45
Ch.45 Villain or Hero
Yoo Hyena searched for a nearby gukbap (soup rice) restaurant and arrived. As soon as she sat down, she ordered gukbap for the hungry Han Mu-ryo.
"Excuse me, six bowls of gukbap to start, please."
"Ah, yes, miss... Are more people coming?"
"No, it's just the two of us."
"Huh...? Uh...? Understood."
Well, of course, that would be the reaction. Blinking in surprise, the server glanced at Han Mu-ryo, probably wondering if this huge man really ate that much.
What should she do? Six bowls was already a low estimate—she didn’t want to order too much and seem like she was joking.
A short while later, when the gukbap arrived, Yoo Hyena immediately ordered five more bowls.
"Could we get five more bowls, please?"
"Huh? But these just came out..."
"Uh... Just watch for a second. You’ll understand once you see."
"Gulp—!"
Glug glug glug— Han Mu-ryo downed the steaming-hot gukbap like it was alcohol, then set the empty bowl down. The server’s eyes widened in shock.
Then, the next bowl—gulp gulp—it took him about ten seconds to finish an entire bowl. For Han Mu-ryo, one bowl of gukbap was like a single spoonful to Yoo Hyena.
"R-right away, I’ll bring more!"
"Good."
"Yes, I’ll bring some chives too!"
Sigh...
Yoo Hyena exhaled and slowly began eating the gukbap in front of her.
For a brief moment, she had felt her heart flutter because of this man—how stupid of her. Still, Han Mu-ryo didn’t seem to have any ulterior motives, which put her at ease.
"Eat slowly. I won’t say anything even if you eat until you’re full."
"I am eating slowly."
"After already emptying four bowls?"
"More gukbap is here—Whoa, seriously? Should I clear these away right now?"
"Ten bowls... No, just keep bringing more until I say to stop."
"Yes!"
The owner—a middle-aged man—had come out to see if such a voracious eater really existed, carrying more gukbap with an astonished expression.
What a windfall! Excited, the owner hurried back and forth. Watching him, Yoo Hyena quietly observed Han Mu-ryo and asked,
"Do you like gukbap?"
"Gukbap is the best food. It’s not expensive, comes out quickly, has a lot of volume, and the broth fills you up well."
"Huh...? So, you like it not because it tastes good but because it fills you up?"
"It’s also delicious."
"Well... If that’s the case, I could’ve taken you somewhere with a better atmosphere where you could eat a lot of other things too."
If that was the reason he chose gukbap, she could’ve just taken him to a nicer place. Feeling slightly regretful, Yoo Hyena watched as Han Mu-ryo emptied his tenth bowl.
"Every site supervisor I’ve worked with says the same thing: the best free meal you can get is gukbap."
"Ah..."
"Maximum three bowls."
Wait, so did he choose this because he knew he ate a lot and didn’t want to burden her with expensive food?
Suddenly, gukbap didn’t seem so bad. Yoo Hyena glanced at the menu.
"...Do you like suyuk (boiled pork slices) too?"
"I’ve never had it because it’s expensive."
"Excuse me~! Bring us four plates of suyuk too!"
"Do you like suyuk?"
"I ordered it for you."
With suyuk added to the order, Han Mu-ryo’s eyes widened, and he began devouring the food ravenously.
He didn’t eat messily—he used his utensils properly—and if not for the sheer quantity, he would’ve looked like a blissful eater.
Glance. Yoo Hyena checked the growing pile of empty bowls and the bill, then carefully pulled out Yoo Anna’s card from her bag.
If possible, she would’ve paid with her own money... But this man was someone who ate at free meal centers, and it was her sister who told her to feed him and use him like a bodyguard.
As Han Mu-ryo happily continued eating, he suddenly spoke up as if a thought had just occurred to him.
"There’s one thing I’m curious about."
"Hm? If you’re wondering whether I’ll really keep ordering until you’re full, I promised—"
"What is punishment?"
"Punishment...?"
The sound of Han Mu-ryo stuffing a heap of chives into his gukbap and chewing (crunch crunch) overlapped in Yoo Hyena’s memory with the sound of him crushing the Hands of those robbers.
Suddenly, last night’s events flashed through her mind. Han Mu-ryo, who had stopped himself from crushing the criminals’ Hands at her request, was now asking her again—more carefully this time—why.
"I thought about it while sleeping. Was it unjust for me to break those bastards’ Hands because I’m not human?"
"Superpower humans are humans too, Han Mu-ryo."
"I am different from humans."
"Well, that’s true, but... You’re still human, so the same laws apply to you."
"Laws."
"Yes. So even if the one who committed a crime is a villain, and the one who arrested them is a hero, the same standards apply. If a non-superpower human arrested another non-superpower human crushed their Hands like that... It’d be excessive force. So you shouldn’t do it either, Han Mu-ryo."
Suddenly, Yoo Hyena remembered something her sister had gone through not long ago.
Even if they’re villains, even if they’re criminals, even if they’re citizens who don’t obey heroes—
Heroes must protect civilians, so they can’t recklessly kill.
Against villains, the rules loosen slightly, as it becomes a mutual standoff with weapons drawn... But even then, killing is the last resort.
Those who can be rehabilitated after arrest are guided; those who can’t are punished only then.
Frustrating, but that’s the law.
"Why must such rules be followed?"
"Do you... Not really know what the law is?"
"I have a rough idea, but I haven’t known about it for long."
"Were you locked up somewhere and just got out...?"
"Something like that."
What kind of life had this man lived to say such things?
She’d met many people while working in District 4, but this was the first time she’d heard something like this.
"Well... The law is the rules people live by. For example, right now, if you wanted this gukbap, you could just beat up the owner and take it, right? But why don’t you?"
