Although a Villain, My Wish is World Peace

Everyone has a plausible plan. Until the world smashes that plan.

‘It’s clear this world hates me.’

Otherwise, how could my neat and beautiful plan to gather materials by going through a few C-grade Gates and then leave get so tangled up?

Thanks to attracting all kinds of attention for conquering an S-grade Gate, I can’t even go outside the hospital, the world’s strongest stalker – no, hunter – has attached himself to me, and my beloved youngest even picked up some strange person on the street.

Things can get this tangled up when they go wrong.

‘Maybe I’ll open a twisted bread shop when I have time. Looking at this situation, it seems like the dough would twist itself if I just prepared it.’

—What’s that strangely negative yet hopeful imagination?

‘They say balance between negative and positive is important in everything. I found that roughly neutralizing a negative thought with a hopeful one works.’

—Does it work like that?

‘Yes.’

Anyway, now that we’ve taken on an uninvited guest, I’m not sure if going to Las Vegas is a good idea.

—What’s in this Las Vegas place?

‘Ah, there are very famous casinos there.’

—Wait, casinos? Gambling? The situation has become such a mess, and the leader is thinking of gambling? I knew it when you talked like a gambler before.

I was dumbfounded at Ray’s scolding.

‘What are you suddenly saying? Gambling, who’s gambling! That’s not why we’re going!’

—You said you’re going to a casino. Then weren’t you planning to go gamble?

‘Well, technically we will be sitting at gambling tables…’

—See!

‘But the purpose is different, the purpose!’

The reason for going to Las Vegas wasn’t simply to gamble. Of course, there’s no place better than gambling tables to use my talent. There’s no ability better for cheating at gambling than lying.

But I had a different purpose.

‘There’s a group in Las Vegas that uses talents to cheat at gambling. No, I’m not sure if we can call them a group. They’re cheating in collaboration with the casinos. The casino itself is essentially a huge scam.’

—…So you’re going to fleece them?

‘Yes! They should get a taste of their own medicine.’

Make money and punish bad guys, isn’t it a beautiful picture?

—I don’t see how it’s different from just gambling.

‘It’s much more fun to win money from bad guys.’

—Huh, in the end you’re just saying let’s go gamble.

What else would you do at a casino besides gambling? Anyway, isn’t it fine since the purpose isn’t bad?

The problem is we’ve picked up an uninvited guest.

I sighed looking at Edward sleeping on the sofa. I said I’d make him a temporary native English teacher, but…

‘Come to think of it, that guy probably won’t be a good teacher. It feels like hiring a foul-mouthed grandmother to learn Korean.’

—Is it that bad?

When I firmly said I couldn’t accept him into our organization, he cursed so much. I heard enough curses for a lifetime. I couldn’t understand half of it since there were many words I’d never heard before.

—Didn’t you say you were quite confident in this language?

‘The person who taught me was a former announcer. Someone who wouldn’t even touch such foul language.’

He didn’t curse even in his final moments. Hmm, that was an unnecessary thought.

‘Still, I don’t think it will be too bad. It’s practical English! Better than getting cursed at somewhere and realizing it later at home.’

—I don’t think your kids are likely to get cursed at somewhere…

‘I told you, for negative thoughts…’

—Mix in one hopeful thought? Oho, now I get it!

Putting Ray’s realization aside, I made a decision.

‘Still, since we’ve come this far, it seems good to at least visit Las Vegas.’

Originally I was planning to cause a big ruckus there to make the name Weltschmerz known, but let’s put that plan aside.

No, let’s not even mention the ‘w’ of plan. This world seems like it might be secretly listening somewhere and try to ruin my plans again.

Anyway, we can’t just leave alone those who fleece innocent people, no, innocent gamblers.

Hmm hmm.

—Somehow that’s a very strange sentence, but let’s say it is so.

* * *

Taika lay on the sofa tapping his phone. The phone was still full of articles he didn’t like at all. Unlike Taika who didn’t feel like looking even though he was holding his phone, Oh Seung-woo sitting in a chair looking at a tablet PC was concentrating as if he would be sucked into that world at any moment.

Looking at the light reflected in the glasses he was wearing, Taika casually opened his mouth.

“Are you busy?”

“I’m busy.”

At the perfunctory answer, Taika pouted his lips.

“Why?”

“Are you bored?”

This time that question flew in directly. It was a roundabout request to find something else interesting instead of poking him.

“You told me not to go out.”

“There’s a lot you can do without going out, right?”

Oh Seung-woo who said that shrugged his shoulders and looked at Taika’s phone.

“Should I download a game for you?”

“I know how to do that much myself.”

Taika sighed. No matter how much he bothered Oh Seung-woo like this, he wouldn’t get the answer he wanted.

It would be better to just ask straightforwardly what he’d been wanting to ask. Taika threw words at Oh Seung-woo.

“Was it really necessary to go that far with that guy?”

