The Crazy Villain Regains His Sanity - Chapter 72

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 72

In the chilled atmosphere, Choi Jun-ho raised his hand.

“This seems to need some editing. Now that I think about it, calling them a Villain might be too harsh. People can make calculation errors, and there are cases where they pay additional assessments. If they don’t cover that, then yes, it’s a crime.”
“Ah, yes.”

Ko Ye-jin relaxed visibly and steered the conversation elsewhere.

“Speaking of which, I hear the World Superhuman Union’s anniversary event is being held in Tokyo soon. Are you considering attending, Choi Jun-ho?”
“That’s something I’m still thinking about….”

It was a topic divorced from tax payments, but the shift flowed naturally enough to edit without jarring transitions.
Lee Se-hee, who had been watching the exchange, stepped away from her seat.

“Phew.”

Recalling what she’d just heard sent a chill down her spine.
Every corporation strains itself to save on taxes. That they blur the line between legal and illegal had become so normalized it hardly registered. Sometimes companies wage such aggressive war on taxes that they commit outright violations, and occasionally corporate owners end up in prison when the misstep comes to light.
The Sinseong Group was no exception. In fact, as the number one enterprise in the country, they were the most aggressive in this arena. If audited thoroughly, they’d have the most to lose.
Back in her office, Lee Se-hee immediately called for Lee Young-tan and gave her instructions.

“Have us review tax payments from every angle. Stay strictly within the bounds of legality—no room for anyone to pick at us.”
“Team Lead, you should reconsider this.”
“This is the right call.”

Lee Young-tan tried to convince her otherwise, but Lee Se-hee shook her head with firm resolve.
The astronomical sums this would cost were a price she could bear.
She could think of it as the price of standing beside Choi Jun-ho.
If she tried to cut corners and it all fell apart, the losses would be far greater.

“Doing business with someone who doesn’t care about money—that’s the hard part.”

Reflecting on why this situation had arisen, she let out a hollow laugh.

* * *

The tax interview sparked an explosive response.
Ko Ye-jin crafted a sensational headline, and with Jin Se-jeong’s design work on top of it, the internet article comments were overflowing with praise.
Paying the taxes that were owed—was this really something to be enthusiastic about?
Honestly, the recent trend was difficult to comprehend.

“Give up and accept it. You’ll feel better.”

Yun-hee had put it simply.
If he remained unchanged from his usual self, everyone else would handle things naturally.
No amount of thinking would make him understand it, so Yun-hee’s advice was to live as he always did.
That was probably best.
By the way, Yun-hee was visiting their parents’ home tomorrow, and he was curious how things would go after she’d reported his idol fandom habit.
And his questions about the tax payment were answered when I reported to the National Guard.

“It means there are plenty of people who don’t do what they should. Taxes are painful to pay—they really are.”
“Even you, Director?”
“I’m human too, aren’t I? When I think about my refunds shrinking every year, I could die from the pain. Why does it feel like they’re squeezing more out of me each year? Ugh.”

Seeing Jung Ju-ho—who appeared to have no interest in money at all—begrudge paying taxes suggested that perhaps I was the unusual one when it came to financial matters.
A lingering side effect from living a life on the run as a Blood Species, perhaps.

“And it was wise not to label someone a Villain simply for failing to pay taxes properly.”
“You think so?”
“Yeah. Tax law is so complicated, you know? There was a time I didn’t understand it either, filed wrong returns, got phone calls about it. It’s all a matter of perspective—what’s legal one moment becomes illegal the next if you’re not careful. If we called everyone who made those kinds of mistakes a Villain, more than half the country would be Villains. We can’t afford to make half the population our enemies.”

A subtle way of saying there were too many gray areas to make hasty judgments.
Jung Ju-ho’s eyes met mine, and the corner of his mouth curled up.

“But there’ll be people who got a real fright watching that interview of yours. Some of them are probably rushing to pay up right now.”
“Come on, surely not.”
“I’m serious. You don’t realize how terrifying a single word from you can be.”

