Chapter 284: The Last Vote (5)
6.
Snip.
The hairdressing scissors crossed in the air.
"…Are you really okay with entrusting this to me?"
"Yes."
Reflected in the large gla.s.s window, I nodded.
Over my shoulder, the orphanage director wore a look of displeasure.
"I"d like you to cut my hair, Director. This is a rather strong wish of mine."
"The expression "a strong wish" always sounds peculiar to me. As if a wish won"t come true unless it"s strong. Interestingly, right now, I have quite sharp scissors in my hand while your neck is bound in a white cloth."
"Oh. Considering I"m an A-grade Hunter and you"re an F-grade, this gets even more interesting."
"Haah…"
The Director sighed expressionlessly. Snip. The scissors idly cut through the air again.
"It"s not too late to change your mind. The Black Dragon Witch has prepared a professional hair designer for this. It"s disrespectful to them if an amateur like me does the job, especially when you"re going to a press conference."
"Director, think about it."
"Ah, here we go again…"
"If you cut my hair, the hair designer will be happy. They"re getting paid without working. They"ve been called out and are now waiting outside. You said it"s disrespectful to the Black Dragon Witch, but she and I are close. This level of disrespect is acceptable. After all…"
"Enough. Enough. Stop."
The Director was exasperated.
"Really, when I taught you kids, I shouldn"t have held debate cla.s.ses. All of you are fools at heart, but your tongues are as skilled as figure skaters on ice."
-Indeed. You"re the culprit behind this brat"s tongue skills…
Bae Hu-ryeong commented, as if he had just solved a decade-old mystery. But since his voice couldn"t reach others, the Director kept muttering.
"Kim Han-bija, or should I say, Kim Han-bi, is lying around on broadcasts too. Sometimes I want to sew his lips shut."
Kim Han-bija, now known as Kim Han-bi. Who is he exactly…?
Sounds like a guy who would star in a political spin-off.
Definitely a vile politician who deals in threats, violence, and betrayal…
"So… Kim Gong-ja. Are we really doing this?"
"Yes."
"What if you look terrible? Don"t blame me then."
"Yes."
"It"s not me making you look bad. It"s just revealing the ugliness that"s always been there."
Isn"t that a bit harsh?
"Relax. Just relax like this."
Snip-.
The scissors sliced through my hair.
"...."
I looked indifferently at the mirror. The Director, too, focused expressionlessly on cutting. Watching his earnest effort, I couldn"t help but smile faintly, reminded of old times.
"You used to cut our hair, Director."
"Yes. That"s right."
"Volunteers from a nearby barber shop used to come. Why did you insist on doing it yourself?"
"Volunteer work isn"t always free. Sometimes they asked for paperwork, and it felt rude not to treat them well when they came. And you have to give them something for their trouble. If they came from far away, we"d even pay their taxi fare."
"Ah…"
"I thought it"d be better if I learned and did it myself."
Snip.
"...."
"...."
Snip.
"Were you embarra.s.sed?"
"Maybe…"
I nodded cautiously.
"It seems so, a little."
"Because of the other kids at school?"
"Yes. I couldn"t even say that our Director cut it…"
"That makes sense. Kids that age would be embarra.s.sed even if their parents did it. Surprisingly, young children care a lot about their hair."
"I think I said an older sister or brother cut it."
"Yes."
"That"s cruel, isn"t it? Kids can be."
"What. It gets worse as they grow up."
Snip.
"I learned diligently, knowing the kids would be embarra.s.sed. It took about two years? I think I got quite good at it, but just the fact that I was cutting hair in the orphanage was a blemish in their minds."
"...."
"Good deeds are always like that."
Snip.
A clump of black hair fell.
"Kim Gong-ja, even the best intentions can"t overcome the embarra.s.sment felt by the recipient. No matter how hard you try, the recipient won"t see the effort you put in. Volunteer work always seems clumsy, and people easily ridicule it."
"…Is that a drawback we have to accept?"
"No."
Snip.
"You need to be more thorough."
The sound of hair being cut resembled the slicing of silk.
"Looking back, I shouldn"t have cut hair in my office. While cutting hair, other kids would peek through the window. That"s why they felt embarra.s.sed. I should have cleaned up an unused storeroom, covered it with decent curtains, and only used it for haircuts."
"...."
"To cut a child"s hair once, you need to plan that much. Antic.i.p.ate their embarra.s.sment, a.n.a.lyze why they feel that way, and create a system to prevent the causes of their embarra.s.sment."
"Ah."
I blinked.
"So that"s why a beauty room was created in the orphanage when I entered middle school?"
