The Crazy Villain Regains His Sanity

Chapter 50:

Together with Go Ye-jin, we arrived at the Baekbanjip restaurant. She quickly became friendly with the owner and his wife, as if she had been a regular for ten years. And then she explained the reason why she suddenly approached me.

Transcendent Choi Jun-ho is so elusive that I thought it would be difficult to meet you. So I followed Team Leader Jung Da-hyun, who is your former supervisor. I heard that the two of you often have meals together.

She had followed Jung Da-hyun for almost a month and finally succeeded in meeting me.

I thought she was a master at title creation, but she was also a pro at persistence.

When I asked if she was an Awakened, Go Ye-jin nodded.

Yes! Im an Awakened. I didnt have the talent, so I gave up. Hehe, Auntie, please add another bottle of water here! The soybean paste stew is so delicious.

Jung Da-hyuns expression next to me wasnt particularly bright. Was it not tasty? It tasted the same as usual.

I continued the conversation with Go Ye-jin.

What would be your article about?

Oh! Recently, Transcendent Choi Jun-ho has become extremely popular because you hunted Nuri. Can you feel that?

Not really.

Even villains didnt recognize me.

Jung Da-hyun was more famous.

Oh? First of all, Transcendent Choi Jun-hos popularity on the internet is remarkable. Before, there were some comments that doubted you, but now its all praise! You may not have personally experienced it, but if you were to attend events where you can be recognized, you will certainly feel how your popularity increased several times over. Naturally, if you were to be covered by the media, you would receive high viewership numbers.

Even without media coverage, it seems like there are a lot of views?

At first glance, Go Ye-jins articles had a much higher number of views than others.

Go Ye-jin smiled shyly.

Im a bit confident in that area

Youve come up with a lot of interesting titles.

Im sorry! I was wrong! Please spare me!

She immediately contemplated her actions and begged.

I wont kill you.

Thank you, thank you.

Ill have to think about it a bit more before I give you an answer. Im going to take advice from those around me before I make a decision.

Yes! Please contact me anytime when youre comfortable, and Ill come running!

Go Ye-jin handed me her business card. Accepting that, the conversation paused, and we took a moment to focus on our meal.

Have any organizations been bothering you lately?

What kind of organizations?

Well, you know, a Transcendent made a lot of money. So, I thought charity organizations or something like that might try to contact you

Ive never encountered that.

Oh, really? Thats strange. Charitable organizations are practically scrambling to get in touch with you.

Oh.

I remembered that I had told Oh Jong-su to unplug the phone line. Thats why I hadnt received any calls. They must have reached out elsewhere.

By the way, charity. Its embarrassing, but its a word I havent thought about at all.

Charity is a good thing.

Yes? Really?

Both Go Ye-jin and Jung Da-hyun looked surprised by my response.

I wondered if I had said something wrong.

Isnt charity a good thing?

Uh, yes! Of course!

Why do you ask?

No, its nothing at all.

When Jung Da-hyun interjected as she watched Go Ye-jin sparkle with curiosity, she said, Wait a moment, Miss Reporter. Please dont use this for an article.

Huh? Oh, okay.

Disappointment briefly crossed Go Ye-jins face.

Is there a problem?

Not really

It could become bothersome.

Its alright. Ive disconnected the phone line.

Oh, thats why I couldnt reach you.

Thank goodness. Thats great.

I thought she might contact me from somewhere else.

We finished our meal and had a drink at a caf. Go Ye-jin explained the situation surrounding me from the perspective of a journalist, saying things like the economic impact being 100 trillion won or South Koreas security ranking rising five levels.

Even Jung Da-hyun, who had been listening absentmindedly, became genuinely interested.

The part about overseas assignments was especially fascinating to me.

Transcendent had more influence than I had thought, and most cases involved intricate political relationships.

I realized that I was quite free.

Please be sure to contact me! Until we meet again, Ill diligently write articles about Transcendent Choi Jun-ho.

I expect more sensational headlines.

Got it! Ill do my best to write more stimulating ones!

Could it get more stimulating than the titles I had seen today?

Shes quite an energetic person.

Thats true.

But what was Go Ye-jins Gift?

***

Mentioning the charity organization made me realize that I had never really thought about donating before.