It had become widely known through me just how frightening a person who follows through on their word can be.
Isn’t it natural to act on what you’ve said?

“So, how are things lately?”
“What do you mean?”
“Your growing fan base. It’s nice, isn’t it?”
“…It’s not unpleasant.”

Being cheered is better than being hated.
I’m not entirely sure why that matters, but I don’t dislike it.
It felt strange, yet it also felt like compensation for not becoming a Villain.
I found myself looking around more carefully now.

“Hah, you’ve got more popularity than most idols.”

Jung Ju-ho’s tone was too flippant for my liking.
I’d have to teach him that courtesy begets courtesy.

“Congratulations on your appointment as Commissioner.”
“…That’s all because of you.”

Jung Ju-ho’s smile vanished instantly. The effect was definitely real. But I didn’t understand why he was blaming me for his own promotion, earned through his own superior abilities.
Jung Ju-ho had already been recognized for his skills, but during the Villain subjugation operation, his flawless command abilities—and later, his perfect execution of the Busan control operation—had secured his appointment as the newly established Commissioner.
It was a position above the existing three authorities, placing him as part of a triumvirate system alongside the Director of the Awakener Security Office and the Minister of Awakened Affairs.
All of it was Jung Ju-ho’s own achievement.
I’d done nothing but answer the President’s question.
I didn’t understand why he was blaming me.

“An awl in a bag—surely not.”
“If it weren’t for you, I could’ve focused more on my family!”

By rights, I ought to be the one receiving gratitude.
Instead of thanks, I was getting pointed fingers, and it didn’t sit well with me.
And what I knew didn’t match the reality he was describing at all.

“…How would you know what my wife thinks?”
“Da-hyun contacted me. She said to tell you how grateful she is. But that’s strange—it doesn’t match what you’re saying. Should we arrange a three-way meeting with your wife?”
“No. Don’t ask. Don’t contact her. You’re right, my wife actually loves it.”

He looked like a novice Hunter who’d just encountered a Level 7 Hazard Monster, so I decided to try calming him down.

“I don’t particularly want to become that anyway. And politically, I’m not aligned with the ruling party or the opposition. I don’t like either of them.”

My goal is to sit in the middle and criticize both sides equally.

“Besides, becoming director means dealing with the annoyance of confirmation hearings.”
“Is there anything unsavory in your past?”
“…There isn’t. But why do you ask?”

For a moment, I saw him flinch and shudder.
I wondered if something was wrong, but the absurdity of it made me laugh.

“I was just asking out of concern.”
“A cold-blooded one like you could slit my throat and still have energy left over. If you’re going to kill me, at least promise to make it painless.”
“Come on, haven’t we spent considerable time together over this past while? Of course I trust you.”
“It hasn’t even been a year.”

Fair point. With so many incidents and emergencies, time had felt like it was passing faster than it actually was.
While I was thinking, Jung Ju-ho seemed to have interpreted my silence differently.

“Hey, usually when I say something like that, don’t you say you won’t lay a hand on me? Huh? You’re not thinking something else, are you?”

What am I supposed to do with this?

“If an offense I can’t overlook comes up, I suppose I’d have to reconsider.”
“What? Really? No, right? Hey, come on?”
“Understood. Well then, I should be going.”

Jung Ju-ho tried to grab me, but I was faster getting away.
Nothing serious will come of it.

* * *

I had a meal with the President, the First Lady, and Cheon Myeong-guk. There, the organization name that had passed by fleetingly during the interview came up again.

“The World Superhuman Union?”
“It’s a group famous among Awakened Ones. They call it UPN in English, short for it. Do you know of it?”
“I’ve heard of it. But I thought it wasn’t particularly connected to me.”
“There is a connection. There’s no harm in building a good relationship.”
“Is there a concrete benefit?”
“There is. They publish various evaluations, and one of them is the Global Awakener Power Ranking — which is subtly important from a national perspective.”

I thought such a classification was childish, but the President saw it differently.

