Chapter Text
Naeun was just passing by in front of the cafeteria. Uchan was off duty today, but he was still training, so she came to buy some sweets for him. He likes them after all. Entering the place, her eyes wandered around the place, just to find a familiar face and an unknown one. It was Gangu and an older girl with light brown hair. She never saw him with someone, so curiosity took the best of her. Then, both Gangu and the girl looked at her.
"H-Hi!" She greeted.
"Hi Naeun" Gangu greeted back.
"Hey, are you Gangu's friend? Come sit with us!" Yuri screamed while pointing to the chair next to her.
Naeun, seeing no way out of that, sat at the table next to Gangu. She was really uncomfortable and immediately regretted coming.
"I'm Yuri, Gangu's older sister!" Yuri introduced herself.
"I'm Naeun!" She smiled.
"So, how do you and Gangu meet each other?"
This time, Gangu and Naeun looked at each other, both sweating hard. Gangu was looking at her like saying Please don't tell her! and Naeun was like What should I do!?
"My brother studies in the same school as him, so we just happened to meet!" Naeun said while shaking her hands.
Yuri was silent and Naeun sighed in relief. But for some reason, she was staring right at Naeun.
"Is she your girlfriend?" Yuri asked out of the blue to Gangu.
"N-no!" Naeun stuttered.
"Oh, I thought-"
"It's nothing like that!" Gangu stated.
"I thought he got a girlfriend, you know~" Yuri sighed. "He was so shy back then, staying behind me all the time, and one day he started acting so bold!"
"Yuri!" Cassian retorted.
"What? It's true!" She pursed her lips. "He uses his hair upwards now and has so much more confidence! He grew up so much!" Yuri smiled excitedly. "Seeing him hanging out with new friends made me so proud! You know, he didn't have any friends back then"
Cassian gave up and just put both hands on his face as if that would prevent him the embarrassment.
"So, I really thought he got a girlfriend! I was so excited to meet my sister-in-law! What a shame!" She sighed again.
"I'll order another drink" Gangu left quickly, trying to escape that situation.
Naeun just laughed shyly, scratching her cheeks. She didn't know how to react to Yuri's confession. Gangu seemed really done trying to deal with his sister. Yuri looked around before turning to her.
"Hey, I'll give you a tip!" Yuri whispered to her.
"Heh?"
"Gangu looks tough outside, but he has the softest heart!" She smiled. "You just need to win him over with your cuteness!"
"R-Right..."
"Oh, and he loves kimchi!"
Naeun laughed awkwardly.
~♦~
It was almost midnight and Naeun was feeding Cass, her new kitten. The cat was growing so fast, she remembered the night when she met Cassian and the kitten. She smiled, the villain really was different after all. So pure-hearted to take care of a little kitten.
She was on her pajamas, ready to sleep. Suddenly, a vision appeared in her mind. It was Cassian chasing after someone, probably a villain doing bad things, she thought. And it was near her house! The guy was beaten up and Cassian just left him there. She wanted to see him, actually, she needed to ask him something important. So with this on her mind, she left the house silently, without her brother noticing. Running, she arrived to where Cassian was. Seeing her, he looked surprised and worried at the same time.
"What are you doing outside at this hour?" Cassian asked her.
"Well... you're here too. And I saw you coming with my powers! I think it's pretty strong now!" She smiled.
"That explains a lot"
"And... I wanted to talk to you..." Naeun grabbed the hem of her pajamas. "Can we go to another place?"
"Hold on" Cassian grabbed her bridal style and jumped to the top of the nearest building.
Naeun holds her arms tight around Cassian. It was so good, she wanted to stay there for a little longer. W-wait! What was she thinking all of a sudden? A blush spread all over her face.
They were on top of a very high building. The city's view was amazing. Perfect for a date- No! What was she thinking? No more thoughts! Naeun collected herself. She was here for a reason.
"You said you have something to ask me, so what is it?" Cassian started.
"You know... I've awakened as a psyker and my powers are growing. I'm afraid that a time will come when I won't be able to control it" She sighed. It has been on her mind since her powers awakened. "So... I'd like to ask you if you could help me with my powers"
"Why don't you ask your brother for this? He's a trained psyker, he would teach you better than me" Cassian looked at her.
"Well, I don't think I can ask him... He thinks I'm still a little child that needs to be protected, he wouldn't let me be a psyker like him, so I can only ask you!"
"You have a point. He can be intense" Cassian remembered those times with Uchan. For some reason, the psyker has something against him.
"See!? Please!" Naeun put her hands together.
