Except for his personality, everything was perfect. Why were all those blessings given to such a devil… James sighed while resenting the heavens today as well.
***
Cheche, Tar’s young hero, had settled in the Alcity Republic a year ago.
Tar was a very small country on the opposite side of the globe from Alcity, and it was also a place where civil war had continued for thirty years. Because of the dictator’s closed-door policy, it wasn’t easy for citizens to evacuate overseas, and even when they barely managed to evacuate, they could only move to nearby areas, so it was a country both physically and mentally distant from the wealthy and prosperous Alcity Republic. Since it was a conflict zone that could only be seen in refugee support advertisements, the majority of residents didn’t know about the young hero called hope among the Tar people and refugees.
Until a year ago when Cheche saved a war correspondent from Alcity.
When he rescued the war correspondent, not a single article was published. The Alcity media and public weren’t interested in what kind of danger one war correspondent fell into or how they were saved. However, when the reporter who escaped from Tar posted a photo of Cheche along with a story on their SNS, people’s attention was instantly focused.
The biggest reason that created the issue was undoubtedly his appearance.
Tar’s young hero was still a boy whose baby fat hadn’t disappeared. Dark brown skin with deep gray hair, golden eyes and a small build. In the photo, a boy with a fairy-like lovely appearance looked straight ahead, scratched and injured here and there. The fact that this mysterious and pretty boy who stimulated protective instincts was a hero of a war-torn country who had saved people several times couldn’t help but attract public interest.
Moreover, that boy was the same age as Alcity’s tyrant, and around that time, their nation’s proud troublemaker openly threw a drug party, further tarnishing his already nonexistent honor.
When public opinion comparing the respected young hero and the merely immature Evil Devil was boiling over, the Endem family took extraordinary measures.
‘We will save the young hero who couldn’t evacuate.’
Of course, there were small and large controversies in the process, but for the Endem family, extracting one refugee from a war-torn country was no big deal. It took only two days for Cheche to escape the battlefield and lie on a comfortable and peaceful bed.
When the young hero of the Tar civil war escaped the battlefield, public interest instantly died down.
Cheche spent a year under Alcity’s refugee protection system. In the beginning, he appeared on broadcasts and media, but at some point it became quiet and still.
On the other hand, it was the noisiest year for Evil. He seemed to be testing how many incidents and accidents a person could cause. For example, even while people were dying at an accident scene, he enjoyed mobile games and arrived late, inevitably creating casualties.
Recently, he sued someone who threw an egg at his car. It was an office worker in his forties who had harbored resentment against Evil, and while suing that person, Evil said, ‘My feelings are hurt, so I’ll take a break from aura user activities for a while.’
Evil really took a break from activities. Since the SSS multi-user who would prevent major disasters stayed holed up, the damage from all kinds of accidents inevitably increased. Arrows of criticism began to pour toward that office worker as well. The person was fired from his company, the store his family ran went bankrupt, and he was shunned by acquaintances.
He ultimately took his own life.
When news of the suicide was delivered, Evil resumed activities as if he had been waiting. Once, when a reporter asked about his feelings, Evil answered like this:
‘So what? Toughen up your mental state in your next life?’
Everyone was appalled by the statement that didn’t feel even a shred of guilty conscience.
Even if he was the only SSS multi-user in history, this was too much. Evil’s image fell into the abyss uncontrollably, and trust toward the Endem family also plummeted. Eventually, the Alcity president directly requested the Endem family to somehow restrain Evil, but Evil had long since started ignoring his parents and siblings’ touch, so it was ineffective…
That said, the republic couldn’t put strong pressure on Evil either. If they made him uncomfortable, the only existing SSS multi-user might move his citizenship to one of the many countries that wanted him. If he felt even the slightest pressure, given Evil’s personality, it was obvious he would immediately leave the country.
While they were devising a plan to somehow restore his image, an attack on a civilian village occurred in Tar. The rebels had bombed a village where refugees lived, and there were signs of using biochemical weapons. Twenty-two young children died, and thirty-one were receiving treatment at an emergency relief hospital, but their chances of survival were low.
Countless civilian massacre incidents had occurred in Tar. Most incidents weren’t even a big topic for developed countries, but only this one became a subject of controversy because most of the victims were young children. People all over the world, including citizens of Alcity, were all enraged.
