Although a Villain, My Wish is World Peace

The restaurant at the workforce office was already packed with countless people.

People living paycheck to paycheck. Enduring the fatigue etched on their faces, they silently moved their spoons.

Me and Han Jo-hee squeezed into the remaining space. Unlike the other boisterous tables, the table where Han Jo-hee and I sat was filled with a suffocating silence.

Unable to bear this silence, Han Jo-hee tentatively spoke up.

“What do you want to eat?”

“Beef soup.”

“I said I’d treat you to a meal, but I’m sorry for bringing you to a place like this.”

Han Jo-hee said that with an embarrassed smile. For me, who had planned to eat just ramen at the dorm, this was practically a feast.

Even after ordering the food, silence still lingered between us.

Well, it’s not like we had become close enough to casually chat.

We had been working together for months now, but until today, I had never properly spoken with Han Jo-hee.

It wasn’t entirely Han Jo-hee’s fault. After graduating from the academy, I was deeply ashamed of ending up as a miner like this and didn’t try to get close to the people here either.

The only one who approached me, the loner who put up walls and kept his distance, was Im Hyeon-su, that bastard. And he probably wouldn’t have approached me either if not for the purpose of selling me out.

I quickly glanced at Han Jo-hee’s face.

While most people here had fatigue written all over their faces, Han Jo-hee’s condition seemed especially poor. His lips, turned blue from mana addiction, were cracked and bleeding in places, and his nails were also severely split.

At that level, just moving his body must have caused considerable pain.

He must be in dire need of money to bring his body in such a state.

It’s no wonder Im Hyeon-su has been drooling all over Han Jo-hee.

Unable to bear the suffocating silence any longer, Han Jo-hee reached for the remote.

“Ma’am, can I turn on the TV here?”

“Oh, feel free to watch.”

The TV Han Jo-hee turned on started playing the news.

[Regarding the announcement by the Sirius team, who have completed the conquest of the A-rank gate ‘Fire Dragon’s Nest’, Seol Rok-jin, the representative of Mirinaidang, said at the press conference that more detailed information needs to be disclosed in order to uphold the public’s right to know.]

After the announcer’s words, the screen switched to Seol Rok-jin’s face. Standing at the podium, Seol Rok-jin raised his voice.

[The Sirius Guild is concealing information about the conquering for their own benefit. They have overlooked the fact that gates are not mere objects to generate profits for large guilds, but potential threats that could endanger the lives of ordinary citizens.]

Even in his 40s, Seol Rok-jin possessed a radiant appearance that was rare among politicians, earning him a fandom. But in his early 30s now, his face seemed to shine even brighter.

He should have jumped into the entertainment industry instead of politics. Then maybe this nation of South Korea wouldn’t have walked the path of annihilation.

Just how many horrific deeds had been committed behind that seemingly benevolent face?

Unlike me, who lost my appetite the moment I saw Seol Rok-jin’s face, the restaurant ladies sitting nearby had contented smiles on their faces.

“Ah, really, just looking at his face is filling.”

“The way he speaks is so pleasant. Anyway, these big guilds are all blind to profit, as if getting rich alone is enough.”

With just a few words, he had portrayed the Sirius Guild, who had risked their lives conquering an A-rank gate, as a group blinded by greed.

After the gates appeared, the world’s people became divided into two groups: awakeners and non-awakeners. Those with power and those without. It was that simple a distinction, even though the number of non-awakeners was overwhelmingly larger.

South Korea was a nation of laws, and the ones making those laws were the non-awakeners.

South Korea was one of the few countries in the world to implement an awakener registration system early on, but that alone wasn’t enough to alleviate the public’s unease.

Why? Because awakeners were an unknown entity. Terrifying monsters incomprehensible to ordinary people.

So no matter how much awakeners claimed to exist for the sake of this world, non-awakeners couldn’t believe them.

Seol Rok-jin exploited that very fear.

A handsome mask, combined with eloquence as outstanding as his looks. And by saying only what the non-awakeners wanted to hear, of course people would be swayed.

Yeah, run wild while you can. I’ll be going to ruin your world soon enough.

Noticing my expression, Han Jo-hee asked:

“The food not agreeing with you?”

I lowered my voice to a whisper. 

“It’s just that there’s someone on TV who completely kills my appetite.”

Han Jo-hee nodded in understanding and said:

“Among awakeners, there probably isn’t anyone who likes that guy.”

Having pursued policies hostile toward awakeners, Seol Rok-jin was indeed highly unpopular among them, as Han Jo-hee said. Not just unpopular, but he had actually been the target of terror attempts several times. Seol Rok-jin used those terror attempts to his advantage as he pleased.

Han Jo-hee sighed and added:

“For me, it doesn’t matter either way, but I wish the world could become a better place for my younger brother Seo-hyeon at least.”

“Seo-hyeon, the brother you mentioned earlier today?”

At my words, Han Jo-hee’s face brightened. Just thinking about his brother seemed to light up his expression. They must have a really good relationship. But that bright expression soon turned gloomy again.

“Yeah. He needs practice items this time, and I have to get those for him. The rent hike is a big issue, but the items are the real problem.”

While charging exorbitant tuition fees, the Hunter Academy was reasonably well-stocked with basic practice items like potions for treating injuries or virtual gate simulators for training.

