Although a Villain, My Wish is World Peace

While eating the hot dog, the kid kept glancing at me.

[You haven’t committed any crime, so why are you watching me like that?]

It was pitiful to see the victim being so wary. What on earth did you do wrong, what are you so afraid of to be this scared?

At my words, the kid said:

[It’s not like I did anything good either. Just getting beaten up like this…]

There was a shadow unsuited for a child on the kid’s face as he said that.

[What happened?]

[If I tell you, what will change?]

The kid’s words pierced my heart sharply. I understood the kid’s feelings because I had thought the same countless times when I was young. But…

[If you don’t tell anyone and keep it bottled up inside, you’ll get sick. Sometimes even trivial things become heavy as if they’re something important when you hold onto them.]

This is what Jeong Ho-san told me. He gently coaxed me, who often shut my mouth and didn’t say anything, telling me it’s better to open up about anything.

—You still often shut your mouth though.

‘Can a person’s personality change so easily?’

—Good grief.

But maybe you can muster just a little courage once.

At my words, the kid who had been quietly looking at the ground slightly opened his mouth.

[You know? That there was a fire at the casino yesterday. No, apparently there wasn’t really a fire. Anyway, I thought there really was a fire then. Everyone was running out.]

My mind froze at those words.

Yesterday, casino, fire alarm. It’s what I did.

The kid continued:

[I looked for Dad among the people who escaped. But no matter how much I looked, I couldn’t see Dad. So…]

[So what? Don’t tell me you went in to look for that dad?]

The kid quietly nodded.

You stupid kid.

[They say kids like you can’t enter the casino.]

[Everyone was in such a panic they didn’t pay attention. So I went inside.]

The kid spoke calmly, but if there had really been a fire, it could have been a disaster. Was that why the kid was watching me? The kid carefully opened his mouth seeing me not saying anything:

[When I went inside, Dad was there. With some people, so I went but…]

I could guess the conversation that followed without hearing it.

[Even though I said there was a fire and we should go, he didn’t even listen to me…]

That trash raised his hand against a child trying to save him somehow.

[I begged and begged that we’d die if we stayed here, but…]

The kid finally burst into tears. I quietly listened as tears dropped between his legs. What words should I say? What words could comfort this child?

Whether I dare to do so.

After learning that artifacts were installed in the slot machines, the first thing I thought of was this kid’s father.

Yes, if he fell into gambling not by his own will but because of the artifacts, maybe we could somehow return him to his family.

If this worked out well, maybe this child’s story would end with a happy ending somehow.

But that was too naive a thought.

Whether due to the artifacts or not. That man crossed the line.

The moment he raised his hand against the child who came to save him at the risk of his life, I gave up on that man.

Maybe it’s fortunate. That this child’s father is a person not worthy of forgiveness. A piece of trash with no room for redemption.

—What are you trying to do again?

What else?

[I told you last time you had no choice. That’s why you’re sitting here waiting for your dad like this.]

At my words, the kid quietly wiped his tears with the back of his hand. Looking at the face mottled with bruises, I said:

[I’ll give you a choice. Whether to keep waiting here for that son of a bitch who’s not worthy of being called a father, or to take the hand of this strange mister.]

I looked at the kid’s face and said:

[Choose, as you wish.]

* * *

The kid took my hand.

Of course, he attached several conditions. Like he’d scream if we went to a secluded place, or that he didn’t completely trust me.

If the child’s eyes hadn’t been wet as he said those words, it might have sounded quite threatening.

But with a face about to cry as he said that, it just made my heart ache.

As I headed straight to the hotel, the child narrowed his eyes and said:

[Why are we going here?]

[There’s someone I need to meet.]

I went straight to the hotel’s front desk and asked the employee:

[Which room is Mr. John Smith staying in?]

[Ah, I’m sorry but we can’t disclose information about other guests…]

[He’s my friend. He said he’d tell the front desk in advance earlier.]

The employee immediately fell for my lie. I nodded as I heard John’s room number.

The child beside me asked:

[Who’s John?]

[Um, my friend?]

[I-I’m not going there!]

The child immediately let go of my hand. Instead of reaching out to grab the kid, I just let him go.

The kid asked with a face that showed he didn’t expect me to let him go so easily:

[Wh-what? Weren’t you trying to take me?]

[Where, to a hotel room? No, that’s not right. Wouldn’t you be uncomfortable? Going into a hotel room with someone you don’t know.]

[Th-then why did you ask for that person’s room number?]

[Well, because I need to bring that guy here.]

The trust between us was so fragile it seemed like it would break if touched slightly. No matter how starved for affection, a child wouldn’t trust a mister who just bought him hot dogs for a few days so deeply.

Taking a child into a hotel, into a room with a stranger?

I should reflect and say ‘My bad!’ even if I’m immediately mistaken for a sex offender.

