Chapter 36

EP.36 Let's Go on a Trip

"Come on, let's go!"

We set off in the SUV I bought a while ago.

Our destination was Busan.

Since Se-eun had never seen the sea before, we decided to take this opportunity to show her.

"Brother, can't we take the KTX now?"

Se-eun, sitting in the back seat, grumbled.

"Se-eun, can you see the bags in the trunk behind you? They're all guns and stuff. How are we supposed to take a train with these?"

"Really... how much did you bring? It's only a two-night, three-day trip, what did you pack so much for?"

Se-eun turned her head and started looking through the bags in the trunk. It's dangerous for her to be doing that while I'm driving.

"Brother, what's this mask for? I've never seen it before."

Se-eun pulled out a mask from the bag.

It wasn't the half-mask I usually wear, but a full-face mask.

"Who knows what might happen there. Better to be prepared and bring something to cover your face."

At my words, Soo-bin, who was sitting in the passenger seat, asked curiously.

"Did you come here with facial recognition protection?"

"No, I didn't. Se-eun and I haven't been exposed to the public yet."

"Oh..."

Soo-bin trailed off.

Wait, thinking about it, Soo-bin is the only one who came here with facial recognition protection.

And I was the one who livestreamed Soo-bin's face to the public.

Hmm.

Let's drop this topic. I feel bad...

Se-eun was playing with her phone in the back seat, completely carefree. It must be nice to be so carefree.

We drove to Busan.

After five hours of driving, I'm exhausted...

***

"The sea!"

We arrived at Haeundae.

Se-eun is happy, so I'm happy.

She ran off to play, and I spread out a blanket and sat under a parasol.

Standing is tiring. I need to sit down.

Soo-bin, who sat next to me, bought two drinks and handed one to me.

The sun is bright, and there aren't many people at the beach, so it's nice.

That's why you should travel on weekdays.

Soo-bin, who was sitting next to me, took a sip of her drink through a straw, pushed her hair behind her ear, and said to me.

"I haven't seen the sea since I was very young. It's been a long time."

"Me too."

It feels like the first time I've seen the sea since I fell into this world.

Of course, it's just a sea, but there's something about it that makes me feel like my chest is opening up.

In this world, I've handled four villains.

I've committed three acts of terrorism.

I've been living too busy a life.

While chaos is good, sometimes it's necessary to take a deep rest like this.

"...I'm always grateful to Da-in."

While I was staring at the sea... what do you call it? Sea gazing? Water gazing?

Soo-bin quietly spoke to me.

"Grateful? For what?"

"Just... everything. I'm grateful that you didn't kill me at first and saved me... and for treating me well..."

"Haha, what are you talking about? I'm the one who should be grateful. You always take care of the house and assist Se-eun."

"Thank you for saying that."

Soo-bin smiled softly.

What's this atmosphere?

Is this some kind of flag?

In manga, people who say such things usually die or betray in the next volume?

I'm scared!

Before I could ask her why she was acting like that, Se-eun, who had run off to look at the sea, came back.

"Already back? Did you see everything?"

"Yes. Well, it's not much different from the sea I've seen in games. It feels familiar."

For heaven's sake.

To say that the first time you see the sea feels familiar because you've seen it in games.

Is this... a positive or negative effect of games?

I don't know, but you need to control your game time when you get back.

"Still, walking on the sand barefoot was a new experience. I'd give it 3 out of 5 stars?"

...I've never seen a kid rate a beach like that.

But I'd give it at least 4 stars!

"Shall we go eat now?"

Let's do that.

***

We went to a soup rice restaurant.

When it comes to Busan, it's all about soup rice.

"Brother, it says here to pour the kimchi broth into the soup rice. Is that really okay?"

"Hmm... if you want to, go ahead."

I don't like it.

Se-eun ended up pouring the kimchi broth into the soup rice. Why did she do that?

"It's edible."

Surprisingly, Se-eun found it edible.

Really? It's a matter of taste.

Well, it's good to see her enjoying it.

It's better to eat something like this from a pot, blowing on it, rather than always eating home-cooked meals.

There's a lot of meat in this soup rice, which is good.

The TV on the wall of the soup rice restaurant was showing the news.

[The Association has issued a statement condemning A-rank villain Egoistic, stating that they are doing their best to capture him. However, the investigation is being hindered due to the suspect's ability to teleport and manipulate information networks. Netizens have reacted with comments like 'Egoistic is scary' and 'Did you see the fight between Stardust and Egoistic? It was truly legendary...']

They were talking about me. But something seems a bit off about this news...

While I was staring at the screen, eating my kimchi, Se-eun, who was eating in front of me, asked.

"Brother, why did you choose the name Egoistic?"

I almost choked on my kimchi.

What is she talking about in such a loud voice in a crowded place!

I quickly looked around, but fortunately, no one seemed to be paying much attention.

When I looked at Se-eun with a very flustered face, she looked at me as if to say, "What are you looking at?" and then said, "Ah!" and pulled something out of her pocket.

"Don't worry. I made a noise canceller last time when you said not to talk about identity-related things in public."

She placed something on the table that looked like a small walkie-talkie.

"What's this?"

I asked cautiously, and Se-eun shrugged.

"It makes sure that only we can hear what we say."

"Oh? When did you make this?"

