CH 28

[…So while Egostic is dragging his feet, go get ready, okay?]

After the phone call with the president of the Association, she was flying away.

She’s going to get the derecognition device and come back as fast as possible, although she’s not sure whether it will be delayed or not.

If Egostic wasn’t here, it would have been a normal incident where there would be hundreds of casualties.

“Haa, haa…”

She flew tens and hundreds of kilometers across the sky.

She was wondering if it was too late and if everything was already over, but she kept flying.

Her in-ear earphones, which are connected to the Association’s staff, couldn’t be heard as she was flying so fast. But she couldn’t slow down. She wasn’t sure how many more people would be harmed in that brief moment of her procrastination.

When she gets to the place where the villains are on the rampage.

The villain already collapsed.

And nearby, a man calmly picked up his guns lying on the ground and put them in the sack.

It was Egostic, the one that has been on her mind the most these days.

“Huff… Huff…”

She turned her head and tried to grasp the situation.

A huge guy with a crocodile-like face collapsed on the floor.

Green smoke was floating around the crocodile monster, Egostic was wearing a gas mask, so it seems like some biochemical weapon were used.

Where the hell did he get that? How did he come up with that?

Swallowing her rising doubts, she only wanted to confirm the truth with him again.

“…Did you knock him down?”

“Yes, that’s right. I knocked him down.”

Her brows naturally frowned at his nonchalant response. She doesn’t understand. Why did he suddenly appear and kill that crocodile monster? What does it mean to him?

Putting all the question together, she could only ask.

“…Why?”

Egostic opened his mouth and started speaking as if he already prepared the answer.

“Well, I was just resting, and all of sudden, they suddenly had a freak show on TV. So I thought, ‘Our Stardus has become popular.’ and was getting some popcorn. But he suddenly mentioned me? He said you and I were sucking and kissing or something. It made me feel mad. What did I do?”

That monster called out Egostic?

Maybe she couldn’t hear it because she immediately took Chaehyun away from the scene. As Shin Haru was thinking, Egostic continued.

“He said you and I were sucking and kissing or something. It made me feel mad. What did I do?”

Her face frowned at his words.

What? Egostic and her sucking each other? That’s a ridiculous slander. They were enemies from the beginning.

…But when Egostic said it made him mad, she also felt a little upset. Somehow, she’s uncomfortable.

“And according to my dictionary, I need to educate people who play tricks on me. To set an example, I played with them.”

As expected, that was the main point.

Her expression relaxed before she knew it.

Yeah, that crazy guy would do that.

He’s been showing himself as an impulsive and destructive person.

When a weaker man than Egostic himself mentioned his name, he seemed to have killed him because he was mad.

As she cleared all the questions that she had in mind.

Suddenly, he manipulated the camera that was filming him with his telekinesis and stood against her.

He talked to her in a small voice.

“…And I’m saying this because we are on mute. From now on, don’t even think about going out and revealing your face like today. The moment you do it, your life will be very difficult.”

What?

She was surprised.

How does he know that she had that thought?

While she had a brain freeze, Egostic was already waving at the camera.

“Okay! That is all for today’s broadcast. I’m very tired because I came forward without any plans today. There will be a big thing coming next month, so please look forward to it. I will see you next time. Goodbye~”

Wait, the big one next month?

But first, how did he know what she was thinking before?

“Wait!”

Before she could ask him hastily, he had already disappeared.

Except for the crocodile monster who was lying down next to her, the rooftop became empty.

“…What the hell?”

***

And a few days have passed.

The incident was quickly forgotten by the people.

The case was also closed within the Association with disciplinary action being taken against B-class heroes who could have been dispatched to the scene at the time.

“Haa. I would have been in big trouble if this Egostic guy didn’t come. This guy, he’s a crazy dog. If a crazy dog bites us, it’s a big deal, but if he runs at the enemy, there’s nothing more reliable than that! Haha.”