"Because the owner would get hurt."
"Right? So, to live happily together, we agree to follow these rules. That’s the law."
"G-gukbap... Is here."
The owner, glancing nervously, set down the gukbap. Han Mu-ryo blinked, deep in thought.
A short while later, after emptying another bowl, he spoke as if something was strange.
"What if the other side broke the rules first?"
"We don’t know their circumstances, right? The people we saw yesterday were just bad criminals, but some criminals have no other choice."
"No other choice?"
"There are people who commit crimes to survive."
"If they want to survive, they can go to a construction site."
He wasn’t wrong.
As long as society exists, anyone with the courage to work can earn money through their own labor.
So why do criminals choose robbery and theft instead?
"Some people might not even have the strength to do that, right? If they’re starving, with no work..."
"As you said, there are children who steal to survive, and those forced into theft or robbery against their will."
"Right. Giving them the same punishment... Doesn’t seem fair."
"Support programs."
"Huh...?"
"You said it yourself. That the government has support programs."
Indeed, Yoo Hyena had told District 4’s residents about welfare programs that help those in need. If they applied, they’d receive support funds, which they could use to start working gradually.
"Those who have strength but break the rules don’t even try to find another way—they just pick up a blade. They bite their own kind, licking up their blood."
"But... Some just don’t know the right way."
"Even animals hunt when hungry. Rarely do they choose to prey on their weaker kin. Only monsters do that as a matter of course."
"...Those who choose crime of their own free will should be punished—for the wrongs they’ve committed."
Yoo Hyena agreed on that point.
Even if they knew there was another path, if they chose crime for their own convenience, they deserved punishment.
Like a child who learns that touching fire hurts, they must learn that crime doesn’t benefit them—it only invites others’ anger.
"Then why shouldn’t they be punished?"
"Because we don’t know. What those people have done."
"They pointed a knife at you."
"That’s true for those people, but others might have different circumstances. Some might pick up a knife just to earn today’s milk money, praying no one gets hurt."
"Then shouldn’t we just not punish those people?"
"Yes, but if excessive actions are justified as punishment for theft or robbery everywhere, then excessive punishment becomes the legal standard. Without knowing why someone did something, excessive punishment could become the norm, right?"
"I see."
"...Do you understand?"
"Cutting off a thief’s Hand isn’t a bad punishment, but if it keeps happening, even those with no choice lose their Hands. You must consider that the other person might be weak—then bite."
"R-right! So... First, give thieves a light punishment. Then, if the investigation confirms they acted with malicious intent, add more punishment."
"And the ones who investigate are the police?"
Nod. Yoo Hyena bowed her head, caught in a strange feeling.
Huh? She thought this man was a fool, but maybe he was unexpectedly sharp. Was his comment about being locked up not a joke?
Han Mu-ryo, as if writing new information on a blank page, stopped eating and muttered quietly.
"The reason for the investigation is to confirm intent."
"Yes, exactly."
"If the intent is already known, punishment is acceptable."
"That’s why superpower humans with mind-reading abilities testify in final court judgments."
"So if you know someone’s true heart, punishing them is fine?"
"No, no, no—not like that. Many people must know. If one person decides, how can we be sure it’s the right call? The one who claims they have ill intent might be lying. That’s why courts exist."
"Monsters are exterminated immediately, but humans like monsters aren’t?"
"Exterminated? Heroes shouldn’t talk like that."
"I’m not a hero."
Yoo Hyena felt a small but significant shock at those words.
Strictly speaking, the man before her was an illegal superpower—neither hero nor villain.
"Non-humans dying benefits humans. So why hesitate to kill them?"
"That’s... Not wrong, but... Wait, Han Mu-ryo, have you... Killed people before?"
"Yes. Those who treat children like trash, and... Dying humans who begged me to kill them."
Crunch, crunch. Han Mu-ryo chewed through a piece of meat with bone still attached, speaking with the same tone as if commenting on how delicious the meal was.
How could his words carry such a stench of blood? It was like talking to a beast, not a person.
The illusion faded as the metallic scent thickened, overpowering even the greasy smell of the gukbap in front of her.
"You don’t seem surprised or scared even though I’ve killed humans."
"Well, that’s... It doesn’t feel real and in this era... A world where people die easily to monsters..."
"And yet you say killing humans is wrong? Why?"
"Because..."
"If fruit has a rotten spot, you cut it out before eating. If you eat it, you get sick. So why can’t humans cut out the rotten parts?"
"Humans aren’t germs."
The more they talked, the more Yoo Hyena felt Han Mu-ryo’s standards were slightly misaligned with ordinary humans.
But that didn’t mean he was just a deranged serial killer who murdered people indiscriminately.
The fact that he was asking her these questions now proved that.
"Han Mu-ryo? Wait, can I tell you why I think criminals shouldn’t be killed recklessly?"
"Speak."
"Of course, the people you killed... Probably crossed a line. People targeting children would’ve gotten the death penalty even if Handed to the police. But what you’re struggling with isn’t whether those people should die or live, right?"
"Hm."
"They don’t seem to have done something worthy of death, but they should still be punished, right? If you cut out everything rotten, you might cut out the healthy parts too."
"True."
"Then first, the reason we shouldn’t kill: people can change. Even criminals can reform, so we shouldn’t kill them."
"Reform...?"
Again, Han Mu-ryo reacted as if he’d never heard the word before.
Like a blank slate—a strong child who knew nothing.
His methods were brutal, but his reasoning was a kind heart that sought to remove trash harming others from his sight.
In that moment, Yoo Hyena realized: depending on her words, Han Mu-ryo could become either a villain or a hero.