I Am a Bad Person
I was a bad person. -1- On the way to the new tteokbokki shop in the capital. The young lady sat glumly in Pexri No.1, her head bowed.
"Sorry..."
"It's fine."
"Because of me, you spent all the hard-earned money you'd saved up."
"I didn't earn it the hard way, so it's okay. Besides, it wasn't even my money."
"Still..."
The young lady was depressed. She kept blaming herself, saying if she'd just held back a little, none of this would have happened, and she could have bought a gift for her father too.
I glanced at her sullen expression and pulled a palm-sized black box from my pocket to show her.
"What's this?"
"A tie pin."
"Huh...?"
She looked at me with wide, flustered eyes. I gave an awkward smile and mumbled,
"I thought we might not have enough, but it turned out we did."
"...Huh?"
"While you were in the restroom, I finished talking with the clerk."
It was a lie, of course. I'd made a tough request of the clerk.
"I'm really sorry, but could you repair the tie pin on credit? It's something we absolutely have to buy..."
"Ah... yes, that's possible."
"I'm so sorry for the inconvenience. I'll pay it back as soon as possible, so please just wait a bit."
"It's okay... The money you gave should cover the repairs fully."
Thanks to wrapping up that conversation well, I was able to grab the tie pin from the wrecked store. The clerk happened to be a high-ranking staff member, and the owner wasn't a hardass either, so we got along fine. Turns out, the group of girls who'd picked a fight with the young lady were known troublemakers at the boutique...
I even got a thank-you from the clerk.
"Thanks to her, I finally got to vent after so long. I'll talk to the owner, so don't worry and head back."
The casino winnings covered 90% of the damages, so the remaining amount wasn't too burdensome. The sharp-eyed young lady hadn't damaged the dress or anything pricey, so the compensation was relatively low. It was an amount I could pay off by catching a few wanted criminals who'd show up mid-novel—no big deal.
To show her worries were unfounded, I pressed the black box containing the tie pin firmly into her hand.
"A birthday gift for the family head. You have to be the one to give it."
"Ricardo..."
She bowed her head and fell silent.
"If I'd just held back a little, this wouldn't have happened."
"Holding in anger just makes you sick. You said it yourself before—'You can endure hunger, but not anger.'"
"...Yeah."
The young lady had a foul temper. Fiery as ever, past and present, with a sharp tongue to match. In front of me, she was like a plump cat mewling pitifully, but around others, she might still channel that novel villainess vibe. The version of her in the novel was far crueler and more wicked than now.
I knew sides of her she didn't even know herself, so maybe that's why I reacted leniently. Even if others called her a crazy bitch, she just looked kind to me—like a fairy, even.
'You all don't know what a true villainess looks like.'
Something like that.
I calmly adjusted her muffler and bundled her clothes around her. Even if her mood was sour, she had to stay healthy.
"You'll catch a cold. Bundle up properly."
"Sniff... Okay."
In a small voice, she said to me,
"Thank you."
"No problem."
We'd only walked a short way when I cautiously asked her why she'd fought them. It didn't seem polite to ask outright, so I waited for a lull and broached it gently.
"Why did you fight with them?"
"Oh."
With a hint of lingering anger in her voice, she told me,
"They called me a cripple."
I froze.
"I'll be right back."
"Where?"
"They don't look beaten enough."
She grabbed the hem of my coat as I turned toward the shop. Her ears, visible as she bowed her head, were flushed—maybe from the cold.
"Don't go. I scolded them plenty."
"No way. I'll go crack their skulls with my knuckles."
"It's fine."
I pictured the faces of those girls sprawled on the floor. An orc-shaped one with a triangular head. A goblin-faced girl. A lanky bamboo stalk. If I saw them on the street later, I'd empty a month's allowance into it, but I pretended to yield to her grasp and stopped.
"You sure it's okay?"
"Yeah. Now I'm just hungry."
"Sigh..."
Wishing their futures to be a bed of thorns, I turned back at her tug.
