Although a Villain, My Wish is World Peace

That's how I ended up taking charge of that guy.

But I didn't keep him in my house like before. Seol Rok-jin built a separate doghouse for that guy. It was a place you had to drive about forty minutes from our house to reach.

It was good that our house wouldn't get destroyed, but I didn't feel comfortable at all about putting this guy in a poor doghouse halfway up a mountain.

"With all that money, he should spend some."

I frowned at the flickering light bulb. This doghouse built halfway up the mountain was at best a storage shed level.

With concrete walls exposed, and the mattress laid on the floor. Though I had just washed him clean, he became dirty again staying here.

Seol Rok-jin was clearly warning me with this accommodation.

-Don't treat him too well.

Maybe he's aiming for this guy to be disappointed in me by having me treat him harshly again.

Since I ruined his habits by giving affection, take responsibility and fix his habits.

Maybe he plans to praise me saying 'well done' if this guy comes to hate me. I felt bad because Seol Rok-jin's thoughts were too obvious.

I wanted to ignore Seol Rok-jin's thoughts and act my own way.

But it's not me who will pay the price for my actions, but this guy. Knowing that, I couldn't move recklessly.

I treated the guy as coldly as possible, as Seol Rok-jin wanted. But that didn't last long either. Somehow my heart ached every time I saw that guy, so I just couldn't do it.

I visited there occasionally to take care of the guy. Though I say take care of him, it was just feeding him and washing him at most.

That wasn't in a good environment like before either. This damn shed didn't even have hot water. Thanks to that, I secretly brought an artifact to heat the water.

"It's not summer, I can't wash him with cold water in winter, damn it."

I couldn't understand why I was going through all this trouble when I had my house with boiling hot water.

I lamented to the guy:

"So why did you kill the trainer? Now it's awkward to treat you well. The better I treat you, the worse your treatment becomes, you know."

Whether I said such things or not, the guy just stretched his hands out towards me whenever he saw me. As if saying shut up and give me the snacks you hid in your pocket.

I clicked my tongue and handed the coffee candies I brought in my pocket to the guy.

"Eat them sparingly. I can't come for about two weeks because I have an overseas business trip. I have to go to China."

To serve a terrifying woman there. I sat down next to the guy and grumbled for a long time.

"She's a really scary woman, you know? Do you know Red Society? They're the most successful organization in China right now, no, why are all the people who like me such scary people?"

After talking about Xie Haozhu like that for a while, I looked at the guy and said:

"But I feel sorry for her when I see her."

At first I didn't like that the guy didn't speak, but now I preferred that silence. It felt quite nice to have someone who always silently listened to my words.

Giving missions to the guy became my job too.

When I received missions from Seol Rok-jin, I took the guy to the site.

I didn't use the whistle. Because the guy did whatever I asked even without using the whistle. Unless Seol Rok-jin was monitoring, there was no need to use the whistle.

I gave praise and coffee candy the guy liked to him as he walked towards me covered in blood. Then I went to the lodging and scrubbed the guy clean. The guy disliked bath time with me, but he didn't resist like before.

Why? Because there was always an amazing snack time after the bath was over.

For two years after that, the guy and I got along quite well.

Taking care of the guy, which was just annoying at first, became quite alright once I got used to it.

The guy was taciturn, but that made him a good listener. Sometimes I continued talking to that guy as if complaining, and the guy silently listened to all my words. I didn't expect answers. When the guy raised his hand and patted my back as if comforting me, I had to sniffle tears of emotion for a while.

Then a problem arose.

The guy who had never caused trouble until now left evidence at the scene. The guy's appearance was captured on CCTV we didn't know existed, and that video spread on the internet.

Though Seol Rok-jin handled the media at will, even Seol Rok-jin couldn't take back a video released on the internet.

The CCTV with unnecessarily good quality and clearly capturing the moment of the crime was undeniable evidence.

People clamored that the culprit of this incident must be caught.

"No one knows that guy's identity anyway. So..."

"Sin-ah, the election is coming soon."

I froze at Seol Rok-jin's words.

"How can they trust a government, a ruling party that can't even catch a criminal whose face is so clearly captured, hm?"

Seol Rok-jin was aiming for the next presidential election. His goal was to put up the candidate he wanted in this presidential election, and then become president himself following that person.

For such an important incident to happen at such an important time.

"B-but there's no need to kill him, right? We could have someone else pretend to be that guy instead..."

"Why?"

Seol Rok-jin who cut off my words asked:

"Why should I go through all that trouble for that guy?"

I forcefully turned my unmoving head at those words. How could I persuade Seol Rok-jin? How could I save that guy? What came to mind as I racked my brains was what Seol Rok-jin had said to me.

"You said dogs can be forgiven even if they make mistakes."

Didn't Seol Rok-jin forgive me, his dog, several times with that logic in reality?

I begged Seol Rok-jin:

"So forgive that guy too."

Seol Rok-jin looked at me with cold eyes at my words.

"Well, Sin-ah. That dog isn't my dog?"

"What?"

"Didn't I tell you before? Director Cheong is that dog's owner. I just borrowed that dog from Director Cheong. So it's Director Cheong's job to love that dog, not yours or mine."

My breath caught at those words. It's not our job to love the dog? It's not our dog, so there's no need to love it?

"So why did you love the dog, Sin-ah? It's not even your dog. When you can't take responsibility, why did you give affection?"