"Look, psykers are different from villains. They can only raise their magic points through intense training. In your case, it can be through meditation. Here, try this" Cassian crossed his legs and put his hands together. "Breath deeply and empty your head"
Naeun did as told, but the moment she felt Cassian's hand on top of her own, she couldn't control the blush across her cheeks. Naeun shook her head, trying to focus on the exercise Cassian was teaching instead of her flushed cheeks.
"Now, try to focus on the feeling you had when you saw the visions"
"Like this?" Naeun was feeling something. It was not a vision, but something powerful inside of her.
"You're doing well, I can feel your aura around you"
"Really!?" She exclaimed excitedly. It was not hard following Cassian's explanation. But with the excitement, she broke up her concentration, and her aura disappeared.
"Yeah, but now it's gone" He poked her on the forehead. "You shouldn't lose your concentration like that"
"I'm sorry~" Naeun smiled. Something warm in her chest was making her laugh.
Cassian just smiled.
"You know... I used to think all villains were bad and crazy. Uchan keeps telling me how dangerous they can be." She sighed. "But... lately, I don't feel like it. Maybe villains can be more human than we thought. I wish my brother could see that"
"It's not like I can't agree with you. I used to think like that too" Cassian said. "But," Now, he looked right in her eyes. "That's a dangerous thought. You never know what a villain is thinking, or if they are bad or not. Just because we know each other, it doesn't mean all villains are like me"
"You could say that" She smiled. "But I wanna believe that some villains are kind-hearted and good" She looked back at him. "Like someone I know"
"..."
"I wanna be a psyker." Naeun looked at the sky. "Maybe not like my brother, fighting villains and all, but I wanna be useful for him" Her excitement vanished, leaving a sad expression behind. "Dad left us when we were very young, killed by a villain. I saw Uchan training like crazy to avenge Dad, and I worry so much about him. He's imprudent and immature sometimes" She laughed slightly. "I wish I had a more useful power for him"
"You're wrong about that"
"What...?" She didn't understand. Naeun could see Cassian looking at his side, and looking fixated in front of him, like seeing and reading something in the air.
"You're stronger than you think" Cassian stated. "You just don't know it yet"
"I can't see a way this visions can help someone..."
"You still haven't awakened your strength yet. I can say you have a lot more skills to show" Now, Cassian looked at her. "Your power is dangerous, even the whole country protecting you wouldn't be enough. There will be the ones who would approach you just to take advantage of your powers and the ones who would try to kill you for it" He sighed. "A dangerous path indeed"
"How do you know all this...?"
"Well, I have my ways" He looked at his side again. "But, when the time comes, you can count on me to protect you"
Naeun was surprised. She didn't expect him to say this. A smile appeared on her flushed face, and her chest warmed.
"We should go. It's too late for you, your brother must be worried"
"He doesn't know that I'm here" She blinked.
"That's even worse" He sighed.
Cassian carried her bridal style again, and fell off the building, landing perfectly on the ground. Using his shadow technique, they were in front of Naeun's balcony in the blink of an eye.
"Thank you for teaching me. I'll definitely do as you told me"
He nodded.
"I should go. See you around"
Cassian quickly vanished in the shadows leaving Naeun alone in her room. She sighed. She put a hand on top of her chest, feeling her heart exploding and butterflies in her stomach.
Something was changing inside of her heart.
~♦~
Naeun was waiting for Minyeong. The girl was late for their meeting. To spend some time, she started looking at her cell phone. Suddenly, a guy appeared out of nowhere and walked close to her. He was so tall, strong and terrifying, looking like a gangster. The guy was looking at her in a perverted way, which made Naeun disgusted.
"Hey baby, you're so pretty. How about we hang out huh?" The guy started.
"No, thank you"
"C'mon, don't be like that. I'm a cool guy"
"I said no" Naeun said firmly.
"Let me show you how cool I can be"
"Can't you hear what I'm saying!? I said no!" This guy was so persistent!
"How could you!" The guy grabbed her arm, using force to bring her closer.
At this moment Naeun was worried. Everyone around her was avoiding them, the guy was really scary! She tried to keep it cool, but the fear started creeping in.
"Hey, get out" A familiar voice suddenly came out. She was so relieved! "Leave the girl alone"
Naeun smiled brightly. Such a coincidence! Gangu was here! All the fear inside of her heart disappeared, leaving just the butterflies in her stomach. She didn't even notice that the guy was still holding her arm.
"Huh!?" The guy let go of her arm and stood in front of Gangu. "Who do you think you are, man!?"
"I said: let her go. Unless you want your limbs broken." Gangu threatened.
"Huuuh!? What are you? Her boyfriend!?"
Gangu paused for a second.
"I'm her friend. So just leave now"
"How can you say that to me!? I'm gonna kill you!" The guy tried to punch Gangu, just to be blocked by a single hand.
