Although a Villain, My Wish is World Peace

“You eavesdropped on our conversations every day, didn’t you? And then you tattled to that man!”

“Why? Why did you do it? It didn’t matter to you whether we escaped or not anyway! You, you’re doing well here. We’re not! We risked our lives for this!”

“Everything’s ruined because of you.”

Their resentment pricked Cha Song-jin relentlessly.

Cha Song-jin had no friends before, but after that day, Cha Song-jin became everyone’s enemy. Cha Song-jin’s shoulders slumped more and more under the piercing gazes that poured down whenever he moved.

Originally no one liked Cha Song-jin, but he wasn’t hated this much.

He grew distant from the factory manager too. He could no longer smile thoughtlessly every time he saw him like before. As Cha Song-jin’s attitude changed, the factory manager’s attitude changed too.

Cha Song-jin was sent to another factory, but the guys who went with him spread rumors about Cha Song-jin, so he received the same treatment there too.

Cha Song-jin was alone there too, just like before. Actually, being alone wasn’t the problem. The problem was the bullying.

The gossip heard whenever he passed by could be ignored, but the water showers poured on him every night when he tried to sleep were hard to endure.

Cha Song-jin chose to sleep at the factory.

The factory staff quite liked this person who voluntarily worked overtime and sought sleep in a corner of the factory.

After that it was the same.

The children thought of Cha Song-jin as everyone’s enemy, and Cha Song-jin was thoroughly alone.

Thinking of those times made him feel suffocated.

His breath wouldn’t come properly, as if someone was actually choking him.

Countless eyes glaring at Cha Song-jin in the darkness choked his breath.

It’s your fault.

It’s all because of you.

Cha Song-jin clutched his chest.

This was the nightmare that had tormented him for years.

Always, every day, every time he closed his eyes, Cha Song-jin had the same nightmare, and when he woke up he always repeated the same wish.

Though he silently continued working among dying people, in truth Cha Song-jin wanted to escape this hell more than anyone.

But does someone like Cha Song-jin dare to have the right to escape this hell?

“What does it matter, don’t you want to escape?”

Someone whispered to Cha Song-jin like that.

“What’s important is that you want to escape from here, right?”

As if having read all his inner thoughts, that whisper was unbearably sweet. Cha Song-jin carefully nodded at that voice.

That’s right, I want to escape.

From the suffocating gazes of people looking at me.

From this dangerous place where I don’t know when I’ll drop dead.

I want to escape.

But where to?

Where on earth can I go?

The only world Cha Song-jin knew was the orphanage that suffocated him just thinking about it and the factory where people died.

I don’t know where to go. I don’t know how to go either.

As if having heard Cha Song-jin’s whisper, the voice said:

“No, you know how to escape.”

That wish that seemed impossible was fulfilled earlier than expected.

Cha Song-jin, who was a late bloomer, awakened his talent later than anyone.

Was it because he always repeated internally that he wanted to escape?

Cha Song-jin despaired when he confirmed his ability in the status window.

Return to safe zone? He had no safe zone, no place to return to.

But fortunately, there was a place that recognized Cha Song-jin’s ability.

Even the vice guild master of Sirius, said to be the most successful guild in Korea, came personally to take Cha Song-jin.

She said Cha Song-jin’s ability was amazing.

Hearing those words, Cha Song-jin sensed that his life was finally going to change.

“Is there anything you want? It’s difficult to take everyone, but we could take a few people out with you if you’d like.”

At Jin Yeon-hwa’s words, Cha Song-jin just shook his head.

“I just want to get out of here quickly.”

“Simple and good.”

At Jin Yeon-hwa’s answer, Cha Song-jin clenched his fists. We can take out even a few people from here, those words meant that Cha Song-jin could save someone too.

But who? Who to choose? Cha Song-jin had no one close to him. Everyone just hated Cha Song-jin.

Cha Song-jin was absolutely not a ‘good person’. All Cha Song-jin wanted was to escape from this hell-like place.

Jin Yeon-hwa nodded with a smile at his request.

After that day, Cha Song-jin never asked Jin Yeon-hwa what happened to the factory he was in.

He wanted to completely erase the past that weighed him down. Because a shining life was now promised to him.

‘I don’t care about the guys who were there. I’ll only think about myself, my own life.’

Anyway, all the kids here just bullied me. So why should I save them? While owing a debt to someone else at that.

“That’s right.”

The voice in his heart whispered.

“There’s no need to recall painful and hurtful memories. Just escape and that’s it. No need to confront and fight.”

No need to face what you dislike.

Just.

Run.

Run away.

* * *

Mana writhed ominously around Cha Song-jin. I scrunched my face seeing that sight.

—What is all this?

Though he has practically no combat ability, Cha Song-jin is also an awakener.

As long as magic power flows in his body, I can’t be 100% certain he’s not dangerous.

“Looks like whoever caught that guy is doing something.”

Cha Song-jin’s talent itself has no combat power. But if he can do something with the magic power flowing in that body, well, it could become quite dangerous.

The magic power flowing in Cha Song-jin’s body was quite abundant.

But well, he probably won’t be as dangerous as Kim Jae-ho.

“I need to go close and knock him out.”

I slowly approached Cha Song-jin.

Cha Song-jin’s pupils that I glanced at were hazily dyed. A red light flickered in his pupils and disappeared.

“Esc, escape…”

“What?”

Cha Song-jin was continuously muttering something quietly. The moment I placed my hand on Cha Song-jin’s body, Cha Song-jin’s magic power started moving.