"I..."

"You're a dog. Dogs just need to roll over to receive love from their owner. You shouldn't dare sympathize with or give affection to other dogs."

At those words, I realized. The reason Seol Rok-jin entrusted that guy to me. What thoughts he left me and the guy alone for the past 2 years with.

"I..."

Don't give affection wasn't just empty words. Seol Rok-jin had been constantly warning me.

A mere dog, don't love other dogs.

But I ignored that warning and crossed the line, and this was the result.

This incident was just an opportunity. Seol Rok-jin was planning to take that guy away from me anytime.

Why? Because then I would engrave the warning not to give affection to others in my bones.

So that I wouldn't dare think of giving affection to anything else ever again.

I already knew that Seol Rok-jin was terribly isolating me. Why did I talk to a dog that couldn't even respond properly? Why did I always tell my stories and complain to that guy?

The answer is simple.

"So you killed all the people around me?"

Because Seol Rok-jin left no one by my side.

"I told you, dogs just need to receive love from their owner."

* * *

'Will you send him off with your own hands? Or should I do it?'

At Seol Rok-jin's words, I said I would send the guy off myself. I wanted to at least see his face at the end.

Seol Rok-jin told me.

Since I managed that guy well until now, he would give us time to send him off together at the end. He said that, but it was no different from an order to push this guy to death with my own hands if I wanted forgiveness.

I put the guy in the car and took him to the mission site as usual.

I got out of the car with that guy, but I just couldn't open my mouth. Why? Because this mission is a suicide mission. After this guy kills people in there, people from the awakener crime prevention department will come beat this guy to death.

My hands trembled. I just couldn't open my mouth.

"Hey."

I called the guy.

"Run away. You, you run away."

I just couldn't make this guy do such a thing.

But despite my words, Kim Jae-ho still moved forward.

"Can't you hear me? You'll die if you go there!"

I grabbed the guy's hand.

If I divert this guy, the consequences will be enormous. I didn't know what he would do to me again. But I can't watch this guy die.

"Run away."

At my words, the guy slowly opened his mouth.

"It's okay."

"You..."

I looked at the guy in surprise at his words.

"Y-you can speak?"

I didn't know because he hadn't said a single word until now.

"Why didn't you speak if you could speak all this time!"

"You talk a lot. Enough."

I laughed incredulously at Kim Jae-ho's words, forgetting the situation.

"Ha!"

I was dumbfounded. He didn't speak just for that reason? Because I talk a lot, so listening was enough?

No, that's not what's important right now.

"Run away, you'll die if you go there. This isn't a joke. Someone like you could live well anywhere. So run away from here and..."

"It's okay."

"No, it's not okay! You'll die!"

At my words, that guy said:

"Even if I die, it's okay."

"No, it's not okay!"

"Even if I die..."

Saying that, the guy slowly looked at me.

"We're friends."

Friends.

My heart ached painfully at those words. No, I don't have 'friends'. One friend was enough, and even one was more than I deserved. So I don't want to make friends again. And I don't want to lose that friend again.

"No, friend. So go."

The guy didn't even pretend to listen to my words.

"Friend."

The guy said that and patted my back. Just like before. I buried my face in that guy's shoulder.

"My name is Kim Jae-ho."

"...You tell me so quickly."

At my words, the guy whispered:

"Don't forget."

And the guy melted into the shadows and headed there before I could stop him. I belatedly ran in there, but I couldn't catch the guy.

* * *

After the guy, no, Kim Jae-ho died like that, I went to where he had stayed.

It was to clean up the traces Jae-ho left there.

I fell to my knees on the spot when I saw the green and yellow candy wrappers carefully folded under the mattress.

And I resolved.

To never give affection to anyone ever again.

* * *

—...I think in the version I heard, that guy cried.

'He probably cried too. His eyes were glistening.'

—No, it seems like you were the only one who cried.

Anyway, what's important isn't who blubbered.

'Isn't it funny? After resolving so firmly to never give affection to anyone again...'

Before I knew it, I not only gave affection, but even came to feel responsible for this guy's life.

Seol Rok-jin said not to give affection when you can't take responsibility.

Right, that's correct.

So from now on, I'm going to take responsibility.

"Jae-ho."

I called Kim Jae-ho. What should I say? As I pondered, Kim Jae-ho casually threw out words:

"I like Boss."

I blinked at the sudden words.

"So I'll help Boss."

"What?"

"I'll catch the bad guys Boss doesn't like."

As if anticipating my question, Jae-ho said to me:

"We're friends, aren't we?"

I couldn't say anything at those words. Old memories came to mind, and I just stood there stupidly.

My eyes grew hot, but tears didn't fall. I dug my nails into my thighs. Otherwise, I felt like I would cry ugly tears in front of this guy.

"Can I go now?"

"Oh, oh, yeah."

I bit my lip hard as I watched Kim Jae-ho leave as if he had been waiting.

"Hey."

I hurriedly added before Kim Jae-ho left:

"I'm older so we're not friends."

"Ugh!"

I laughed seeing Kim Jae-ho leaving with a disgusted expression. But that laughter soon disappeared.

I lowered my head. My vision suddenly began to blur.

—Are you crying?

'No I'm not.'

I pressed my eyes hard with the back of my hand.

"Damn it... I'll make that guy happy no matter what."