I don't know the character's name, but I'm talking about the tall, slim, bald sushi chef:
In the train station, when Wick returns to NYC, why does the Chef stop himself from stabbing John? He even says something like "You're special John. I wouldn't have stopped."
He obviously still has a contract on John, but he doesn't stab him just because of the line of kids, even though he says he 'would have?' "
Did anyone understand that?
I only stopped because you stopped.
I believe this is what Zero wanted to convey to John (and probably the viewer).
That said, I’m thinking Zero could have simply been messing with John - and like John, he also stopped because of the kids. I mean, his character brought this real tongue-in-cheek humor to the film, so there’s a strong chance he was being facetious. Knowing that this is the guy who unexpectedly (and very humorously) fanboyed over Mr. Wick though, I believe he meant the “you’re special” part. Awesome character.