Chapter 30

EP.30 The Terror Live

There are so many houses in Seoul.

As you walk down the streets, you see apartments, apartments...

Of course, you can't overlook the standalone houses.

One of these houses, tightly packed on the ground, is a seemingly ordinary standalone house.

At first glance, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with this house.

If you were to stand in front of it and watch who comes out of the door, you would mostly see one woman coming and going, and occasionally a man and a little girl.

So you might think it's just an ordinary family home, and if you were to go inside, you would feel something strange.

Why are the doors inside locked with passwords?

And even if you were to open those doors and go inside, you would still feel something strange.

Because the inside of the house is completely empty.

There are a few pieces of furniture, but they are covered in a thick layer of dust, as if no one has ever lived there.

But then, what about the man and woman who were coming and going?

When you think about it, you might feel a chill down your spine and scream, "It's a haunted house!" and run away.

But in fact, this isn't a haunted house.

The house is underground.

Deep underground.

If you start from the ground and go down hundreds of meters, you will find a very large space.

With dozens of rooms, equipped with all kinds of advanced devices and amenities.

This is where the most influential villain in Korea, the most attractive character to teenagers, and the person Forbes has selected as the most remarkable, lives.

Egostic, the unprecedented villain of Korea, with hundreds of thousands of fans, lives in this secret underground base.

It's called the Ego-Base.

And I, the leader of this place, am currently planning something.

"Come on, if you have any good ideas, speak up!"

In one of the many rooms in the house, a large blackboard is attached to the wall.

It says, "Third Large-Scale Terror Meeting."

I wrote it.

"What's the purpose of this terror? We already have enough recognition, so are we trying to increase the sense of intimidation?"

"Right. I feel like a lot of people think I'm good, as if they see me as a hero. I want to change that. I want them to see me as impulsive, unpredictable, and crazy!"

"Um... Actually, I think a lot of people already see you that way... But I get it. So, can't we just grab anyone and massacre them?"

"Seuna!"

I was startled and looked at Seuna.

How could she say such a terrifying thing so casually? I must have raised her wrong!

...But thinking about it, Seuna was originally a villain. She's just become more relaxed living with me. In the original story, she was the one who might have destroyed Korea.

Still, I need to educate her properly.

I cleared my throat and spoke.

"What a terrifying and scary thought? Civilians are innocent. We can't just kill them recklessly."

"But, why are the conditions so strict? As a villain, it's more ridiculous to have zero deaths."

"Ah, other villains have killed people. I've even taken care of Su-bin's friends with my own hands."

As I said this, I saw Su-bin frown.

I'm sorry, Su-bin. Don't let your hand holding the mug tremble.

"Hmm... I understand. How about massacring criminals in prison? They're not civilians."

"Um... I don't have a counter-argument?"

No, I do.

"Seuna, but from the way people react, doing that might actually increase my popularity. They might call it refreshing."

"Is that so..."

"And it shouldn't just be a random act of terror. There should be a way out, a loophole that people think they can escape through, but in the end, they can't. Look at what I've done so far. The Prisoner's Dilemma, the Trolley Dilemma. It doesn't have to be a full dilemma, but it should be a terror that requires some thought."

"Hmm... That's difficult."

Right? It's not easy.

What kind of terror should I plan?

I was originally an ordinary citizen.

I never thought about causing a terror while sitting at home.

Seuna was scratching her head, trying hard to come up with the next terror. Su-bin, who was sitting next to her, seemed to be thinking quietly.

The first two terrors were all planned by me from start to finish, so they just had to execute them. Now that I'm running out of ideas, I need to use the power of collective intelligence. Help me!

Oh, I forgot to mention this.

"Also, the situation should be one where a hero can come and save everyone at the last moment, just before everyone dies."

"Really! Why are there so many conditions?"

Seuna finally couldn't hold back her frustration and burst out, and Su-bin, who had been listening quietly, spoke for the first time.

"...And is that hero going to be Stardus again?"

"Um, yeah, I guess."

"Hmm..."

She took a sip of water from her mug.

"Hmm."

"That damn Stardus, Stardus. Why don't you just live with Stardus? Anyone would think you're already married."

Seuna rested her chin on her hand and said sarcastically.

She looked sulky.

Oh, I've seen this in parenting books.

I once dreamed of being a teacher.

In the required reading for aspiring teachers, Emile, I remember reading something similar.

It said that children feel jealous when their parents show more interest in someone else.

Anyway, in such a situation, I should say something like this.

"Oh, Seuna. He's just a tool to highlight my own position. I'm not doing anything for him. Of course, my family and you come first."

"Hmph."

Seuna turned her head away, but I could see the corners of her mouth turning up.

Raising a child isn't easy...

Well, she's not really a child anymore, being in the third year of middle school.

But, Seuna.

It's true that I'm doing all this for Stardus...

I need to hide the truth that would cause a bloodbath deep down, and we continued the meeting.

As we were throwing out various ideas, Su-bin came up with one.

"Your previous terrors were on a ship and a train, right?"

"Right."

"Then it's simple. The next one should be on a plane."

"A plane?"

A plane.

Hmm. If we do a plane after a ship and a train...

A three-part series of transportation?

Not bad?

"Not bad. But how do we make the plane crash? I mean, crashing it is easy, but we need to show some kind of dilemma or clever show before that. We also need to give people hope that they can survive."

"Oh, how about this?"

Su-bin continued her explanation.

After listening to her, I said,

"Su-bin, you're a genius?"

"Haha..."

That's how our next terror was decided.

I've already announced to Stardus that I will carry out the terror next month.

Before then, let's prepare perfectly.

***

A flight from Incheon to Jeju.

It's a small plane for a domestic flight, but it's still a plane heading to Jeju for various reasons.

During the short flight, people were doing various things.

Taking a nap, reading a book, or watching a movie on the display in front of their seat...

Each person was passing the time in their own way.

That's how it was.

Until all the lights in the plane suddenly went out.

"..."

Actually, at this point, people weren't too worried.

But then, all the displays in front of the seats turned on, and the same video was broadcast to everyone.

[THE EGO SHOW]

[Now Live]

"What's this?"

People who were watching movies were cut off and started complaining.

People who were quietly doing their own thing began to look at the displays in front of them, wondering what was happening.

Then, from the speakers, which are usually used for announcements,

a voice that wasn't the pilot's began to speak.

[Hello everyone! Welcome to the largest quiz show in the air, not on the ground, but in the air, The Ego Show Live, at an altitude of 25,000 feet!]

A man's voice suddenly came from the speakers.

As he finished speaking, applause began to play from the speakers, as if it were a comedy show.

[Wow-. Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.]

The bright sound from the speakers contrasted with the cold atmosphere of the plane.

"Wait, what's going on? Flight attendants! Where are the flight attendants!"

But no flight attendants came.

Finally, when the passengers realized something was wrong,

the voice from the announcement continued.

"Now, now! To add some dramatic tension to the show, there's a bomb on the plane! If you do anything foolish... Boom! Oh, be careful, okay?"

By the time he finished speaking, screams were already filling the air. Anyone who has heard of Egostic knows he doesn't make empty threats.

Amidst the many screams, he continued to speak with a smile in his voice.

"Let's start the game!"

***

[Stardus, are you watching the broadcast Egostic just started? He's planning another terror...]

"Yes, I'm watching it now."

What is he up to this time?