"Yes. I a.s.sure you, it was the most beautifully decorated room in our entire orphanage."
"Yes."
I remember how the younger kids enjoyed their time there.
"It"s fascinating, isn"t it? Something like…"
"Smart, right?"
"Yes, and also…"
"Diligent."
"...."
Hmm.
It seems like more than half of my personality originates from someone.
Through the mirror, even Bae Hu-ryeong seemed to have realized something.
"Remember this, Kim Gong-ja. Good deeds, virtue, cannot be achieved solely by good intentions. Instead, imagine you"re planning something truly evil."
"Evil…?"
"When you want to help someone, plan as if you"re going to kill them. In your mind."
Snip.
"Murder doesn"t just happen. It doesn"t come to fruition just because you decide to do it, never. But if you must commit murder, what should you do?"
"First, prepare the tools."
"And then?"
"Decide on the place and time of the murder."
"And then?"
"You need to learn the victim"s daily routine. That way, you can commit the murder when they"re most off-guard and when there"s the least risk of getting caught."
"And then?"
"…After the murder, you have to think about the body. Where and when to dispose of it. How to ensure it doesn"t get discovered by others, preparing an alibi in advance. And if the police come to investigate, you have to plan your expression, face, gestures, and words…"
"And then?"
"Consider what to do if you get caught. Plan a hideout, a lawyer, defense arguments, or maybe a media strategy, psychiatric reports…"
"Yes."
Snip.
"Even villains put that much effort into a single act of evil."
"...."
"Kim Gong-ja, if you want to do good, you must be more thorough than villains."
Creak.
"Don"t expect your kind heart to conveniently make the world better. It"s not the heart that brings miracles, but actions. Actions are better when they are thoroughly calculated, a.n.a.lyzed, and executed."
"...."
"Have you calculated thoroughly?"
Thud.
"Have you, in your sincerity and kindness, unconsciously or otherwise, overlooked the emotions others might feel?"
Thud.
"Have you considered potential adversaries who might disrupt your plans? Have you simulated everything from the most trivial to the most annoying situations? Do you know the ident.i.ty of your enemies? What about the media? Public opinion? Your image?"
Thud.
"You need to be confident, Kim Gong-ja."
Thud.
"Virtue is like water. But it"s not a river that flows down from the mountain by itself, nor is it a waterfall that breaks everything in its path. If virtue is water, it"s just a well. In times of drought and dry land, you have to break the soil and rocks to finally draw a bucketful from the well."
Thud.
"Kill them."
Thud.
"With the determination to kill someone, go and do a good deed."
Thud.
"Then, only then."
Thud.
"Those who join you will feel pride."
Yes.
Director.
I understand well.
Now, where to.
Let"s go do some good.
"Ah! Master!"
Heretic Questioner.
"The preparation for the meeting is complete! Ahaha. Preparing in just one day was indeed a stretch. Over this past week, we mobilized everyone at the Temple to set up the s.p.a.ce!"
There are traitors in the Temple of Ten Thousand.
Did you consider that?
"Yes! I even baited them, thinking they might plant a bomb or something, but hmm, they didn"t bite. They seem to be more thorough than I thought."
Right.
But they won"t be as thorough as us.
"Ahaha! Of course!"
Good.
Bambolini.
Let"s go.
"The security is perfect."
Black Dragon Witch.
"I"m only telling you this, but the Black Dragon is actually composed of four separate organizations, each working independently. They compete and conspire against each other. I had each group alternately check the security, and promised to cut the budget of any group that found a loophole in half. Hmm. They all searched with fire in their eyes, but not a speck of dust was found."
Your way of working is still relentless….
"So what? That"s me. Don"t like it?"
Having a reliable friend like you is the luck of my life.
"Oh my. Thank you for being honest."
The pleasure is all mine.
Anastasia.
Let"s go.
"...Your attire is the same as usual. It doesn"t look messy."
Crusader.
"Your hair also has a somewhat roughly trimmed feel. Are you really okay with that? The vast majority of the tower"s residents are coming to see you, maybe to speak with you, and probably also to curse you."
Director cut my hair.
"Hmm?"
He often did when I was young.
"...."
I plan to bring it up when the opportunity arises.
"...?"
This is the most comfortable for me.
It gives me the most confidence.
It feels like the warmth of the Director"s hands is still in my hair, naturally reminding me where I come from, where I am. It"s comfortable.
I wanted to meet everyone in the most "me" way.
—I thought I"d talk like this.
"Indeed.... Is it intentional?"
Yes.