So I had no intention at all of taking the child into the hotel room.

[You can wait in this lobby while I bring that person.]

[I might run away.]

[That’s fine, if I’m not trustworthy to you. But there are a lot of people here. You see those CCTVs too, right?]

I showed the kid the CCTVs installed here and there so he could feel at ease.

[Still…]

[Think about it while waiting for me to bring John. Whether you should run away, or trust me a bit more.]

I lightly waved my hand to the kid. As soon as I got on the elevator, Ray asked:

—What on earth are you thinking?

‘That kid thinks a lot and is very scared. So I need to give him time to resolve that. If I just drag him along, he’ll trust me that much less.’

—No, I was asking what you’re thinking dragging John Smith into this.

‘Ah, that.’

The elevator arrived as we were talking. Getting off the elevator and heading to John’s room, I said:

‘I thought that kid would be just right as the first target for John’s charity work.’

—That little kid?

‘Yes, I like that he’s not easy too.’

Won’t it be enough to completely occupy John’s mind for a while?

‘And somehow I feel reassured if I attach that kid to him.’

—Isn’t it usually the opposite?

‘Well, John has a bit of a sucker side to him.’

Knock knock, I knocked on the door. There was a clattering sound from inside, then after a moment John carefully opened the door.

[Who… Oh?]

[I found a poor child who needs help and wondered if you might be interested.]

John’s eyes widened at my words.

* * *

Fortunately, when I finished talking with John and came down to the lobby, the kid was still standing there.

Though he looked quite restless standing with his arms crossed and stamping his feet, he still stayed here and waited for me.

After examining the child’s face, John made a pained expression. John had said he wanted to help the child somehow after hearing the rough situation from me, but seeing the child in person seemed to strengthen his feelings towards the child even more.

[Shall we start with introductions? This is Mr. John who will help you from now on. Of course, only if you allow it. And Mr. John, this is…]

I introduced them to each other. Since I didn’t know the kid’s name yet, the kid was given the lazy expression of ‘a kid who needs help’ instead of a name, but that was enough.

The child’s eyes immediately sharpened at my action of pushing John forward as the person who will help you from now on.

[Are you serious? You’re going to sell me to an old geezer like that?]

[Strictly speaking, I’m not selling you. I’d have to receive something to be selling you. I’m in the position of giving money to that side and asking them to take care of you.]

[Ha.]

At my words, the kid let out a hollow laugh as if dumbfounded and John twisted his body with a bright red face.

[It’s absolutely not like that…]

John cleared his throat and said:

[Of course I think it will seem strange for me to say this when I’m seeing you for the first time here. Yes, I thought so too. But you see. If you need help, I, um, am ready to help with anything.]

There was quite a bit of appeal in John’s voice as he said that. Enough for the child’s eyes to soften a little.

But words like that are not enough.

[The issue is this. How exactly will you help that child?]

At my question, John stumbled over his words.

[Well, I was going to think about it slowly now…]

—Didn’t you say you’d leave it all to him before?

‘Yes, I thought we had more time then.’

But since the situation has turned out like this, I have no choice but to speed-inject enlightenment through shock therapy for now.

[All you have is money. And it’s just a decent amount of money. Enough to live comfortably, but far too little to wield power. How will you help that kid with that money? You know it’s not a good answer to just give money and be done with it, right?]

[Uh, well…]

There’s no way a proper answer will come out right away. I didn’t expect an answer to that question either. I turned my head towards the kid and said:

[You think about it too. How you can use that person to become happy. What you need to be able to live well on your own from now on.]

It shouldn’t end with just receiving help. Because it’s not a world that goes easy on you just because you’re a child. So he needed to figure out how to stand on his own.

And until he figured out that method, he needed John’s help whether he liked it or not.

[The goal of Mr. John here is to help people in need with the money he has. And the goal of the kid here is to live a happy life.]

At my words, John and the kid stared straight at each other’s faces. They soon awkwardly turned their gazes elsewhere, but it was important that they recognized each other.

[There are people with such stupid goals.]

The kid clicked his tongue as if embarrassed by the current situation, and John awkwardly scratched the back of his neck.

[Anyway, what’s important in this situation now is that you both need each other’s cooperation to achieve your goals.]

I sat the two down and whispered:

[If you just mindlessly leech off that person’s money, you’ll only develop bad habits without learning how to live on your own.]

The kid’s shoulders trembled at my words.

[I wasn’t thinking that…]

[And you too, you need to move carefully. Unless you want to get completely cleaned out when rumors spread that there’s a rich sucker somewhere.]

Light entered John’s eyes. There are people who become stronger when they have something to be responsible for. John was like that too.

I said to the child:

[If you ever don’t want John’s help anymore, fine. You can leave John. The same goes for anything else.]

I left a final piece of advice to the child who was staring at my face as if mesmerized:

[Don’t forget. You always have choices.]