Using my hard-earned money to help someone else. In my previous life, I lived a mediocre life and only awakened to my potential later, so I never had the chance to consider it. In this new life, I had been too busy adapting while working as a government hunter to think about it.

Maybe I should look into donating?

Thanks to you, the place where I should be dealing with security for awakened individuals is now being plagued by charitable organizations.

I was summoned by Cheon Myung-guk to the Blue House and had to listen to his prickly words.

Oh, I didnt know.

Its okay. Even though its been a struggle, its actually more convenient for me to be able to control the situation from this side.

Then please continue to do so.

Was it okay, or was it not okay?

What a confusing guy.

Ill reconnect the phone line.

Under some unspoken pressure, I changed my words.

Soon, a diplomatic delegation sent from allied countries, starting with the United States, will arrive.

Do I have to participate in that?

Of course.

Strange, this didnt sound like what Lee Se-hee said.

Ive heard from people around me that there could be troublesome incidents. There are things like exchange battles, too.

Surely youre not saying that because its troublesome, are you?

What a ghost. Why were there so many people around me who could read minds?

Its not like that. But I heard there could be confrontations with other Transcendent, and I dont have the confidence not to kill them.

Not killing them means

I might accidentally kill them.

How could one engage in a confrontation without killing?

The most challenging thing for me was controlling my strength. I didnt have the confidence not to kill. I would willingly accept a challenge if I was free to kill them, but it didnt seem possible.

I thought it might be better to provoke them into a fight, shouting that I would kill them.

I cant stop my hand most of the time.

Youre not doing it on purpose?

No.

Its kind of embarrassing to say this. I was a government hunter who became a state-certified Transcendent to serve the country, and I was saying its hard to spare a persons life.

Once I became sane, I was experiencing things I hadnt experienced when I was a villain.

But how could one engage in confrontations and still spare the life of the other party?

Ill try my best to minimize conflicts. However, the President may have other orders.

Thank you for your consideration.

If Cheon Myeong-guk was doing his best, this should be enough.

And the Nuri settlement funds will be deposited soon.

Thats fast.

Is it okay for the person receiving the money to be so indifferent? Anyway, once you receive the money, various organizations, including charitable ones, will pester you.

Cheon Myeong-guk said that even if one tried to conceal information, details about the money would definitely become public.

Even existing Transcendent have had a hard time dealing with the leeches who are after money. I know that Transcendent Choi Jun-ho isnt too greedy in that regard, but it wouldnt hurt to manage things in advance.

Thank you for the advice.

Dont mention it.

Cheon Myeong-guk mumbled, Im worried you might kill those leeches, too.

I couldnt hear what he said, but he was talking to himself, so I ignored it. He must be under a lot of stress.

Oh! And youre giving a special lecture soon.

A special lecture?

Headmaster Go Myung-hak requested it. He wants you to teach the students a thing or two before the battle exchange.

Go Myung-hak-nim. Hes truly an exceptional person. I think the phrase extraordinary might have been made for him.

Hes a great person.

Despite that, it seemed like there was quite a bit of frustration building up inside him.

Please, I beg you, be gentle with the students.

I wont kill them, dont worry.

Of course, its a lie. There were some Academy problem children who would become villains in the future, so if they crossed the line, I planned to take them down.

But what could I teach the students? I hadnt really thought of it.

What I was good at ultimately involved killing something.

Thats too much, so I should teach them how to use Force, or how to open Gifts, or something.

***

Two days after my conversation with Cheon Myeong-guk, over 2 trillion won was deposited.

Honestly, it didnt feel real. It was such a huge sum of money. With this, I could eat whatever I wanted and buy whatever I desired.

But that was it.

Money doesnt mean much to me. I just needed money to eat what I wanted to eat and buy what I wanted to buy. I didnt think I had ever felt short of money since becoming a government hunter.

The moments when I needed money were when I had to cover Oh Jong-sus medical expenses and buy a house in Seoul for my parents.

Even those were easily resolved by going hunting on the same day.

I really dont know what to do with it.

Maybe I should consider charity.

I had never seriously thought about it, but charity didnt seem like a bad choice. If I could bring hope to someones life with the money I earned, wouldnt that be a valuable thing, too?

Upon reflection, I realized that my actions in my past life involved a recurring pattern of causing harm or negative consequences. I thought it would be nice to be recognized as someone who donated a lot. I could also create scholarships in my name, and contribute research funds to the Sacred Guild Research Institute.