"A good strategy. Even better because it"s true. You being from an orphanage is something you"ll subtly yet powerfully imprint on people. It"s…"
"Hmm. Quite effective given everyone in the tower has lost their homeland. Your origin as an orphan is a symbol of having lost everything from birth. But…"
Too much emphasis on it would backfire.
"Ho?"
My origin is just a small touch to spark a bit of empathy in the story. That"s all.
Dragging on about being an orphan would only tire and possibly annoy the audience. We, the people of the tower, despite having lost much, have ultimately decided to live in a new place.
"Right. A very valid point. ...Hmm. I thought you were going to naively show a kind face at the press conference, but on second thought, you"re not that type of person. It makes me trust you a bit more."
Pioneer.
"Hmm?"
We"re not displaced persons, not refugees.
"Residents of the tower" is too bland a term.
People here, these individuals, need a name.
"...."
From now on, I will refer to the people living in the tower as [Pioneers].
"Ha."
The way a person is addressed can define their life.
It changes the spirit with which they greet each day.
The person who wakes up in the afternoon thinking, "I am unemployed," and the one who rises at dawn thinking, "I am a working professional," experience different days. These acc.u.mulated days shape them into different individuals.
Count.
We will be pioneers.
Starting today.
"...."
"…What should I say about that."
"Hmm."
"That"s a thought truly worthy of your real name."
"That"s a very Kim Gong-ja-like statement."
Let"s go.
Patricia.
Nisha.
"I have decided to take charge of the security at the meeting place."
Sword Saint.
"Since the deputy commander will be joining you on the stage to take questions, I will temporarily a.s.sume the role of the Civil Militia commander and oversee the security of the meeting place. Don"t worry about any mishaps occurring as long as you are there."
Thank you.
Calenberry~nim.
"The body checks for everyone entering the meeting place are all done."
Venomous Snake.
"It"s convenient using skills. Detection for weapons, explosives, poisons; just positioning those with such skills does the trick. You know? Even though tens of thousands were lined up waiting, as soon as our guys were deployed, everything was sorted. Haha!"
The world has indeed become a better place.
"For a while, there will be no internet connection in the vicinity. I asked the 9th in the rankings, [Kw.a.n.gyeok Messenger], for a favor. Even if someone tries to secretly record, they can"t broadcast it. In short…"
"The meeting place will become like a deserted island. If the tower is an island isolated from the outside world, then within that island, we"re creating another isolated island, aren"t we?"
"Hey hey, don"t interrupt me. Anyway, yes. We collected all smartphones and recording devices at the entrance. Oh man, you should have seen how annoyed people were! Our Civil Militia folks were nearly dead on their feet."
"You, the Chen Mu-mun leader, are only good for muscle work. We have to make use of you somehow."
"Ah? Are you trying to provoke a guild war or what?"
"Look at him getting all high and mighty just because he sparred with Kim Gong-ja…"
Ahaha.
"Huh?"
Hmm. No.
Just happy, that"s all.
"...?"
Let"s go.
Liao Fan.
"Oh wow! Leave it to me!"
Great.
"But, the number of people crowding into the meeting place is astounding. Yeah. The Babylon Square couldn"t contain them all, so they spilled over into the alleys?"
"Ho, really so many people? We"ve been focused on the preparations, so we didn"t know how things were outside!"
"Yeah. Just a.s.sume that almost everyone living in the tower has come. This is on a whole different level compared to when you first held a press conference."
Thud.
"Hmm… It makes sense since the general public is also allowed to ask questions."
"The fact that all of us are gathering in one place also adds a premium. The media have already been spreading ridiculous stories. Something about the 5 major guilds uniting into a single super guild…"
Thud.
"Ahaha, it"s more relaxing if you think of it as heating the pan in advance!"
"In case the meeting runs long, we"ve cleared all the buildings, residences, and hotels in the vicinity of the square. What"s more, most of them belong to you anyway. Whether it"s half a day, a full day, two days, three days, or even four—."
Thud.
"Say whatever you want, Kim Gong-ja."
Okay.
"We"re always ready to support you."
Everything is prepared.
Now.
Don"t forget to smile, everyone.
Even though it won"t be recorded or remembered.
From now on, we are talking with all the [Pioneers] living in the tower.
"...."
With respect.
Politely.
Even if they see us as demons, monsters, blackmailers, agitators, we will always regard them as individual humans.
"…That"s a difficult conversation."
"You say it so calmly. Really."
Can we do it?
"We"ll try our best."
"We"ll give it our all."
Okay.
Good.
Then, Bambolina.
"Yes! Master!"
Please open the door.
"Understood!"
Creeeeak-.