—Oh no.

Damn it, damn it.

I quickly pulled Kim Jae-ho while placing my hand on Cha Song-jin’s back. The moment I barely grabbed Kim Jae-ho’s wrist, my vision distorted.

* * *

The moment he opened his eyes, Cha Song-jin realized something was wrong. The sight before his eyes was too familiar.

It was the container Cha Song-jin had been staying in for days. But this container shouldn’t be visible.

Cha Song-jin’s last memory was looking at Kang Yi-sin’s back inside the Gate. The memories of the past that poured in after that conveyed one message to Cha Song-jin.

Run away, just run away.

His mind was filled only with thoughts of wanting to escape.

‘And then…’

And then what happened? Cha Song-jin hurriedly raised his head and looked to the side. Beside Cha Song-jin, Kang Yi-sin and Kim Jae-ho covered in dirt and blood were lying unconscious, and Han Seo-hyeon was nowhere to be seen.

Cha Song-jin carefully reached out his hand towards Kang Yi-sin lying beside him. Kang Yi-sin’s clothes were covered in blood. Cha Song-jin pulled back his trembling hand. Cha Song-jin’s hand was soon dyed red.

Is all the blood soaking the clothes Kang Yi-sin’s? Normally, if you lose this much blood, don’t you…

“De, dead…”

Is he dead? Cha Song-jin was terrified seeing Kang Yi-sin’s face with no trace of blood.

The Kang Yi-sin Cha Song-jin had seen until now always had a confident face. No matter what happened, always with a face saying he could handle it. Of course, his solutions were mostly sloppy and strange, but still he was a man who inspired a strange trust in an odd way.

Looking at Kang Yi-sin, he would strangely feel that he would somehow solve things.

But his current appearance was different.

‘Come to think of it, this guy was younger than me…’

He realized belatedly. Kang Yi-sin lying unconscious with a face whose down hadn’t even disappeared yet looked so fragile.

To the point it was unbelievable he was the great leader of Weltschmerz.

Cha Song-jin shook Kang Yi-sin with trembling hands.

“Wake up.”

His heart pounded with an inexplicable anxiety.

“Hey, I said wake up.”

Kang Yi-sin’s body was cold. Like a corpse.

Cha Song-jin examined Kang Yi-sin’s body with a surprised face. Only then did he notice Kang Yi-sin’s body was covered in wounds. Especially the wound on his right arm was serious.

“What is this…”

The right arm was a mess as if someone had hacked at it. Though the wound had healed enough to stop bleeding, the injury was still severe enough that muscles were visible. Cha Song-jin tightly closed his eyes at that horrific sight.

Fortunately there was no bleeding, but that might be because he had already bled out all the blood in his body.

“You can’t die, wake up.”

Cha Song-jin shouted like that and pulled over a blanket. He had to raise his body temperature somehow. Blood, does he need a blood transfusion? From where? Should he go outside and call someone? But Kang Yi-sin and Kim Jae-ho are Weltschmerz, villains.

If their identities are discovered, it’ll be chaos. They probably won’t be easily discovered because of their masks, but still if they’re discovered…

No matter how he thought about it, calling other people didn’t seem like a good choice.

“What, what on earth should I do? What…”

Fear swept over him being alone awake among these blood-covered people. What on earth happened in the Gate for both of them to come back like this?

He only had a feeling like he had a terribly bad dream, but he couldn’t remember at all what happened inside the Gate.

He vaguely thought he might have used his ‘ability’, but he couldn’t be certain… No, he must have used his ability. Otherwise, Kang Yi-sin, Kim Jae-ho, and Cha Song-jin would still be inside the Gate.

Then Han Seo-hyeon…

“He couldn’t be left alone in the Gate, right?”

Cha Song-jin’s face turned pale as that thought occurred to him.

First he needs to wake up Kang Yi-sin. Cha Song-jin shook Kang Yi-sin’s body again.

“Wake up, please. I have no idea what to do, okay? I, I don’t know. Anything!”

But despite Cha Song-jin’s desperate calls, Kang Yi-sin showed no signs of waking.

He felt he needed to do something, but he didn’t know what to do.

Cha Song-jin turned his head and looked at Kim Jae-ho. Seeing the hands and feet tightly bound with rope, Cha Song-jin hurriedly took out a dagger from the backpack.

He planned to untie Kim Jae-ho first.

Cha Song-jin cut the ropes and examined Kim Jae-ho. Unlike Kang Yi-sin’s body which could be described as torn to shreds, there were no large wounds on Kim Jae-ho’s body. His body temperature was also warm.

Cha Song-jin watched the two of them in the container.

Fortunately, Kang Yi-sin’s body which had been coldly chilled gradually warmed up, but Kang Yi-sin still didn’t regain consciousness.

‘Escape…’

Cha Song-jin knew.

That there was no more appropriate time for him to escape than now. If he somehow went outside and explained the situation and requested protection, he wouldn’t have to worry about Weltschmerz following.

No, he didn’t even need to request protection.

While Kang Yi-sin is unconscious, he could just steal Kang Yi-sin’s wallet and take off anywhere.

Kang Yi-sin wouldn’t even know Cha Song-jin had left.

Cha Song-jin had no reason to keep loyalty to Weltschmerz.

He could just choose a path for himself without looking back, as he had done until now.

But…

“Haa.”

Cha Song-jin sat still in that spot for hours. Organizing the thoughts coming to mind.

And finally, after sorting out all the thoughts that came to mind, Cha Song-jin stood up with a hardened face.

And opened the container door.