"You're a lousy fighter, aren't you?" Gangu sighed. Twisting his arm, he kicked the man's back, throwing him on the floor. Some people stopped to see the fight.
"I-I'm gonna remember this!" And he left.
Gangu went to see Naeun, who was really calm after seeing a fight in front of her eyes.
"Are you ok?" He asked.
"Yeah! Totally fine!"
"You seem really calm. I thought you would be nervous about it, but you are a lot braver than you seem"
"It's because I have you to save me all the time" She smiled tenderly. "Thank you. I really mean it"
"Well... I was just passing by. It was nothing" Gangu scratched the back of his head.
"No, you saved me again. I don't know how to repay you"
"You don't need to worry about that" Cassian just smiled calmly. "I need to see my sister. We agreed to go out together today. I should go now, see you around"
"Oh, see you!" She waved. A single blush still on her cheeks.
"Oh my!" Miyeong suddenly appeared out of nowhere screaming.
"Miyeong! You're late!"
"There's no time for this! I saw what just happened! The Prince Charming came to save the princess in distress! So cute!"
"Miyeong, you're misunderstanding again!"
"Ohh, no! I saw that blush on your cheeks! I'm so proud of you girl! He's really hot and charming, I'm soo jealous! And when he fought that guy for you!? I was soo excited! Just confess already!"
Naeun remembered what she felt when Gangu appeared. A feeling of happiness, her heart beating hard and her cheeks blushing. There's no way of denying it anymore.
She likes Cassian.
~♦~
Naeun was in her room and Cass, her kitten, sleeping by her side. She was reading the latest news about Gadam vilzone and texting her friend at the same time. The tournament against Don King was near, and Cassian was going to fight. She was so worried! She knew that he was strong, but she still couldn't help but be worried for his security.
A knock on her window woke her up from her thoughts. She walked to the balcony and opened it just to see Cassian standing there.
"Oppa! What are you doing here!?" Naeun smiled surprised. Never in her thoughts, she would imagine Cassian meeting her first.
She allowed Cassian to enter the room. They sat on the bed while Naeun still wondered what he was doing there.
"I have something for you"
"What is it?" She exclaimed excitedly.
"This" A bright stone was in front of her.
"What is this?" She grabbed the stone, examining it.
"A magic stone" Cassian explained. "Although magic stones don't work for psykers, It will help you feel your aura when meditating"
She stared at it. She was happy that Cassian helped her again with her powers. Just knowing that he remembered and gave something to help her, a blush came to her cheeks.
"Oh, by the way, I think I made some progress! I can see in a much greater range!"
"That's incredible, considering you just started training" Cassian put a hand on his chin. "Maybe you should consider other things besides vision"
"Like what?"
"You said before in that alley that you couldn't hear the sounds. Maybe focusing on hearing the sounds or a conversation in your vision would help"
"And how can I do that? It just came to me, I don't know how to instigate them"
Cassian wondered. "You see... creating a new skill isn't simple, you need to reach your limits. It takes a lot from you. But when you know the ways, it becomes a little easier"
Naeun just stared at him, waiting for his explanation.
"When meditating, try to use all your magic to force a vision. This will lead you to your extreme. And when that happens, try to focus on something else. The sounds, for example. The magic stone will help you feel your magic and lead it to the right path"
"That's it!" Naeun exclaimed. "I'll try doing it in my next meditation!"
When Naeun was about to try her training, a little meow caught the attention of both. Cassian saw the little kitten, while it was rubbing on his legs. He patted the kitten on its head.
"What's its name?" He asked.
"Oh, it's C-" Naeun shut up immediately.
Oh no! What should I say!? Should I lie!? How can I say its name is Cass!? She panicked. She never thought of this situation where the person she was inspired by would ask the kitten's name.
"It's Cass..." She said in a low voice.
"That's..."
"I-It's not like th-" Naeun despaired.
"...a weird name" Cassian finished.
"Oh..." She was speechless.
"It's good to know he's all right. When I saw him, I thought he was going to die"
"But you saved him." Naeun smiled. "And I think that was really impressive" His good heart was impressive. But she didn't say that.
"You think so?" He asked. "I think anyone would do that"
"No, not everyone would do that. And that's why you're impressive." She said. "When you rescued him, you were in your villain form in the city's center. You risked being discovered, yet you didn't ignore him."
Cassian scratched the back of his head. "It was... not like that. I just heard him meow and I went to check it. I was curious"
Naeun saw the villain smiling when the kitten went into his arms. The kitten was really excited, it recognized Cassian's smell and his warm arms. She looked at both of them. They were really alike. The heterochromatic eyes and the pure black hair.
"I think I should go, It's late now" Cassian let the kitty on the bed and went to the balcony. "Let me know if you need any help"
"I'll remember that!" She smiled.
He seemed to think of something but quickly dropped. "I'll see you around" and vanished in the shadows.
Naeun was left there, looking at where Cassian was a second ago. She was still surprised by the sudden appearance, but her heart was warm that the villain visited her. Looking at the magic stone, she wrapped it in her hands and brought it next to her chest.
She sighed.
~♦~
Rick, Raul and Uchan were hanging out together, as companions and childhood friends. Naeun was with them. On the way, they met Gangu in front of Lampas building. Uchan immediately flinched seeing Naeun smile.
"Gangu oppa!" Naeun ran to greet Gangu.
"Hi. You're all here" He said.
"We're hanging out together! How about you come with us!?"
Cassian looked at them. Raul and Rick were excited, and Uchan was piercing Gangu's head with his eyes. He had just met Rick and Raul in the vilzone, but the siblings didn't need to know that.
"Of course"
"Yeah!" Naeun exclaimed. In her excitement, she grabbed Gangu's arm and leaned close to him.
Uchan, Naeun and Gangu went first, leaving Rick and Raul behind.
"Don't you think that..." Rick started.
"Huh?"
"They're a little... too close!?"
"They absolutely are"
"Teacher is smiling!" Rick screamed while grabbing his hair.
The day was finally ending, and the siblings were saying goodbye. Naeun, with all her courage, leaned close to Gangu and kissed his cheek.
"L-Look! They're so close!" Rick panicked. "This is not fair! She said she would marry me when she was older!"
"Of course that wouldn't happen" Raul stated.
"B-But..."
"Look, teacher is coming"
"I'm gonna get to the bottom of this!" Rick exclaimed. "Hey teacher, what do you think of Naeun?" He asked all of a sudden.
"Huh?"
"You know... Uchan's sister, our childhood friend, and the pretty girl you've been seeing a lot lately"
"Oh, we just happen to meet a lot apparently"
"So, you don't happen to... you know... think of her?"
"I don't know what you're talking about"
"You know! Like that!"
"Hm... I think she's a good girl. Why?"
With this, Rick fell to the ground. If teacher was into Naeun, he had no chance against someone so cool and handsome as teacher!
"Forget it, Rick. You don't stand a chance against master" Raul said.
Rick just cried.
~♦~
She could never have imagined that! She was Pink Mask! Feeling somewhat excited, she followed Cassian to the vilzone. They had found Rosetail, and now they were heading to Gadam Vilzone. And it was her first time in a vilzone too!
They finally arrived in the vilzone. The abandoned buildings were full of marks of fighting. She had seen it on the internet through videos, but seeing it for real was a whole new experience. From afar she could see Cleaner sweeping some dirt, and Ground Dog digging at his side. Cassian was walking like he owned the place. She smiled, he really owned the place. He was really impressive! Seeing him in his full villain glory was another view she always wanted to see. After Rosetail was in a safe place, she could see Driver, Crow, Red Eye and four other villains coming near. She was feeling a bit dislocated, but with Cassian there, she was fine.
"Who's that? Our new companion?" Driver asked, curious.
"She helped us find Rosetail" Cassian explained.
"I'm Na- I mean! Pink Mask!" Naeun almost gave it away but managed to say it.
"Oh..." Driver put a hand on his chin. "Good to know there's one more by our side"
Naeun nodded. She was kinda nervous with all the villains surrounding her. Looking at Cassian, she saw the villain looking at her like something was bothering him. What was it? Maybe she wasn't supposed to say something? Seeing Cassian get close, he suddenly took her helmet in both his hands.
"Your hair is showing" He said, grabbing a lock of hair and hiding it, then adjusting her helmet.
Driver, Crow and the rest stopped everything to see Cassian and Pink Mask interact.
"Is she your girlfriend?" Driver asked with a mischievous smile.
"Ohh! Our dark duckling has a girlfriend!" Crow joined Driver on the mischievous smile.
"W-WHAT!? Our boss has a girlfriend!?" Black Hand screamed.
"Unbelievable" This time, it was Red Eye.
"He got the power, the looks and now a girlfriend. How lucky can this guy be? Argh... I'm so jealous!" Crush said frustrated.
"I thought he was only interested in fighting" Double Blade said surprised.
"She must be worth it to be by my lord's side!" Shadow Ghost cried.
"It's nothing like that!" Cassian explained.
"Y-Yeah! We're not like that!" Pink Mask stuttered. This was bad!
"Oh, you don't need to be embarrassed!" Driver added fuel to the fire. "Our Cassian here is tough, but he can be really cute sometimes!"
"Our dark duckling is adorable like a duck!" Crow laughed.
"Stop it! I said it's nothing like that!" Cassian repeated.
"Our boss is so shy!" Driver laughed, just to be punched by Cassian.