Although a Villain, My Wish is World Peace

Do Chae-hee smiled prettily at Park Cheol-wan’s greeting.

But Park Cheol-wan couldn’t smile back at that smile.

He couldn’t even imagine what Do Chae-hee, who had parted ways with him like that, was thinking coming here. Park Cheol-wan threw a pointed question at Do Chae-hee.

“What brings you here without any notice?”

“My, why are you talking like that? Since when did Chae-hee need such an appointment?”

Lee Ha-na, Park Cheol-wan’s wife, glared at his words. At that, Do Chae-hee smiled broadly and said:

“That’s right. I guess you’re still angry about my suspension.”

“What? You were suspended?”

“Yes, it’s a long story.”

At Do Chae-hee’s words, Park Cheol-wan stiffened up.

Surely, she wouldn’t tell Lee Ha-na everything he had done.

“Let’s talk later, wash your hands first, dear.”

Seeing Park Cheol-wan not moving an inch despite her words, Lee Ha-na tilted her head as if finding it strange.

“Honey?”

“Ah, yes!”

“I said go wash your hands. Hang up your coat properly too.”

“Okay.”

Even as he moved his steps to the bathroom after answering like that, all of Park Cheol-wan’s nerves were focused behind him.

“Chae-hee, could you set out the chopsticks?”

“She’s staying for dinner?”

At his startled question, Lee Ha-na frowned and shouted:

“Are you going to send her away without feeding her when she came after so long? I said go wash your hands!”

At Lee Ha-na’s urging, Park Cheol-wan moved his steps while suppressing his anxious feelings. Park Cheol-wan, who came out after washing his hands, headed to the dining room with a stiff expression.

An appetizing meal was already set on the table.

A delicious smell tickled his nose. But his appetite had long since disappeared. Park Cheol-wan forcibly took his first spoonful.

“I know you’re busy as a police officer, but come visit often. We’ll forget your face at this rate.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not something to be sorry about, it’s just lonely without you. We used to sit down for dinner like this every day before.”

“When was that?”

Despite Park Cheol-wan’s words, Lee Ha-na didn’t stop.

“Someone listening would think it’s a very old story. It hasn’t even been a few years since Chae-hee moved out from next door, right?”

Lee Ha-na, who snapped at Park Cheol-wan like that, smiled slightly and opened her mouth.

“Now that I think about it, I decided to marry this ugly man all thanks to Chae-hee.”

Ugly man, Park Cheol-wan’s shoulders trembled at those words. Do Chae-hee tilted her head at Lee Ha-na’s words.

“Because of me?”

“Yes. Watching this man trying so hard saying he’d take responsibility for you, I felt it. Ah, he may not be much in looks or wealth, but he’s a person with proper character.”

Park Cheol-wan let out a ‘huh’ at those words. The words that followed were so ridiculous he couldn’t believe his ears. Do Chae-hee also looked at Park Cheol-wan with a surprised face.

“Why, Park Cheol-wan. Are you jealous?”

Saying that, Lee Ha-na laughed lightly, and Park Cheol-wan laughed along.

Lee Ha-na instantly demolished the thick wall standing between Do Chae-hee and Park Cheol-wan. Do Chae-hee glanced between the two and cautiously opened her mouth.

“I thought I was a burden on unnie’s marriage. I thought your marriage was delayed because you were supporting me.”

At Do Chae-hee’s words, Lee Ha-na shook her head.

“It wasn’t because of you. It was because of me. Because I wasn’t healthy.”

As Lee Ha-na said, she was always sick. Though she’s regained her health now to the point where normal life isn’t difficult, she used to frequently collapse and be hospitalized before.

“I’m sorry for being a burden on top of that.”

At Do Chae-hee’s words, Lee Ha-na shook her head.

“I was grateful that you came to see me, us. It’s a bit much to badmouth my husband, but that Park Cheol-wan is so boring. He’s always out on field duty or business trips, leaving this pitiful and delicate beauty of the neighborhood behind.”

