· · ────── ꒰ঌ·✦·໒꒱ ────── · ·
Translated by BiasNil
· · ────── ꒰ঌ·✦·໒꒱ ────── · ·
Now, let's think about it.
The villain started a terrorist attack.
But what are the chances that the villains' hostages are his fans?
I don't know how many there will be, but I think I know it now.
"Mangosticcccccck! I'm your fan!!!!"
College girls screamed loudly with their windows down.
Why the hell is this happening to me?
All I wanted was a normal family shaking in fear.
Oh, they're shaking, too.
But I think they're shaking from excitement…
"Haha, I didn't expect this situation…"
I said with a big smile.
Metal music was still blasting in the car.
At the same time, those excited eyes were all on me. They are… hostages?
[So funny hahahahaha.]
[About the case where the hostages were my fans]
[How did they run into Mangostic? Hahahaha So brave!]
[Really. Isn't it his first time hearing the word "Mangostic"?]
[I think he already knows, since he called himself Apple Mango last time.]
[They're so brave. A villain's fans coming out in front of the whole country—wearing their college jackets and staring right at him.]
[That's crazy.]
The chat window itself was a mess.
No, the more I run into this kind of situation, the more I need to get my act together.
This is within the expected range. If I stay focused and move on smoothly, there'll be no problem.
I reset my expression and smiled at them.
"Yes, yes. Hello, I'm Egostic. Everyone is very… hmm… You all seem to be having fun. Can you introduce yourselves?"
"YES!!!"
The women answered with full energy.
Yeah, yeah.
Energy is good.
The girl by the window where I was standing spoke first.
"Hello! We're members of 'Veritas,' a club about heroes and villains at Yeonhee University!"
She answered brightly, brimming with energy.
No, I didn't ask for your university and club names. That's TMI.
It felt like idols greeting the crowd at a year-end festival.
...This is definitely an interview with hostages who just happened to be trapped on the bridge, right? I'm not hosting Music Bank*, right? *TN: A Korean music show on KBS.
"My name is Kim Yeon-hwa, the club's manager."
And the girls behind her revealed their names one after another.
Then one of them suddenly shouted:
"Kim Yeon-hwa is your fan-cafe manager, oppa!"
…Who the hell is your "oppa"?
Setting that aside, what she said was… interesting.
"The manager of my fan cafe?"
I looked again at the girl sitting in front.
She was slightly blushing.
Twisting a strand of her brown bob, she spoke again.
"Y-Yes. Do you know Mango Union? Mango… I mean, they're the fans who like you, Egostic. By the way, everyone here, including me, is in Mango Union!"
She spoke with full pride.
Ah...
Please stop.
I'm cringing so hard my hands and feet hurt.
Who does this right in front of the person…?
But I'm a professional—professional in the villain industry.
The professional me… replied with a fresh smile.
"I see. It's an honor to have people who like me. But, um… I'm really curious, do you know that I'm a villain?"
I went for the curveball.
I mean, I'm grateful they support me.
But are they forgetting that I'm a villain?
I thought Mango Union was just an online, tongue-in-cheek thing, but I've changed my mind.
Even as hostages at an actual terror scene, their eyes are sparkling at the terrorist—that's not a bit.
This is just madness…
Why would someone who looks normal and popular do this?
Startled by my honest question, she asked back with a puzzled voice:
"What? Aren't you the S-class hero, Apple Mango?"
I almost lost my mind.
No, I can't keep listening to this.
I can't stand it anymore. Please stop.
"Y-Yes!!! Thank you. That's a very interesting story. Could you say a few words to wrap this up?"
I hurried the closing line.
Obviously, my purpose was to instill guilt in the public who only wanted to grab $100, but we've veered a few thousand light-years away from that.
It's right to end quickly.
When I gestured to wrap it up, they whined, "Already?"
Well, I think this is the most painful moment since I fell into this world. I'm going crazy.
Of course, I didn't show it on my face—I just smiled.
Thankfully, the mask covers half my face.
My lips were trembling underneath.
Aside from the peanut gallery in the back saying weird things, the club manager thought for a beat, then her eyes lit like she'd realized something.
"Oh!"
She rummaged through the bag in front of her.
Seeing that, the others all dug into their bags too, as if they'd realized the same thing. What now?
What they pulled out…
A notebook?
"Give me your autograph!"
They thrust notebooks at me, eyes shining.
My poker face broke; I rubbed my forehead and sighed.
Please… please stop…
[Hahahahahahahahahahahaha.]
[Can you see how genuinely bewildered he is? Hahaha.]
[Aren't they just crazy brats? Hahahahaha.]
[Dizzy yet?]
[This is a conversation between a terrorist and a hostage, right?]
[Why are you giving them an autograph? Hahahahaha.]
[Mango sighed but still did everything they asked. Hahaha.]
[Is this really a villain? Hahaha.]
In the end, I gave them autographs.
I just scribbled in English. A rough signature—but they loved it.