“It’s a ranking list of all Awakened Ones from every nation in the world. Think of it like the old military power rankings. It’s an index of national prestige in the current era.”

According to the President, the Global Awakener Power Ranking is calculated by tallying the number of Awakened Ones, the number of high-Level Awakened Ones, the support funding and market scale of each nation, geographic advantages, the frequency of Monster appearances, and hunting results.
South Korea, relative to its population and size, has a large number of high-Level Awakened Ones and a comparatively low frequency of Monster appearances, so it has fluctuated around the 10th place on the Global Awakener Power Ranking. For a nation of its population, it’s quite a remarkable position.
At the historical peak of prosperity, the ranking was 8th, and since then it has oscillated between 9th and 11th place.

“But for the first time, we achieved 7th place.”
“That’s impressive.”

Wasn’t that the best period in history, according to what the President said?
He seemed like he should be pleased, but his expression bore a trace of dissatisfaction.

“However, we protested that it was far too low.”
“Why?”
“The World Superhuman Union failed to properly reflect that our Superhuman Choi Jun-ho hunted the Nuri alone.”

The World Superhuman Union was calling my solo hunt of the Nuri a fabrication and refusing to acknowledge it.
I caught it myself, so what’s the problem with me saying I caught it? Strange bunch, these people.

“If we apply it properly, South Korea’s Awakener Power Ranking could climb from fourth to fifth place. We’d become a permanent member nation or better.”

I hadn’t known that.
Anyway, apparently my existence makes the ranking bounce around, but honestly, I didn’t care much about it.
A higher ranking doesn’t put money in anyone’s pocket.
But the President seems to think differently.

“There’s going to be a World Superhuman Day event in Tokyo this time. How about giving it a try?”

Me? Is it really necessary?
I wasn’t particularly curious about other Awakened Ones, and even Tokyo didn’t feel worth the trip. And besides, they don’t believe I hunted the Hazard anyway—seeing nothing but skeptics would just ruin my appetite. I’d probably be too busy killing any bastards who start trouble.
Nothing but hassle all around.

“Do I have to go?”
……

I watched the President’s and Cheon Myeong-guk’s expressions darken in that instant. They must have wanted me to go.
Wouldn’t leaving create gaps in our work that could cause problems?
Noticing my gaze, the two of them hurriedly rearranged their expressions.

“Hmm! It’s fine if you don’t go, but it doesn’t seem like a bad idea either.”
“That’s right. It’s an opportunity to see Superhumans from around the world, aside from those assigned to essential defense. It would help you see the world from a broader perspective going forward.”

Did I really need to see the world any broader?
Whenever I see it broad, all I think is: the world’s wide, and there’s no shortage of bastards to kill.
Is this something different?
Anyway, if they’re recommending it like this, there must be a reason.

“Then I’ll give it a try.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”

Why did their expressions suddenly brighten?
I didn’t understand the reason until the meal ended.

* * *

Lately, I’ve been feeling just how strange a creature humanity is.
After meeting Jin Se-jeong and starting to seriously manage my image, gaining people’s support, I began to feel various changes happening within me.
My inner Blood Species fading, becoming the true Superhuman Choi Jun-ho.
Until then, I had little attachment to the idea of being a Superhuman, no deeper philosophy about it. But watching people support me, my thinking was shifting.
Finding myself looking around at my surroundings a little more carefully, and thinking—maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to help if someone’s in trouble.

“That’s why you can never become a Villain.”

Lee Se-hee’s words gave me strength.
Then came a certain day.
Just like any other day, a Superhuman call came in, I went out for external support, and I was heading back.
I was returning by helicopter, and as I’d just entered Seoul, something caught my eye.
Normally I would’ve passed it by. But an abrupt surge of curiosity wouldn’t let me ignore it.

“Captain Han, you head back first.”
“Yes? Then what about you, Superhuman……?”
“Something’s caught my attention. I’ll drop down for a moment and head back.”
“Superhuman……!”

