"Correct their thoughts?"
I didn't understand what he meant. The man in front of me still had the same expression. Seeing my confused expression, he spoke again.
"Yes. People only see what they want to see. And they also think what they want to think."
"In the shop owner's eyes, the boy was a thief who would harm him. But after he found out how much the boy had stolen, he was actually confused. He wanted to be angry, but he knew his anger wasn't commensurate with what the boy had stolen."
"But, if he was that angry and then just let the boy go, wouldn't he feel ashamed?"
"Ah, maybe it's not right to say it like that... what do you think?" The man asked me.
For the first time, though slightly, his expression changed slightly. His lips curled into a thin smile, and his cold jade-green eyes seemed to see straight through to my soul.
"I think..."
Before I could answer, a thought crossed my mind.
Why was he asking for my opinion? Didn't he already know the answer? And wouldn't he be the one to explain it to me?
But even so, for some reason, I wanted to answer.
"I think the shop owner just wanted to vent his anger on the boy. His accusation of being a thief was just to justify his actions."
"He, and the people there, must have thought, 'Because he stole, he deserved it'." I replied.
Hearing my answer, the man only smiled faintly. He neither confirmed nor condemned my words. Because what he was asking wasn't the correct answer, but my opinion.
After a few moments of silence, the man spoke.
"Yes, and what I did was just like the shop owner." The man said, his expression as blank as before.
"What do you mean?"
"Like you said, if the shop owner labeled the boy a thief so he could beat him, then I labeled the boy not a thief so he wouldn't be beaten again."
I unconsciously tilted my head and scratched the back of my head.
"I don't understand?"
The man was silent for a moment. He looked up at the clear sky.
After a few moments of silence, he looked back at me.
"Should I explain it to you?"
I was a little surprised to hear that.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because I asked you? And because I don't know the answer?"
"Do you really not know?"
"Yes?"
"Come to think of it, you seem to know the answer."
The man stood up and walked away.
Leaving me behind, I watched him go with my mouth slightly agape. I hadn't expected it to turn out like this.
What was wrong with that man? Isn't it obvious that when someone asks a question, it's because they don't know the answer? Or was he playing with me? He told me to think about it, and I knew the answer?
If it were anyone else, I would have given him a good slap across the mouth.
But strangely, there was no such intention towards him at all.
For some reason... I couldn't understand.
The next day, the man wasn't in the park. Since he only came once a week, I started to think about what he'd said the previous day.
Sitting where he was, I watched the people pass by.
Being born into a well-known family didn't give me the freedom to act freely. Always caring about your family's reputation was something my parents always told me. It was annoying.
Everyone was wearing a mask. So was I.
I called others selfish, but I was selfish too. I judged others' actions, but I also judged my own.
Actually, when I saw that boy being accused, the first thing that crossed my mind was that there was no need to bother with other people's business. It wouldn't do me any good. But, on the other hand, I also wanted to help him.
I know how it feels to have no one to help you when you're in trouble. But then what?
In the place where the man usually sat, I could see the people passing by more clearly. Each of them had their own lives and thoughts. For some reason, seeing that scene made my heart feel a little lighter.
Was this why the man always sat here?
Under that clear sky, my thoughts paused for a moment.
The man's words slowly murmured in my ears.
"What he did was just like the shop owner..."
"The bakery owner called the boy a thief, but the man didn't call the boy a thief..."
"All he did was ask if what the boy stole was worth the beating he received..."
"But yesterday he said he declared the boy not a thief to help him..."
After a few minutes of muttering and lost in my own thoughts,
"This... isn't my thinking too shallow?"
A conclusion emerged in my mind. No, I was the one making things complicated.
The man didn't say it clearly so I could figure it out on my own. And what he said was true. I knew the answer all along.
All this time, I'd only judged people's actions in my mind. I'd never pointed it out directly to them.
Why? First, it was pointless. And second, because deep down, I'd always been bound by the words of maintaining my reputation.
Yes, all this time, I'd never done anything I wanted freely. It was like a doctrine to me. I'd held back my own opinion.
Isn't that funny? For years I gossiped about them but I only dared to do it silently. But that man, he did what he wanted to do.
He didn't condone the actions of either of them.
The bakery owner should have had a better solution than beating the boy. Like the man did, he should have paid the price. He could have ordered the boy to clean his shop, or do some other kind of help.
And for the little boy, the man didn't show him any free help. He indirectly told him that he would have to pay the price for what he had taken.
A solution that wasn't mutually detrimental but also not mutually beneficial.
Even though he still looked quite young, his mind was so broad.
"Ah, I haven't even asked his name yet."
...
"Zain."
Under the light of the crescent moon that seeped through the gaps in the leaves of the large tree, a man sat in the silence.
Someone called him from behind.
Zain turned toward the voice that called him, Evan.
Evan walked toward Zain. Standing in front of him, Evan stared at him for a moment. His jade-green eyes reflected the faint moonlight.
Evan smiled faintly.
"Nothing has changed." Evan said.
"Hm?"
Evan sat down beside Zain.
"No. It's okay." Evan smiled.
"You know, I smile more often now."
"Yeah, I can see it."
"Have I changed much?"
"I don't know, maybe?"
Evan looked around.
"It's very quiet here. And actually, it's quite peaceful here."
Zain nodded in response.
"It's been a long time since I've been here." Evan spoke with a hint of longing.
"You came, but you didn't come close." Zain said.
"Well, I was still quite shy back then, I didn't know what to say to you."
Zain turned to Evan.
"Do you have shame?" Zain said flatly.
"Of course." The corner of Evan's mouth twitched slightly as he said this.
"Is that so? I still remember someone who suddenly appeared with questions without introducing themselves or even asking the identity of the person they were asking." Zain said.
"That..."
"And also, someone who suddenly appeared and rambled on quickly without giving a clear reason."
"Ah... sorry... please don't talk about my past." Evan covered his face slightly with an embarrassed expression.
After calming down a bit, Evan spoke again.
"I really didn't mean it that way."
"The reason I acted that way was because of you and also because of myself."
"But more specifically, it was you."
"That I can't understand."