"Can't be helped, then. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again."
"I'll try to hold back more next time."
"Don't. You can vent on me."
"Then I'll get just a little mad."
We slowly made our way toward our destination. The cold wind felt a bit warmer somehow. Maybe from the anger, or the warmth of the moment—who knows. Even this chill didn't feel so bad.
In front of the bustling tteokbokki shop, amid crowds of people. I stared at the long line with trembling eyes and said,
"What is this?"
"A line."
"I know that. But isn't it way too long?"
A massive crowd had gathered. So many people, just to eat tteokbokki—it was unbelievable to our country-bumpkin eyes, the young lady's and mine.
"Whoa. This is no joke."
"We won't get food?"
She looked troubled. Already hungry from the fight, and now no food? She mumbled about how upsetting that would be. I wanted to give her hopeful words, but the crowd showed no sign of thinning, so I gave a vague reply to ease her anxiety.
"Yeah... too many people..."
"But I'm hungry..."
The new tteokbokki shop in the capital was smaller than I'd imagined. A red sign on a modest 15-pyeong building. No indoor seating—just takeout and outdoor tables like a street food stall. Smaller than expected, which made finding it take longer. Who'd have thought they'd build it like this?
Back when I chatted with Malik about the business at the mansion, I'd mentioned it offhand, never dreaming he'd actually do it.
"Hyung-nim."
"Don't call me that. I'll get attached."
"Then boss."
"...Just call me Malik."
"Do you know the best way to enjoy tteokbokki?"
"Use good ingredients?"
No, Malik had listened intently to my words, more focused than when we talked auras. I remember that much.
"It's the atmosphere."
"Atmosphere?"
"Cold winter. Hot broth and tteokbokki."
"..."
"Eating outside beats inside— that's when it's best."
"Won't it be cold?"
"Isn't that the romance of it?"
"True..."
I even recall him scribbling notes furiously. And now, here was the proof: the endless line. Seeing a scene from my past life in this world felt nostalgic. Lost in fond memories amid the familiar sight,
Grrrrowl.
A weird noise came from beside me. I shot her a quizzical look, and there she was, drooling as she stared at the tteokbokki shop.
"I'm hungry."
"You used a lot of energy after so long. Makes sense."
"Yeah. But the line's too long."
"..."
I nodded at the endless queue. It really was too long. In my past life, I'd question waiting this much for tteokbokki, but this was the empire's only spot for it. I hadn't expected it to sell this well—arrogantly thought about opening one myself sooner, but I knew I couldn't pull off what Malik did. Shaking off the rude notion, I glanced at her.
"Should we line up?"
"Yeah. Before more people come."
No suggestions for other food. She wanted tteokbokki now. I carefully pushed her wheelchair forward, then heard a familiar male voice from behind. I turned cautiously.
"Ricardo."
Handsome features. A moneymaker who shone. More suited to a kitchen knife than a sword. Malik shouted as he spotted us,
"Where you going? You're this way."
He pointed to the shop's back door.
"VIP pass."
What a guy.
The same time. To shake off her gloom, Yuria strolled the streets with Ruin and Mikhail— their first outing in ages. The trio, all suspended amicably. Ruin, miffed at the punishment, grumbled about the injustice as they walked.
Then a spicy aroma wafted from a shop, halting their steps.
"Huh...?"
A familiar scent. Yuria turned toward the long-lost smell of familiar food.
Recipe obtained from a monster hidden in the borderlands.
Ruin saw Yuria stop and asked,
"Wanna eat?"
"Huh?"
"You look like you want some."
At his casual probe, Yuria nodded.
"Yeah."
She craved it after so long—the food Ricardo had made her at the academy during tough times. They lined up. When her turn neared,
"Huh?"
A familiar face in a white chef's uniform caught Yuria's eye.
"Oh?"
"Oh? We meet again, Yuria."
In the unlikeliest place, Yuria ran into Ricardo.