But how much should I give? Honestly, even if I gave some allowance to Yoon-hee and contribute to the Sacred Guild Research Institute, there would still be quite a lot left.

When I mentioned this to Yoon-hee, she didnt respond with praise but with a scream.

Are you crazy? Why did you suddenly become interested in that?

What, charity?

Yeah. Why are you suddenly trying to do something youve never done before?

Isnt it okay?

No, its not!

Why?

I couldnt understand Yoon-hees screaming.

Do you know what they do with the money they get from donations? Theyll change cars, go out to dinner, and go to workshops because someone like Oppa donated!

Yoon-hee.

Yeah?

I felt sorry for Yoon-hee. She should see the world with more beauty, but she seemed too jaded.

Those are just isolated cases. There are also many people who volunteer with good intentions. So, dont look at it with such a biased perspective

Oh, seriously! Ah! Frustrating!

Leaving Yoon-hee, who was pounding her chest, behind, I went into the room to change my clothes and then came out. It seemed like Yoon-hee still hadnt calmed down, as she drank cold water vigorously and then looked at me with a stern expression before rushing towards me.

So, are you really going to do it?

Im still thinking about it.

I told you not to.

Do you really want me not to do it?

Yes

But I want to.

Yoon-hees fiery spirit had weakened. Then she withdrew her anger and took a deep breath, stepping back.

Ah! Im not saying you shouldnt do it. Its not even my money, so I cant push it too far. Just donate a little instead. Dont just give away a huge amount for no reason, saying you dont care about money. Got it?

Was I really that bad with money? I didnt mind having a caring younger sister like her, so I agreed without resistance.

I got it.

How much are you going to donate?

About half a trillion?

One trillion? Hey, are you crazy?!

I made one joke and had to endure a waterfall of scolding.

***

The next day, when I arrived at the National Security Agency, the surroundings were filled with noisy phone calls.

The way everyone looked at me was not very nice, but I understood the situation when Jung Ju-ho, who had taken me to the directors office, said.

People are making a fuss everywhere because of the money you received. Why are all these inquiries pouring in here?

I remembered something I had forgotten.

I forgot to connect the phone line.

Dont lie! Did you do it on purpose? Do you know how many people are dying here because of these never-ending phone calls?

Ill apologize later.

Will the people here just accept a few words of apology? Huh?

Youll find out when I do it later.

True apologies required a certain amount of sincerity.

By the way, I didnt know there were so many organizations wanting donations.

It seemed that Jung Ju-ho was curious about my willingness to donate as well.

Are you really going to donate?

I have to.

How much?

A reasonable amount?

I dont know what your reasonable is. Anyway, just end this situation quickly.

Okay.

Jung Ju-ho sent me out of the directors office, telling me to clean up the mess.

I went around the National Security Agency and apologized. The incident that happened because of me led to cheers as I promised to treat them to an expensive meal soon.

Seeing that even such a mistake could be easily compensated for, money seemed to be a very useful tool.

I informed the National Security Agency members of the conditions I wanted.

While Yoon-hees nagging was relentless, I had a firm belief that if I were to make a donation, I would set some basic conditions. If the conditions are met, I am willing to offer a substantial amount.

After circling around like that, he encountered Jung Da-hyun, who had just finished patrolling.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

I heard youre also going to donate, which is great.

But Yoon-hee kept nagging me.

There are organizations out there that are a cause for worry. But I know youll choose well, Oppa.

To be honest, Im not sure which ones are good.

It would be better to investigate and then decide.

The world was vast, and there were many people in need.

There were so many charitable organizations out there, its hard to know where to start.

The fortunate thing was that I had a lot of money now and the ability to help others.

If there are too many conditions for the donation, its not good.

Yes, but

I only set one condition.

What condition is it?

They will give me the authority to check how the donated money is being used.

Its only natural to see where and how the money I donated was being used.

Jung Da-hyun, who was full of concerns about my words, looked contemplative.

If they misuse the money you donated

Well, charitable organizations wouldnt do that. They wouldnt take donations and use them for themselves, right? Thats what villains do.

And if theyre villains, they should be eliminated.

I didnt know there were so many places with good intentions in the world. Many of them will contact me tomorrow.

And the next day.

I didnt hear from a single organization that had received my intentions.