But of course, there were also items the academy didn’t provide support for. It seemed Han Jo-hee’s brother had a talent that required such special items.

“I have to figure out a way.”

Han Jo-hee bit his lip hard. Since practice items weren’t cheap, it must have been a significant burden.

Regardless, this wasn’t my problem. My meddling today by helping him was enough.

“…Come to think of it, there’s a rumor that you graduated from Babel Academy. Is that true?”

At those words, I blinked twice. It was a question I never expected to come from Han Jo-hee’s mouth.

“Where did you hear that from?”

“Just, here and there. Sorry, since you didn’t mention it directly…”

Han Jo-hee trailed off. Well, how could I blame him for the rumor about my background spreading?

Seeing my sullen expression, Han Jo-hee quickly added:

“I didn’t mean anything bad by it, I was just curious. To be honest, it’s rare to see a Babel graduate here.”

“I did graduate from Babel.”

I shrugged and added.

“Well, it’s not common to see a Babel dropout either.”

Babel Academy was considered the top hunter academy in this Seoul, no, in all of South Korea.

The entrance requirement alone was being an awakener with at least C-rank potential.

It was extraordinary for a Babel graduate like me to end up as a mere mana stone miner. Normally, Babel graduates all became successful hunters. Even if not active field hunters, they usually secured decent positions for themselves.

Babel Academy was indeed a remarkable academy, praised just for graduating from it. It’s just that there were also dropouts like me among its graduates.

Well, as long as Han Jo-hee didn’t ask that question to mock me for falling all the way here after graduating from Babel, I could satisfy his curiosity.

“I didn’t mean it like that. I was just…”

Han Jo-hee desperately tried to salvage the ruined atmosphere.

“I just think it’s amazing. You’re still persevering in your own way. And you even helped me out…”

Han Jo-hee continued speaking.

“To be honest, I resented being born as an ‘awakener’. To be precise, I resented being born with this kind of talent. I wish I had been born with a more amazing talent instead. What am I supposed to do with this measly talent?”

Han Jo-hee had a surprisingly gloomy personality. I blinked quietly, spoon in hand.

Can I even eat this meal?

Han Jo-hee’s words continued.

“And when my brother was born, I was honestly insanely jealous of him. I was born destined to be called a half-baked awakener for life, but he has an A-rank talent.”

A-rank talent, no less.

Just who was Han Jo-hee’s brother?

“But he’s also incredibly kind. Genuinely incredibly kind, to the point of sincerely doting on someone lacking and half-baked like me, calling me his brother…”

“Don’t say things like that.”

Seeing Han Jo-hee’s dejected face, I couldn’t just stay silent.

“The truly amazing person is you, isn’t it? You’re sacrificing your life like this for your brother’s sake. You sincerely care about your brother.”

“If he does well, I’ll do well too.”

“How many people think that way? Even among families, there are plenty who abandon each other. And it’s not like you’re just using him either.”

What I saw before me was simply a man in his mid-20s groaning under the weight of life. What sin could he have committed? I had no intention of mocking Han Jo-hee, who was doing his best to live.

Even if I couldn’t save him, I wanted to offer him sincere consolation.

“You’re already doing your best. Don’t blame yourself for not doing better.”

As Han Jo-hee said, his brother would probably succeed faster than Han Jo-hee himself.

“Come to think of it, with an A-rank talent, he could have entered Babel too.”

And at Babel, all educational costs were free. Whether practice items were needed or anything else, if his brother had entered Babel, he wouldn’t have had to bear any personal expenses. They even provided living expenses for families in some cases, so if Han Jo-hee’s brother had gone to Babel, Han Jo-hee wouldn’t have had to struggle like this.

“Seo-hyeon was born with the black magic talent.”

“Ah.”

That one statement explained everything.

At Babel Academy, there was a truly narrow-minded person. Because of that stuffy woman, who knew how many promising talents had been missed.

Deluding herself into thinking she was an angel’s representative, she mercilessly expelled any talent that deviated from her set standards.

There was a reason why Babel Academy, the top academy in South Korea, couldn’t make it on the world stage.

Regardless, at Babel, that witch’s words were absolute, and children who didn’t meet her standards were never admitted into Babel’s embrace.

“Of course, there were people who offered to sponsor my brother, but they always left out the condition that he would have to live like a dog for a few years after graduating from the academy.”

“That’s not a place to go to then. It’s better to receive an official nomination after graduating, even if it’s a bit difficult.”

“That’s what I think too. So I’m enduring a little longer.”

Despite his blue, mana addiction-stricken lips, Han Jo-hee smiled brightly.

It left a bitter taste in my mouth. This world had far too many people like this. People who lived for tomorrow while harboring hope.

And there were also far too many people who trampled on these kinds of people to further their own selfish desires.

“Don’t trust Im Hyeon-su too much.”

That was the extent of the advice I could give Han Jo-hee.

* * *

After the uncomfortable meal with Han Jo-hee, my phone in my pocket rang as I headed home.

“Conquest complete.

When are you free?

Let’s grab a meal. Need to talk.”

The moment I saw that text, I couldn’t help but freeze up.

The person who sent that text was none other than my closest friend, whom I had… no, whom I had killed.

It was Jeong Ho-san.