Although a Villain, My Wish is World Peace

Arriving at the bar, Edward immediately ordered a beer.

[One for you too.]

At Edward’s words, I shook my head.

[No, I don’t drink.]

[What? Then why did you come along?]

[Just thought we could chat? We can have a conversation without drinking. Bartender, a cold water please.]

At my words, Edward made an expression of disbelief. I quietly took out my wallet from my inner pocket and waved it.

[And I thought I could be your wallet.]

Edward turned his head while holding the beer glass. Seeing that he didn’t refuse even while frowning severely, it seemed his pocket situation was quite bad.

I drank the cold water the bartender handed me.

Ray’s words came into my head.

—Is not drinking alcohol true, or is it just something you said to deceive that guy?

‘It’s not a lie. I actually can’t drink well. In fact, I’ve only drunk a few times.’

—That’s unexpected. Just listening to you talk, it wouldn’t be strange if you lived drowning in alcohol in your past life.

Certainly, it’s true that I was dragged to many entertainment venues. But even at those entertainment venues, I didn’t drink a single drop of alcohol. No, I couldn’t.

‘How could I eat what Seol Rok-jin told me not to eat? He said it hurt his pride for me, who was sane even to his brainwashing, to stagger from something like alcohol.’

There was that, and it seems he didn’t like me causing trouble while drunk. From what I heard from people around, I apparently made a fuss crying and grabbing Seol Rok-jin’s collar demanding he save Jeong Ho-san, it’s a wonder he didn’t kill me with that personality.

‘I was forbidden not only alcohol, but cigarettes and drugs too. He even took away the depression medication prescribed from the mental hospital.’

—You even went to a mental hospital?

‘Yes, because the situation was so shitty, I secretly went once. Just in case it might help a little.’

And I was caught and suffered all kinds of hell from Seol Rok-jin. He said if I had any troubles I should just tell him. How can he understand why I got a mental illness, he sure talks big.

‘Besides, I’ve seen so many drunk troublemakers. I’m thoroughly sick of alcohol.’

Whether past life or current life. I didn’t want to lose my reason getting drunk on alcohol.

Edward gulped down two beers in succession like water. Edward, who wiped his mouth, finally glanced at me cautiously.

[…What kind of talk did you want to have with me that you followed me all the way here?]

[You wanting to join our team, it’s not sincere, right?]

At my question, Edward shuddered with an exaggerated expression.

[Huh, wh-why do you think that?]

[People usually do anything when they fall into panic. You just rushed to us because we were in front of you, right? You don’t really have any desire to join our team. If you did, you would have asked what we do, what kind of guys we are. But you didn’t ask anything.]

At my words, Edward bit his lip.

[So what.]

Edward crumpled his face and said to me.

[If it’s not sincere, are you going to chase me away? It doesn’t matter, right? Whatever I want. I’m good at anything. Isn’t that what’s important? As far as I know, your industry always suffers from manpower shortages.]

[Unfortunately, our team is already full. And as I said, our team looks at personality. For that reason, we can’t take you in.]

[Damn. That damn personality.]

—Seeing him immediately spit out curses, it seems sufficient but…

I deliberately ignored Ray’s words and continued speaking.

[I told you. If you want, we’ll change your identity and help you settle in a new place. You don’t have to join us.]

Isn’t this a hundred times better choice than recklessly trying to become a half-baked villain? But the person in front of me wasn’t someone who would make such a sensible choice.

[Yeah, fine. Quietly finding a new life while holding my breath, that’s good. But that way I can’t become the most famous person in the world.]

[Is that your goal? To become the most famous person in the world?]

[…Yeah.]

Come to think of it, he did say he wanted to become a better person than Taika Cooper. So that was sincere.

[I’ve been running and suffering all this time for that…]

Giving advice when he’s all worked up like this, my words would just be like reading sutras to a cow’s ears.

Still, I have to ask this one thing.

[Why?]

[What?]

[Why did you want to become the most famous person in the world?]