Do Chae-hee burst out laughing, unable to hold back at Lee Ha-na’s shameless words calling herself the neighborhood’s greatest beauty with a straight face.

This is why Do Chae-hee liked Lee Ha-na. Because she was someone who made you laugh just by being around. Do Chae-hee said with a serious face while nodding:

“Certainly. It’s a marriage that’s a waste for unnie.”

“Did you gather today to badmouth me?”

“See, he’s about to sulk again.”

Ha, Park Cheol-wan who let out a short breath gulped down some water.

“But it is admirable. Seeing him trying so hard to protect this world somehow.”

At those words, Park Cheol-wan’s face stiffened. He absolutely couldn’t accept those words from Lee Ha-na gladly in front of Do Chae-hee.

Lee Ha-na, who noticed something strange about Park Cheol-wan’s stiff reaction, frowned.

“You’re strange today. What’s wrong, are you sick or something?”

It was when Park Cheol-wan tensed up at those words that Do Chae-hee cut in.

“Unnie, please understand. He’s probably still angry about my suspension.”

“Right, suspension. What on earth did you do to get suspended?”

At Lee Ha-na’s words, Park Cheol-wan hurriedly opened his mouth.

“Why listen to such unpleasant stories.”

Despite Park Cheol-wan’s dissuasion, Do Chae-hee resolutely opened her mouth.

“I caused trouble again by not listening to ahjussi.”

“What kind of trouble?”

“It’s obvious. Going where I was told not to go and doing what I was told not to do.”

“Ugh.”

Lee Ha-na, who roughly guessed the situation, let out a groan. Perhaps because she lost family to criminals? Do Chae-hee was especially rough with criminals. Because of that, she received disciplinary action almost every day when she was in the field.

Still, I thought she had gotten better since moving to a desk job. Seems she’s still the same, Lee Ha-na clicked her tongue inwardly and said looking at Do Chae-hee’s face:

“But it was the right thing to do, right?”

At Lee Ha-na’s question, Do Chae-hee nodded without hesitation.

“Yes.”

“That’s all that matters then.”

Wahaha, Lee Ha-na burst out laughing and said while glaring at Park Cheol-wan:

“You should be more understanding when the kid is trying to do the right thing.”

Park Cheol-wan listened to that story with his fists clenched tight.

“I’m going to the bathroom for a moment.”

As Lee Ha-na briefly left her seat, a chilly silence fell over the dining table. The warm atmosphere from just moments ago had scattered like a mirage.

“Why did you come here?”

“Is this somewhere I can’t come?”

Do Chae-hee calmly received those words. Unlike Do Chae-hee who was holding her head high proudly, Park Cheol-wan hadn’t been able to properly meet her eyes since earlier.

Ridiculously, he was afraid of Do Chae-hee.

More precisely, of what words might come out of that mouth.

So Park Cheol-wan absolutely couldn’t look at Do Chae-hee smiling brightly in front of him with a sane mind.

“Unnie is still a good person.”

“You…”

“Unnie has no idea what kind of person you are, right? To unnie, you were truly a husband worthy of respect.”

There was a bone in Do Chae-hee’s words. A very sharp bone stabbing Park Cheol-wan’s insides. The wound stabbed by Do Chae-hee hurt so much. Park Cheol-wan couldn’t hold back and opened his mouth.

“Shut that mouth.”

“Look at you now, scared to death of what I might say. Right?”

Do Chae-hee smiled bitterly watching Park Cheol-wan trembling without being able to say anything.

“My, why is the atmosphere like this? What did you say to make it like this?”

“It’s nothing, unnie.”

The atmosphere heated up again. Lee Ha-na was happy chatting about many things with Do Chae-hee who had visited after a long time. And during that time, Park Cheol-wan forcibly acted happy while swallowing down his anxiety.

I don’t know how time passed after that. Park Cheol-wan anxiously trembled, desperately wishing for this time to pass.

And finally the end came.

“You’re not staying longer?”

“It’s because of work tomorrow. Since I’m going after a long time, I have a lot to prepare.”

