The Villainous Director Is Raising a Child!

It was peaceful.

A cozy, still sensation, as if he were floating in warm water.

Since those days sleeping in the wrecked car with noona, he couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this kind of calm.

No... come to think of it, he had been feeling this kind of ease pretty often lately.

He remembered the strange blond man who had spoken to him back when he'd been under the bed.

The way he'd built a tent for him, saying it was his own space.

And... the hand that had ruffled his hair for the very first time in his life and told him "You did well." A little rough, but warm.

But every time, without fail, a voice would come from somewhere deep in his heart.

—You really think you deserve to feel comfortable?

—Your noona died by your hand.

—You killed your only family. Murderer.

Whenever that voice came, Sihyeok did what he always did — hid himself deeper in the dark.

It's okay. It's safe inside this darkness.

Because no one blames me here, and I can't hurt anyone either.

But something kept nudging at him.

Wisp, wisp.

A ticklish little touch brushed softly against the back of his bowed neck.

Sihyeok slowly lifted his head, and there in front of his eyes, a single orange petal was floating like a butterfly.

The moment he saw the flower, tears rose in his eyes again.

Noona. A flower the color of noona's hair, one that had bloomed beautifully even in a junkyard.

He stretched a trembling hand into the air, as if trying to catch a mirage.

"N-noona... I'm sowwy... I— I did... I did wrong..."

But as if mocking his apology, the petal drifted up into the air and flew off toward somewhere in the darkness.

"Noona!"

Afraid he'd lose it, Sihyeok scrambled after the flower.

"N-noona! W-wait! I— I'm sorry! I'm sorry, noona!"

After a long chase, an enormous black wall rose up to block his path.

"Noona?"

Just then, the petal spun in a tight loop and brushed lightly against the black wall.

A small crack opened in the solid wall, and through it, bright light and some unfamiliar sound leaked through.

"...hyeok! ...you! ...!"

But Sihyeok didn't want to hear those sounds.

He stepped backward.

He liked the dark.

A murderer like him — one who had killed his own noona — deserved to be punished in this darkness forever.

But as if refusing to leave him alone, the petal spun faster and faster, and started scoring more cracks into the black wall.

Every time a crack widened, the sound coming through grew louder.

"...me...! ...ide me! ...in your shadow...!"

"No!"

Sihyeok ran up and pressed his small hands over the cracks.

"Don't break! I'm staying here! I'm not going out!"

If I go outside, someone precious to me is going to get hurt because of me again. So I'm not going. I'm never going out...!

That was the exact moment.

From somewhere, a fragrant breeze of flowers tickled his nose.

Sihyeok looked up, startled.

And held his breath.

From somewhere, another single orange petal came drifting in like a butterfly.

That was the beginning — tens, then hundreds of marigolds began to swarm toward the black wall, dancing like a cloud of orange butterflies.

The flowers settled softly onto the pitch-black sphere.

And on that cold wall of despair, they began to sink warm orange roots.

Wherever the roots pushed in, the black wall gradually lost its color.

Little by little, Sihyeok's world was steeping in warm orange — the color of noona's hair.

Krik.

A small but distinct sound of splitting.

With every push of the roots into the wall, the solid despair began to crack.

The tiny fissure made by the very first marigold to take root.

That fissure spread out like a spider's web, and finally, the world on the other side of the wall began to show through.

And beyond that broken wall...

Bleeding, and still desperately reaching a hand out toward him...

was the Director.

I shouted at the black sphere and barely dodged the Grizzly's attack.

"Sihyeok! I'm never dying inside your shadow, ever! So hide me!"

I shouted with everything I had, hoping my voice would reach the child on the other side of that darkness.

That was when—

Shhh—! — the sound of air being torn, and the monster's forepaw skimmed right past my face.

"Ugh!"

I rolled my body and just barely avoided the attack.

I was already at my limit.

Blood from a gash on my forehead was running into my eyes, and my broken arm had gone past feeling.

The fact that I was still standing at all was a miracle.

But.

I can't... I can't fall in front of that child.

Dying was fine.

But not right in front of him.

He was a boy who had lost his noona by his own hand.

I couldn't let a child like that watch another person he knew die in front of him.

That small world of his — I couldn't let my death collapse it a second time.

But no matter what I willed, my body had lost too much blood — it dragged on me like a traitor.

The instant my movement dulled.

The Grizzly's claws didn't miss it.

"Guh!"

I dropped straight down onto the floor.

I had no strength left to get up.

I could see the huge shape of the Grizzly closing in for the kill.

...So this is where it ends. And I... didn't save a single one of them.

The unfairness of it.

In the end, I hadn't changed a single thing about these children's tragic fates, and here I was, done.

...Please. Let my death not become a grief for that child.

That was the exact moment.

Crack.

A thin fissure ran across the surface of the still black sphere, and from within it a single stream of shadow shot out — shhk!

Before I could even resist, the shadow dragged me straight into the sphere.

The strangeness of the sensation blacked me out on the spot.

