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Translated by BiasNil
· · ────── ꒰ঌ·✦·໒꒱ ────── · ·
Three boats floated leisurely on the Han River.
Inside them, people were locked in fierce debate.
"What are you doing! Press the button right now!"
"Move aside! If you can't do it, then I will!"
"Have you all lost your minds? We don't even know if the other boats pressed theirs or not!"
"Exactly! What if they pressed it—should we all just die together? If everyone presses it, we all survive anyway!"
Three boats.
Three bombs.
Three buttons.
Any boat that presses the button will definitely survive.
But the moment you don't press it, you might die.
Honestly, if you think about it, this button shouldn't be pressed at all.
After all, if everyone just doesn't press it, everyone lives, right? In fact, if I hadn't told them the button existed, no one would have known about it and they all would've lived peacefully. That's how meaningless pressing the button is. As long as everyone pretends the button doesn't exist and leaves it alone, everything would be fine.
But here's where the fundamental human problem arises:
Suspicion.
The suspicion of: "What if we don't press it, but others do?"
"If even one of those two boats presses it, we all die!"
Right.
The words of the man in the broadcast perfectly represented people's psychology.
The rule I set was simple:
Within the thirty-minute limit, if even one boat presses the button, the rest will explode.
However, if you press the button yourself, your boat will definitely survive—even if the others press theirs.
That alone was enough to make people think, "What if? What if there's some lunatic on the other boat who presses the button? Won't we all die a dog's death? Shouldn't we press the button too, just in case?"
That could be motivation enough to press the button, but I added one more condition to push people even further:
Paradoxically, if all three boats press the button to blow up the other boats, I'd let everyone live.
"The other boats are probably thinking the same thing we are and pressing it! If we just press the button, everyone survives!"
Right.
Exactly—reduce people's guilt.
Change the thought from "If I press this button, others die and only I survive" to "If I press this button, others can survive too," increasing the justification for pressing it.
More like: "You definitely survive if you press it, and if others press it too, they all survive. Wouldn't you be an idiot not to press it?" Make people think that way.
And my thinking proved correct, as the cameras secretly filming the three boats showed quite a few hardliners making such arguments.
However, there was one major problem with their claims:
"What if there's someone who didn't press the button? Then we'd be killing those people!"
Finally, a woman's scream burst out from one of the boats.
That was the truth the advocates for pressing the button were overlooking—or deliberately ignoring.
If there were people who trusted others and didn't press the button, then pressing it would essentially kill them.
A problem that would've ended if people had just trusted each other and not pressed it—but by pressing, they'd be driving those people to their deaths.
And as more than a few people began agreeing with that opinion…
…the cabins of all three boats descended into complete chaos.
Right. This was the scene I wanted.
Would you trust others or betray them? Was pressing the button right or wrong? People fiercely argued over that question.
A scene like the prisoner's dilemma, staged on boats from an idea I'd taken from a movie I'd seen before.
Unlike that movie, though, this was happening in broad daylight on the Han River. I was still quite satisfied.
Preparing this had been difficult. Unlike the movie, this world had smartphones, so I had to block surrounding signals so they couldn't hear what was happening on the other boats, and I had to install bomb-like devices while evading the eagle-eyed police. But I suppose it was fortunate that the result turned out well.
Of course, I had no intention of killing anyone. I was an ordinary civilian until recently, after all. I'm doing this because I have a plan.
With those thoughts, I watched the cabins again.
Boat 1, where people had agreed from the start not to press the button, seemed to have settled on not pressing it despite some debate.
Boat 2, where the "press it" and "don't press it" factions were in sharp conflict, was still fighting like mad.
And Boat 3, which had shown the most rational attitude until now…
"Now then. Everyone close your eyes. Those who think we should press the button, please raise your hands."
…was voting.
What is this? It's making me dizzy. At least it's quiet and orderly, but… hmm.
Watching the projector feed on the rooftop wall, I briefly turned my head to look at Stardust standing some distance away.
"...."
Still with a hardened face, biting her lip as she watched.
I'd threatened that if she touched me, my subordinate would hit the switches on all the boats; with the hostages in play, she could do nothing but glare and think. If any boat pressed, at most only one or two would explode, and she was likely preparing to rescue at least those afterward. The Association probably had the same policy.
…Of course, it would be best if all three boats either didn't press or all pressed so everyone survived, but looking at things, that didn't seem likely.
Anyway, with those thoughts, I studied Stardust's profile.
"…"
…Wow.
Seeing her this close continuously, I was really feeling it. She's genuinely beautiful.
The hero Stardust from the comic [Stardust]. Real name: Shin Haru.