There’s no ‘just because’ reason for such a goal. There must be an occasion that made him decide to grit his teeth and become the world’s best. I have a rough idea what that occasion is from the articles written about this guy, but still, I need to hear it directly from his mouth. That occasion.

At my question, Edward’s face hardened.

[I wondered why you followed me when you don’t even drink. Do you want to give me life counseling?]

[Isn’t this that kind of place? Where pitiful humans gather and spill out how their lives are the hardest.]

At my question, Edward twitched his eyebrows as if dumbfounded.

[Geez.]

Edward raised his finger and called the bartender. Then he ordered strong whiskey. Edward who downed the whiskey at once burst out laughing and said:

[Well, the whole world has come to know about my past, so there’s no reason to hide it now. It’s obvious. I have to become the world’s best, only then will that person regret missing out on me to death.]

Oh Seung-woo. That person is really a sinner too. I sipped my water at Edward’s words. Edward continued speaking.

[It’s really a trivial reason, right? But for me, that was my only goal.]

Though he says he wants to join our organization, there was no sincerity in Edward’s words.

That’s close to giving up no matter how you look at it.

If he had resented us like Cha Song-jin, it would have been better than this.

[Well, I’m not someone qualified to say this or that about someone else’s life, so I don’t have the right to say anything, but. Staking your life’s value on someone else doesn’t seem very good.]

Edward downed whiskey in succession at my words. Okay, he’s completely not in a state to listen.

[If you really want to join our organization, learn Korean at the very least.]

[You’re telling me to learn Korean?]

[Yes. There’s no way we can become a team if we can’t even communicate, right?]

[Well, if your guys learn English…]

[Didn’t you say you can do anything well? By the way, our organization’s main stage is Korea, and Korean is an essential condition. If you don’t like it, well, you’ll inevitably fail our organization’s interview…]

[I’ll learn! I can learn!]

Edward whose face turned bright red shouted. Ray asked as if dumbfounded.

—Are you serious?

I answered Ray’s words.

‘I have my reasons.’

—Somehow it doesn’t seem like a very good idea.

After finishing the conversation with Edward, I supported the guy who was staggering drunk. After checking the alcohol bill, I handed the card to the bartender with trembling hands.

‘I should never say I’ll buy that alcoholic drinks again.’

Alcohol is indeed the root of all evil.

* * *

The next morning. I went over to the suite and gathered everyone to make an important announcement.

“While I’m doing work, the rest of you will study here.”

“Study?”

“Yeah, we happened to get a native English teacher. It would be good to learn English on this occasion, right?”

Hiring Edward as a native English teacher wasn’t a joke. Learning English on this occasion would be useful for a long time.

“We have to make him do at least that much to be worth the alcohol money.”

“Alcohol money, not food money?”

Cha Song-jin asked that while tilting his head, but I deliberately ignored those words.

“And it’s not just English you’ll be learning.”

“What else are you telling us to learn from that guy?”

“Edward won’t be teaching. Everyone will take charge of one subject and teach.”

This is what I felt this time. Perhaps because they didn’t receive proper education when young, they’re lacking in many ways. Especially Kim Jae-ho’s Korean language skills, Korean language skills. Hmm, and Korean language skills.

Besides, if Edward teaches alone, there might be an imbalance.

—What imbalance?

‘He might get cocky being the only teacher.’

We can’t let him get cocky to our kids just because he’s good at English.

“I’d like Seo-hyeon to teach Korean to Edward and Jae-ho.”

“What? You’re telling me to teach Korean to that guy?”

“Yes.”

“I understand why we’re learning English, but why to him…”

“It’s better if everyone learns together.”

Han Seo-hyeon’s face didn’t seem to understand my explanation at all, but he soon nodded.

“And it would be good to have morality class too…”

At first I thought I would teach it, but unfortunately I had other work to do. Besides, it’s nonsense for me to discuss morality with someone with my pitch-black conscience that’s been corrupted to the fullest after sticking with Seol Rok-jin for about ten years.

Well, since I have Ray as an internal conscience, it’s not like I can’t do it, but it’s too bothersome to relay the words.

