Chapter 28

EP.28 Seeds of Doubt

[..So, while Egostic is buying time, you should head out, got it?]

After the phone call with the Association President, she was flying.

Despite the interference,

and the fact that she had to come and go as quickly as possible, she couldn't say that time was wasted.

If it weren't for Egostic, it wouldn't be strange if there had been hundreds more casualties by now.

"Ha, ha..."

She had flown across the sky for dozens, even hundreds of kilometers.

She wondered if she was too late, if everything was already over, but she continued to fly.

The in-ear headphones connected to the Association staff were no longer audible due to the high speed of her flight. However, she couldn't slow down. She didn't know how many more people might be hurt in the short time she hesitated.

When she finally arrived at the place where the villain was causing chaos,

the villain was already lying on the ground.

And nearby, someone was calmly picking up the fallen guns and putting them in a bag.

It was none other than Egostic, who was currently the top of her mind.

"Huff... huff..."

Turning her head to assess the situation,

a huge figure with an alligator-like face was lying on the ground.

There was some kind of green smoke floating around the alligator monster, and it seemed that Egostic had used some kind of biochemical weapon to handle it, as he was wearing a gas mask.

How did he get such a thing, and why did he think of handling it this way?

Swallowing her rising questions, she only confirmed the facts with him.

"Did you take him down?"

"Yes, that's right. I took him down."

Her brows furrowed involuntarily at his calm response. She couldn't understand. Why did he suddenly appear and take down this alligator monster? What did it mean for him to act like this?

Combining all her questions, she could only ask:

"Why?"

When she asked, Egostic began to speak as if he had prepared his answer in advance.

"Well, I was just relaxing, and suddenly the news showed some guy causing a ruckus. He was even calling out to Stardust, so I thought, 'Wow, Stardust is really popular these days,' and I was eating popcorn. But then, he mentioned me?"

The guy mentioned Egostic?

While Shin Hae-ru was thinking that she must have missed it when she left the scene with Chae Hyun, Egostic continued.

"I don't know, I felt a bit annoyed. What did I do to deserve that?"

Her face also twisted at his words.

What? Me and him? That's a ridiculous smear. We're enemies to begin with.

...But when Egostic said he was also annoyed, she felt a bit uncomfortable. It was an unpleasant feeling.

"And according to my dictionary, anyone who mentions me and plays around needs to be educated. I played with him a bit to set an example."

So that was the key.

Her expression relaxed without her realizing it.

Yeah, that crazy guy would do something like that.

Given his impulsive and destructive behavior so far,

it seemed that he felt so annoyed when a weaker guy mentioned his name that he killed him.

Just as she resolved all her questions,

he suddenly manipulated the camera that was filming them with his telekinesis and turned to face her.

And he spoke to her in a small voice.

"...And since I muted it, I'll say this. Don't ever think about showing your face like today again. Your life will become very difficult if you do."

What?

She was very confused.

How did you know I was thinking that?

Just as her brain froze, Egostic was already waving at the camera.

"Alright, that's it for my broadcast today. I'm quite tired from suddenly going out without any plan. There's a big event next month, so look forward to it. See you next time. Bye~."

Wait, a big event next month?

But more importantly, how did he know what I was thinking just now?

"Wait!"

Before she could ask him, he was already gone.

The rooftop was empty except for the fallen alligator monster.

"...What the hell."

***

A few days later.

The incident was quickly forgotten by the public.

The disciplinary actions against the B- and C-rank heroes who failed to respond despite being able to do so marked the end of the case within the Association.

"Phew. If that guy Egostic hadn't shown up, it would have been a disaster. That guy is a mad dog. If a mad dog bites us, it's bad, but if it bites the enemy, there's nothing more reliable! Haha."

Leaving the Association President's carefree, jocular laughter behind, she stepped out of the office.

"Phew...."

After completing all her reports and stepping outside the building, she sighed, looking up at the sky.

It's a good thing. It's a good thing.

But why is my head so muddled?

While walking down the street, she checked the school community on her phone.

She typed in the search bar, one letter at a time.

[Egostic]

Not many posts came up.

Feeling puzzled, she thought for a moment and tried a different search.

[Mangostic]

Suddenly, numerous posts appeared.

[Mangostic! Mangostic! Mangostic!]

[Mangostic is really tempting today]

[The baby mangos are joining the Mango Gang... Is it hot?]

[These days, Mangostic is better than most heroes, really lol]

[Mangostic seems to be a graduate of our university (evidence included)]

[When I praised Mangostic before, they banned me for a month for defending villains, but now they're not doing it anymore wtf lol]

[Mangostic is planning a terror attack next month... real fact]

All the posts were praising Egostic.

As she continued to scroll through the posts with a sense of curiosity, one post caught her eye.

[These days, Mangostic is mindlessly praising villains, and if this continues in Korea...]

Yes, there are people who, like her, recognize the problems in the current social phenomenon.

She clicked on the post with anticipation.

The main content appeared.

***

[Author] Anonymous

[Title] These days, Mangostic is mindlessly praising villains, and if this continues in Korea...

Rider

(A clip of Kamen Rider extending his hand)

[Anonymous1] If the prediction is correct, like it

[Anonymous2] If you don't want to beg for likes, like here gg

***

"Damn."

She just went back.

Ultimately, she turned off her phone without any results and rested her chin on her hand, looking out the window.

...Everyone except me likes Egostic.

Where did it all go wrong?

'...At least he didn't cause any casualties, right? And with Egostic hunting other villains these days, the crime rate has dropped. Let's just leave him alone for now. It's hard to catch him anyway, since he can teleport...'

'What? If he causes another terror attack? Haha, then you'll just have to stop him again, right? I trust you. Our Association trusts you.'

...The Association President's words kept echoing in her head.

If the head of the Korean Superhuman Association says so, maybe Egostic is really harmless.

But given his unpredictable and chaotic behavior so far, it's hard to say.

If she hadn't stopped him, the people on that ship and the people tied to the tracks would have all died.

If someone had died because of Egostic, would people still praise him like this?

"...."

No, they wouldn't.

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

How did Egostic know that she was thinking about showing her face?

Did he read her mind? Like a mind reader?

No, that's impossible. He doesn't have that ability.

Then how did he know? Did he know she was at the festival site?

How did he know? Does he know my identity? That I'm Shin Hae-ru?

"..."

No, that's not the important thing.

The important thing is that Egostic is a firm villain, and she will catch him. Just like any other villain.

She reaffirmed this.

But without her realizing it, a seed had been planted in her heart.

A seed of doubt, wondering if maybe the others were right and she was wrong.

***

"...Soo-bin, has Oppa still not woken up?"

"Yeah, but his vital signs are much better now. I think he'll wake up soon."

"Ha... Really, what does this idiot believe in to treat his body so carelessly...."

Egostic. Han Se-eun leaned against the bed where Da-in was lying and looked at him.

What does this guy believe in to charge in recklessly without any preparation?

...It must be because of Stardust, that woman.

"....."

When Han Se-eun thought of Stardust, she felt an uncomfortable feeling well up inside her.

Da-in had never said it directly, but she instinctively deduced it.

Until now, and this time too.

Da-in would run into danger without hesitation for Stardust.

What's so good about Stardust?

Rather,

"Cough, cough."

"Oppa!"

Before she could finish her thoughts, Da-in woke up.

It had been three days since he collapsed.