One of the few Korean superhero comics drawn by a Korean author. The protagonist had been drawn as quite a beauty even in the comic.
…and in reality, she was even more so.
Blonde hair that gleamed as if it held starlight.
A red latex suit clinging to her entire body.
And on top of that, an absolutely insane aura.
It might be my bias for my favorite character showing since I'm seeing her in reality, but even accounting for that, her looks were crazy. Seeing my favorite in real life. I could die happy…
Of course, now wasn't the time to die yet.
Perhaps because I was staring a bit openly, she glanced my way and frowned.
"…You bastard. Do you think you'll be safe after doing something like this?"
Even her voice was beautiful.
…Right. Not the time. Stick to the plan.
After clearing my throat, I spoke in a deliberately cheerful manner.
"What hurtful words. Honestly, did I kill everyone on the boats by pressing the button or something? Whatever happens, it's their choice. I merely gave them a little push."
Before Stardust could curse me again, I quickly added more.
With less than ten minutes remaining, it was time to move to the next stage.
With that, I continued:
"The truth is, Stardust, I personally admire you. Your sense of justice hasn't broken, even in this harsh world. That statement you made in a past interview—'that everyone has the courage to sacrifice themselves deep down inside'… Ah. Truly a famous quote."
"So what are you trying to…"
"And so! I wish to give you an opportunity."
I snapped my fingers.
At the same moment, the lights I'd set up in advance flashed on around us.
As the sudden brightness made Stardust squint, I spread my arms wide and shouted:
"Indeed! Can you, who are more righteous than anyone, make even those selfish people do the same? Can you persuade everyone to choose not to press the button? I shall give you that chance."
—If you make some strange, unhero-like persuasion telling everyone to press the button, I'll detonate immediately.
At those words, the camera beside us turned on again.
"Less than ten minutes remain now! With ten minutes left on the time limit, our hero Stardust has something to say."
"Can her speech truly influence people?"
"This video will be broadcast live to the passengers on the boats starting now! Passengers, please pay attention!"
With those words, all the cameras around me turned toward Stardust.
She seemed briefly flustered by the suddenly unfolding situation.
Of course she would be, if someone suddenly shoved cameras at her and told her to give those people a speech.
However—
"…Ahem."
As expected of a professional hero—she quickly grasped the situation and stared straight into the camera.
After thinking for a moment, she opened her mouth and spoke clearly:
"Good day, everyone. I am A-Rank Hero Stardust."
Yes.
This was the opportunity I'd given her.
With one boat not pressing and the other two wavering, could she present a direction through her speech that would let everyone live? Could she persuade them? Could you?
And as if answering my question—
She began to speak calmly.
"They say that everyone has a belief deep in their heart."
And so,
In broad daylight in South Korea, the hero's sudden speech began to resonate with the passengers on the boats—and with people across the nation watching this broadcast.
***
"…So everyone, please put down the button resting beneath your hand. Believe in me, in the people beside you, in all of us living together. So that you can stand proudly before your friends, your family. So that in the future, you can be proud of your choice today. Let us show this villain that we are strong. That our faith in each other cannot be shaken by something like this."
"…Thank you."
How much time had passed?
Finally—though little time remained—Stardust's speech, delivered calmly with compelling sincerity, came to an end.
And for a moment, the passengers who had been watching looked at one another in a daze…
[…Right. We have to believe.]
[That's right! Actually, if we all just don't press this button from the start, doesn't that solve everything?]
[Exactly!]
[Hmm… Thinking rationally, if this video was broadcast to everyone simultaneously—unless it's a trap—we don't need to press it.]
After quite a bit of discussion—
In the end, no one pressed a button until the time limit ran out.
Even Boat 2, the most aggressive, put on a performance of throwing their detonator overboard.
And finally, a voice echoed through each ship announcing that the time limit had expired.
As the mechanical voice informed the tense passengers that no one had pressed a button, they all cheered, hugged one another, and danced with joy.
"…Phew."
Beside me, even Stardust seemed relieved that everyone had survived.
This would be on YouTube tomorrow. [K-Hero That Amazed Japan, Shocked Europe, and Made America Jealous! What Happened When Passengers United in Tears After Hearing Her Words?] Something like that.
Anyway, as that situation continued—
Standing beside Stardust, watching the scene, I…
"Wh-what? Haha… This can't be? Humans—those selfish humans—changed so drastically from just those words?"
I staggered with a shocked expression, clutching my head.
Carefully adjusting the angle so the camera could capture me well, I worked hard.
"This can't be…"
I muttered loudly with a frozen face, as if I couldn't believe it.
Inside, I was quietly laughing and rejoicing.
'…Just as planned.'
Just as planned, it had gone far too well.
Even better than I'd thought.