"Last time when you said not to talk about identity-related things in public, I looked up some designs at home and found one. Han Eun Group has everything."

"Amazing."

"So, Brother, why did you choose the name Egoistic?"

Se-eun asked with a mischievous smile. Didn't she ask this before?

"It's derived from 'egoistic,' which means selfish. Isn't it obvious when you hear it?"

"No, it just sounds like you added 'stick'... But why did you remove the 'i' in the middle?"

"Why did I remove it? Just... I removed it."

Stardust shortened his name to Stardus.

There's no reason I couldn't shorten Egoistic to Egoistic.

"Also, Stardust... I don't even know why he removed the 't' at the end... Why didn't you just remove the 'tic' and call yourself Egois? That would have been better."

"If you were there when I chose my name, you could have suggested something better. It's a shame."

Soo-bin, who had been quietly eating next to me, chimed in.

"...If you keep this up, I'll change my name to Mangoistic. I'll welcome everyone to the Mango Show of Mangoistic during the next terror attack."

"That sounds cute! I'm in favor!"

Se-eun laughed brightly, and my heart ached.

It's a joke... a joke, okay...

The news on the TV finished talking about me and moved on to the next story.

[Breaking news. A-rank hero Shadow Walker has collapsed. The Association stated that the cause was excessive use of abilities during special activities in the daytime and promised to complete treatment as soon as possible. Netizens reacted with comments like 'The Association's incompetence is scary,' 'Is it a fake illness?' and 'The Association president should resign for the security gap.']

"Why did he suddenly collapse?"

I looked at the TV in confusion. Could it be because of the trip to Jeju Island I gave Stardust? If that's the case, I feel a bit guilty...

[The fan cafe 'Stardust Dust,' created after the plane incident, has seen a sharp increase in members. The cafe, which was established after the plane incident, has already surpassed 100,000 members in just a few days. It's a rare occurrence for a hero's fan cafe to be created in South Korea.]

"Wow!"

I stopped eating and focused on the TV.

See, I believed in it! It seems my efforts paid off!

"...I like it more than when you got a fan cafe. People might think you're Stardust's dad."

Se-eun, who was eating in front of me, grumbled. Hmm, did I show too much enthusiasm?

[Another breaking news. Experts have announced that there were no signs of an explosion in the plane incident involving Egoistic, causing a stir. Although the plane has sunk into the sea and cannot be confirmed, experts say that there are no signs of an explosion based on the last recorded images. The plane is being salvaged, and detailed results will be released as soon as they are available...]

"How could they not know that?"

The world is trying to frame me.

"Brother, just give up. The current real-time trend is '#BelieveInMangoistic'?"

Se-eun showed me the terrifying truth on her phone.

No, this can't be real...

"Wait. Whether the bomb exploded or not, the fact that I caused the crash is still true, right? But there are people covering for me?"

"According to them, you must have had a bigger plan? They argue that there were no civilian casualties in the end. The Mango Team's support is overwhelming?"

"No, does that make sense? I did do something wrong?"

"I'm amazed too. Did everyone take the same medication? It's an abnormal level of support. Look at this."

"What is it?"

I took the phone from Se-eun.

===

[Mangoistic <--- I believed in you lol]

First of all, I did lol

[Upvote]1355 [Downvote]32

[Really lol Is there anyone who still doesn't believe?]

[Why wouldn't he use the bomb? He was trying to save everyone lol]

[Big picture ㅇㅈ]

===

"Se-eun... Where did these comments come from..."

"Da-in, look at this. It's a post on my school community."

"What is it...?"

===

[Author] Anonymous

[Title] Interviews with the plane passengers are out!!

(Reporter) How was it?

(Passenger 1) It was scary. But thinking about it after getting off, it was a meaningful experience. It made me appreciate the value of life. It felt like a scary roller coaster?

(Passenger 2) It was kind of fun. It was thrilling when we were about to crash, but we arrived in Jeju Island normally, so we had a good time and came back home.

Roller coaster lol

[Anonymous 1] The passengers are all tough lol

[Anonymous 2] South Korea, the land of macho men

[Anonymous 3] Really lol You shouldn't be scared on a roller coaster lol

[Anonymous 4] Roller coaster ㅇㅈㄹ lol

===

My reaction was simple.

"The world is going crazy."

It's the end of the world.

*

After finishing our meal, we went sightseeing.

We visited the International Market and other famous restaurants.

We had fun, and before we knew it, it was night.

"Se-eun, did you book a hotel?"

"Of course! I booked a five-star hotel."

"Really? What's the name?"

"It's called the Signature Hotel."

"Really? I think I've heard of it..."

"It's the largest, most famous, and most expensive hotel in Busan! It was hard to book."

"Good job. Let's go and rest."

I'm so tired.

I need to get a good night's sleep.

It's nice to take a break after always being involved in terrorism.

Nothing will happen for a while, right?

***

In a dark space.

People armed with guns were lined up.

The person standing in front, who seemed to be the leader, spoke.

"Tonight. We will bomb Busan. Understand?"

"Yes!!"

"Where is our unit going to bomb?"

"Busan Signature Hotel!!"

The soldiers' shouts filled the space.

***

Hmm.

Nothing will happen, right?

"Something feels off..."

"Brother, stop mumbling to yourself and come on."

"Alright..."

Yeah. Even if something happens, it won't be today, right?