Seeing that news, the Endem family thought of one method.
They thought of Cheche, who was the same age as Evil, had a good image worldwide, had received favor from the Endem family, and was a Tar person who received the world’s sympathy.
Wouldn’t the image be somewhat softened if they placed Cheche, Tar’s light of hope and young hero, beside Evil? The existence of a Tartarian evoked sympathy. It was also a good method to give the perception that the wealthy superpower Alcity and the rulers of Alcity, the Endem family, were paying attention to and watching the conflict country of Tar.
The marginalized class that was hard to meet except in refugee support advertisements—having a Tartarian take office as Evil Endem’s secretary held great meaning internationally as well.
Thinking this way, the Endem family barely obtained Evil’s consent and announced an official position.
Tar’s young hero Cheche to take office as Evil Endem’s secretary
When Cheche, who had returned to his small studio after finishing his day’s work, had just watched the TV news and was only blinking, an attendant from the Endem family came to visit.
Cheche did not refuse.
***
“Then shall we go greet the young master? It’s not appointment time yet, but if we’re late he’ll throw another fit…”
“The young master’s office and secretary office are on the 201st floor. There’s an elevator that goes up in one shot, but that’s exclusive to the young master, so only use it when urgent—normally take this staff elevator.”
“Yes.”
Cheche, who arrived at the center at the appointment time, first exchanged greetings with Evil’s secretaries and then got on the elevator together. All three secretaries were older than Cheche. They looked at Cheche, who was smaller than Alcity’s average build, with pitying eyes.
“I’m really worried. If the young master torments you too much, you must tell us, Cheche-ssi. The young master’s personality is more dog-like than what you saw on the news.”
“Yes.”
“And never be alone with him somewhere without cameras. He’s someone who wields violence indiscriminately, whether against non-users or whatever. Verbal abuse will pour out too.”
“The Endem family is too much. How can they attach such a young child to such a violent person?”
Cheche was calm, but the secretaries were in an uproar. They seemed to have forgotten that Evil and Cheche were the same age.
That was understandable because Cheche looked too small and weak even for a refugee.
Dark brown skin and large round eyes shimmering with golden light, thin ashen hair, a small build perhaps from not eating enough. Despite his expressionless face, looking at his face brought to mind a cat abandoned by its owner wandering the streets in the rain, or a baby squirrel crying alone after losing its parents. He looked too small and delicate to suffer beside that devil. The fact that such a boy had survived twenty years in a war-torn country evoked even more pitiful emotions.
Before the elevator arrived and the door opened, one secretary put a finger to their lips and made a gesture to be quiet.
“Since he’s an SSS multi-user, he might hear our conversation. It’ll be frustrating, but please be careful with your words from here. Oh, and you have to call him Director, not young master.”
“Yes.”
Since Cheche hadn’t opened his mouth except when answering from earlier, there was actually no reason to feel frustrated about not being able to speak freely.
When the elevator door opened, a man wearing glasses was standing right in front.
“Cheche-ssi, it’s our first meeting. I’m James Hogrant, Secretary-General to Director Evil.”
“Hello, I’m Cheche.”
Cheche calmly accepted the handshake. The secretary-general had a slender build and a very tired and weary impression.
“The Advisory Director is waiting. Let’s go in right away.”
“We’ll return to the secretary office. We can’t be away from our posts for long.”
“Okay.”
“Cheche-ssi, fighting!”
The secretaries who came up with him shouted “Fighting!” to Cheche and then hurriedly left for the secretary office as if afraid of being caught. In an instant, only James and Cheche remained. James lifted his glasses with a swish and looked down at him with a weary face.
“Why did you accept when you could have just lived quietly…”
“……”
“Did the Endem family perhaps threaten you?”
“No, that’s not it.”
“Then what did they say to persuade you?”
“They said the young master was the same age as me, and to think of it as making a friend.”
“They scammed you…”
James muttered tiredly and touched his glasses frame.
“Cheche-ssi, let me be clear—you can never become friends with the person inside there. He’s a devil who’s always angry. He’s a crazy bastard that even people who approached him for money and fame all left after being emotionally drained. And you must never call him young master. Call him Center Advisory Director, or just Director. If you call him young master, a crazy bastard just becomes a crazy bastard on drugs.”
