The Crazy Villain Regains His Sanity

Realizing that there was no way out, Oh Jong-yeop decided to go along with the flow. They said the whip was the cure, and the first meeting played a big role. Indeed, fear was more powerful than the law, and fists were more powerful than fear.

"Feel free to call me a friend from now on!"

And then he sneaked up on me, smirking. It was hard to hate him.

Oh Jong-yeop showed resourcefulness in integrating into the National Security Agency on his first day. The one I saw in my last life was also quite resourceful, which was rare for a villain.

The harsh environment while growing up probably made him that way, and when I think about it, I wonder if that applied to me as well. Now that my mind had cleared up, I could think again about what to do with the situation at hand.

Perhaps this was the difference between being crazy and not being crazy?

After exchanging greetings, Oh Jong-yeop stood next to me, so I gave up trying to separate us and guided him to the National Security Agency. Seeing him enjoy the food in the cafeteria made me think back to the days of admiring the warm meals of society.

Surely, he hadn't regressed too, had he?

"……"

We ate separately, with Jung Da-hyun watching from a distance.

After lunch, we were called into the director's office.

"I heard you two are friends?"

"Yes, that's right. I owe Mr. Jun-ho a favor."

"Choi Jun-ho is the ace of our National Security Agency. He has outstanding skills. You'll learn a lot from him if you stick by his side. Just don't imitate anything strange."

"Yes!"

"It's your first day on the job, and I hear you're very adaptable, so I'm looking forward to seeing what you can do."

"Yes, Mr. Director, I'll do my best, but I have one question."

"What is it?"

"I'm a grade 7 and Mr. Jun-ho is a grade 9. Is it appropriate for him to treat me so casually?"

This guy still hadn't given up. He looked at me with a slight smirk on his face, but he didn't get the answer he wanted from Jung Ju-ho.

"Well, then, if you want to be treated with respect, do it if you can."

"What?"

"If you're unhappy, train him with your skills. It's a meritocracy here."

Jung Ju-ho raised the corners of his mouth.

"But, can you handle it? It might be fun to have rumors of a missing government hunter on his first day of work."

"......"

Oh Jong-yup's eyes are twitching as he looks at me.

I realized he'd feel bad if I didn't say something.

"Do you want me to give you a lesson?"

"---I've found light for the first time in my life, and I want to live a long and happy life. Please spare me, Mr. Director. I will give you my full loyalty."

"Loyalty is something you give to the country. I also like my current life. So let's avoid the bomb. Let's just let things slide easily. Got it?"

"Yes! I will trust and follow only the Director!"

"Sure, sure."

I honestly didn't know why the two of them were so united. Was there a common topic that I didn't know about?

When the two of us left the director's office, Jung Da-hyun approached me and stopped when she saw Oh Jong-yeop.

"Officer! You are my savior. I will serve and support you from now on."

"It's a pleasure, Mr. Jong-yeop."

"I've heard of your reputation for a long time. You're as gentle as your radiant beauty. You even saved my life, so I was wondering if you'd like to dine with me sometime at a fancy restaurant--"

"No, thanks."

"......"

Oh Jong-yeop was shaken at the sudden rejection. Too bad, tsk tsk.

Having casually trampled on a man's purity, Jung Da-hyun looked at me and said.

"Mr. Jun-ho, I have something to review about the Foreign Affairs Management Bureau, could you please prepare the documents?"

"I'll prepare it."

"See you in the meeting room in 10 minutes."

"Yes."

I clicked my tongue as I looked at the frustrated Oh Jong-yup next to me.

"Are you a loser? That's not how you pursue a girl."

"…!"

Oh Jong-yeop collapsed again.

***

Oh Jong-yeop's younger brother, Oh Jong-su, turned 20 this year, but from the outside, he looked like a middle schooler. His voice broke when he talked about how he used to wake up at dawn and cry alone for fear of what would happen to his brother.

But he beamed as he told me that his brother was visibly improving after being hospitalized at Sacred Hospital.

"Jong-su, say hello."

"Hello, big brother. I've heard a lot about you, and I'm really grateful to you for letting me be treated. I'll definitely repay this favor."

"I’m just repaying the favor I owed to your uncle, so you don't need to repay it."

"Uncle? My brother said it’s a favor from our mother."

"Yes, your mother."

Oh Jong-su looked puzzled at my answer, but he didn't probe further.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm not sick anymore."

"At the Sacred Hospital, there are many new drugs and many doctors, so you'll get better."

"Yes, I'm looking forward to it. I've been a burden to my brother for a long time, and I don't want to be his burden anymore."

"What burden? It's a given for family members to help each other."

"They say there's no filial piety in a long illness. I'm alive because of you. Ah! It's also because of you, Brother Jun-ho. Thank you again."

"Okay."

"Jong-su, you did well. If you didn’t mention it, I’m sure you would have continued to keep it in your heart."

A bright smile was on Oh Jong-yeop's lips as he spoke.

In the last life, Oh Jong-yeop entered the Big Ten, but Oh Jong-soo ended up dying. Blaming it on his indecision, Oh Jong-yeop turned his anger on the world and became a villain.

In this life, Oh Jong-yeop would not have the same fate because Oh Jong-soo would be restored to health.

Catching a villain with a guy who was a villain, what a breakthrough.

"Do you know how much my brother praised Brother Jun-ho?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Hey, don't be shy. When Brother Jun-ho helped you, you cried, saying you'd repay him for the rest of your life."

"Stop, stop."

"My brother, he’s not good at expressing his feelings because he’s pretending to be strong to protect me, so even if he talked around in circles, that's not what he really mean, so please look at him cutely."

I looked at Oh Jong-yup. He sighed and avoided my gaze as if he wanted to crawl into a rat hole and hide.

Well, the Oh Jong-yup I knew was, to put it mildly, rough around the edges and, to put it harshly, rugged. He was confident and well-built, so that made up for it.

But in reality, he was still a lonely person.

"...But he's not cute."

"Kind of, right? Honestly, I think so too."

"Wow, you're really beating up on someone who's standing still. Stop hitting me. I'm going to die if you hit me more."

"Do you want me to stop?"

" You can do more. He likes to joke."

Oh Jong-su smiled, as if he found my comment funny.

"I don't know. I'm going to the bathroom."

As Oh Jong-yeop fled from the room, Oh Jong-su stared at me.

"If I get better, I want to be like you."

"Me?"

"Yes, Brother Jun-ho. My brother told me that you're a hunter, stronger than I can even imagine, and that you protect the world from villains and demons. I want to get healthy and become an Awakened, and I want to be a Hunter like you, protecting the world from villains and demons."

"Mmm."

"Do you think that's possible?"

"I may look like this, but I'm a pretty good Hunter, and I've killed hundreds of villains."

"Wow!"

And all those villains were crippled.

"You can do it, too. Try to get better."

"Yes, brother!"

"Yeah, be like me."

It's a nice feeling to have someone's respect.

After a while, Oh Jong-yeop returned and we decided to go back.

"I'll come back often."

"Okay, big brother! Bye!"

I clasped my hands together and gave Oh Jong-su a bow as we walked out.

"Unlike you, your brother is nice."

"Hey, I'm nice too."

I snorted at the unwarranted comment.

"Yeah, that’s why you’re considering the offer from the Big Ten scouts."

"Dude, don't say that anywhere else, okay? You can't really say that. Save me, I really like the National Security Agency!"

"I won't say it."

"Really? Hmm?"

The pale-faced guy followed closely behind me.