I thought about leaving morality to Han Seo-hyeon too, but Han Seo-hyeon didn’t seem like he’d be a very good morality teacher either.

Hidden by Kim Jae-ho, Han Seo-hyeon was actually a dangerous person too. Yeah, that’s right. Let’s not forget that Han Seo-hyeon suffers from skeleton contract addiction symptoms.

Anyway, morality is important, very important.

Anyway, the right person to take charge of that important class is…

“I’d like you to be the morality teacher.”

Cha Song-jin blinked while his shoulders shook greatly at my words.

“M-me?”

“Yes.”

I, Han Seo-hyeon, and Kim Jae-ho were people who acted faster than expected. Han Seo-hyeon might deny it, but Han Seo-hyeon has quite a reckless temperament too.

On the other hand, Cha Song-jin is timid. Being timid was a disadvantage, but also an advantage. It means he has time to think sufficiently before acting.

And that thinking makes Cha Song-jin a somewhat better person.

Because Cha Song-jin is a good guy.

“How could I…”

“You’re a good person. There’s no one more suitable than you to talk about what’s right and wrong, what shouldn’t be done. Even if it’s just very basic things, you can just say what you think is right.”

“But that, you guys are villains…”

“Yeah, we’ve killed some people. I know it’s bad. Still, you need to know it’s bad while doing it.”

Come to think of it, I feel like we’ve done quite terrible things to Kim Jae-ho. Well, we should teach him properly even now.

“Can I really teach?”

“You’re just the right person.”

I patted Cha Song-jin’s shoulder. I distributed memo pads I bought in the morning to everyone.

“Unfortunately we’ll have to make do with these until we get proper textbooks. For now, it would be good to start by making textbooks.”

“What kind of school makes textbooks by hand from the beginning?”

“Should I say it’s plausible homeschooling?”

“…I don’t think even homeschooling starts by making textbooks like this. And saying ‘plausible homeschooling’ sounds like something someone caught up in English worship would say.”

He kept my words from long ago about English worship. As expected, Han Seo-hyeon is narrow-minded.

“And what school changes teachers and students like this?”

“Life is meant to circulate originally. Knowledge is like that too. Hmm, there’s nothing absolute in knowledge. As a person, you should always make effoooorts to learn what you lack from others…”

“Your boss is avoiding with plausible words.”

I looked at Cha Song-jin in shock. Is that the same gentle Cha Song-jin? To say such words! Han Seo-hyeon, who was quietly looking at Cha Song-jin, casually threw out words.

“He’s your boss now too, you know?”

“Aha, that’s right.”

Should I say it’s fortunate their relationship has become so warm in the meantime?

Ahem, I cleared my throat and said while clapping my hands:

“Now, discuss and make a timetable, and think about how to do the classes. The morality teacher will take charge of communicating with Edward. You seem to be the most fluent in English.”

I could see Cha Song-jin fidgeting at my words, but I deliberately ignored it. After me, Cha Song-jin had the highest English ability here. It can’t be helped.

It was a question how Han Seo-hyeon was worse at English than Cha Song-jin who didn’t even go to school properly, but… it can happen. The saying that nothing is impossible in this world was true.

“And…”

“Wait, I have a question.”

Han Seo-hyeon raised his hand before my words ended.

“If Edward teaches English, I teach Korean, and Song-jin hyung teaches morality, what about Jae-ho hyung?”

Right, there was Kim Jae-ho. Kim Jae-ho was looking at me with his lips pouting.

The sight of him kicking the ground with his feet didn’t look good at all.

Hmm, I tried to ignore it but. I can’t ignore it anymore.

“Should we have our Jae-ho be the physical education teacher?”

“In this room?”

“Then, juggling?”

“I don’t want to die with holes in my body.”

“Okay, thinking about what Jae-ho can teach is also today’s task.”

“What is this! You’re just dumping it on us!”

I put on sunglasses while ignoring the complaints heard from behind.

“Everyone study hard, daddy will go earn money.”

—You’re just going to gamble, but you sure say it grandly!