I don't know how long it was.

I slowly came back to myself under a warm, cozy sensation wrapping me all over.

...So this is inside Sihyeok's shadow.

Right then, a single warm drop fell — tup — onto my face where I lay.

The sound of a child crying his heart out was echoing in the darkness.

"Hnngh... I'm sorry. I— I did it — I did it — to the Director again...!"

I opened my eyes carefully.

Right in front of me were the boy's black eyes, dripping black tears.

The moment our eyes met, Sihyeok's went wide with shock.

"...Y-you're... not dead?"

At that innocent question, laughter came bubbling up from deep in my chest.

Blood came up my throat with it, but I didn't care.

"Why would I be dead, brat."

Holding back the pain, I stretched a trembling arm out and pulled the boy into my chest.

"You saved me."

"Hnh..."

"If it weren't for your shadow, that thing back there would've killed me."

I pressed his small head deeper against my chest and said it again, and again.

"You did well. Really... really well."

But even with my comforting, the boy's crying didn't stop.

He shook in my arms — almost convulsing — and whispered:

"N-no... no... I— I keep... k-killing the people I l-love..."

"Hah, brat. Look at me."

Looking him dead in the eye, I pointed a finger at my own bloody chest.

"Do I look dead to you right now?"

"...."

"Your power kills people? Don't make me laugh. Your power just saved me from that monster."

At my words, Sihyeok's black eyes shook — hard, for a long time, as if an earthquake had struck behind them.

The boy wasn't crying anymore.

He just stayed curled against my chest, breathing in tiny, quick breaths.

But that small face of his still held the deep fear and unease about his own power.

I slowly, slowly, patted his back.

"Even so — if your power still scares you... then hand it over. That power, the responsibility — all of it. Give it to me."

The boy lifted his head, eyes gone round, and looked up at me.

"From now on, only ever use your power for me. Whatever you do, whatever the outcome... every last bit of responsibility — the owner will take it."

Those black eyes that had held nothing but fear and despair — for the first time in what must have been forever — held the faintest spark of light.

In a trembling voice, as if confirming the deepest remaining fear, he asked:

"...Even if I kill someone?"

I snorted a small laugh at the question.

"Ha! Obviously. When a doll causes an accident, of course it's the owner who cleans up after it."

At my words, the boy's small shoulders visibly dropped, as if they'd been let down.

As if the invisible burden that had been crushing him for years really had shifted across to me.

The guilt — far too heavy, far too cruel — for an eight-year-old to carry.

Please. Let even a small piece of that weight really come across to me.

Praying it desperately on the inside, I forced my wrecked body upright.

I was in pieces from head to foot, but I couldn't end this yet.

"Brat. That game we played all last week... you remember?"

The one where he'd popped little water balloons with a hand of shadow.

"We're doing that right now, so stand up straight."

The boy hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"Good. Now open your shadow up, just a crack. Let me see that bear's face."

At Sihyeok's will, part of the darkness that had been wrapping around us pulled back.

Through the gap, the Grizzly came into view — thrashing and snarling, worked up because it couldn't find us.

I stepped around behind Sihyeok and wrapped his small hand in mine.

With my other hand, I covered his eyes.

"Listen carefully. That monster is just a really big water balloon."

I said it low but firm, right against his ear.

"Pop it with your shadow."

At my words, an enormous shadow-hand shot out through empty air and coiled tight around the Grizzly's body.

"Grwooaaargh—!"

Caught up suddenly, the monster let out a roar mixed with pain and rage.

It swung its razor claws to tear the shadow apart, slammed the ground to break free, thrashing against the hold.

Krrrkk, krrunch.

The horrible sound of its huge muscles twisting reached me.

Maybe the violence of its resistance transmitted back through the shadow — Sihyeok's body flinched.

"Don't flinch! I told you, didn't I? Whatever you do — all the responsibility is mine. So don't worry about it. Just pop it!"

At my words, Sihyeok bit his lip hard.

Then that small hand — the one controlling the shadow — closed into a tight fist.

In that instant, the shadows binding the Grizzly's huge body began to squeeze inward, like an enormous snake crushing its prey.

Krrrrunch!

With a horrible sound of bones being ground to pieces, the shape of the monster started caving in.

And finally, pushed past its limit, the monster's body popped — really, truly popped — like a water balloon.

Not a drop of blood. Just tens of thousands of black data shards that lost their light and scattered into empty air.

Only then did I lower the hand that had been covering his eyes.

And, forcing a smile, I ruffled the boy's hair.

"...See. You could do it after all... Well done."

That was as far as I got.

Maybe it was the relief of knowing he was safe.

I could feel the consciousness I'd been just barely holding on to — snap — go.

The last strength holding my body up scattered like sand.

I fell straight backward.

At the edge of my fading consciousness.

In that pitch-black darkness, a girl with orange hair that shone like the sun was smiling at me — bright and clear.

"Thank you, mister. For protecting my little brother."

That warm afterimage was the last thing. And then my world went completely dark.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!