"Was it worth it? Of course not. Everyone who saw it clearly knew it wasn't worth it at all.," I thought.
People started whispering again. They shared the same thought. The shop owner was silent for a moment.
"But even so, he's still a thief!"
"There are so-called police here, why didn't you just report him?" The man said.
"That..."
"You even knew the police would probably defend this kid. Is that why you didn't report him and chose to beat him instead?"
The man's words were true. The whisperers began to add their voices one by one, supporting the man's statement.
"If you defend a thief like that, he'll continue stealing without fear."
What the bakery owner said wasn't entirely wrong. Knowing that their actions are wrong but not being punished only emboldens them to do other bad things.
But the man remained expressionless.
"I already said it, I'm not defending him. I'm just asking how much he stole and whether your treatment was worth what he did."
"Why do you keep repeating the same thing?" The man said.
Yes. From the beginning, the man hadn't defended the child who stole, nor had he blamed the bakery owner, he'd simply asked.
His words were clear, but that's just how humans are. They're afraid of being blamed.
Hearing this, the bakery owner fell silent. He wasn't sure what to say.
The man sighed slightly.
"Do you always steal like this?" The man asked the boy beside him.
The boy immediately shook his head.
"No, sir. T-this is the first time I've ever stolen." Said the boy
"Sir, this bread is still good, it's still wrapped nicely, and he hasn't eaten it yet. You can still resell it." The man said.
"Sometimes customers even return the bread they bought and ask for their money back. Wouldn't you do that to this child?"
"But, that..."
The bakery owner couldn't deny it. Finally, he fell silent.
The bystanders had their own opinions.
Some insisted that a thief was a thief, others said that perhaps the boy was forced to steal and felt sorry for him.
Whatever it was, they just watched and talked. No one took action.
Neither did I.
But, that man... the man who always stared blankly, expressionless, and seemed unconcerned with anything.
The man who seemed cold was the one who helped the boy.
Why? I don't know.
I thought he had the same thought as me, that there was no point in meddling in other people's affairs. But apparently, maybe it wasn't like that.
Yes, I didn't understand it.
After a moment of silence, the man spoke.
"Sir, I'll buy this bread, but at half price."
Half price was the beating the boy had received.
Why should he pay? Even if it were free, the boy's injury would be more painful.
The man took out some money and gave it to the shop owner. The shop owner, though reluctant, accepted it.
"And with this, this child is no longer a thief."
From beginning to end, the man remained calm. If I were in his position, there might have been another commotion.
After that, the shop owner left, and the crowd of onlookers also left. Only the man, the child, and I, remained watching from a distance.
"Sir... Thank you very much for helping me." The boy bowed in thanks.
The man remained expressionless. He looked at the boy.
"Did you really steal it?"
The boy was a little surprised, immediately lowering his head.
"If that's the case, why did you only steal that small piece of bread?" Although the man's voice was cold, it didn't intimidate the boy.
The boy spoke slowly.
"That... I never intended to steal. B-but because I was so hungry, I did it." The boy said.
"Is this your first time stealing?"
"Y-yes."
"Even if it's just a small piece, stealing is still stealing."
"I apologize."
Seeing the little boy looking down in fear, the man stroked his head.
"Since I've paid the price, you're no longer a thief. So, how will you repay me?"
The boy immediately looked at the man.
Cold green eyes stared at him. But there was no fear in his eyes.
"I'll do whatever you ask." The boy replied firmly.
"Whatever I ask?"
"Yes."
"What if I tell you to rip open your chest and take out your heart?"
The boy was a little surprised to hear this. His lips trembled slightly.
"I-if that..." He was at a loss for words.
The man smiled faintly and rubbed his head.
"I was only joking."
Then he motioned for the boy to follow him.
Would the boy be okay? Yes, of course.
Of all the people present, only the man stood beside him.
I left, lost in my own thoughts.
A week later, I saw the man again. He was still sitting there as usual.
Actually, I didn't really care about the commotion yesterday. But for some reason, I felt a strange feeling.
An urge to ask something that had been bothering me.
I walked over to him.
"Excuse me, I apologize in advance for disturbing you " I said politely.
The man looked at me. His eyes were cold, but strangely, I felt fine.
"Yes, it's okay." The man replied.
"May I ask you something?"
"Yes, please."
"Last week, why did you help that child?"
"That child?"
"The bread theft."
"Why do you ask?"
"Sorry if this sounds strange, but I'm curious. You didn't even do anything during the other commotion, so why did you help that child alone?"
"Is it because he's just a child?"
"Or because the item he stole was so small that I couldn't bear to call him a thief?"
Although I phrased it politely, the question still sounded quite blunt.
The man in front of me looked quite young, maybe only a few years older than me. I hoped he wouldn't be offended or angry.
Contrary to what I thought. The man showed no change in emotion whatsoever.
"I just did what I wanted to do. Why should there be a reason?" He said casually.
His answer made me reconsider my thoughts.
"Reason..." that single word muttered in my mind. I was speechless.
The man spoke again.
"People and even the world have their own problems. There's no need to interfere in all of that."
"If you feel the need to interfere, just interfere. If not, then ignore it. As long as it doesn't violate anything."
His casual words shocked me. I felt as if the chains that had been restraining my thoughts had simply shattered.
Yes, this life I live is mine. These thoughts I have are also mine. I can act as I wish as long as I don't violate existing laws.
The man sitting before me had the same thoughts as me. The only difference between us was that he acted without much thought.
Unlike me, who always viewed everything with annoyance and always considered it unnecessary to interfere in other people's affairs.
Sometimes, things can't be resolved without the intervention of others. Just like with the child yesterday. If this man hadn't immediately helped him, things might have been different.
"But yesterday you said you weren't defending him, but weren't your actions clearly a form of defense?" That still intrigued me.
The man looked at me, his jade-green eyes piercing deep.
"Yes, I'm not defending him. I'm just asking to confirm the thoughts of the shop owner and the people there."