I Picked Up the Greatest Villain in the Story

2.

“Hmm~”

There were many Hunters visiting the cafe today. Overhearing the customers’ conversations, it seemed a famous guild was conducting new Hunter training in the dungeon in front of Jian’s cafe.

Thanks to this, today’s sales hit a record high since Jian had been working here after his possession.

The cafe building was also owned by Jian, so there was no rent to pay and no labor costs.

Excluding only the cost of ingredients and utilities, everything else was profit, making his steps towards the convenience store light as if they had wings.

‘I’ll treat myself a bit today.’

At the convenience store, Jian always picked up just one triangle kimbap and a cup of instant noodles. The habit of extreme frugality was ingrained in him, so even though he had more money now, his spending habits were similar to his previous life.

But today, with the good sales, he planned to buy kimbap with tuna, a spicy hot bar, and even a grape-flavored drink. He thought that if he gradually got used to spending money like this, maybe someday he could even buy his dream car.

His mouth watered as he pondered what to eat. Just as the convenience store came into view, Jian stopped in his tracks at the noise coming from a nearby alley.

Thwack, thud, thud—!

The familiar sound caught Jian’s attention. After losing his parents in a sudden accident as a child, Jian had grown up being beaten to a pulp by his aunt and uncle while living with them.

Even at a glance, this sound was clearly that of fists and feet hitting flesh.

“You bastard, how dare you try to touch someone else’s wallet. You must have a death wish.”

It seemed the person being beaten had tried to steal the attacker’s wallet.

Although three years had passed since dungeons appeared, there were still quite a few people in this world who couldn’t find proper jobs and wandered the streets.

Despite the government implementing various policies for vulnerable social groups, many people were living even more difficult lives than in the world Jian originally lived in.

As a result, South Korea, once known for its low pickpocketing rates, had long been overrun by skilled pickpockets.

‘You just chose the wrong target.’

He wasn’t condoning crime. However, knowing there were many people in desperate situations, he couldn’t help but feel sympathy.

Jian cautiously approached the alley. He thought he could persuade them with words, saying they’d beaten enough already.

The scent of blood made him break out in a cold sweat and his legs trembled, but having witnessed the violent scene, he couldn’t just ignore it.

Then he realized that the person being beaten was alarmingly small and frail.

‘…It’s a child.’

The child’s limbs, covered only by a ragged cloth, were as thin as dry twigs. The child looked to be about five or six years old.

In contrast, the person mercilessly beating the child was a sturdy young man in his 20s. The moment Jian discovered the child’s face was covered in blood, his reason snapped.

Thwack—!

“Urghh…”

The man collapsed to the side, clutching between his legs. Judging by his eyes rolled back so far the black was barely visible and the foam at his mouth, the impact seemed severe.

Jian stomped on the fallen man’s groin once more as he approached the child. The man let out a dying groan, but Jian’s eyes were fixed only on the child.

The child was lying on the ground, weakly looking up at Jian with swollen eyes from the beating. Jian carefully knelt on one knee and extended his right hand.

“Do you want to come with me?”

He knew there were many orphaned children in this world.

Almost every day, the news covered related issues, and various current affairs programs debated how to save children left in the blind spots of government protection.

However, this was the first time he had directly witnessed a child who had suffered such harm. He saw his younger self overlapping with the image of the disheveled child.

Back then, there was no one to reach out to him, but maybe he could be that person for this child.

It wasn’t a momentary whim. Unlike his previous life where he struggled with private loan debts, Jian now had enough strength and ability to easily support one child.

A tiny warmth grasped his fingertip. Though it was a weak touch, to Jian it felt as desperate as grabbing at a straw while hanging off a cliff.

Jian’s eyes curved gently as he looked at the child. Hope shone in the sparkling eyes beneath the swollen eyelids.

* * *

“I should change the water once more. Just a moment.”

Jian rolled up his sleeves that had slipped down and reached into the bathtub to pull the plug.

A large towel covered the back of the child who was sitting curled up against the wall of the tub. The tiny body was covered in bruises and wounds.

The child was currently wearing only underwear. The clothes the child had been wearing seemed beyond salvaging even after washing, so they were immediately thrown in the trash.

The child’s toes wriggled as they watched the dark gray water being sucked down the drain.

Worried the child might be cold, Jian quickly turned the faucet to the hot water side. After all the dirty water drained out, he plugged the hole again.

Jian reached for the shampoo bottle after checking the water temperature with his hand. He poured an appropriate amount of shampoo onto his palm and sat down next to the child.

“Can you tilt your head back a little? I’ll wash your hair.”

He planned to tackle the hair first while the tub was filling up. Just as he was about to touch the hair with his hands lathered with soap,

“Aaagh!”

The child suddenly screamed and flailed their arms. The child’s voice, heard for the first time, was raspier than expected. Jian’s eyes widened in surprise at the violent reaction from the previously calm child.

A moment later, a stinging pain erupted on the back of his hand. The child’s nails were extremely long, likely from wandering the streets for a long time. Three thin lines were drawn across the back of his hand.

Despite the beads of blood forming, Jian couldn’t take his eyes off the child who was thrashing like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

“Sorry, sorry. I was thoughtless. You don’t like having your head touched, right? I won’t touch it. Look. Both my hands are up now.”

To calm the child, Jian raised both hands like a criminal facing an armed police officer. As a result, the foam collected in his palms ran down his arms and seeped inside his clothes.

It felt unpleasant, but calming the child was the priority. Whatever trauma the child had, this incident made it clear that the head was an extremely sensitive area.

Fortunately, the child’s rough breathing gradually subsided. The eyes visible through the long, tangled hair were shaking greatly.

When the child saw the trickle of blood running down Jian’s arm, their small lips pouted.

Noticing the gaze, Jian stood up and headed to the sink. He turned on the water and roughly washed off the foam and the wounded area.

The wound was deeper than he thought, but to reassure the child, he waved his hand as if it were nothing.

“I’m not hurt much. And it doesn’t hurt at all.”

The dark gaze lingered for a long time on his gently smiling face. The towel covering the child’s body had fallen off during the struggle and sunk under the rising water.

Feeling cold, the child hugged their knees with skinny arms.

Seeing this, Jian approached the bathtub, making eye contact with the child. He knelt on the wet floor and rested his arms on the edge of the tub.

“Are you scared of washing your hair? It’s not a big deal. It feels really cool and nice. Want me to show you first?”

Despite draining the dirty water and filling it with clean water, the clear color was already becoming murky. It seemed like they’d need to repeat this process three or four more times.

The child’s hygiene was at its worst, making it impossible to guess how long they had been wandering the streets.

Jian noticed the bulge in the middle of the child’s underwear and realized it was a boy.

Despite being a boy, his hair reached down to his collarbone. The messy, tangled appearance showed it hadn’t been cared for in a long time.

Given the extreme aversion to having his head touched, every action became cautious.

Jian wet his own hair with the shower hose. He was going to need a shower anyway, so he thought he might as well start with washing his hair.

After his hair was sufficiently wet, he lathered up some shampoo. His ten fingers moved enthusiastically, scrubbing his scalp with blunt fingertips.

“Ah, that feels good.”

He deliberately let out a pleased groan. The accumulated grime on his scalp was washed away by the foam.

“You lather up the foam like this, then rinse it off with water. It doesn’t hurt at all. It really feels good.”

Jian explained each step while maintaining eye contact with the child. After confirming there was enough foam, he sprayed water on his head.

The child, still hugging his legs tightly, watched Jian wash his hair without blinking.