhoo asked, pretending to be surprised.

“I… I hate villains. But that one… I don’t know. He’s different. He saves kidnapped children. He eliminates dangerous villains. And sometimes… I feel like he’s protecting me from the shadows.”

“…”

Jinhoo fell silent.

He knew she would eventually notice something.

But he hadn’t expected her to see that much.

“He… even saved me once when I was about to die.”

“Hmm? Saved you? Isn’t he supposed to be a dangerous villain?”

Jinhoo said with feigned shock.

“Yes… I know that. But he saved me. He helped me. He’s never once tried to hurt me.”

Ji-hye smiled faintly.

She turned her head toward him.

Jinhoo, realizing she was looking at him, turned to meet her gaze.

“He’s annoying… but I’m happy when I meet him.”

she said with a sweet smile.

At that exact moment, Jinhoo’s heart felt as though flowers were blooming inside it.

He froze in quiet shock.

’Ji-hye… You truly have a kind heart…’

he thought.

“By the way… what’s your name?”

“A-ah? What? My name? I… I’m Vanitas…”

Jinhoo replied nervously.

“Vanitas… For some reason, your aura feels like Indigo’s.”

Hearing that, Jinhoo stiffened.

Fear gripped him.

Was his identity about to be exposed?

“A-ah… That’s impossible… It must just be your imagination.”

“I see… Maybe it is. Well, my name is Ji-hye. I’m often called Lightnova.”

“Lightnova… Nice to meet you.”

Jinhoo replied with a stiff smile.

Ji-hye gave him a small smile in return.

“Well then, I’ll head inside.”

“Yeah…”

She walked back into the hotel.

Jinhoo watched her disappear beyond the doors.

Only after the doors closed did he let out a long breath.

“Hah… That was really dangerous… But… thank you, Ji-hye… Hearing you say that… it makes me want to protect you even more…”

He glanced once more at the moonlit sky.

Then he walked back into the hotel and returned to his room.

The moment he entered, he closed the door behind him and jumped onto the soft bed.

“Ah… Beds really are the best…”

He stared at the ceiling.

’so far… no major problems have appeared. But I need to stay alert about what might happen in the future… The storyline has almost completely changed… I don’t know what’s waiting ahead, but I will never give up… I’ll protect the people I care about… and I’ll protect Ji-hye…’

He closed his eyes.

His body was exhausted from everything.

For most of his life, Jinhoo had always fought alone.

Before coming to this world or after, it didn’t matter. He was always alone.

But ever since the Flinch incident, he realized something important.

He couldn’t do everything by himself.

Even someone with a strong mentality like him needed someone to lean on.

Someone who could understand him.

Someone who could stand beside him instead of behind him.

The memory of Ji-hye’s smile replayed in his mind.

Her honesty.

Her pain.

Her strength.

He clenched his fist slightly against the mattress.

This world might see Indigo as a villain.

But if being a villain meant protecting her from the darkness she couldn’t see—

Then he would gladly accept that role.

The moon continued to shine outside.

Under the same sky, two people carried different burdens—

Yet unknowingly walked toward the same future.

And for the first time in a long while,

Jinhoo fell asleep without dreaming of gunfire.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep