“Desnes, fighting. That’s a great idea.” Iris smiled wickedly as she walked away.
She had almost started to feel a bit attached, but when she thought about how much more damage could be caused in Gyodam City because of Laika, her heart turned cold again.
She used the emergency stairs instead of the elevator, worried that Desnes might find it suspicious if she saw her coming up that way.
After delivering the costume, she deliberately busied herself with errands to avoid talking to Laika.
She had briefly rubbed her lips and felt a shallow sense of affection, but now it was time to let go.
People go their own way, and the living must keep on living.
“Ready, cue!”
As filming began, Iris stood at the edge, watching Laika act.
Seeing those full lips made her feel just a little regret, but reminding herself he was a scumbag made her cool down again.
She subtly raised her head to look at the chandelier swaying above Laika.
She only glanced up slightly to avoid raising suspicion, then quickly looked away.
‘Hehe. That’s the precarious chandelier that’ll smash Laika. Look at that method acting. He wouldn’t even notice if his head got crushed while he’s that focused. Hehe… though saying that makes me sound like a total sociopath. Sure, I got a teensy bit attached. But as a hero, peace in Gyodam City is my top priority…’
Iris fidgeted nervously with her hands tucked under her armpits.
The chandelier was many times the size of a human body.
If it hit someone unguarded, even a villain might not survive.
She was 99% hoping Laika wouldn’t dodge and would get smashed to protect peace in Gyodam City, and 1% hoping he’d only be seriously injured because she did feel a tiny bit of affection.
The chandelier swayed dangerously, as if it could fall on Laika’s head at any moment.
Then Iris’s eyes widened as she suddenly remembered something important.
‘Wait a second, I’m supposed to get a skill from Laika! His death doesn’t guarantee peace in Gyodam City! It’s hard to find another ability user… Ugh! If he’s going to die, he has to give me a skill first! What should I do? Will he dodge? If not, I have to save him!’
As soon as she thought that, the rope snapped, and the chandelier started falling toward Laika’s head.
My giving tree! Without further thought, Iris dashed toward Laika.
Their eyes met, and Laika’s widened in surprise.
Just as Iris was about to push him out of the way, Laika’s sharp reflexes caught the falling chandelier, and he pulled her down, shielding her.
And then—
CRASH!
“Kyah!”
“The chandelier! It fell!”
“Oh my god, Laika got crushed. Lift it! Hurry, lift it!”
“No! Don’t touch it, call an ambulance! Moving him recklessly could be dangerous.”
The set turned chaotic with the staff’s screams and panic.
Iris froze in place, covered by Laika’s strong body.
A red glow flickered behind his back and slowly faded.
He had used a skill the moment the chandelier fell.
Skill activated.
‘Laika had a defensive skill, huh? Makes sense for a high-level ability user. I did hope he wouldn’t die, but… just getting a little hurt wouldn’t be so bad… hmm.’
He was crushed by the chandelier, but thanks to the skill, he likely wasn’t seriously injured.
The fragments scattered on the floor were from the chandelier’s impact.
Mental-type skills were already overwhelming, but now it turned out Laika also had a defensive one.
It made her feel hopeless knowing she’d have to fight someone like that someday.
Still, what shocked her more was that Laika had saved her.
‘He’s rude, but maybe he treats people around him well. A tsundere, maybe? For a villain, he’s kind of nice…’
As Iris rolled her eyes, her gaze met Laika’s.
He smiled faintly, then suddenly went limp.
He had clearly been awake just moments ago, but now he collapsed on top of her like he’d fainted.
Pinned beneath his tall body, Iris let out a breathless sigh.
‘What the hell? Why now? Did he really faint from the impact? A villain, fainting? What is this!’
Iris squirmed, but Laika didn’t move.
The staff hesitated to lift the chandelier, afraid to injure the person underneath it.
“Step back, everyone!”
“Bring a stretcher!”
“Ugh…”
Soon, the rescue team arrived.
As they cleared the chandelier, bright light filled Iris’s vision.
She decided to pretend to be injured, groaning as she lay still.
No ordinary person could survive a falling chandelier unharmed, after all.
But the moment she moved slightly, Laika’s hand fell, and he rolled over to the side.
A startled rescuer pried open Laika’s eyes and checked his chest, panicking.
“Laika! Wake up! Hey, he’s unconscious!”
“Where’s the set team? Do they know who they messed with?! Laika’s family is powerful! We’re screwed! This film is doomed!”
While the director screamed, the paramedics loaded an unconscious Laika onto a stretcher.
Iris slowly sat up, stunned.
A medic helped her toward the ambulance.
She stared blankly at Laika as he was rushed off.
He had been fine… so why faint now?
Was it real?
Or fake?
Laika was loaded first, and Iris followed behind.
As the doors closed, she overheard the staff talking.
“Oh my, Laika! He didn’t even care about himself, just saved his road manager!”
“What a hero!”
“I feel awful for misunderstanding him.”
“Who would ever call someone like that a villain…?”
Before she could explain the misunderstanding, the door shut and the ambulance sped toward the hospital.
Iris looked down at the motionless Laika with a blank face.
She wasn’t hurt at all, but remembered that this could count as a work-related injury and went along.
‘What is even happening?’
At the hospital, the manager quickly arranged Laika’s admission.
Iris, with no real injuries, only got a basic checkup.
She had intended to fake being hurt for worker’s comp, but she found out she was only registered as a part-time worker paid daily, not a full-time employee.
She had to abandon her plan—she couldn’t afford to waste money.
‘So they registered me as a temp just because I only show up for filming days, huh.’
In the end, doing hero work would probably earn her more than faking illness, so maybe being a temp wasn’t so bad.
Iris looked at the VIP room where Laika was admitted.
‘They said he fainted… but did he really? Doesn’t look like it.’
She stared at the door with suspicion.
Laika clearly wasn’t hurt, but as a high-value actor from an influential family, hospitalization made sense even without visible injuries.
‘Strange. I saw him activate a barrier… and I swear he smirked at me.’
Her doubts grew, but she couldn’t ask him—especially not if he was pretending.
If she said, “Were you faking it?” she might get attacked by the villain.
Unable to see him (since Laika’s family’s bodyguards stood lined up at the door), Iris went home.
“What a mess…”
Lying on the couch using the armrest as a pillow, she clicked her tongue while watching TV.
All the networks were buzzing about Laika’s on-set accident.
The internet and YouTube were flooded too.
With her schedule suddenly empty, Iris ended up lounging at home.
After watching the news for a while, she opened the hero app to find a new mission.
There were many tempting high-paying jobs, but she had to choose carefully—now she had to work solo, without Teresa.