Though the subject was missing from the question, Oh Seung-woo immediately understood who it was about.

After all, there was only one person Taika would bring up in this situation.

The problem wasn’t who the question was about, but why Taika was asking this.

Oh Seung-woo raised his head and examined Taika’s face. Confirming that what was visible on Taika’s face was slight boredom and pure curiosity, Oh Seung-woo opened his mouth lightly.

“Are you asking because you’re really curious?”

“Why have you been answering questions with questions since earlier?”

“You know, it’s a habit.”

“It means you’re not relaxed.”

“There’s a lot to worry about in many ways.”

“Because you’re pressuring that friend?”

“Hmm, that would be the answer to the question. Because it’s a situation where I have no choice but to pressure that guy.”

“Is me getting hurt such a big deal?”

“It is a big deal.”

What Oh Seung-woo considered most important was Taika Cooper’s image. Though he was certainly an outstanding hunter, it was thanks to Oh Seung-woo’s constant efforts that he held the title of ‘strongest’ worldwide.

“So no one should be interested in you getting hurt. It’s better to just throw them another prey.”

“What’s more interesting about digging into a guy like that than me, the world’s strongest?”

“Because I told them to. I told them to shut up and just spout the materials I give them.”

At those words, Taika blinked. It was unusual for Oh Seung-woo to speak so roughly.

“Are you deliberately poking at me?”

“I’m just curious because that guy and Mr. Oh used to know each other in the past.”

“To be precise, you find it interesting, right?”

Only then did Taika Cooper realize. That Oh Seung-woo’s attitude, which was always relaxed, was particularly sharp today. Taika sat up completely on the sofa.

“To be honest, extremely!”

Seeing Taika with a face that said poking at your wounds is so fun I’m going crazy, Oh Seung-woo couldn’t even sigh. He looked at him with incredulous eyes.

“That’s because Mr. Oh always tries to be perfect. Of course you show weak sides in front of me too, but that’s all calculated, right? Because I’m weak to Mr. Oh’s apologetic face…”

“…Yes.”

Oh Seung-woo frowned at Taika’s words.

“You knew?”

“How could I not know! You only do it in front of me.”

“Hmm.”

It was shocking that his image management method had been completely exposed. Taika said to Oh Seung-woo who was rolling his eyes:

“So, are you so bothered about sending that friend to hell?”

“I’m not bothered.”

“You seem bothered.”

“Haah.”

The world’s strongest hunter was the world’s most annoying. Oh Seung-woo who put down his tablet PC said:

“A little?”

“Then why did you do it?”

“As I said, it was a deal. I just gave those paparazzi what they needed most.”

“A chew toy instead of me?”

“That’s right. A very tasty chew toy at that.”

What the media wants is ultimately one thing. A topic that can be on people’s lips. An appetizing story that will raise views.

If you throw them something more interesting than Taika’s injury, they’ll gladly turn their attention there. That’s why he did it.

“For treating him as a chew toy, you seemed quite interested in that guy.”

“How I think of that guy isn’t important. What’s important is whether we can make a deal or not.”

“I’m grateful I got to know well about Mr. Oh’s past that even I didn’t know thanks to this. I heard you knew each other when that guy was young, about 7 years ago.”

“If just meeting a few times in passing has any meaning, yes, we did know each other.”

“Are you drawing a line, or was it really no relationship at all?”

“That guy did ask me to take him in.”

“Hmm, but you refused, I heard?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

At Taika’s question, Oh Seung-woo recalled the past.

Edward’s ability was to decompose, absorb, and release incoming magic energy. In other words, it meant he couldn’t do anything alone if there was no energy flying towards him.

Edward’s value, who couldn’t act alone, wasn’t very high at that time. Even at the awakener center, he received the humiliating evaluation of D-grade with only B-grade potential.

But Oh Seung-woo noticed Edward’s potential. His value as a team player.

Nevertheless, there was only one reason he didn’t choose him.

“He wasn’t enough for my first portfolio.”

He was quite lacking to be the start of the legendary agency called Oh Seung-woo.

At those words, Taika blinked.

“Ow, that would hurt if that friend heard it.”

“Yes, so it’s fortunate. Because that friend won’t hear it.”

“You don’t do image management in front of me?”

“It’s already exposed.”

Taika already knew that Oh Seung-woo wasn’t an easy person. Well, that’s right. They were in a relationship where they had seen each other’s bottoms while in this industry.

Both Taika and Oh Seung-woo.

But nevertheless, there was a strong camaraderie between them.

Enough that Oh Seung-woo’s completely inhumane words didn’t make him lose affection.

“Then Mr. Oh must have been glad to discover me. How does it feel to have polished the world’s best rough stone?”

At Taika’s words, Oh Seung-woo smiled and said:

“The best.”

So Oh Seung-woo didn’t regret his choice.

He won’t regret it.

The things he trampled on to get here.

Because the things he was holding now were shining so brightly that they couldn’t allow regret.