Leaving behind the easygoing president’s grin, she stepped out of the office.

“Phew…”

She left the building after completing all the reports, she sighed as she looked up the sky.

It’s a good thing. It’s a good thing but…

Why is her mind so complicated?

Walking down the street, she entered the school community on her phone.

She searched by typing each word in the search box in the community.

[Egostic]

Not a lot of posts.

She wondered, but then searched differently after thinking for a while.

[Mango Stick]

Then the posts poured in.

[Mango Stick! Mango Stick! Mango Stick!]

[I also crave for a Mango Stick today]

[Baby Mangboong joined the Mango Union… Is it possible to be hot?]

[I think Mango Stick is better than the heroes these days. Haha]

[Mango Stick is from our university ( I have proof)]

[You guys praised Egostic and defended the villain then you’ve stopped for a month. Why aren’t you doing it now? Fuck Hahahaha]

[Forecast Mango Stick’s next month terrorism… real fact.]

Many of the posts were praising Egostic.

As she continued to looking through the posts with mixed emotions, a post caught her eyes.

[You guys have been blabbing about Mango Stick and sucking up the villains. Korea at this rate…]

That’s right, there are people here who have identified the problem with the current social phenomenon like themselves.

She clicked on the post in anticipation.

The post popped up.

***

[Writer] Anonymous

[Title] You guys have been blabbing about Mango Stick and sucking up the villains. Korea at this rate…

Rider

(The picture of the Kamen Rider reaching out his hand)

[Anonymous 1] I hope you succeed in predicting.

ㄴ[Anonymous 2] Good. If you don’t like Google, this place is good.

***

“Damn it.”

She decided to press back.

Eventually, she turned off her phone after finding nothing and looked out of the running window resting her chin on her hand.

Except her, everyone loves Egostic.

Where in the world did it go wrong?

“…Didn’t he cause no casualty, not even one? And because that Egostic guy has been hunting villains these days, the crime rate has decreased. Let’s leave him alone for now. It’s hard to catch him because he can report anyway.”

“Well. What if he causes another terrorist attack? Haha, then you can stop him, I only trust you. Our Association trusts you.”

…The words of the president of the Association kept echoing in her head.

The head of the Superpower Association of Korea said so, maybe Egostic is really harmless.

But it’s an incarnation of unpredictable thinking just by looking at what he has shown so far…

Honestly, if she hadn’t stopped them, all the people on the ships and those who were tied on the tracks would have died.

If someone had been killed by Egostic, would people still praise him like they do now?

“…”

Yeah, it couldn’t have been.

She leaned her face against the window and closed her eyes.

Egostic, how did this guy know she was going to step out with her bare face?

Did he read her mind? Like a mind reader?

No way. He doesn’t have that ability.

So how the hell did he know? Was he there at the festival?

How did he know? Does that mean he knows my personal information? That I’m Shin Haru?

“…”

Yeah, that’s not the point.

The important thing is that Egostic is definitely a villain. She will catch him. Just like other villains.

She renewed her commitment.

But before she knew it, a seed was planted in her heart.

Maybe other people are right, maybe they are wrong. That seed of doubt.

***

“…Soobin, is he still not awake yet?”

“Yeah, but his vitals are much better now. I think he will wake up soon.”

“Haa… What was this idiot thinking throwing himself in like this…?”

Egostic, Da-in was leaning on the bed, and Han Seo-eun looked at him.

What was he thinking rushing out there without any plans like that?

…Stardus, probably because of her.

“……”

Han Seo-eun somehow felt uncomfortable when she thought of Stardus.

Da-in has never said it himself, but she has instinctively deduced it.

This time, also the previous time.

For Stardus, Da-in would jump in fire and water.

Which part of Stardus does he like?

More than that.

“Cough, cough.”

“Oppa!”

Before she could continue her thought, Da-in woke up.

It has been three days since he collapsed.