Except for the boy referred to as the captain, the other kids blinked their eyes in confusion. Among them, the smallest boy spoke up.

“Um, um, well…”

“Well, well, what?”

In response to my question, the boy known as the captain fixed me with a sharp gaze. He didn’t flinch even when Deedri broke joints. Instead, a boy standing by the captain’s side mumbled.
“Hey, anyway, what’s the deal with you guys! Our captain did nothing wrong! It’s all this guy’s fault.”

Deedri muttered bitterly.

“It’s got nothing to do with me. It’s all unnecessary, just apologize to our master.”

“No…”

The small boy jutted his chin out. Deedri’s expression grew even more sour.

“Ag, you should hit him too if you want him to listen.”

The boy referred to as the captain glared at us and then spoke.

“Red. Stand back.”
He calmly spoke, in a way that was uncharacteristic of someone about to resort to violence.

“You’re too heated to apologize right now. But my opinion remains unchanged. If it’s not your business, leave.”

I replied confidently to the captain.

“Anny, it is my business.”

“What did you say?”

I grinned at the captain’s rare look of surprise.

“I’ve come here to play today! No, I’ve come to play with you guys!”

As his face turned flustered, I swung the door open briskly.
As I entered the group of standing boys, I confidently extended my hand towards the central boy.

“Come on! Hand!”

The boy who had been lying on the ground, without bothering to brush the dust off his own hand, tightly grabbed my hand. I didn’t realize he was in the midst of a beating, and his grip was stronger than I expected, leaving red marks on my hand.

I tried hard not to show any pain as I forced a difficult smile.

“…….”

The brown-haired boy, without any words of thanks, simply held onto my hand and got up in silence.
“Are you okay?”

“Well, yeah.”

I stood up straight, casting a peculiar glance around as if checking for any prying eyes or scrutinizing gazes. The boy who had been examining me like a hawk was now on his feet.

Room 201 had split into two halves, almost as if it had been partitioned. On the left side were me, the brown-haired boy who had been attacked, and my sister Deidre. On the right side were about six boys who had been tormenting the boy who seemed to be their leader.

I stiffened my posture and cautiously whispered to Deidre, “What should we do now?”
“Unni, but…”

Deidre seemed worried that I might get hurt, and she was glaring at those boys as if ready to pounce.

“Hey, what’s going on?”

I muttered, looking at her well-defined muscles.

“…Why are you talking like that?”

Deidre suddenly realized her tone and widened her eyes.

“Oops.”

She covered her mouth with her hand and blushed as if she had let out a regional dialect in anger.

About ten minutes later, Room 201 of the Gypsy Orphanage was locked in an awkward atmosphere.

The brown-haired boy who had been the target of a group lynching initially acted tough but seemed to feel that I was quite something. He groveled to me almost as if he was trying to curry favor.

“Are you a noble?”

“Huh?”

“It’s strangely obvious. Street kids know how to recognize it. Despite the dirt on your face, there’s a distinct air of privilege about you…”
His eyes lit up strangely.

“Oh, sorry.”

“Um, yeah…”

I awkwardly nodded and gripped Deedri unnie’s sleeve.

‘Something’s odd…’

While I had undoubtedly rescued the boy from violence, it didn’t give me the same satisfaction as when I rescued Acid. I felt an uneasy sensation.

‘Violence is definitely bad. So, helping was the right thing to do.’

The ordinary 5-year-old brain and the adult brain were having a bit of a battle.
However, over time, ingrained instincts always seem to resurface.

‘But there’s something strange about this. Shouldn’t we at least try to understand the perspective of the one resorting to violence?’

I’m just an ordinary volunteer, but the people in Room 201 here probably aren’t.

I thought about going to see that leader from earlier and trying to find out why.

“Wait a minute, right here!”

“Uh…?”

“Miss Baby!”
The brown-haired boy and Deedri sister, both unable to stop me, quickly got up and dashed toward the leader like lightning. When I arrived in front of him, he looked at me and mumbled as if pondering.

“Anyway, violence is bad. If you’re going to say stuff like that, then get lost.”

“Huh? I’m not saying that.”

I wanted to say that I’m not a proponent of violence, but instead, I said firmly,

“Let’s play with me, Jaemin!”

“You hate me, don’t you.”

“Um…”
I solemnly asked him, “Are you still mad? Why were you bullying your friend earlier?”

The leader seemed to have no intention of speaking. He chuckled mockingly and said,

“Why should I bother explaining to outsiders like you?”

“Yeah!”

I nodded vigorously, but the leader still seemed unwilling to speak, only continuing to chuckle.

“You’re lying. Do you think I’ll tell you everything just because I met you for the first time today?”
“Mm…”

“You’re as naive as your face.”