A response came, but I pushed open the door and jumped down as is.
Appearing suddenly from the sky like that, all eyes in the area fixed on me when I landed. I paid no mind and approached the person who’d caught my attention.
They were siblings. The girl, who appeared to be the older sister, looked to be around twelve or thirteen, while the boy seemed about seven or eight.

“Wow! A hero!”

The boy let out a cry of wonder as he watched me descend from the sky, but the girl—his older sister—regarded me with cautious eyes.
I looked them over slowly. What caught my attention was their appearance: worn clothes that hadn’t been properly maintained, as they moved freely through the streets.
Even within Seoul, the security wasn’t good enough to allow children to wander about freely. The city had its share of Villains, and small children were targets for kidnapping.
Of course, Seoul is Seoul. It was a city where people who had the ability to work and could pay taxes normally gathered. Seeing them dressed like that made me wonder if there was more to their story.

“You two.”

Both of them flinched at my words.

“Why are you wandering around like that?”
“…….”
“We don’t have anything to eat! I’m hungry!”

The answer came from the boy. The girl pulled her younger brother back, trying to keep him from saying more, but I’d already heard everything.
Nothing to eat? Why?
I felt puzzled. Even if the nation’s circumstances weren’t what they used to be, at minimum there should be some form of support in place.
In an age when Monsters and Villains roamed freely, Seoul citizens were guaranteed at least the basic standard for living with human dignity.

“They won’t provide support?”
“We don’t qualify!”
“That can’t be right.”
“But it is, which is why we have to beg like this.”
“I see.”

Faced with the girl’s sharp reply, I could only nod in acknowledgment.
Yet my confusion lingered. Seoul was the place where the government’s influence was strongest, and they made special efforts to ensure citizens didn’t become refugees.
Once citizens became refugees, most ended up joining the Villains, so the government provided support to keep struggling families fed and sheltered. That meant what the siblings said made no sense.

“Let’s go to the District Office. I’ll look into it for you.”
“How are we supposed to trust you?”
“Sister, this guy’s a hero.”

Looking at the wary older sister and the giggling boy, I shrugged.

“If you’re suspicious, just keep your distance.”

I led the way, and together with the siblings, headed to the nearby District Office to make an inquiry.
The Civil Servant who checked the computer records spoke with an awkward expression.

“You don’t qualify for support.”
“Why not?”
“There’s a dependent listed on the household. Families with dependents cannot receive assistance.”
“Our father was injured while working. We can’t even afford his medicine right now…….”

The girl spoke up, responding to my gaze.

“That’s what she’s saying.”
“Still, it’s difficult. Even though your father was injured, your mother is listed as the household dependent.”
“Mom ran away.”

So there was no one at home to work, the siblings went hungry, and the state couldn’t provide support because of it.
The situation was becoming clear. So they would get support now…….

“According to the records, there is still a dependent on file, so it’s difficult. I’m sorry.”
“…….”

According to the regulations, they said. The civil servant can’t change them arbitrarily. In the end, all my bluster amounted to nothing—I walked out empty-handed.
Well, not entirely empty. The civil servant, looking sympathetic, pressed three meal boxes meant for vulnerable populations into my hands.
They looked meager to me… and each one costs six thousand won?
It was absurd.
Feeling deflated, I looked at the awkward siblings standing beside me and spoke.

“Come with me.”

I bought the children clothes and food. It was cheap sympathy on my part, but they needed it. I couldn’t bring myself to send them off with nothing but those pathetic meal boxes.

“Thank you so much!”
“Th—thank you.”
……

Watching the children arrive home with glistening eyes, expressing their gratitude, I fell into a strange reverie.
The nation spends astronomical sums to help children like these. Yet the money never reaches those who actually need it.
I’d paid my taxes without suspicion, believing the government would spend them wisely. But what I was seeing now cast doubt on the entire system.

“Where is my tax money really going?”

Why were the regulations that way? And how could that meal box possibly cost six thousand won?
I needed to look into this.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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