Lastly, I ended the interview by giving them some leftover strawberry cream bread.
They screamed as they rolled the window up.
"Oh! And we got the $100! Thank you!"
Tsk.
This terrorist attack is a disaster.
***
Anyway, after many twists and turns, the promised time was up.
I turned the camera back on after the interview.
Standing on Mapo Bridge, I turned on the mic and announced:
Behind me was a huge electronic display—not a blue sky.
How did Seo-eun make it float with compositing tech? Is this the famous metaverse?
"Yes, everyone. It's already seven in the evening. The public-participation terrorism I proposed: Did you choose $100, or the lives on this bridge? I'll reveal the results of this terrorist attack, prepared to find out how selfish humans are."
[Bump. Bump.]
[I don't think there are more than 5 million.]
[There's no way 5 million people saw this… Not in such a short time with no notice.]
[Let's go~ Let's go~ Let's go~ Let's go~]
[We can't disappoint Mr. Young-jin. Show them Korea's power!!!]
[I don't think that Yeon-hwa girl will be disappointed.]
[F—. If the bridge collapses, I can't get to work.]
[I'm a civil servant. I'm praying it doesn't blow up, hands together. If it does, I'll lose it.]
"Please show us the results! The result is!!!"
The number on the electronic board behind me began to climb.
Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten-thousands… a steep, meteoric rise.
"The result is!!!"
I was practically shouting.
The number was shooting up like crazy! Even the viewers' video feeds started glitching! Glitching screens! I'm blinking! The digits are flashing!!!
"The result iiiissssss!!!!"
I could barely see the display now!
The shining background suddenly cut to a white screen that read "Egostic."
Bang—fireworks exploded everywhere and lit me up again.
The number on the giant billboard behind me:
[7,523,660]
"Seven million!!! Five hundred twenty-three thousand!!! And six hundred sixty people!!! claimed $100!!!!!"
I shouted it out, slow and dramatic.
"Wow!"—cheers from somewhere. Of course, just BGM.
Clap. I clapped.
"Amazing! People of Korea! Honestly, I thought it would just pass five million, but seven million! Beyond my imagination!!!"
I beamed.
I opened my arms as if to shout hooray.
"This explosion is for you, selfish people. Congratulations, everyone!!!"
Behind me, as I stood with my arms spread—
The electronic display vanished.
The bridge backdrop…
Thummmmmmmmmmmm—
It began to collapse in a massive explosion.
Explosions are… art!
"Thank you for participating in Egostic's terrorist attack! See you next time! Until then, bye!!!"
I smiled and waved at the camera.
After waving, I turned it off.
Phew—today's shoot is over.
After the livestream, I wiped away a cold sweat midair.
Wow, ten hours out here. A marathon terror. That was rough…
Hovering, I looked down.
The bridge crumbled with a roar.
And from far away, a woman flew in at great speed.
Our Stardust.
Long time no see.
She was gorgeous in her red hero suit, blonde hair streaming as she flew.
Last time I saw her was at the festival, right? It's been a while. A really long while.
I don't know when I'll see you again after today, so let's watch a bit.
I didn't flee immediately; I hovered calmly with telekinesis and watched. I do feel bad she has to clean up after me… but it's for a good cause, right?
She blitzed forward, catching an SUV that was about to plunge off the far side of the collapsing bridge with one hand.
Wow—she stopped trains and planes before, and now she's holding a car with one hand?
…She seems to be growing faster than in the original comic… Well, that's good.
With the SUV in one hand, she flew back to the cars on my side.
But the problem… probably because she was holding an SUV in one hand, her speed was a bit slower…?
And what? That car's about to dive into the Han River.
How did Choi Young-jin end up falling with the collapsing bridge? His car was about to slip down through the broken asphalt. Even before Stardust arrived.
She was almost there—but the car finally slipped through the gap.
"Come on."
In that instant, I reached out without thinking. I yanked the falling car with telekinesis and held it in the air for a beat.
It was very brief—maybe one or two seconds.
But that was enough time for Stardust to save him.
In the end, she managed to grab all the cars that had fallen.
"F—… Huff. Huff."
God, I'm dying.
A quick telekinesis burst drained my whole body.
Haru—Shin Haru. Why were you late? He almost died.
It would've been hilarious if anyone saw the villain saving a hostage he was trying to kill.
Even so.
I can't ruin Stardust's perfect record of rescuing all civilians, right?
I couldn't help it… I had no choice…
With two cars secured, Stardust glanced in my direction.
Our eyes met. Crap—did she catch me?
The moment our gazes locked, I whipped my cape and turned away.
Then, I teleported out of there.
I did nothing.
I don't know anything…!
***
Stardust, with a car in hand against the backdrop of the collapsing bridge, fell into thought.
Egostic. The car fell from where he was.
There hadn't been a moment for her to grab it.
"Just now, definitely…"
It looked like it was falling—then it hung in midair for a split second…