When he came to his senses, the meal was over and it was time for Do Chae-hee to leave. Only then could Park Cheol-wan breathe.

“Did you drive here?”

“I came by bus.”

“Oh my. That won’t do. Honey, please take Chae-hee at least to the front.”

Park Cheol-wan, who happened to have something to say to Do Chae-hee, immediately nodded. Do Chae-hee didn’t refuse that proposal either.

“I can’t send you alone when it’s dark out.”

At Lee Ha-na’s worry, Do Chae-hee responded with a smiling face.

“I’m a 6-star hunter, you know?”

“Still, I’m just worried.”

Lee Ha-na put a scarf she brought from somewhere around Do Chae-hee’s neck.

“It’s, it’s fine!”

“It’s not fine. It’s cold outside.”

“Thank you…”

Do Chae-hee reluctantly accepted Lee Ha-na’s scarf.

“Come visit often even if you’re busy.”

At Lee Ha-na’s worry, Do Chae-hee smiled.

“You take care too, unnie.”

“Me, I’m at home every day, how could I not be well?”

Only happiness was visible on Lee Ha-na’s face as she said that. Do Chae-hee hurriedly turned her gaze elsewhere. For some reason, she couldn’t face Lee Ha-na looking at her.

Do Chae-hee and Park Cheol-wan came outside. No words passed between the two even as they rode the elevator down the apartment.

It was after they had completely left the apartment that Park Cheol-wan opened his mouth.

“So what do you want from me?”

“I thought the director would know who the bad guys are.”

“Ha.”

“I want to at least know who I’m fighting against before I fight.”

Park Cheol-wan frowned.

“If I don’t tell you, are you planning to come to our house like this again?”

At that question, Do Chae-hee opened her mouth without hesitation.

“Yes.”

At those words, Park Cheol-wan crumpled his face.

“How long are you going to threaten me?”

“I didn’t do anything, today. I just had a meal with someone I like. What’s tormenting you is yourself, director. You know too. Why you couldn’t even properly raise your face at the dining table today.”

Seeing Park Cheol-wan unable to give any answer to her words, Do Chae-hee quietly added:

“I think I might have rather wished for ahjussi to be brazen.”

Watching Park Cheol-wan who couldn’t even properly meet her eyes and was afraid of what Do Chae-hee might say, Do Chae-hee realized. That Park Cheol-wan also knew what he had done was wrong.

That’s why he was so afraid.

“How could you make such a choice when you’re so uncomfortable with what you’ve done?”

“Because it’s better to live even if cowardly.”

“While not being able to be honest even to the person you love?”

At Do Chae-hee’s words, Lee Ha-na’s face flashed through Park Cheol-wan’s mind.

‘It was the right thing to do, right?’

That voice saying those words too.

Lee Ha-na was a good person. She was a clear, bright, and shining person, too good for him.

The reason Lee Ha-na willingly loved Park Cheol-wan was because he was a good person.

“Really…”

Park Cheol-wan crumpled his face. It was better when Do Chae-hee blamed and cursed at him.

“I didn’t want to become like this either.”

At first, Park Cheol-wan was clearly a righteous police officer too. One who had so many things he wanted to do for this world.

“When the first proposal came to me, I rejected it. Because I didn’t choose this job for money. And I tried to dig up the person who dared to make such a proposal to me. Who dared to try to persuade this Park Cheol-wan.”

At that time, Park Cheol-wan was a passionate police officer. He was filled only with thoughts of chasing after the person who tried to persuade him and making them pay the price.

“But before I could find that person, another person came. It was someone I had never seen before, a man with an ordinary impression. The man didn’t answer a single question I asked and just told me someone’s proposal. The conditions had changed. Not only the amount they would give me changed, but the position they were proposing changed too. The man handed me a letter as I was rejecting the proposal.”

“What was written in that letter?”

“To keep digging. That I would be able to reach the truth I wanted if I did.”

Park Cheol-wan said.

“I should have stopped then.”